Just a quick note on a Sunday to say this: it happens to be Shakespeare's birthday, and I contributed a little something to this feature on Books That Shook Us about fierce heroines from Shakespeare and what we love about them. I am a Beatrice (Much Ado) fan from way back, so of course I chose her. She's witty and flawed and she loves with a grown-up love... well, read it and you'll see.

Check out all seven featured heroines here.