The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

When their mother takes sick, three adult sisters return to the roost. But each has ulterior motives for her stay - pregnancy, thievery, insecurity - which make their challenging familial relationships even more fraught.

I enjoyed the story - it's about self-discovery and how we limit and define ourselves based on our family - but it's pretty much contemporary chick-lit for the literate.

The "weird sisters" of the title refers to Macbeth's witches, rather than any real oddity in the novel's main trio. That said, you'd best be familiar with Shakespeare's life works to be comfortable in this novel - it's overflowing with people named after characters and conversations filled with quotes. Additionally, the story contains layer upon layer of references and analogies to the bard's work.

Also of note: the story is told from a very unusual point of view. The omniscient narrator speaks singularly as all three sisters collectively (first-person plural). Everything is "we" even when talking about one sister's secrets that she's keeping from the others. It's workable, but a little awkward sometimes.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

In a primitive world changed by a flu pandemic, a band of minstrels and actors wander the American midwest performing Shakespeare to the survivors. As the novel's timeline flashes back and forth - before and after the Georgia Flu - we see the interconnectedness of the survivors, whose stories link back to a celebrity actor, Arthur Leander.

This book was on a lot of best of 2015 lists and was a finalist for the National Book Award. The author went on record saying she doesn't consider it sci-fi because there's no technology and gadgets involved. She says it's literary fiction.

While the "no technology" is technically accurate and the traveling symphony-and-Shakespeare troupe offers a bit of high-brow flair, I think it's cutting a pretty fine line to say this post-apocalypse novel isn't really in the sci-fi genre. The book is at heart a look at the invisible links between people, man's ability to adapt to survive, and a look at what the world could be like without "modern technology."

I enjoyed the book. The shifting perspectives keep the narrative moving along without getting bogged down in the minutia of survival, plus allow some dramatic tension as story threads cut out and return again later. I was pleasantly surprised a couple times as the connections back to Arthur were revealed.

Plus, now I know that living in the airport may be the best option, post-plague.

The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents: Macbeth by Ian Lendler, art by Zack Giallongo

What happens after the zoo closes? Well, in the Stratford Zoo the animals put on plays.

This is a wonderful reinterpretation of the Shakespearean tragedy in a graphic novel format as depicted by animals. Macbeth the lion starts eating everyone in his way toward becoming the king. But it takes lots of ketchup, and is giving him indigestion. His upwardly ambitious wife is played by a serval (I think) - bringing new meaning to Lady Macbeth's famous spot problems.

The gory parts of the play get deflected by the antics of the audience full of animals - a strategically placed elephant ruins the viewing of the "best scene in the whole play." A couple of young chimpanzee act as comic relief and narrators to some of the audience reaction.

I'll bet this graphic novel still makes sense if you don't know Shakespeare - but it's even funnier if you do. In all, it's a wonderful adaptation for a wide variety of ages.

The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore

Pocket the Fool is back, and he's seeking revenge on the bastards who killed his Queen Cordelia ... (if you thought these characters from Moore's earlier novel "Fool" would have a happy ending, you haven't read much Shakespeare).

In his second Shakespeare-inspired black comedy mash-up, Christopher Moore combines elements of "Othello" and "The Merchant of Venice," then stirs in a little Edgar Allan Poe and a variety of other recognizable references, characters, and quotes.

It's a twisty tale of intrigue - Iago's out to become a councilman if he has to kill everybody he knows to get there, Pocket's in town under false pretenses. There's a lot of cross-dressing, a court scene where everybody's out to win over the doge, and secret casks that can only be opened by solving a riddle. Plus a big git that's only interested in sex, Marco Polo, and a monkey. You know, typical Christopher Moore.

I loved this book, but it's at times hard to follow: there are a lot of characters, tons of back-stabbing and lying, and way too many things going on at once (you know: exactly like the Shakespeare source material). The more Shakespeare you know, the funnier the book will be. Also, I think a second reading may be beneficial for deeper understanding - which is fine, because these are characters I've enjoyed revisiting and will again.

Perfect Chemistry

by Simone Elkeles

Romeo and Juliet has again been rewritten. This time, Juliet is an upper class princess and Romeo is a gang-banger. Forced to work together for a class, Brittany and Alex must come to some kind of truce. Alex has always looked at Brittany as an elitist; she sees him as terrifying. The two soon find out there is always more beneath the surface. One has friends and family who are loving and supportive, but often unable to show it. The other has family and friends who care, but are often mainly concerned with keeping up the image so carefully cultivated.

Being a rewrite of a Shakespearean tragedy, this story does, of course, have its share of sadness. However, Elkeles allows her characters to be led by hope quite often as well. Most of the book clips along at a quick pace. Near the end, the story moves at light speed while the reader is left grasping for a few more details. All in all, it is an enjoyable story with a predictable ending.

Fool by Christopher Moore

Raunchy, hilarious, and extremely quick witted: If you're afraid of swear words, steer clear - otherwise, great buggering bloody bastards is this a good book!

This is a twisted retelling of Shakespeare's "King Lear" as told by Lear's fool, Pocket. The basic storyline's all there - two-faced flattery, family mutiny, rage rage at the storm, etc. Except also add in a bit of ghost shagging, appearances by the witches three from "MacBeth," and quite a number of laundress' with smashing knockers.

I listened to this one on audiobook, and many times I found myself backtracking to hear again the complex, multi-faceted epithets that Pocket tosses about like juggling balls. Moore is truly a master of wordplay.