Most of the books I read this month were in preparation for the release of Book 4 of The Raven Boys series, which was supposed to come out in February. After I finished book 3, I looked up the exact date and it's been pushed back to April. :(
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen GreenblattMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I got about one-fourth of the way through this book before the library loan ran out, and I won't bother renewing. I understand that responsible historians don't want to present conjecture as fact, but this author took that to the extreme: "It's possible that Shakespeare required the daily intake of food in order to sustain life, much like his modern-day counterparts, but without photographic evidence of Shakespeare partaking of a meal, it's difficult to say. One might imagine him seated at table with family and loved ones...but one had better not."
I know Alison Weir doesn't do it for everyone, but she is an example of a historian who I feel like toes this line really well. She's careful in her conclusions but also isn't afraid to say "I think it happened like THIS." I wish Greenblatt could have written more in that vein. But good on him for being overly cautious!
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Station Eleven by Emily St. John MandelMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
4.5 stars. My main thought as I finished this book was "what was the point?", but in the very best way. It was a question I wanted to spend time thinking about.
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