Artistic Interpretations of The Tempest: #4-‘Ariel and Caliban’ by William Bell Scott

The Tempest is one of my favourite William Shakespeare plays. I thought that it would be fun to share, in no particular order, some of the many artworks inspired by this classic.

Number Four:

Ariel and Caliban by William Bell Scott, 1865

Ariel and Caliban by William Bell Scott, 1865

Because This Photo of Edna St. Vincent Millay Will Always Be Extraordinary…

I have to share it with you.

Again.

It has been too long.

Edna St. Vincent Millay at Mitchell Kennerley's house in Mamaroneck,New York (1914). Photo by Arnold Genthe.

Edna St. Vincent Millay at Mitchell Kennerley’s house in Mamaroneck, New York (1914). Photo by Arnold Genthe.

“Please give me some good advice in your next letter. I promise not to follow it.”-Edna St. Vincent Millay

Cropped black and white version.

Cropped black and white version.

Artistic Interpretations of The Tempest: #3-‘Ferdinand and Miranda’ by Edward Reginald Frampton

The Tempest is one of my favourite William Shakespeare plays. I thought that it would be fun to share, in no particular order, some of the many artworks inspired by this classic.

Number Three:

Ferdinand and Miranda, Scene  from The Tempest   by Edward Reginald Frampton

Ferdinand and Miranda, Scene from The Tempest by Edward Reginald Frampton.

Artistic Interpretations of The Tempest: #2-‘Miranda-The Tempest’ by John William Waterhouse, 1916

The Tempest is one of my favourite William Shakespeare plays. I thought that it would be fun to share, in no particular order, some of the many artworks inspired by this classic.

Number Two:

Miranda-The Tempest by John William Waterhouse, 1916

Miranda-The Tempest by John William Waterhouse, 1916

Artistic Interpretations of The Tempest: #1-‘A Scene from The Tempest, Prospero and Ariel’ by Joseph Severn

The Tempest is one of my favourite William Shakespeare plays. I thought that it would be fun to share, in no particular order, some of the many artworks inspired by this classic.

Number One:

A Scene from The Tempest, Prospero and Ariel by Joseph Severn

A Scene from The Tempest, Prospero and Ariel by Joseph Severn

Reading Habits

Charles French tagged me in a nice little Reading Habits Q&A.

You know that I am all about reading, books, dead writers, and reading books about and by dead writers. I’m also not shy about sharing my preferences and opinions. This Q&A is my cup of tea.

**

  1. You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How in the world do you decide what to read next? My real life TBR pile is pretty lengthy, and growing, although it’s nowhere near 20,000. Still, I have years of practice in determining which book to pluck from my teetering stacks. This method involves one part  mood, one part intuition, and one part “it cannot be in the same genre as my own current writing project.” I also have at least 6 books in active rotation at all times.
  2. You’re halfway through a book and you’re just not loving it. Do you quit or commit? If I start a book, I will finish it at any cost. I’ve been known to walk away from a particularly terrible or boring book, but I always return. I’m incredibly stubborn.
  3. The end of the year is coming and you’re so close yet so far away on your GoodReads challenge. Do you quit or commit? I only joined GoodReads in May 2014, so this year is my first challenge. I’m totally indifferent as to whether or not I reach my goal. I honestly don’t know how to feel about the concept. I read for myself, and sometimes for professional obligations, but it’s not a race. However, if you remember the last line of my answer to question #2…I’m incredibly stubborn.
  4. The covers of a series you love DO. NOT. MATCH. How do you cope? I. DO. NOT. CARE. As long as the covers aren’t “worthy” of being on Lousy Book Covers, I don’t give a damn how they look.
  5. Everyone and their mother loves a book you really don’t like. Who do you bond with over shared feelings? The world is full of people reading books I really don’t like. I’ve better things to do than look down on others for their choice of reading material. We’re all adults here.
  6. You’re reading a book and you’re about to start crying in public. How do you deal? By crying in public? Tears aren’t poisonous, and neither is some stranger’s opinion.
  7. A sequel of a book you loved just came out, but you’ve forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you re-read the book? Skip the sequel? Try to find a summary on GoodReads? Cry in frustration? I’d re-read the book as quickly as possible.
  8. You don’t want ANYONE borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people “nope” when they ask? Books are for sharing. (Except for a few old, precious ones.)
  9. You’ve picked up and put down five different books in the past month. How do you get over the reading slump? Reading slump? Never had one! I’ve been on a reading tear since the age of three.
  10. There are so many new books coming out that you are dying to read! How many do you actually buy? I have a book buying addiction. Most of the books I buy are either second-hand or on sale. If there is a new book that I must have NOW, my sweet momma usually gifts it to me. Of course, I cannot buy every book that I want to read. Thank goodness for libraries, friends, my Nook, and Kindle for desktop.
  11. After you’ve bought a new book you want to get to, how long do they sit on your shelf until you actually read them? It depends on the book, the timing, and my mood.

**

Thanks for tagging me, Charles!

I’m passing the torch to anyone who wants to participate!

A Favourite Author by Poul Friis Nybo, before 1929

A Favourite Author by Poul Friis Nybo, before 1929.

Music and Writing

Be warned. I’m about to ask you a common writing question, for no good reason save my curiosity.

Here it is…

Do you listen to music when you write?

18th century house concert. Unknown artist.

18th century house concert. Unknown artist.

If you answered no: Why don’t you listen to music when you write?

If you answered yes: What type of music do you prefer to write to? Do you like it low? Slow? Loud? Fast? Some of the above? None of the above? Why?

My favourite music is loud and dissonant. I definitely don’t dial it back when I write. This allows me to tune out everything but the task at hand. This has been a habit since my high school days, only now I write stories and reviews instead of homework assignments.

What does your typical playlist look, and sound, like?

Click on the link for my Spotify playlist:

Mae’s Writing Soundtrack