I’ve tried to find it myself, with no success. It would be an illistrated abriged Shakespeare collection for children, written as stories rather than plays, and published by, say 1993, although probably older than that. The only other play I remember from the collection is Twelfth Night.

I'm lazy, and just type titles into an Evernote note. Every year, I start a new note. No idea who owns Evernote, come to think of it.

The pet dies to symbolise the child’s transition to adulthood. That is always the case. Sometimes, like in A Separate Peace, the best friend dies for this purpose. I read one book where the mother dies for the metaphor. I do not understand why books like this are so popular, given that the symbolism us often pretty…

I never made it past the first chapter of the Red Pony. Too sad.

When I was, I think 12 or 13, our school had these abridged Shakespeare collections. And while I understand not starting kids off with full Shakespeare, they made some weird changes to the story. I vividly remember that Hamlet ended with an assurance that everyone but Claudius went to heaven, (even Hamlet's father…

My favourite Sean Lock joke:

It seems unlikely, as dragons are traditionally portrayed as carnivores, and only some herbivores have the four stomachsset up. Dragons are more likely to have a digestive system roughly similar to other large carnivorous reptiles, such as komodo dragons.

I've also heard the idea that beyond the ice wall that is Antarctica in the flat earth model, there are other worlds, and the government doesn't want us knowing about them. Which is still very stupid.

I joke that I started dating my boyfriend when I was teaching at university and he was a student. This is technically true, in that I was a grad student with some teaching duties, and he was in undergrad... in the other university in town. I don't teach anymore, but I can't even imagine wanting to date a student.…

I’m honestly not sure if average reading abilities have changed all that much. For one thing, when you read older authors, they are writing in a style and language that was popular at the time, but which isn’t anymore. Shakespeare was pop culture at the time, now you need to take a college class to understand the dick…

Yes? I mean, I live in Ireland and it’s a huge deal when an Irish film or actor gets a nomination. So yes, as I said, it creates a problem for all smaller English film industries, from Nigeria to Ireland. And it’s a problem that the Academy could look into addressing, if it wanted to.

It’s tricky. I fully understand why they want to keep the international category for non-English films, but it creates a problem for English language films from smaller or less recognised film industries, that now have to compete with the American and British film industries for the Best Picture nomination if they…

It's simple, really. All evidence for the conspiracy is true. All evidence against is planted by the government and therefore further proof.

The Muppets, oddly, did a gender swapped version that really leans in to the creepiness. Also, it's set in a co-ed sauna, because why not.

I’ve always like this David Hume quote on that kind of person: “The only way, therefore, of converting an antagonist of this kind, is to leave him to himself. For, finding that nobody keeps up the controversy with him, it is probable he will, at last, of himself, from mere weariness, come over to the side of common…

I'm a bit old to have encountered trigger warnings at college, but I had plenty of lecturers who would warn us if a video was going to have upsetting content, and suggest that anyone who might be upset sit near the doors, so they could leave if they needed to. Which is the equivalent of a trigger warning, but no one…

Surely it would be less dangerous, because once assembled it could never get out the door to stalk victims or hide bodies.

For some reason, the idea of the chair travelling to find and kill is victims reminds me of Brave Little Toaster. I kind of want a crossover, where some inanimate objects embark on a journey to murder their previous owner.

It is. I haven't seen the movie in years (decades?), but I giggled just remembering that.

I was going to mention the Shakers as a counterexample, but on reflection I’m pretty sure “lifelong celibacy” is, in fact, a kind of weird sex stuff.