The Princess Bride

Title: The Princess Bride

Author: William Goldman

Pages: 398

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B

Synopsis: Most everyone knows this story at least a little bit.  The most beautiful girl in the world marries the most handsomest prince in the world, but things don't entirely go as planned.  Because the girl's true love is the man in black who will stop at nothing to get her back.  Fencing, fighting, chasing, hate, battles of wits, feats of strength, quicksand, torture, murder and love. The book has it all.

My Review: I only vaguely remember the movie, but as I read the book I was able to recall some of the different parts of the movie that terrified me when I was younger. Generally, I liked the book. What I didn't really love was the whole charade about how the author William Goldman has reconstructed the S. Morgenstern classic book, but removed all of the boring parts. I think that attempt is much better recreated in the movie than the book.  But now I need to go re-watch the rest of the movie.

Everything is Illuminated

Title: Everything is Illuminated

Author: Jonathan Safran Foer

Pages: 12 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Jonathan Safran Foer (the author) arrives in the Ukraine with a photograph of the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis back during WWII.  He has hired a tour guide and driver to help him get around, but his guide is a terrible translator who mangles the English language and the author is forced to ride in the back of the van with an undersexed dog named after Sammy Davis Jr.

My Review: The book was definitely clever and funny, but a little hard to follow at times.  It is a mix between letters and the narrative of a book being written and response letters, and it was often hard to identify where everything fit in the narrative. 

Disclaimer: There is a good amount of language, so be aware.