Summer Reading List Fail

I am sad to say that I completely failed in reading the books on my summer reading list. I got caught up in books that weren't on my list, yet captivated me all the same.

First up: The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster by Bobby Henderson.

This book was a gift, and every page was full of laughs. This is not a book for overly serious people or really anyone who would be offended by the thought of a divine carbohydrate. If you are a fan of Richard Dawkins, then I'm sure you'll find this book just as humorous as I did.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

This book was, in a word, AMAZING. I simply adore this book. Like the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, this book is not for people that lack a sense of humor. In fact, I think you have to be a particular kind of reader to enjoy this book. First, you have to love Jane Austen and adore her greatest novel as is. Second, you need to be able to handle seeing her greatest novel turned into a Resident Evil sequel.

Personally, I felt like the zombies just fit right in. I love P&P, and I love zombies. To me, this was a perfect medley of two great things: Regency romance and the evil undead. In some ways, the original book was made even better due to the changes. For example, this time when Darcy tells Elizabeth that he loves her despite his better judgement, she kicks him in the face. Grahame-Smith delivers everything that I ever wanted to see in the original.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies will never replace the original novel for me, but it is still a wonderful and enjoyable book that I look forward to rereading.

This Is Just To Say

Another video of Matthew Macfadyen reading poetry, this time "This Is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams. This poem has never sounded so good. :)

When You Are Old

Matthew Macfadyen (aka THE Mr. Darcy) reads "When You Are Old" by W.B. Yeats. I have always loved this poem; it has such a wonderful balance of quiet adoration and melancholic wistfulness. Matthew Macfadyen delivers a wonderful performance that completely embraces the duality of this poem.

When We Two Parted

A spectacular reading of a great poem by the original literary bad boy. Narrated by Richard Coyle, possibly the most diverse actor ever.

To tell the truth, this video completely altered my opinion of this poem. At first glance, I thought that this short poem lacked the wonderful brilliance and effervescence of Byron's longer works, Childe Harold and Don Juan (both of which I wholeheartedly adore), not to mention his characteristic wit. However, Richard Coyle delivers such a heartbreakingly honest and emotive performance that I couldn't help but fall in love with this poem.