Readings
I'm still reading Shakespeare bio by Georg Brandes; it's weirdly entertaining. Apparently Ricardians are not the only ones who fight with Shakespeare for the honour of their favourite hero; Brandes has an entire chapter on Caesar and how Shakespeare was wrong about him (though he doesn't suspect Shakespeare of evil mercenary intentions, at least). Also, Shakespeare's sonnets are, according to Brandes, not sonnets but merely poems with 14 lines, and they are definitely addressed to Pembroke and Mary Fitton.
Also reading A Plague on Both Your Houses by Suzanna Gregory, a medieval mystery set in 14th-century Cambridge. Not sure that I like it; the main character is not really engaging to me, and also I feel suspicious that he is the most modern-thinking medical man in his surroundings and his reputation suffers because he is unwilling to bleed his patients and to consult with the stars. I know very little of medieval medicine, but I am always suspicious towards a protagonist in a historical novel who is too modern-thinking compared to everyone else.
Also reading A Plague on Both Your Houses by Suzanna Gregory, a medieval mystery set in 14th-century Cambridge. Not sure that I like it; the main character is not really engaging to me, and also I feel suspicious that he is the most modern-thinking medical man in his surroundings and his reputation suffers because he is unwilling to bleed his patients and to consult with the stars. I know very little of medieval medicine, but I am always suspicious towards a protagonist in a historical novel who is too modern-thinking compared to everyone else.