Hamlet (aka. Shakespeare is Still Cool)

I find it a very sad and disappointing thing that so many people don't want to read Shakespeare anymore. They think Shakespeare is dull, pointless and not interesting... Really?
Hamlet is a great example of the brilliance of Shakespeare. If you think that Hamlet is all about death and "gosh it must be such a depressing book, and doesn't the guy go mad in the end?", that is not what it's all about. Hamlet's character is actually very funny, he has a great (if slightly odd sometimes) sense of humor and I laughed out loud many times while reading the book. And the beginning of the grave-digger scene? Hilarious.
The various characters in the story are so fascinating to follow and have many facets that do not become obvious until you dig a little into the work . You see new things from every different perspective you try, and some things you will never be completely certain about because you simply aren't supposed to be.
Yes, the main themes of the book are darker; lust, murder, revenge, etc.. But there are other elements that add to the story and make for a very good read.

Many people who would pick up and try to read a Shakespeare play today may not enjoy it because the older styled writing and strange words would make it hard for them to understand the book. I can understand that, it takes a while to get used to. If that is the case, just go to a bookstore and pick up a modern English copy. Many of them even have the original script on one side and the modern on the other to better help you understand it. You will be able to read through the whole play easily and maybe afterwards you'll want to go back and read the original.

For myself, I strongly suggest that everyone reads at least one play written by Shakespeare during their life, and Hamlet is certainly a good place to start.

On another note, if you are interested in seeing a unique a very well done adaption of Hamlet, try the BBC's Royal Shakespeare Company version starring David Tennant. It's done in a really neat style and I highly recommend it.

Dedicated to Miss Louisa M Alcott: From a Great Admirer

"I'm not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship."

                           Louisa M Alcott

     I have admired Louisa May Alcott and her novels greatly and I would like to share with you why that is.
     Miss Louisa is vastly known for her work Little Women and Little Men. I fell in love with these books a few years back and to my great astonishment and joy I discovered she had written many more novels and stories besides, in her time. Jo's Boys, Old Fashioned Girl, Eight Cousins, and Rose in Bloom being only a few titles to her name.
     I admire Miss Louisa for the lessons she teaches, cleverly placed within her pages, and within her characters themselves. Her character insight was marvelous, and even though she never married nor had any brothers, she seemed to understand men and boys just as well as women and girls. She could see the core of human nature and displayed it splendidly in her books. She challenges, not only her make-believe characters, but also her readers to improve and to try to do better and more with themselves.
     For a beginner starting to read, the classic books, Miss Louisa's tales can be a bit difficult to read, at first. The odd-old words and the old writing style can be a particular obstacle they would have to climb, but if one was to push on they would find Miss Louisa's books a fun and educational, to a certain degree.

     A short background story on Miss Louisa: she was born November 29^th, 1832. Her father Amos Branson Alcott was a firm believer in children following their dreams. He was considered odd for he encouraged girls, as well as the boys, to be independent. It was a new concept in those days for women to strike out on their own, and work for themselves. Miss Louisa loved her father and mother, Abby Alcott and learned much from her parents teaching, along with her three other Sisters Abigail, Anna, and Elizabeth, all of them being models for the March sisters in Little Women.
     Her first published work at the age of 22 was entitled Flower Fables, not one of her most popular works, but one that paved a way to her writing career. In her day and age a female author was strange and questioned very much, so her penname was A.M Barnard, and was what she used for most (if not all) her published works. In 1863 she volunteered as a nurse for the Union Army during the American civil war, where she collected the material for Hospital Sketches. After the war she wanted to provide for her family, and so wrote stories to earn money. This was when her most popular tales were created.

     I hope your curiosity is peaked and that someday you will pick up a classic book by the author Miss Louisa M Alcott. Even men and boys could enjoy her world in Little Men.
     To send you off I will end with one of my favorite quotes of hers. 

"....A love for good books is one of the best safeguards a man could have."

Eight Cousins: Good Bargains.
By, Louisa M Alcott

     Thanks for reading, and I hope to find a Miss Louisa fan out there like me, since I have never seen one as of yet.