Shakespeare is also famous for his inventive use of the English language, often coining entirely new words to suit his purposes. His insults are particularly invective, and oh-so-fun. If you're in the mood for a good Tudor-era barb, check out the 30 Best Shakespearean Insults, like this doozy from Henry IV, Part II, "You scullion! You rampallian! You fustilarian! I’ll tickle your catastrophe!" Or this clever snub from As You Like It, "I do desire that we may be better strangers." Or this cutting quip from Coriolanus, "Your abilities are too infant-like for doing much alone." Or, well, ok, you get the point - Shakespeare's insults are epic and I can't pick a favorite! If you're feeling inventive yourself, click here to string together your very own Shakespearean insult. Or, if you prefer, you can check out some sweet compliments, courtesy of the Bard.
Hey Shakespeare fans, did you know this week is believed to be the week Shakespeare was both born and died (52 years apart, of course)? His baptism was recorded on April 23,1564 and his death on April 26, 1616. Arguably the most famous writer in the English language, Shakespeare is still studied and revered today, as those of you who have already read Romeo & Juliet or Macbeth or A Midsummer Night's Dream here in school know.
Shakespeare is also famous for his inventive use of the English language, often coining entirely new words to suit his purposes. His insults are particularly invective, and oh-so-fun. If you're in the mood for a good Tudor-era barb, check out the 30 Best Shakespearean Insults, like this doozy from Henry IV, Part II, "You scullion! You rampallian! You fustilarian! I’ll tickle your catastrophe!" Or this clever snub from As You Like It, "I do desire that we may be better strangers." Or this cutting quip from Coriolanus, "Your abilities are too infant-like for doing much alone." Or, well, ok, you get the point - Shakespeare's insults are epic and I can't pick a favorite! If you're feeling inventive yourself, click here to string together your very own Shakespearean insult. Or, if you prefer, you can check out some sweet compliments, courtesy of the Bard.
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Welcome back to school everyone, and welcome to National Library Week! That's right, a whole week devoted to celebrating the awesomeness of the most wonderful place in your community: your library! There are several mini-celebrations within the larger celebration of Library Week as well:
I hope you take time this week to visit the Media Center and your local public library, check out an exciting new book, find out how we're celebrating National Poetry Month, and relax in a welcoming space!
First: happy first day of spring! It's finally here!!! Also, Google decided to inform me this morning (what doesn't Google know?) that there's a global happy party going on wherein people from all around the world are dancing for a happy planet. Spring starts + the whole world is doing a happy dance....coincidence? I think not! Anyways, if the fact that it's Friday doesn't already have you in a good mood, you can watch some random strangers get their groove on and chuckle quietly to yourself. Next up: The movie trailer for Paper Towns is out: If you haven't already read the book, come check it out in the Media Center so you can read it before the movie comes out and then act annoyingly superior when you go see the movie with friends who haven't. "Wait, you didn't see that major plot twist coming?" *pitying chuckle* Finally: there's a little 'ole movie called Insurgent hitting theaters today! That's right, the second installment of Veronica Roth's mega-hit Divergent trilogy is here in movie form. Are you planning on seeing it this weekend? Also, here's an interesting article on the gender divide in the appeal of movies like Insurgent. Guys, are you fans of the Divergent series and its dystopian cousin The Hunger Games? What do you make of the assumption that a movie needs plenty of action to draw a male audience? Happy St. Patrick's Day! Google invited me to check out some Ireland highlights this morning when I opened up Chrome, and I highly recommend you do the same. The lush green landscape and crumbly castles are so pretty it hurts! Here are some public domain photos of Ireland I scrounged up to feast your eyes on: If you want to learn more about the Emerald Isle there's a book for that, naturally. Stop by the Media Center to check one out!
John Green fans rejoice! The movie adaptation of Paper Towns will be hitting theaters July 24th, and the first movie poster has just been released, with a trailer to follow shortly: For more John Green goodness in the meantime, try your hand at The Fault in Our Stars quiz. I challenge you to match my perfect 10/10 score! Full disclosure: I read the book once and saw the movie once.
Do you plan on seeing the Paper Towns movie when it comes out? What other John Green books would you like to see make it to the big screen? Why should I care about the classics, you may ask? Answer: Book Madness 2015! Hosted by Out of Print, this March Madness style competition pits title vs. title in an epic battle for literary supremacy. The classics will be duking it out this year, and if your bracket is the best, you could win a $500 Out of Print gift card! The Media Center/English Department will also be crowning a winner, so please turn in a paper copy, available here or in the Media Center, to Ms. D by Friday, March 13th. Completed brackets will be posted in the Media Center. Fill out your bracket today and join the madness! Is there anything more exciting than finding out that one of your favorite authors is publishing a new book soon? If you're anything like me, the answer is, almost always, NO. It's my lucky year then because two of my favorite authors have new books coming out! I don't have long to wait for the first, a new true historical thriller by Erik Larsen entitled Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, scheduled for release on March 10th (happy birthday to me, quite literally!). Next to the sinking of the Titanic, that of the Lusitania by German U-boat during WWI is one of the most famed maritime disasters in history. Larsen's book promises to unearth all the intrigue, drama, and suspense surrounding this pivotal moment in the events of the Great War. Book Page has a great interview with Larson on Dead Wake here. If possible, I'm even more excited for the latest book from the author who is quite probably my all-time favorite, Bill Bryson. I just read today on The Bookseller that Bryson is publishing his first travel book in 15 years! Entitled The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island, Bryson's latest will be another take on his travels around his adopted homeland of Britain. I'm especially thrilled to hear this because Notes from a Small Island, Bryson's first travel book on Britain, was the first of his books that I read and began my infatuation with Bryson's witty, informative, and wonderful works. I'll be waiting with great impatience for autumn to roll around so I can get my hands on this one! If you haven't read anything by these authors before, the Media Center owns The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America (National Book Award finalist and Edgar Award winner) and Thunderstruck by Erik Larson. We also have the following Bill Bryson titles: Notes from a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods (recently adapted into a Sundance film), The Mother Tongue, and Made in America. I can't recommend them enough! Are any of your favorite authors publishing new books soon? What are your most anticipated new reads of 2015? Did you watch the Oscars last night? If you missed out on the excitement, check out Word and Film's handy "Illustrated Guide to the 87th Annual Academy Awards" to get the scoop on the night's biggest happenings. Happily, booknerds certainly had reason to rejoice as many of the evening's nominees and big winners were literary adaptations, including:
BookBub has put together a fascinating infographic on several of these book to movie adaptations. More proof of the power of a good book! In honor of Valentine's Day, or PALentines day (because love comes in many forms and you don't have to have a bf/gf to celebrate it), who are the literary characters that make you swoon? Check out this teenreads article featuring YA authors divulging their literary crushes. I'll admit to some of mine: Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice - A man who not only admits when he has made a mistake, but goes above and beyond to fix it (and, really, Lydia and Wickham deserve each other, so I don't fault him for that one). He loves Elizabeth passionately and, as he so amply demonstrated, would do anything in his power for her and her family, but he does so quietly and without all the ostentatious showiness so often seen in today's relationships. A man who does something out of love, and not just so he can post the results on social media? Priceless. |
Media Center mattersThis is the place for updates on all matters relating to the BHS Media Center: new books, programs, meetings, exciting happenings in the literary world, etc. This is also the place to discover why the Media Center MATTERS: it is your gateway to the free access of information, research assistance, and wonderful wonderful BOOKS! Archives
April 2015
Categories"I cannot live without books." |