Here are the last two plays! By my count, I read 22 of Shakespeare's plays as either an undergraduate or graduate student, then took a 20-year break before reading the final 16 (or 17, for scholars who count Edward III as canonical).
There's part of me that thinks I should start all over again once I'm done. 
Starting this one today -- only five plays left, and I will have read all of Shakespeare!
One of Shakespeare's "problem plays," this ends with a reconciled married couple, but uneasiness lingers, as Helen's trickery and Bertram's callous selfishness don't bode well for future happiness.
I enjoy Shakespeare's history plays, and King John was no exception, even though it's lesser known than some of the others. Standout scenes include the French king repudiating John at the insistence of the Pope and the threatened blinding of the boy Prince Arthur at the hands of the insecure king. There is also a fascinating undercurrent of Anti-Catholicism, portraying King John as a foreshadowing of the Reformation.
An interesting note: even though the real King John is best known for agreeing to the Magna Carta in 1215 when the English nobility rebelled against him, Shakespeare doesn't even allude to that groundbreaking document in his play.
Another interesting note: King John is also known as the villain in many of the Robin Hood tales, but Robin Hood doesn't make an appearance here either! Actually, wouldn't it have been great if Shakespeare had written a Robin Hood play?
Two weeks after my first Bukowski, I finished my first Burroughs. Whew, he's a hell of a lot better writer than Bukowski. That doesn't mean I know what to make of Junky. I liked it. I'm not sure how much I liked it. I need to sit with this one for a while.
First time I've read Bukowski. I liked it fine, but the Beats have never resonated with me and I guess they still don't.
For me, the best food writing includes generous helpings of travel. Southern Belly delivers, with chapters on each Southern state, including (East) Texas, serving vignettes on diners and bbq joints that had me hungry the whole time.
I'm going through one of my periodic "Nordic Noir" phases, and I dug both of these. Misterioso grabbed me a little harder, so I've already got the follow-up in hand.
What a charming book! Woolf tells the story of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning through the eyes of EBB's little dog, Flush, a spirited, sulky, jealous, grumpy, yet always loving cocker spaniel. Many details taken from EBB's letters.
One of my students recommended this as a good introduction to a YA fantasy series, a genre with which I'm not too familiar.
Right now, I'm reading through Manly Wade Wellman's "John the Balladeer" stories, weird tales that deliver a compelling mixture of Appalachian folklore and the paranormal.
