More optional reading

Surely, the first question you all want to ask is "Mike, I am eager to do extra, optional reading -- what books might I pick up?" Well, my friend, here are a couple ideas: I just picked up Stephen Greenblatt's Will in the World, his recent biographical consideration of Shakespeare -- it's a delightful read by a fairly well-reputed American scholar of Shakespeare. Along similar lines is James Shapiro's (no relation) A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, or so I have been told.