American Players Theatre, Arcadia Books, and Wisconsin Weekends

Every single year, since 2010, I spend one weekend in Spring Green, Wisconsin. There's an incredible theatre there called the American Players Theatre that performs everything from classic Shakespeare to cutting-edge intimate plays. It's my absolute favorite theatre and one of the only places I've been where you can see professional Shakespeare under the stars. 

The tiny town of Spring Green includes a wonderful bookstore called Arcadia Books that I always visit while I'm there. I am never disappointed by their collection and I always leave with at least one (usually more) books. 

The town also happens to be home to Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture studio and a current architecture school. House on the Rock is also located there (and plays a big part in Neil Gaiman's American Gods).

It's in the middle of nowhere, but the strange collection of attractions means there's a constant stream of people visiting. If you're ever in the Midwest you should definitely take time to visit! It's only about 3 hours from Chicago and even just seeing one of the plays makes the trip worth while! 

A few of my reviews of APT shows: 
2010 
2011
2012 
2013 
2014 
2015 

APT photo from here, bookstore photos by me. 

Instructions and When We Were Very Young

Instructions
by Neil Gaiman
★★★★

A children’s book in classic Gaiman style, we follow along on a short journey with the author’s instructions leading the way. There are monsters and creature to meet along the way, some to trust, others’ to avoid. I fell for this book after hearing Gaiman read the whole thing during a talk I attended a few years ago. His lilting British accent made each new line come alive.

BOTTOM LINE: It’s a gateway book for youngsters to get introduced to Gaiman’s work with lovely illustrations and wise advice on every page.

When We Were Very Young
by A. A. Milne

★★★★

This sweet book includes a collection of poems by Milne, who is better known for his Winnie the Pooh books. It’s a great one to share with kids. The illustrations were my favorite part. They’re beautiful and added so much to each page.

BOTTOM LINE: A must for a child’s library.

Interworld

Interworld 

by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves 

★★☆ 

I tend to love most of what Gaiman writes, but this one fell a bit flat for me. The concept is fascinating, but the execution was a bit off. The adventure story follows Joseph, a normal boy who walks straight into another world. 

He discovers and entire army of different versions of himself from other worlds. There’s Jerzy: from a world with feathers where women lay eggs, Josef: who is really strong, Jai: who meditates and has a huge vocabulary, Jakon: a wolf girl, Jo: a girl with wings, and J’r’ohoho: a centaur. 

The army trains at a boot camp run by the “old man”. Their goal is to, “Protect the Altiverse and stem the tides of magic and science.” That’s a heavy order for the newly inducted Joseph to wrap his head around.

There are two different groups of bad guys. The Binary, who travel on gravitons, freeze the walkers to use them to fuel their ships. Then there are the HEX folk. They use magic to boil walkers and use their souls to power interplane travel. Both sets of villains were a bit cartoonish. In a lot of ways, this novel reminded me of the Percy Jackson series.

BOTTOM LINE: At times there was just too much going on at once. We bounced back and forth so quickly that it was hard to feel attached to the characters. Apparently it started out as an idea for a TV show and I was left wondering if that might have been a better fit for this particular story. I do think this might be a perfect fit for teenage boys.

"I wanted to spare her what I knew: that reality can splinter like a hammered mirror. That it can happen to anybody."

 

"Sometimes war is necessary to teach us the value of peace."

Dewey 24 Hour Readathon!

*********  UPDATED HOUR 24 ********

I was doing so good, but I keep falling asleep. I am going to keep reading as long as I can, but I might be done for the night. I'll try to get up early and read a bit more then. 

Ok, I've been asleep, but I'm back for the final hour and a half!

Pages Read: 1,507 pages
Currently Reading: Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan, Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale, I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron 
Books Finished: 7 - Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Interworld by Neil Gaiman, The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamill, Girl Walks into a Bar... by Rachel Dratch, Berlin: Part 1 by Jason Lute, Crow Call by Lois Lowry
Breaks Taken: Tons, to cheer, do mini challenges, a bit of yoga, a dinner with the Huz
Snacks Eaten: Raspberries, coffee, apple chips, salad for lunch, guacamole, fish for dinner, mint milano cookies, amazing breakfast made by the Huz.
Mini-Challenges Completed: 17
Blogs Visited and Commented On: 74

You can also find me here on Instagram, Twitter, and LibraryThing. 

End of Event Meme: 
1) Which hour was most daunting for you? Hour 17, I kept nodding off.  

2) Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Interworld by Neil Gaiman, The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo, Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli
 
3) Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? I was a little confused if the mini challenge winners were being announced on the main blog (like past years) or on individual blogs. I probably just missed a note saying one way or the other. 

4) What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Heather absolutely rocked the cheerleader coordination! There were so many readers, but we were all split into teams. I also felt like there was a lot of great promotion of the event before the big day.
 
5) How many books did you read? 7 completed, three more that I got halfway through. 

6) What were the names of the books you read? Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Interworld by Neil Gaiman, The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo, Girl Walks into a Bar... by Rachel Dratch, Berlin: Part 1 by Jason Lutes, Crow Call by Lois Lowry, Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan, Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale , I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron 

7) Which book did you enjoy most? Asterios Polyp and The Tiger Rising were both powerful stories in very different ways.
 
8) Which did you enjoy least? Berlin was good, but maybe too detailed/complicated for the later hours of the readathon. 

9) If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I really like splitting up my cheering instead of doing it all in one or two hours. I cheered for 5 or so blogs every hour and then went back to reading.  

10) How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Yes, of course!!! I will probably read and cheer and maybe host a mini challenge.

Mini Challenge Hour 18: Best of your reading year, hosted here.
 
Best Main Character of Your Reading Year: Elnora from A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter. Elnora is such a unique character. She is stubborn and driven to succeed. She's fiercely intelligent but incredibly compassionate. She is patient, giving her mother the benefit of the doubt for years. She's a hard worker, willing to make money to achieve her dreams. She has self-respect and is willing to sacrifice in order to find true happiness.
 
Best Setting of Your Reading Year: Middle Earth from J. R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. I reread the books this year and was once again blown away by the intricasies of the world he created. The different races, the different lands, the whole world comes alive for readers. 

Best Story Line of Your Reading Year: I just loved the plot of Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I was hooked from the first chapter and the traveling Shakespeare performers in a post-apocalyptic world were just enthralling from start to finish.

Mini Challenge Hour 16: Hosted here and posted in the comments. 

Mini Challenge Hour 15: Hosted here and posted in the comments. 

Mini Challenge Hour 14: Hosted here and posted on Instagram. 

Mini Challenge Hour 13: Hosted here and posted in the comments. 

Mid-Event Survey: Hour 12:
1. What are you reading right now? Midnight in Austenland, I need something lighter because I was hitting a wall with Berlin.
2. How many books have you read so far? Four completed and in the midst of 3 others.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Inherit the Wind, I can't believe I haven't picked it up yet!
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I've stopped to cheer a lot. Other than that I haven't had too many interruptions.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? I thought I would have napped by now. This has been the smoothest readathon I've done so far! 

Mini Challenge Hour 11: Hosted here and posted in the comments. 

Mini Challenge Hour 10: Hosted here and posted in the comments. 

Mini Challenge Hour 9: Hosted here and posted in the comments.

Mini Challenge Hour 7: Hosted here and posted to Twitter

Mini Challenge Hour 3: Hosted here and posted to Instagram

Mini Challenge Hour 2: Classic Words of Wisdom hosted by A Literary Odyssey

“Let me be something every minute of every hour of my life…And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost.” — A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

I've always loved that quote (and that book!) because it's how I want to live my life. So many people put off the things they want to do, but you never know how much time you have. I want to make every single minute of my life count!

Introduction Quiz:
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Indianapolis, IN

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee and Gaiman's Interworld. 

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Guacamole and Roasted Coconut Chips from Trader Joe's, but not together.
 
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! By day I’m an editor of a monthly magazine. I also review live theatre once a week. I'm one of the moderators at The Classics Club Blog. I am hopeless at keeping plants alive, but I manage to do just fine with my 80 lb. lap dog named Ollie.
 
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? This is my 8th readathon (I've linked to the others at the bottom of the post). I think I’m going to try walking on the treadmill and listening to an audiobook at some point. I always make the mistake of not moving enough.  
Tomorrow is the Dewey Readathon! This will be my 8^th time participating in the event. Every April and October, if other obligations don’t get in the way, I spend one whole day reading. It’s always so much fun and I get a ton of reading done. There’s a great sense of community, mini-challenges each hour, cheerleaders and prizes.  Heather and Andi are the incredible ladies who help organize the whole thing and you can get more details at the official site. 
 

Tomorrow I will be reading from 8 am until whenever I fall asleep. I have my stack of books ready to go (see my pile above) and I will be cheering for at least 4 hours. 

A FEW NOTES: 
- I will be updating this post throughout the day so I don’t bomb people with half a dozen new posts.
- Please turn off your comment word verification for the day! It’s such a pain for cheerleaders.
- Tweet about your day with the hashtag #Readathon or by tagging @readathon 

PAST READATHON POSTS:

April and October 2011  /  April and October 2012 / April and October 2013 / April 2014

The Sandman Vol. II & III

After reading Sandman: Vol. 1, I was put off the series. It was too dark for me. The images were too brutal and I just wasn’t a fan, which is surprising considering how much I love Gaiman’s other work. After a bit of encouragement from others who had read the rest of the series I decided to try another volume. I’m glad I did.



The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House
by Neil Gaiman
★★★☆

Volume II begins with a recap of everything that happened in the first volume. There’s a story set in the midst of a barren desert about a queen named Nada. She falls in love at first sight, but she can’t find the man who stole her heart.

Then we move onto Rose the main character in this volume. She discovers her real grandmother is alive and well in England. She returns to America to search for her missing brother Jed. She moves into a boarding house with a collection of strange characters, Gilbert the landlord, Ken and Barbie, and two creepy sisters who collects spiders.

We learn that Rose is actually a dream vortex and her presence is causing problems. While the people in the boarding house all dream very different dreams, but walls begin to break down and Rose's vortex merges their dreams. Meanwhile Morpheus is searching for the missing nightmares who escaped from the dream world while he was imprisoned. We also stop by a horrifying “cereal” convention. Without going into detail I’ll just note that this part was seriously scary.

One of my favorite stories in this volume was about Hobbs, a man who wants to live forever. He meets Morpheus and the two decide to meet up once every hundred years. During that time they run into Shakespeare and other major historical events. I love that Morpheus, who is so lonely and distant, finally has a friend of sorts in Hobbs.
 
Neil Gaiman always weaves mythology, religion, fables, and pieces of history together in such an interesting way. Nothing is off limits in his writing. I love that he uses all those elements in his stories. It’s the plot, not the illustrations that keep me coming back to these. Although I do love how every character’s thoughts and dialogue has a different font.

BOTTOM LINE: Whenever I read one of the Sandman comics I struggle with how dark some of the content is. But when I get to the end I tend to love the overarching message, depth of character and the well-thought-out plot. I am glad that I got a more balanced taste of the Sandman comics instead of just stopping after the very first one, but I do think they are a bit too dark for me.

"Life as a human contains substance I never dreamed of in the dreaming, Lord. The little victories, and the tiny defeats."


Sandman Vol. III: Dream Country
by Neil Gaiman
★★★☆

The third volume contains four stories. The first is the darkest, containing a tale of Calliope, a kidnapped muse who is kept prisoner by two authors. She is exploited by them so that they can further their own careers. It’s a sad tale, but it has a point. The next tale is about the ambitions and dreams of cats. They dream of a world ruled by their kind who reign over humans. Again it was interesting and not too dark.

My favorite of the four is a Shakespearean inspired bit about Midsummer Night’s Dream. A traveling troupe is performing the comedy in the 16th century and without their knowledge it’s being watched by the real Queen Titania and King Oberon. The real Puck joins in the fun as well, donning a mask and acting in the play.

The final piece is about a woman who has been transformed by the sun god Ra. She is left in a disturbing physical state, but she can’t die. She wears a mask and lives a horrible life, longing for an escape she can’t have. The best part about this story was the appearance of Death, the punk rocker sister of Morpheus.

BOTTOM LINE: There’s no denying that the stories are still incredibly dark, but for me each story had a real message this time. They weren’t dark for the sake of shocking the reader. Gaiman’s talent as a writer came through a bit more and I’m curious about the characters of Death and Morpheus.

I read these as part of Comics February, which is hosted by Debi at Talking to Myself and Chris at Stuff As Dreams Are Made On.

Neverwhere

Neverwhere
by Neil Gaiman
★★★★

I first read Neverwhere in 2007 and had so much fun following Richard Mayhew and Door on their adventures in the London Below. When I heard about the 2013 Radio dramatization of the novel on the BBC I was so excited. The incredible cast included James McAvoy, Christopher Lee, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Natalie Dormer just to name a few. They brought the story to life in such a wonderful way, I think I enjoyed it even more this time around.

 

The plot revolves around an ordinary man in London. He has a regular job, a regular girl and nothing too exciting ever happens to him. Then one day he meets a girl named Door and everything is turned upside down. He finds himself in London Below, along with hundreds of others who have "fallen through the cracks." As he explores the strange world of Angels, markets and guardians he finds that he might just have a taste for adventure after all. 

Gaiman’s talent for writing is undeniable, but this story is a great demonstration of his ability to create quirky, memorable casts of characters. Hunter, Old Bailey, the Marquis, Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, such a weird and wonderful group that I’m not going to forget anytime soon. The story isn’t as complex as some of his later work, but it is a fun, fast-moving story.

BOTTOM LINE: Of all of Gaiman’s novels, I think this one is the best candidate for a sequel. I had so much fun revisiting the characters through the audioplay and I hope more people check it out! (You can find it on Audible if you're interested.)

“There are little pockets of old time in London, where things and places stay the same, like bubbles in amber,” she explained. “There’s a lot of time in London, and it has to go somewhere—it doesn’t all get used up at once.”

“Until that moment she had never thought she could do it. Never thought she would be brave enough or scared enough, or desperate enough to dare.”

Mini Reviews: The Moonstone, Doctor Who and N is for Noose

The Moonstone
by Wilkie Collins
★★

I do not understand how this happened, but I was not a fan of this book. I loved Collins' mystery "The Woman in White." It's thrilling, complicated and well-plotted. I tend to love Dickens' books and he has a similar style.  I started this during R.I.P. this fall and just couldn't get into it. I tried reading it on my kindle and then I tried a hardcopy. I dreaded picking it up and it took me months to finish.

Called one of the first detective novels in existence, this unique plot rotates between narrators to tell the story of a stolen diamond. As the plot thickens we see each of the characters share their side of the story. Each participant has a different agenda and we aren't sure if we can trust their version. I appreciate the fact that the style in the book did something original, but I still had a hard time connecting with any of them.

BOTTOM LINE: I have no idea why this one was such an awful slog for me. It took me three months to get through it. I'm hoping that I am up for trying it again in a decade or so, but until then I'd recommend The Woman in White over this one.

Doctor Who: Nothing O’Clockby Neil Gaiman
★★★☆

As an avid Whovian it's hard to believe this is the first Doctor Who story I've ever read, but when I heard it was written by Gaiman I couldn't resist. For those familiar with the world of Doctor Who, this story features Amy Pond and the eleventh Doctor. They are visiting earth and realize it has been occupied by an alien. The plot revolves around a stranger in a mask who is buying up local real estate. It's a short story, so there's not too much room to get invested, but it's an entertaining read.

BOTTOM LINE: A fun addition to the world of Doctor Who. It definitely feels like a Gaiman story, which is a good thing. There's a touch of creepiness mixed with a dose of clever irony (think getting what you want only to realize it's not what you want.) If you're tempted to try a Doctor Who novel this would be a good one.

N is for Nooseby Sue Grafton
★★☆

Kinsey is hired by a vain and difficult widow. Her cop husband died of a heart attack and she is convinced that he was investigating something big before his death. He had a reputation of refusing to let things go; pursuing cases long after they'd been solved if he smelled something fishy.

After investigating in the tiny town for awhile Kinsey realizes that people are are avoiding or shunning her. She can't even get gas for her car because someone has been spreading rumors about her past. The plot moves slowly and isn't too thrilling. The end is good and wraps things up nicely, but the book feels thin, much of it acting as filler.

BOTTOM LINE: Not one of Grafton's best mysteries. Each one seems to be very hit or miss, but my expectations are always low.

Mini Reviews: Odd and the Frost Giants, The Subterraneans and The Deportees

Odd and the Frost Giants
by Neil Gaiman
★★★★
 
Odd is a quiet boy living in a village in Norway. He's been through so much but he hasn't quite found his place in the world. When his path crosses with Odin, Loki and Thor he finds his strength.
 
The story delves into issues about growing up, solving problems without using violence and figuring out who you are. Gaiman's adult novel, American Gods, has similar themes on a much more adult level. One line from Odd about the Gods reminded me so much of American Gods...
 
"No. He doesn't learn. None of them do. And they don't change, either. They can't. It's all part of being a God."
 
It's a sweet book and one that I will definitely be sharing with my nephews and nieces. Also, I should mention the beautiful illustrations by Brett Helquist. They add so much to the book!
 
The Subterraneans
by Jack Kerouac
★★★

As I've said in the past, I think there's an ideal time period in which people should read Kerouac to best appreciate him. When you're young and have little to no responsibilities, the author's beautiful words and carefree life are much more appealing. When you are grown up and have a mortgage, etc. it's harder to embrace his drunken nights, callous treatment of women,  and complete disregard of responsibility.

At the same time, even when I'm frustrated by what Kerouac is saying I still admire the way he says it. His writing is like jazz. There's often no discernible pattern and I'm never sure what will happen next, but it's beautiful. He can always see the poetry in the world around him, but he also seemed incapable of overcoming his own failings.
 
"Just to start at he beginning and let the truth seep out, that's what I'll do."

The Deportees and other stories
by Roddy Doyle
★★★

There are eight short stories in this collection from the famed Irish author Roddy Doyle. Each one deals with Irish natives interacting with individuals from other countries that have immigrated to the Emerald Isle. 

There's the slightly creepy tale The Pram, about a nanny who is worried about a haunting. Black Hoodie about racial profiling and young crushes. Another story, Guess Who's Coming for the Dinner, takes us back to the premise of the Spencer Tracy movie of the same name. The Commitments introduces us to Jimmy Rabbitte, a musician hoping to get a band together.

The connecting line throughout the book is the changing face of a country. As Ireland becomes a more diverse  place its citizens must adjust to the new world around them.

BOTTOM LINE: I'm intrigued enough by Doyle's writing that I would like to read one of his better-known novels, but I wasn't overly impressed with this collection.

2nd Annual Classics Club Readathon

Today is the 2nd Annual Classics Club Readathon. I will be reading on and off as much as I can and updating my progress here. Below are my answers to the kick-off prompt and my reading stats which I will update throughout the day.  

You can get the details of the readathon here. Happy reading everyone! 

**UPDATED AT 12AM EST*** I'm back and curled up with the super creepy Talented Mr. Ripley. I'll keep going until I fall asleep!

5PM - I'll be gone for a few hours to go to dinner and a Shakespeare play with a friend. I'll update my post when I'm back!

Currently Reading: Slouching Toward Bethlehem by Joan Didion and Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut
Pages Read: 1,037
Books Read: 3, The Subterraneans by Jack Kerouac, Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick, Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
  
Name and Blog: Melissa, Avid Reader's Musings
Snacks and Beverages of Choice: Coffee, almond joys, grapes, chips and guacamole. 
Where are you reading from today? Indianapolis, IN
What are your goals for the Readathon? I want to get through at least one or two books and put a dent in a few short story collections that have been on my shelf.
What book(s) are you planning on reading?  I'm going to be picking books from the stack in the picture above. I know I won't get to them all, but I've got a good variety to choose from.
Are you excited? Of course! I love having some specific time carved out for reading.
 Photos by moi.

The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales

The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales

Translations from the Grimms' Kinder und Hausmarchen by Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes

★★★★☆

Most people know many of the Grimm Fairy Tales without ever reading the book. We are all raised on Disney recreations of the stories, but I wanted to read the originals and I’m so glad I did. This collection includes all the classic tales along with dozens more I’d never heard of before. I was surprised by how short some of the stories are and how much darker the tone of the whole book is. Some of the stories are pretty weird.

There are a few major themes throughout the book. Stepmothers and stepdaughter are big, they always hate each other. It’s not surprising to see that the animosity associated with those titles is still around today. Each story with step family includes a lot of resentment and dislike. There’s also a lot of changing people into things, flowers, ducks, frogs, etc. to disguise themselves or as a punishment.

Some of the tales are familiar and it’s not a surprise that they made great children’s movies. Others are incredible odd and will probably never make it to the big screen.

For example:

“Once upon a time, a mouse, a bird, and a sausage, entered into partnership and set up house together.”

I’m sorry do you mean a pig or a sausage? Oh, you mean a sausage, okay. So how does this sausage contribute to the household chores you might ask, well he rolls himself around in some vegetables to flavor the soup. Anyone else think that sounds weird? Spoiler alert, the sausage gets eaten.

There are also some interesting differences between the original versions of the stories and the versions that are well-know. It’s actually Ashputtel not Cinderella and it’s Little Red-Cap, not Little Red Riding Hood and it’s not Snow White, it’s Snowdrop. Those are small changes, but interesting ones.

“And so the little girl really did grow up; her skin was as white as snow, her cheeks as rosy as the blood, and her hair as black as ebony; and she was called Snowdrop.”

I liked reading The Robber Bridegroom, a particularly dark tale of a betrothed young girl realizing her fiancé is a cannibal and a murderer. It’s the tale that inspired Margaret Atwood’s novel The Robber Bride and I’ve been curious about it since reading that Atwood novel. Another odd one is called “The Juniper-Tree.” In it a mother cooks her son into a pudding and serves him to her husband. It reminded me a bit of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus.

One of the creepiest tales is “Cat-Skin.” In it a king’s wife dies and when his daughter comes of age he decides she looks just like her mother and so he will marry her. Everyone in the kingdom, daughter included, said a collective “Ewww.” So the daughter tries to come up with ways to postpone the disturbing nuptials.

I loved the story of Snow-White and Rose-Red. I grew up reading about their lives with a local bear and angry dwarf and I’m actually surprised it was never made into a movie.

BOTTOM LINE: So interesting to read and see how these stories have evolved over the years. They are dark and really not great for little kids, but I loved reading them. They reminded me of some of Neil Gaiman’s books (especially Coraline and The Ocean at the End of the Lane). You can see how current authors could be inspired by these earl y creepy stories. Aesop’s Fables were all about morality and teaching lessons, while the Grimm brothers told scary tales disguised them as bedtime stories.

Did any of you watch Faerie Tale Theatre when you were growing up? I loved that show and I couldn’t believe how closely the TV show matched the original Grimm versions.

About the Authors (from the book): The Brothers Grimm, Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859), were born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, in the German state of Hesse. Throughout their lives they remained close friends, and both studied law at Marburg University. Jacob was a pioneer in the study of German philology, and although Wilhelm's work was hampered by poor health the brothers collaborated in the creation of a German dictionary, not completed until a century after their deaths.