Two simple books about Shakespeare

Out of boredom I've recently read two books about Shakespeare, neither of which were exactly heavyweight material. They were both mildly entertaining.



The first was 'Shakespeare' by Bill Bryson. It's a very short autobiography that basically details how little we actually know about Shakespeare. The plays and sonnets that we have were, for the most part, published after he died. Many people think Shakespeare didn't really exist and was only a pen-name for someone like Francis Bacon. I was aware of all this stuff but Bryson has combined it into a nice easy read that you can manage in an afternoon.

The second book was a Da Vinci Code style throwaway called 'The Shakespeare Secret' by J L Carrell. It reads like a Famous Five novel and it has a ridiculous Scooby Doo ending where the mask is pulled off the bad guy about 20 times. It deals with the possible discovery of a manuscript of Cardinio, a lost Shakespeare play and the mystery of who Shakespeare was. Again it was an easy read that did not make me too angry. Good for a flight or a beach but little more.

Notice that I've not read any actual Shakespeare. That would do my box in.