Amanda Maurer is a coffee drinker, book reader, writer, and creator, as well as a student at Loyola University Chicago, where she is majoring in English and Multimedia Journalism.
Reader Advisory is a series in which community and business leaders and our staff offer their top 5 books on any topic. To submit a review for consideration, e-mail [email protected].
Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love
This play is nerd catnip.
Admittedly, all the speaking parts are men. And you really have to be able to suspend your critical faculties and buy into the fictionalized hopes and dreams of male late-Victorian artists. But it’s beautiful, and it will lead you to a very fruitful evening Googling Stoppard’s allusions. If you can get a copy of the 30-page booklet created to supplement the New York production, you’ll want to read that too.
Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing
Surely you’re tired of seeing Shakespeare featured on lists of plays, poetry, or literally anything else, but Much Ado About Nothing is laugh-out-loud funny (especially when followed by a viewing of Kenneth Branagh’s 1993 film adaptation). Full of mixed up love interests, hilariously narcissistic villains – and protagonists, for that matter – and even a few songs, this play will keep you entertained from anywhere, no stage required.
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie
The Glass Menagerie is composed almost entirely of a memory of a single night from the main character, Tom. Interesting and short enough to read in one sitting, this play is perfect for a night on the couch.
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
Aptly subtitled “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” Wilde uses slapstick humor and witty dialogue to comment on more serious issues in late Victorian London, such as social conventions and obligations. With multiple characters leading various fictitious, entangled lives, The Importance of Being Earnest is a quick, enjoyable read that can save you the cost of a play ticket.
William Wycherley, The Country Wife
Set in London during the early Restoration period, The Country Wife is hilariously entertaining for readers with a variety of interests. Are you a fan of seventeenth century British culture? Political commentary? Double entendre? Sex jokes? If you answered “yes” to any of these, this play is for you.