Litsy

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: A Hunger Games Novel) | Suzanne Collins

I am having such a good time reading this book, I can't stop reading it! Reminds me of my childhood so much.

"You could start by thinking I can actually win." (153)

#hungergames #book #love #ballad #coriolanus #lucygray

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GingerAntics

Coriolanus | William Shakespeare

That was it?! Really? As you all know, I was hopping for a respectable body count, but that was it?! Wow. Thoughts on the slog fest?
#Shakespeare #Coriolanus #shakespearereadalong

merelybookish, Graywacke

GingerAntics @readinginthedark @batsy @Lcsmcat @TheBookHippie @Sunraven @Trashcanman @IamIamIam @ladyneverwhere @MoonWitch94 @catebutler @CoffeeNBooks @jewright @saresmoore @rabbitprincess @Balibee146 @kathedron @Mtroiano @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @MrsMalaprop @Gezemice @cuilin @erzascarletbookgasm 2y

GingerAntics @Melismatic @Sace @teainthelibrary @Susannah @kristenm @slategreyskies @Panic70 @Carolyn11215 @Alliterati @Kristy_K @Liz_M @Daisey @mhillis @Wife @wanderinglynn @Jess_Read_This @Linsy @MellieAntoinette @Yoshi-and-a-book @mollyrotondo @greenreads @LitStephanie @MehoLovesReading 2y

Lcsmcat I usually try to avoid ranking things. One of my least favorite questions is “What is your favorite… “ (sorry - couldn‘t resist) but this is my least favorite Shakespeare. I wanted them all to die. 2y

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batsy I've been trying to think about what to say but I'm just glad it's over. Despite that I still underlined stuff because some of the lines are great, like Aufidius's seething resentment: "He watered his new plants with dews of flattery" or when Volumnia goes off. But otherwise, yes, it was all pretty grim and the worst of humanity having all the power with ordinary citizens suffering. 2y

TheBookHippie Phew that was brutal. I‘m with @Lcsmcat I wanted them all dead. What a slog this was… @batsy review sums up my thoughts. 2y

TheBookHippie What‘s next? 2y

GingerAntics @Lcsmcat EXACTLY!!! If this is a tragedy, the true tragedy is that only one character died at the end. 2y

GingerAntics @batsy that‘s a good point. I was so happy it was over. Not much to like here. (edited) 2y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie if I remember correctly, it‘s Henry VIII. So I‘m guessing there will be a lot of beheadings in this next one. 2y

Graywacke I‘m also glad to be done.* Some decent lines though. I wrote down Coriolanus‘s sense of defeat before mom: “Like a dull actor now, I have forgot my part, and I am out” (*but I still plan to read all the Signet extra stuff) 2y

batsy @Graywacke Me too. Just read the source of the text bit at the end and it is fascinating to learn how Shakespeare created more in terms of Volumnia's character from a single line taken from Plutarch's Lives. It makes me appreciate some aspects of the play more despite not enjoying it! 2y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke that‘s my plan for this afternoon. 2y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics I thought so but I couldn‘t remember 😵‍💫 2y

Graywacke @batsy @TheBookHippie nerd up! 🤓💪 (but Bookly tells me it will take 6 hours, so not for this afternoon. It will take some days for me) 2y

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GingerAntics

Coriolanus | William Shakespeare

pan

Probably my least favourite Shakespearean tragedy. This was a total slog. It was like wading through quicksand. In the end, far too few people died. In fact, it was just the one. I was so hoping for a decent body count.
#Shakespeare #Coriolanus #shakespearereadalong

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GingerAntics

Coriolanus | William Shakespeare

I‘m sure it was a shock to the romans that a few women and a child could actually negotiate a peace deal. Well, it was a boy child, so I‘m sure they thought he did it.
#Shakespeare #Coriolanus #shakespearereadalong

merelybookish, Graywacke

Lcsmcat Did I read the wrong Act? I don‘t remember a peace deal in Act 4. 2y

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GingerAntics @Lcsmcat after the V‘s and his son come to see him, his mother convinces him to make peace. So it is definitely the acts of a woman that brought about peace. Roman minds have been blown!!! (edited) 2y

batsy I was finding this act a slog (again) until we got to Aufidius's, er, racy bit. Am I nuts or was there some serious homoerotic tension there? "more dances my rapt heart than when I first my wedded mistress saw bestride my threshold" & "we have been down together in my sleep, unbuckling helms, fisting each other's throat" ? All that tension & back to being jealous of Coriolanus towards the end. Get a room, guys! This play would be a lot more fun. 2y

merelybookish @Lcsmcat I also missed that. Is that Act V? 2y

merelybookish @batsy OMG! Yes. The fisting line.🤨 it was hard not to read that as erotic. Especially after he went on about how he was more excited to see him than his wife on their wedding night. Found the servants wanting war as peace is dull interesting. And the mother got in a few good lines. But still a slog!! 2y

Lcsmcat @batsy Yes, that bit with Aufidius really jumped out! But the servants competing to show that they knew C wasn‘t a bum all along added some humor. 2y

Lcsmcat @merelybookish My edition has Act 4 ending with Aufidius‘ men worrying that Coriolanus has too much power. Maybe it‘s a different edition thing? 🤷🏻‍♀️ 2y

Daisey @batsy @merelybookish Yes, that part definitely caught my attention. I also found the servants‘ discussion of war and peace interesting. 2y

batsy @merelybookish @Daisey Yeah, the discussion between the servants was really intriguing. 2y

Graywacke @batsy @merelybookish i missed all the homoerotic fun…I‘ll have to reread that. 2y

Graywacke But i zoomed through, because, like @merelybookish I‘m finding this really a slog. 2y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat i think @GingerAntics couldn‘t stop. Seems she‘s read through the end. 🙂 2y

TheBookHippie @batsy I thought it was just me 😅😵‍💫 I agree that play would be a bit more fun! 2y

TheBookHippie @Lcsmcat mine is the same. Too much power. 2y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke that makes much more sense! I was lost too. 2y

TheBookHippie This one is slow for me or my mind is cluttered or both 🤦🏻‍♀️ 2y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke @merelybookish @TheBookHippie I‘m finding it a bit of a slog too. I don‘t know if it‘s the war or the lack of humor or the generally un-likable characters or what. Glad I‘m reading it, but don‘t see myself rereading it. 2y

TheBookHippie @Lcsmcat I agree. It‘s all that. I don‘t intend to reread this one at least not in the near future .. 2y

merelybookish @Lcsmcat I feel detached from the play. Its operating on a level (war, politics) that I don't connect with. There's no character guiding us into the world, no Fool as @Graywacke said or schemer like Iago. 2y

Graywacke @merelybookish right. I‘m wondering what is missing. Maybe there isn‘t a strong dramatic element. There is a base story and everyone playing a role within that base story and so it feels very predictable in the sense that we read a think, of course he said that, what else would he say. In act 3 C says he will be good and play the masses and then we wait to see what happens - that was the only dramatic element in the play that stands out for me. 2y

Lcsmcat @merelybookish I need someone to make me care for sure! Like @Graywacke said, it also feels very predictable 2y

batsy @merelybookish @Lcsmcat @Graywacke @TheBookHippie I am very much struggling with this one and that's a good point about no character being a guide, like a Fool. There's not one POV counter to all of the events that the audience can attach itself to. There's a sense of watching all of this play out with a kind of detached distaste and disgust, somewhat like watching the parliamentary sessions in my country 🙃 2y

TheBookHippie @batsy 🙃 2y

GingerAntics @batsy 🤣😂🤣 I got the same impression. This play would be much more entertaining if they got a room. I agree, this is a slog fest. 2y

GingerAntics @batsy that sounds profoundly boring. Parliamentary sessions? Sheesh. I think cspan sort of does that here, but it‘s SO BORING!!! That‘s a good way to describe this play though. I feel like this play would make great background noise for falling asleep… or staying asleep. 2y

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GingerAntics

Coriolanus | William Shakespeare

Things have certainly gotten interesting… and I‘m really feeling the parallels between Coriolanus and a few modern day politicians.
#Shakespeare #Coriolanus #shakespearereadalong

merelybookish, Graywacke

batsy I'm still finding it a bit of a slog and kind of dense, but I liked how we got to see the citizens kind of see through Coriolanus' talk. Also all I keep thinking about is what an excellent politician Volumnia would make—I don't like her but she's certainly more savvy than her son. 2y

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Lcsmcat @batsy I agree. Volumnia has certainly backed away from her earlier hard-line stance on honor. Maybe because it‘s her skin in danger now? Menenius is the only one I even half respect. 2y

merelybookish I underlined "No more words, we beseech you" which sums up my feelings about this play. ? The scenes are so long and seem to repeat the same point over and over. Volumina at least is interesting, or I'm interested in what she has to say @batsy @Lcsmcat The introduction to my edition suggests lack of education is part of Coriolanus's undoing, which is alluded to a bit in this act. But snobbery and a short temper seem more the issue. 2y

Lcsmcat @merelybookish “no more words, we beseech you”😂😂 2y

jewright I found a fun insult. Coriolanus: “Hence old goat! .... Hence, rotten thing! or I shall shake thy bones / Out of thy garments!” 2y

Graywacke @merelybookish @Lcsmcat I highlighted C‘s “No, take more” 😂 2y

Graywacke I don‘t mind that C is a bullheaded dummy and that Shakespeare uses this extreme as an excuse for various attempts at reason. But I wish the play had had more fun with it. C needs a fool. 2y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke Yes! Where‘s the Fool? This play cries out for one. 2y

Lcsmcat @jewright So many great insults in Shakespeare that I never think of in the moment. (Maybe not a bad thing. I‘m not sure how long I‘d keep a job if I used that one.) 2y

LitStephanie @Graywacke @Lcsmcat a fool would really improve this play. Not a lot of funny in this one. No great speeches so far either, although there is some dark humor in how WS portrays both the plebes and the patricians as stupid, self-righteous, and/or phony flatterers. 2y

LitStephanie Coriolanus eagerly asking Lartius if Aufidius said anything about him does nothing to quell my suspicion that C has a shirtless portrait of A in his study. I am hoping those two find each other, confess their true love, and run off to open an armor store together. In all seriousness, it is sad how C has taken his mother's molding and praise so far he only really respects another warrior of his abilities. Nothing else impresses him about people. 2y

GingerAntics @batsy it is a bit of a drag. I keep hoping everyone dies at the end (and it will happen sooner rather than later). 2y

GingerAntics @merelybookish that is the perfect quote for this play, honestly. 2y

GingerAntics @Graywacke yeah, this play isn‘t as fun or lively or entertaining as his other plays. This is just kind of plodding along. 2y

GingerAntics @LitStephanie yeah, nothing funny here. It‘s a little too close to current moments and politicians for that. That might have been what he was going for. I have a feeling politicians haven‘t changed much in 400 years. 2y

LitStephanie @GingerAntics I love that you are hoping everyone does, haha! 2y

GingerAntics @LitStephanie that‘s my guide to reviewing my less preferred plays. How long did it take to just want everyone to die? 🤷🏼‍♀️ I actually put it into a summary of the 5th act of one of the plays a while back. My summary for act 5 was literally “not enough people died.” 🤣😂🤣 2y

LitStephanie @GingerAntics 🤣🤣 2y

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GingerAntics

Coriolanus | William Shakespeare

More bragging of military prowess. We find out where the name Coriolanus comes from. Public opinion sways easily. So much happened in this act.
@Graywacke @merelybookish
#Shakespeare #Coriolanus #shakespearereadalong

GingerAntics FUN FACT: President Snow from the Hunger Games trilogy is named Coriolanus Snow. I‘m sure there will be a good reason Collins chose that name for him. 2y

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merelybookish I found that act a slog! It felt like the same conversation over and over again. Coriolanus is a great war hero AND he has disdain for the people. The people love him to their own peril. (Sounds a bit like a former US president.) But all the debate was dull. I would prefer to hang out with the Vs. The line "converses more with the buttock of the night than with the forehead of the morning" did stick out. 2y

batsy The 2nd act is much like the first; pretty dense & yes, at times a slog. I was once again pretty appalled by Volumnia and bizarre pride she took in her son's wounds as proof of his exceedingly manly manliness. Cominius' monologue on Coriolanus' "valour", in other words a kind of catalogue of bloodshed and violence, also made for grim reading in these times... 2y

TheBookHippie The reading along with this weeks Russia Ukraine was just GRIM. Nothing changes. So relevant on all the levels…. It was a slog, but was it me or the section?! 2y

TheBookHippie @batsy Volume seriously reminds me of some alt right women I know… GRIM is so the word. 2y

TheBookHippie @merelybookish I had these same thoughts!!! Much to their peril!!!! The Vs have it for me so far with this play. 2y

CoffeeNBooks @merelybookish I definitely agree- it seems like this act just kept repeating the same things about Coriolanus. 2y

CoffeeNBooks @batsy I thought the same thing about Volumnia! It almost seemed like she wished he'd gotten more wounds this time to prove his bravery. 2y

Graywacke It‘s a lot of text, but I appreciated the political manipulations of S and B. Coriolanus is no Putin though. I didn‘t think about that association. He‘s putty to be manipulated. 2y

Graywacke (Hoping that didn‘t come across the wrong way. I‘m horrified by the war. I just didn‘t associate it with this play.) 2y

GingerAntics @merelybookish 🤣😂🤣 it did feel like we were getting all of the buttock‘s speeches in this act. There was a lot of bla bla bla going on. I will give you that. 2y

GingerAntics @batsy manly manliness does seem like the perfect description. Can we get past waxing poetic about how awesome a war lord he is? I‘m over it, seriously. 2y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie oh you weren‘t the only one to draw the parallels with Ukraine‘s battle against Coriolanus… I mean Putin. Even Putin likes to wax poetic about his manly manliness, and don‘t forget the shirtless pictures he released. 🤮 2y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I see what you mean about Coriolanus being more of a pawn. He‘s mouldable to the will of whoever has the power to step up. I think for me the parallel was all the needless bloodshed and violence, as well as the bragging about it. Putin would definitely be the type to be doing the manipulating, but I found it hard to not draw some parallels, especially with Russian tanks veering off course just to roll over cars for sport. 2y

Lcsmcat I‘m having trouble with this one because I don‘t like ANY of the characters. They all annoy or horrify me on some level. 2y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke I was thinking more of the manliness part of Putin 🤮🤢he tries to portray… 2y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics the manliness was my thoughts as well 🤢 2y

TheBookHippie @Lcsmcat Can‘t say I like one character 🤷🏻‍♀️ 2y

GingerAntics @Lcsmcat right? Definitely not one of my favourites. I just don‘t feel positively about anyone. If every character is dead at the end, I‘ll be just fine. That might actually make me like the ending, to be honest. 2y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie @Graywacke don‘t forget the shirtless pictures of himself Putin released a few years ago. Because everyone wants shirtless pictures of a 60 something. Yes, very alluring. 🤮 2y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie @Graywacke I think I‘ve been traumatised by those pictures!!! I‘m scared for life now. I will never get those things out of my head. You just can‘t unsee that sort of thing… no matter how much you might want to. 2y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie @Lcsmcat they are all monsters. Every last one of them. 2y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics first pic in my head whilst reading 🤢🤮 2y

LitStephanie I am so glad I wasn't the only one who thought this act was a bit of a slog. The dialog just doesn't stir me. It was pretty funny when C was muttering about how the commoners need to wash their faces and teeth. He seems to be a cartoonish character showing the danger of taking the manly honorable warrior ideal too far. Rather than seeming humble for his refusal to listen to his deeds be sung, he comes off as dismissive of the peoples' interest. 2y

LitStephanie I do not like that the only two women are a meek house mouse of a wife and a cold mother who values her son's (and by extension hers) glory over anything else, including his life. 2y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie 🤮🤮🤮 so terrifying … they are haunting 2y

GingerAntics @LitStephanie Shakes is known for his strong, powerful female characters, but there are none of those in this play. It‘s painful. This is definitely the view of women of his time. 2y

merelybookish @Lcsmcat Very true! Everyone is awful 2y

Lcsmcat @GingerAntics A traditional tragedy ending with everyone dead would suit me fine. 2y

LitStephanie @Lcsmcat I dislike all the characters, too. This was probably Shakespeare's last tragedy, and he must have been feeling very disillusioned about politics. 2y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat 🙂 2y

mollyrotondo I actually was thinking more about Trump and the conservative right during the Forum scene. All the neglect and disrespect of the “common people” but the “common people” still are deceived by their mockery and essentially bullying. Like @TheBookHippie said, nothing changes. Also I have a question: Are all of Coriolanus‘s wounds a lie? He refused to show anyone and Brutus made it sound like he would want to hide his true role in battle. Wondered 2y

TheBookHippie @Lcsmcat I‘m for death for everyone 😂 2y

TheBookHippie @mollyrotondo It‘s unreal. 😩 2y

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