Favorite Longer Poems (with video links)

Well, this list is a bit different, in a lot of ways.  First, and most obviously, it's not a list of 10.  Mind you, I'm going ahead and publishing it because really, I've got a lot more than 10 links in here, and I'm eager to hear what you think!  Do please check out them all out and leave a comment below!

Ahhh yes, the criteria for this list?  Longer poems that I love to recite aloud.  It's not a comprehensive list, merely a list of the ones that sprang first into my mind.  Enjoy!

1.  "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert Service

• Full Text of the Poem
• Video version (recited by the poet!)
• Video version (creepy version)
• Video version (with Johnny Cash reciting it!!!)
• Video version with text (it's a read-a-long!)

2.  "If" by Rudard Kipling

• Full Text of the Poem
• Video version (with German subtitles, and a fabulous voice)
• Video version (multi-media)
• Video version (in French, with children's illustrations)

3.  "Ulysses" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

• Full Text of the Poem (with a FABULOUS audio link)
• Video version (with text)
• Video version (shorter, just the best bits!)

4.  "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

• *  Full Text of the Poem
• *  (Fabulous) Audio recording (with famous actors)  Follow links to find all three parts. 
• *  Would you believe, a hard rock interpretation of the poem?  Wow.

5.  "Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" by Dylan Thomas

• Recording of the poet reading his poem.  Best. Ever.

Trust me, that's the only link you'll need.  Dylan Thomas does an amazing job with this poem.  Just think of all the English class video responses I'm saving you from, and click (only) that link!

Disguised Literary Classics - with pictures!

The Picture Books:
1.  Saint George and the Dragon, retold by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
A retelling of Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene, this book really helped when I finally sat down to read the original.  Granted, convincing Dr. M. that I really had read it as a child was a bit on the difficult side!



2.  Gilgamesh The King, retold and illustrated by Ludmila Zeman
A retelling of Gilgamesh, and apparently one of a series.





3.  Merlin and the Dragons, by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Li Ming
A King Arthur story, Jane Yolen has (again) created a new story that feels like an old one we should have known. 




4.  Canterbury Tales, selected, translated, and adapted by Barbara Cohen, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
A retelling of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, in clear but poetic language, and beautifully illustrated.  I think she's also published some posters of individual characters, taken from this book.




5.  The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, illustrations by Gustave Dore, editor Anne Rooney
A picture book version of this famous narrative poem, the illustrations are just gorgeous, and quite helpful in providing context. 




6.  The Children's Classic Poetry Collection, compiled by Nicola Baxter, illustrated by Cathie Shuttleworth
It may look like a picture book, but it reads like a Norton!




The Novels:
7.  The Sea of Trolls, by Nancy Farmer
What happens after Beowulf?






8.  The Eyre Affaire, by Jasper Fforde
*Wicked giggles*  When you take getting lost in a book to the next level . . .





9.   Firebrand, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
This is the retelling of the fall of Troy that brought it to life for me - told from Kassandra's viewpoint.




10.  Goddess of Yesterday: A Tale of Troy, by Caroline Cooney
Another story of Troy, this one from a different viewpoint.

Books for the Bathroom

Focus for this List: Yes, there are, in fact, books in every room of my house. This list is for the bookshelf that also holds spare toilet paper.  (Note: this is not a list of acceptable substitutes for toilet paper -- that's a different list!)  Now, admittedly, the criteria for this list are a bit vague. When we moved, however, I found that certain books just cry out to spend time in the bathroom, being read only occasionally, and in small doses.  What's in YOUR bathroom bookshelf?

Books in our Bathroom at the Moment:
1.  The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel, by Joshua Piven & David Borgenicht
I've got several books from this series; when I was single, the version in the bathroom was this one.  You know, just in case!

2.  Edna St. Vincent Millay: Collected Lyrics
This was a library sale treasure, and I'm enjoying finding new gems.

3.  How to Shit in the Woods, Second Edition: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art, by Kathleen Meyer
Mr. Turkey is an Eagle Scout. Until we were married, I'd never camped outside a day in my life. So, how does a confirmed bookworm confront such a new situation? Yup, we buy books and read them. This one I found particularly well-written. It's earnest tone is endearing, and truly, this is information we should all be passingly familiar with. (Sorry, pardon the pun.)

4.  Strain Your Brain: Power Puzzles (Official Mensa Puzzle Book), by Ivan Moscovich
This is quite a colorful, and mind-bending puzzle book. Good for long visits!

Books That Have Since Migrated Elsewhere:
5.  They Have a Word for It: A Lighthearted Lexicon of Untranslatable Words and Phrases (The Writer's Studio), by Howard Rheingold
This is truly one of my favorite linguistic books. As an exchange student, I noticed how language shapes thought, and vice versa, this book goes one step further and tries to explain such concepts as we do not have in English.  Yes, Gemütlichkeit is in there!  Now shelved in linguistics.

6.  The Quotable South: A Compendium of Eclectic Quotes About the South, compiled by Al Dixon
It's colorful, and it's funny. And then I lived in Raleigh for 4 years. Now I'm not sure if it's funny or tragic, but I know that it's true. Now shelved between linguistics and the travel books.

7. Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, by ZZ Packer
An interesting collection of short stories, this is an enjoyable read. Now shelved in non-fiction.

8.  It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: The Best (?) from the Bulwer-Lytton Contest, compiled by Scott Rice
"The funniest opening sentences from the worst novels never written."  The bathroom will echo with your howls of laughter and groans of disgust!  Do yourself a favor and click on the link in the Author's Name, and enjoy!  Now shelved next to my literary classics.

9.  Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini, by Mark Leyner, and Billy Goldberg, M.D.
Ok, so the questions and answers are interesting, but more amusing are the transcribed chat messages back and forth between the two authors.  Now shelved in nonfiction.

10.  Not Quite What I Was Planning, Revised and Expanded Deluxe Edition: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure, edited by Rachel Fershleiser, & Larry Smith
They read like haiku -- intense, and short.  (Now shelved in nonfiction, but it may wander back into the bathroom. Writing this blog helps me remember all of my treasures!)

Note: if I had more space, I'd totally lobby for this bathtub.  As it is, I can only dream!  Click here to find the website where I found this treasure!  :)

Poetry for The Rest of Us

Anthologies:
1.  Best-Loved Poems, edited by Neil Philip
Much as in fine dining, the presentation of a poem affects how one perceives it.  This gorgeously well thought out anthology of classics is both beautifully illustrated and well presented.  Enjoy!
2.  Good Poems, edited by Garrison Keillor
This collection of classics (and newer poems) was selected for its ability to be understood and appreciated when read over the radio - thus in a single hearing.  The presentation is nice, one poem per page, and I've found many new favorites in this collection.
3.  A Child's Anthology of Poetry, edited by Elizabeth Hauge Sword
Despite the title, this is a solid anthology, and I lobbied hard for it to become a textbook at the last school I taught in.  It's a great mix of classics for readers of all ages, with a nice format of one poem per page.  Best of all?  It's got a review written by Lemony Snicket on the front cover!  :)
4.  Poems to Read: A New Favorite Poem Project Anthology, edited by Robert Pinsky
This is one of the products of The Favorite Poem Project.  Thus, most of the poems have a little quote from someone explaining why it's their favorite poem.  I delight in the broad range of the participants and have found several new favorite poems myself by reading this book.  This particular anthology lends itself well to sitting and simply reading as the prose introductions give one some breathing room between poems. 
5.  Read-Aloud Poems for Young People, edited by Glorya Hale
This truly does live up to its title, and keeps the focus on poems that are readily accessible to younger folks.  The side notes that give biographical information and tidbits about the poems are particularly helpful.  Very clean format with no illustrations.
6.  Poetry: A Pocket Anthology, edited by R. S. Gwynn
I have the 3rd edition of this, and am wildly tempted by the newest (6th) edition.  It's an academic anthology (with minimal attention paid to typography), and yet, the selection is so solid that I just love this book. 
7.  The Children's Classic Poetry Collection, compiled by Nicola Baxter, illustrated by Cathie Shuttleworth
This is the ideal book for luring your little ones into loving poetry.  A mix of nursery rhymes and literary classics, all beautifully illustrated, this is a gorgeous book to add to your collection.  It's got my favorite illustrations for the "Jabberwocky" poem.  (Note: that link is NOT to my favorite illustration, merely a copy of the poem!)

Single Poet Books:
8. Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes, by Roald Dahl. Illustrated by Quentin Blake
If you're reading this blog post and thinking, "But I don't like poetry!" start with this book.  It's wildly amusing, quite twisted, and thoroughly enjoyable. 
9.  The Porcine Canticles, by David Lee
I bought this book after reading a recommendation for it in the book, Words I Wish I Wrote, by Robert Fulghum. Much to my delight, it lived up to its review and has become a favorite. Imagine if you will, narrative poetry written by an English (or Classics) major who decided to become a pig farmer and write about pigs. Yes, you read that correctly. Now, go find and enjoy your own copy! 
10.  Poetry for Young People: Edna St. Vicent Millay, edited by Frances Shoonmaker, ill. Mike Bryce
This is a series designed to look like picture books, with the illustrations closely matched to the style of the poetry.  The poems are not watered down (although occasionally they are excerpted rather than printed in full).  All in all, I hope to eventually collect all of them.  Right now I've got the ones for William Shakespeare, Rudyard Kipling, and Lewis Carroll.  In case you're wondering, the rest of the series is on my wish list! 

Focus for this list:
Poetry.  :)  Yes, that photo is of my bookshelf devoted to poetry.