S.G. Browne

P is for Princess, Post, and Phantom

No. The Princess in the blog title does not stand for The Princess Diaries, just in case you were wondering. And although I’ve seen Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, I’ve never read the French novel on which it’s based.

I’ve also never read The Pearl (Steinbeck), The Picture of Dorian Gray (Wilde), or Pride and Prejudice (Austen), with or without zombies. I’m not a big Jane Austen fan, so adding zombies to one of her books isn’t going to compel me to read it. You could add zombies to The Bridges of Madison County and I’m not going to read that, either. Though I do have a signed copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies on my bookshelf.

Some of the titles I have read include Patient Zero (Maberry), Pressure (Strand), Phantoms (Koontz), Pet Semetary (King), and Presumed Innocent (Turow). I currently have Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Suskind) on my stack of books to read, though it keeps getting pushed back by all of these books I keep buying. Someday…

On to my favorite books that start with the letter P:

One for the money:
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
This is another instance where I read the book after I saw the film, so my memory of it is somewhat colored by the Hollywood version. But since Goldman wrote the screenplay as well, it stays truer than most adaptations. Good writing, memorable characters, great dialogue, an adventurous plot, and lots of fun twists and turns gives this one top billing. It’s a joyous romp of a read.

Two for the show:
Post Office, Charles Bukowski
A recommendation from a writer friend of mine, this first novel by Bukowski is apparently as much autobiography as it is fiction. Filled with down and out Americans, booze, gambling, failed relationships, meaningless work, and a main character who is more cynical than Sam Spade and Han Solo. This novel is a good introduction for anyone interested in reading the author who TIME called a “laureate of American lowlife.”

Three to get ready:
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
I didn’t read much as a kid. I hated going to the library and checking out books, which invariably sat on my dresser, unread, until the due date arrived. But I remember loving this adventure fairy tale about a bored kid who discovers a magic tollbooth and decides to drive through it into another world. A classic childrens’ story worth re-reading as an adult.

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Filed under: Movies and Books — Tags: , , , , , — S.G. Browne @ 9:49 am

1 Comment »

  1. I loved The Phantom Tollbooth :)

    Comment by Kari — August 16, 2010 @ 9:59 am

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