4. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Goldman, William. The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure. Orlando: Harcourt. 2007.

When the movie version of this book was made in 1987, it flopped. Heck, it didn't just flop. It fell on its face in the playground and then got beat up by the other kids in the playground. Specifically: 3 Men and a Baby, Beverly Hills Cop II, Fatal Attraction, and Good Morning Vietnam. (I heard Beverly Hills Cop II kicked it in the knee). Definitely a case of 'released at the wrong time' syndrome since the Princess Bride has since gone on to be a cult favorite and popularly recognized by 2/3's of my highschool students.

Ok, so that's the movie. Now for the book. The movie version actually did a good job of capturing the spirit of the book. Goldman creates a Florinese writer named Simon Morgenstern whose book he then is going to abridge. What this creates is a book wherein the writer, Goldman, gets to insert comments about the story and anecdotal stories about his relationship with his son (probably fictional as well)

It's an interesting effect.

Some of the longer Goldman family sections drag a bit, but the overall effect of the premise makes up for it. I enjoyed it. I feel like I probably need to read it again, though, to fully appreciate the technical aspects of the structure. (that's writer speak for 'gosh, I couldn't have pulled that off. ;)

3. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot

Eliot, T.S. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. New York: Harcourt Brace & Co. 1982.

Apparently this is the basis for Cats the musical. Mr. Weber really screwed it up. This is a collection of somewhat silly poetry on stray cats. It's fun, it made me chuckle a few times. The poetry itself is well written, playful. The themes are not depressing or morose. Yeah, thanks Weber. :-P

My previous exposure to Eliot consisted of being forced to read The Wasteland in college. It didn't go well. I was left with impression that Eliot was an obnoxious elitist with too much time on his hands. I still don't like The Wasteland, but I'm willing to give the rest of his poetry a shot.