My colleague Jim Shapiro

has won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2006 for his book A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599! Very exciting. I've had it on the TBR pile for a while, but must move it up to the top (not that prizes really matter, but still): also next week I'm seeing (oh, how appealing) both Lear and Macbeth, so if I read it it will put me in the right mood....