Highly trivial and yet highly specialist. Here in this small trove of puzzles all to do with Shakespeare we find a select few types of task. One is to complete the compiled quotes – with the examples of the theme edited out we have to input, say, all the herbs and flowers, or all the missing items of apparel. There are other word puzzles, where we have to insert the major characters from each play into the right places in the grid in the right order to reveal a further name – but we're not told what those names are, unlike the same task in the standard newsagents' puzzle collections. We likewise get crosswords linked to each play in turn, and word searches that are again themed by subject.

Quotes and very fine illustration choices add to things, but this is indeed a puzzle book with the barest of adornment. A lot you can make a start on with minimal knowledge, but those character names for the plays in the second wave of popularity will still require looking things up, I feel. The book does have a large and sparsely-printed answer section, so it's not humongous value – and it's up to you whether to appear erudite about The Bard or just above this kind of pastime in the first place. For those who want this kind of thing, and know the limitations of what they're getting, this is probably a four star success – it wasn't that for me, to be clear.

Very interesting concept but not what I was expecting. Based on some of the other Pocket books, I thought I would get more snippets and history but it wasn't very in depth history at all. It was maybe two pages about Shakespeare's life and then the rest was just quizzes and puzzles with very little set up. If you know all you need to know about Shakespeare then this is for you, otherwise maybe read one of the other books because this is mostly a test your knowledge situation. I did enjoy the quotes and the type of puzzles though.
Thank you Netgalley and the author for an ARC

Interesting.

Thanks, NetGalley and Gemini for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought that somebody said that you need the Bible and Shakespeare to be a great writer. Therefore, I'm always trying to get into Shakespeare. I expected this book to be more about Shakespeare. Instead, it's quiz-heavy, which inspires me nonetheless. It's asking you to get to the equivalent of a B2 in Shakespearean language. I will invest in Shakespeare over the coming month to up my level, complete the quizzes and secure my certificate.

I've always felt like people don't appreciate Shakespeare as much as they could because the works were obviously written in such a different time period. Shakespeare is fun but can feel inaccessible.
This little book is fun because it has basic information about Shakespeare and a lot of fun word searches and crossword puzzles. The only caveat is that some of them will be difficult if you aren't familiar with the plays, but this would be a lot of fun for people who enjoy Shakespeare.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Review: The Pocket William Shakespeare by Gemini

As a Shakespeare fan who has read *almost* all of his works and took a Uni class dedicated to him – I thought solving these puzzles was fun! Granted, I believe a physical copy of this book would have been easier to use than a digital copy (but that’s just preference).

Overall, I thought it was a cute little activity book and would be a great gift for someone who is a fan of Shakespeare.

If you aren’t too familiar with his works, the activities might be a bit hard or confusing because while it gives some background info at the beginning, it doesn’t dive into the specifics — you need a good-level of Shakespeare knowledge to successfully complete the harder puzzles.

Book Review: The Pocket William Shakespeare by Gemini

Rating: 4 Stars

As a self-proclaimed Shakespeare enthusiast, I was thrilled to dive into The Pocket William Shakespeare by Gemini. This delightful little tome is an absolute treasure, designed to both test and refresh one’s memory of the Bard’s iconic works.

The book is cleverly structured around the plays of Shakespeare, featuring a variety of quizzes and puzzles that cater to fans at all levels. Each crossword puzzle focuses on a specific play, with clues drawn directly from memorable quotations. It’s like a stroll down memory lane, revisiting those beloved lines that have become part of our literary DNA. There are also engaging fill-in-the-blank quizzes, name games revolving around characters, and themed word searches that cover everything from heroes and heroines to the whimsical fools and fairies Shakespeare so expertly crafted.

What I found particularly charming about this book is how it invites readers to engage with Shakespeare's works in a playful way. As Jane Austen suggested, Shakespeare is part of our cultural fabric, and The Pocket William Shakespeare allows us to reconnect with his genius in a fun format. Whether you’re a casual reader or a seasoned scholar, there’s something here to challenge and amuse you.

I must say, this book would make a fantastic gift for anyone who shares a passion for Shakespeare. It's filled with enjoyable puzzles that not only entertain but also deepen your understanding of the plays. Overall, I’d give it a solid four stars. It's an ingenious blend of fun and learning that every Shakespeare lover should have in their collection!

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

This book will be enjoyed by those who like word games. It is a bonus that there are Shakespeare themes for these puzzles.

Solvers jump right in. The first puzzle invites the reader to match quotes with the correct flowers. To mention a common one…there’s (BLANK) for remembrance. Go on to enjoy grid puzzles, crosswords, wordsearches, and more. Some of these puzzles do require some Shakespearean knowledge, as in a puzzle that looks at characters’ occupations or another in which the solver provides the name of the father of characters.

Like solving puzzles? Want to test your knowledge of Shakespeare? If yes, have some fun with this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gemini Books Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Pocket William Shakespeare.

I thought this would contain humorous CliffNotes versions of Shakespeare's greatest works and puzzles to enjoy after each recap but this went straight into the puzzles right away.

There's no context or exposition or background of the plays the puzzles are pulling from.

This would be ideal for die-hard Shakespeare fan who knows all there is to know about the playwright and his creative works.

I like Shakespeare but I'm no stan.

Ok so this wasn’t entirely what I was expecting after reading and enjoying some biographic stories from Gemini in the past. I think this would be a fun wee book for someone who already knows a bit about shakesphere so they can do the quizzes and puzzles but I didn’t learn much.
Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

As an English teacher I absolutely loved this! I'll make sure my school buys some copies of this as I believe quizzes are great for motivation and "easy" engagement.

4.5 rating - You don't have to be a William Shakespeare fan to enjoy this activity book! I'm glad they give some background information in the beginning but then it jumps right in to the fun stuff. They're not all easy activities which I appreciate. I give it 4.5 because it would definitely be easier to do the activities with a physical book but it was still enjoyable on tablet!