A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare with all-cast production

It has been years since I read a Shakespeare play and I missed it. I read this while listening to a cast narration with Amanda Root and David Harewood. I will do that going forward with Shakespeare plays because it’s meant to be performed and heard. I really enjoyed it and this was a fun play even though a woman gets poisoned by her husband and then falls in love with an ass’s head. This was a standalone book from Modern Library and Royal Shakespeare Company so I read the additional text about production choices. It was mildly interesting. The whole thing reminded me how much I enjoyed reading Shakespeare in secondary school. I have a Much Ado About Nothing from the same little library and an audiobook so I hope to get to it later this year.

January 30-Feb 1, 2026.

Maple Syrup: A Short History of Canada’s Sweetest Obsession by Peter Kuitenbrouwer (Narrator)

I think I found this audiobook randomly on Libby when I was still in Japan. It was a great micro history of maple syrup. As a Canadian, I have bought a lot of maple syrup and gifted it to my international friends. I always keep some in my fridge. This was well researched and had the author’s personal experiences like all good histories nowadays. I enjoyed the author’s personal stories as I did the research. One of the best parts was the true crime chapter about the Quebec maple syrup heist. Fun nonfiction book.

January 31-Feb 3, 2026.

Vagabond by Tim Curry (Narrator)

I remember watching a lot Tim Curry movies growing up and his voice was always memorable. Since his 2012 stroke, he has not been able to act and his voice has changed. He had a difficult home life with a rather toxic mother and lost his father at a young age. I was actually more interested in his reflections about his family life than his acting career. I did like his dry humour throughout.

Feb 3-5, 2026.

Nowhere Girl: Life as a Member of ADHD’s Lost Generation by Carla Ciccone (Narrator)

I think I’ll stop listening to these ADHD memoirs. I sometimes get a little relatability such as this one since it was set in Canada, but it’s not enough for me to find sufficient value from them. I think the author had a lot of resiliency and strength. She was failed by the system even with her decent parents. It was a tough listen at times.

Feb 6-10, 2026.

Five Children and It by E. Nesbit

This was my first Nesbit and it was fun. It held up really well except one chapter about “Indians” and Indigenous stereotypes. Otherwise, an amusing children’s fantasy about five siblings finding a sand fairy who granted wishes. Hijinks ensued and each chapter was a separate wish or adventure. I think it took awhile to read because of my Bridgerton S4 part 1 obsession.

February 3-13, 2026.