May the 4th Be With You

May 4 is considered a holiday by Star Wars fans to celebrate Star Wars culture, books and honor the films.

It is called Star Wars Day because of the popularity of a common pun spoken on this day. Because the phrase "May the Force be with you" is a famous quote often spoken in the Star Wars films, fans commonly say "May the fourth be with you" on this day.
-- per Wikipedia

CELEBRATE with these Star Wars themed books...

William Shakespeare's Star Wars
by Ian Doescher
Published: 2013
Amazon | Goodreads

Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas’s epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. ’Tis a tale told by fretful droids, full of faithful Wookiees and fearstome Stormtroopers, signifying...pretty much everything.

Reimagined in glorious iambic pentameter—and complete with twenty gorgeous Elizabethan illustrations--William Shakespeare’s Star Wars will astound and edify Rebels and Imperials alike.

Zounds! This is the book you’re looking for.

My two-bits:

I must say this mash-up of the movie story of Star Wars and Shakespeare-speak works!

AND, most definitely, a fun story to read aloud.

Loved the word play and illustrations that pepper the book. I was also tickled by the aside comments from R2-D2 that were translated from this usual beeps and squeaks.

William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back
by Ian Doescher
Just released: March 2014
Amazon | Goodreads

The saga that began with the interstellar best seller William Shakespeare's Star Wars continues with this merry reimagining of George Lucas's enduring classic The Empire Strikes Back.

Many a fortnight have passed since the destruction of the Death Star. Young Luke Skywalker and his friends have taken refuge on the ice planet of Hoth, where the evil Darth Vader has hatched a cold-blooded plan to capture them.

Only with the help of a little green Jedi Master—and a swaggering rascal named Lando Calrissian—can our heroes escape the Empire's wrath. And only then will Lord Vader learn how sharper than a tauntaun's tooth it is to have a Jedi child.

What light through Yoda's window breaks? Methinks you'll find out in the pages of The Empire Striketh Back!

My two-bits:

Currently reading.

So far, more of the same good fun mash-up that follows the movie, Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back.

William Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth Return
by Ian Doescher
Release date: July 2014
Amazon | Goodreads

Hot on the heels of the New York Times best seller William Shakespeare’s Star Wars comes the next two installments of the original trilogy: William Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back and William Shakespeare’s The Jed Doth Return.

Return to the star-crossed galaxy far, far away as the brooding young hero, a power-mad emperor, and their jesting droids match wits, struggle for power, and soliloquize in elegant and impeccable iambic pentameter.

Illustrated with beautiful black-and-white Elizabethan-style artwork, these two plays offer essential reading for all ages. Something Wookiee this way comes!

My two-bits:

This is the mash-up of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi with Shakespeare. Looking forward to reading this one soon!

PeekAbook:



~*~
AND, check out this Star Wars themed bento box at BentOnBetterLunches.

~*~
* image source: Star Wars BBQ

Happy Shakespeare Day

I'm celebrating Shakespeare's 450th Birthday with Shakespeare themed books this week.

~*~
Have to get a move on with this one, as book 2 is available and book 3 comes out in July!

William Shakespeare's Star Wars
by Ian Doescher
Published: 2013
Amazon | Goodreads
Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas’s epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. ’Tis a tale told by fretful droids, full of faithful Wookiees and fearstome Stormtroopers, signifying...pretty much everything.

Reimagined in glorious iambic pentameter—and complete with twenty gorgeous Elizabethan illustrations--William Shakespeare’s Star Wars will astound and edify Rebels and Imperials alike. Zounds! This is the book you’re looking for.

~*~

Last night I caught Christopher Moore on tour with his latest Shakespeare themed book, The Serpent of Venice. He was dressed in our good ol' SF Giants wear. Along with a bit of intro to Venice of the past and present, he treated us with a couple hilarious stories. Check out his site to see if he will be in a bookstore near you.

Serpent of Venice
by Christopher Moore
just released: April 22, 2014
Amazon | Goodreads
Venice, a long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy from the Queen of Britain: the rascal-Fool Pocket.

This trio of cunning plotters—the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Montressor Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago—have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising an evening of sprits and debauchery with a rare Amontillado sherry and Brabantio's beautiful daughter, Portia.

But their invitation is, of course, bogus. The wine is drugged. The girl isn't even in the city limits. Desperate to rid themselves once and for all of the man who has consistently foiled their grand quest for power and wealth, they have lured him to his death. (How can such a small man, be such a huge obstacle?). But this Fool is no fool . . . and he's got more than a few tricks (and hand gestures) up his sleeve.

Greed, revenge, deception, lust, and a giant (but lovable) sea monster combine to create another hilarious and bawdy tale from modern comic genius, Christopher Moore.

Note: The book, too, is a veritable work of art. Rich creamy stock is enhanced by two-color printing, featuring part/chapter titles, running heads, and folios printed in red ink. The text block has blue-stained edges. The book opens to reveal two-page spread endpapers decorated with a sepia-toned antique map of Venice; an antique map of Italy graces the book’s front matter, printed in red. The jacket sports a matte finish with embossed author and title type; gold foil embellishes the title and illustration detail.

~*~
AND, I will be checking out the The Twisted Lit Series:

Anyone But You:
A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
Publised: January 2014
Amazon | Goodreads -signup to win this (expires May 9)
“Heartbreakingly lovely.” -- USA Today.

After her family’s struggling eatery, Cap’s, falls prey to another of the Monte clan’s vicious and destructive pranks, sixteen-year-old Gigi Caputo finds herself courting danger during a clandestine encounter with Roman Monte, the very boy whose relatives have brought her family such grief. When the daughter and son of these two warring factions fall for each other, their quest to mend this bitter family feud turns out to be a recipe for disaster. Their story is irrevocably linked to the summer of 1933, when two twelve-year-olds, Benny and Nick, hop the turnstile at the Chicago World’s Fair. While enjoying some of the fair’s legendary amusements, Nick has a “love at first sight” encounter with Stella, a young girl who unintentionally causes a lasting rift between the two boyhood pals. Deftly winding its way through past and present day, this modern take on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet has much to do with hate — but more with love.

Tempestuous:
A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare's The Tempest
by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
Published: 2012
Amazon | Goodreads
“Irresistible debut novel. We can assure you reading the surprising adventures in the Twisted Lit series is nothing short of thrilling.” -- Children’s Book Review

Recently banished, unfairly, by the school’s popular crowd, former “it girl,” Miranda Prospero, finds herself in a brave new world: holding dominion amongst a rag-tag crew of geeks and misfits where she works at the Hot-Dog Kabob in the food court of her local mall. When the worst winter storm of the season causes mall workers and last-minute shoppers to be snowed-in for the night, Miranda seizes the opportunity to get revenge against the catty clique behind her social exile. With help from her delightfully dweeby coworker, Ariel, and a sullen loner named Caleb who works at the mall’s nearby gaming and magic shop, Miranda uses charm and trickery to set things to right during this spirited take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Exposure:
A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare's Macbeth
by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
Published: 2013
Amazon | Goodreads -signup to win this (expires April 28)
“Death, betrayal, ruthless plots to seize the “crown” — all the seeds of stage tragedy take root and flourish in this clever modern-day homage to Macbeth.” -- Kirkus Reviews.

Double, double, toil and trouble. Sometimes, the quest for high school royalty can be deadly! In this emotionally-charged twist on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a self-conscious shutterbug named Skye Kingston navigates a treacherous school year in Alaska fraught with unspoken secrets and tragic twists of fate. Along the way she encounters three strangely prophetic BFFs; one social-climbing, sociopathic cheerleader; and a heart-stopping hottie named Craig McKenzie: the man who would be Prom King. Can Skye save the boy she loves — and herself — before they get caught in the crosshairs?

FYI: Currently reading this.

~*~
I also plan on watching this on DVD...

Romeo & Juliet (2013)
Director: Carlo Carlei
Writers: Julian Fellowes (screenplay)
William Shakespeare (play)
imdb
Douglas Booth as Romeo
Hailee Steinfeld as Juliet
~*~
How are you celebrating Shakespeare this week?

Do any of these books capture your fancy?

~*~
* image source: Shakespeare

Stacking the Shelves - 9.21.13

Stacking the Shelves
hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

~*~
Bought:

Midnight in Austenland
by Shannon Hale
-Pride and Prejudice theme
I was inspired to get this after watching the recently released film, Austenland.

For Review:

Gracianna
by Trini Amador
-historical, WW2
courtesy of author
for Gracianna tour in October
Thanks Trini!

Steampunk Darcy
by Monica Fairview
-romance, steampunk
courtesy of author
Thanks Monica!
Will be featured in my upcoming virtual book event, TEA at the Filigree - steampunk style in November.

Unpretty
An Unloved Ones Prequel #1
by Kevin Richey
-urban fantasy, YA
courtesy of author
Thanks Kevin!

Unravelled
by M.K. Tod
-france, historical, WW2
courtesy of author
for Unravelled tour in November
Thanks M.K.!

William Shakespeare's Star Wars
by Ian Doescher
-humor
courtesy of publisher
Thanks Eric!

Servants:
A Downstairs History of Britain from the Nineteenth Century to Modern Times
by Lucy Lethbridge
-historical
courtesy of publisher
Thanks Erin!

Repast:
Dining Out at the Dawn of the New American Century, 1900-1910
by Michael Lesy and Lisa Stoffer
-historical, gastronomy
courtesy of publisher
Thanks Erin!
~*~
* most of these will be offered as giveaways within the next two months

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

* per usual, check out the sidebar for my current giveaways offers