The book lists Jane Austen as an author as well. I was lucky enough to have my best friend's copy, fully annotated for her literature students. Her literature students are lucky enough to read this book along with Austen's original, and I can see how it would help boys enjoy the women-centered novel more.
For the first few chapters, I laughed with delight at the way Grahame-Smith worked the undead monsters into the plot and language of the original novel. After those chapters, however, the zombie motif began to get a bit repetitive. The main downfall is the parallel he tries to draw between the concept of being "accomplished" and being a fearsome warrior. In Austen's novel, the Bennett sisters are not the former; in the new version, they are the latter. It shifted the dynamic a little too much for my liking.
That being said, I enjoyed Grahame-Smith's sense of fun and plan to go on to Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer, so I can learn a bit of history I never learned in school.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl
Not a course book. A delicious, light read. Pun intended, please hold your groaning.
I picked up this book on a friend's recommendation. It is the true story of a New York Times restaurant critic who goes undercover to keep people from recognizing her. She pulls off a slew of fun disguises with complete characters to back them up and discovers the difference that an appearance can make for how the world treats someone. I loved it because it was fun, light reading, but extremely well-written. Being a restaurant critic, Reichl has an excellent turn of phrase. She also lives more through her senses than I do, so it was fun to read such vivid descriptions that I could never imagine thinking, let alone writing.
I thought I would not like a food book -- I can't watch food-TV without feeling both fat and hungry. However, this book proved me wrong. Final conclusion: read it!
I picked up this book on a friend's recommendation. It is the true story of a New York Times restaurant critic who goes undercover to keep people from recognizing her. She pulls off a slew of fun disguises with complete characters to back them up and discovers the difference that an appearance can make for how the world treats someone. I loved it because it was fun, light reading, but extremely well-written. Being a restaurant critic, Reichl has an excellent turn of phrase. She also lives more through her senses than I do, so it was fun to read such vivid descriptions that I could never imagine thinking, let alone writing.
I thought I would not like a food book -- I can't watch food-TV without feeling both fat and hungry. However, this book proved me wrong. Final conclusion: read it!
To Begin Again
It is not given to us to begin; that privilege is God's alone. But it is given to us to begin again--and we do every time we choose to defy death and side with the living.
~Elie Wiesel
This poor blog started its demise through neglect when I became a student again. I hope to reinvigorate it with a two-fold strategy: recommitment and blogging about school books. The former will hopefully be a natural result of my sheer stubbornness of character. The latter means that the blog will be slightly skewed toward religious (Catholic) books. Even if they are not your cup of tea, please do check in to see what is not academic theology, or maybe to find something new you can learn about Catholicism.
~Elie Wiesel
This poor blog started its demise through neglect when I became a student again. I hope to reinvigorate it with a two-fold strategy: recommitment and blogging about school books. The former will hopefully be a natural result of my sheer stubbornness of character. The latter means that the blog will be slightly skewed toward religious (Catholic) books. Even if they are not your cup of tea, please do check in to see what is not academic theology, or maybe to find something new you can learn about Catholicism.
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