Book: The Princess Bride

I’m sure many students are familiar with the classic 1987 movie “The Princess Bride,” but even better, in my opinion, is the original book version by William Goldman. The book features all of the movie’s adventure, twists, and romance, along with extra scenes, characters, and depth. In the story, Goldman crafts an entirely made up historical country that feels both realistic and completely out of touch with reality at the same time. He inserts witty author’s notes and anecdotes that are just as capturing as the book itself. The so-called “Tale of True Love and High Adventure” hits on multiple genres of fiction, further brings to life the fantastical world of Florin, and deepens the simultaneously charming and infuriating characters. For lovers of the original movie, romance, adventure, suspense, or reading in general I couldn’t recommend “The Princess Bride” more. 

Podcast: Dissect by Spotify Dissect 

I’ve been trying to jump on the podcast train since the start of quarantine, but I always find myself zoning out a few minutes in and deciding to listen to music instead. If you have this problem too, I recommend the Spotify original podcast “Dissect,” hosted by Cole Cuchna. It’s already been recommended in a previous edition of the Roundup, but new seasons and events still make it well worth listening to. In each of the podcast’s nine seasons, Cuchna analyzes a popular album by artists like Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Beyonce, Frank Ocean, and more. Each song on an album has its own episode, and Cuchna constantly adds snippets of an episode’s song, artist interviews, and other songs to tie into his analysis. This makes for an engaging podcast, and the episodes range from around 15 to 40 minutes, which is perfect for car rides, walks, or a break between homework assignments. 

Show: Riverdale

I know what you’re thinking: why on Earth would I ever recommend Riverdale? The CW show is notorious for bad acting, terrible dialogue, and an unrealistic plot. Loosely based on the Archie Comics series, the series follows a group of four friends dealing with the crazy happenings of a small town, Riverdale. I can’t say it’s a well written and serious show, but it has entertainment value. I also believe that the only way to watch this show is to commit and finish all five seasons. The first season begins as a pretty decent teen drama about a small town’s dark secrets involving the murder of a local high school student. By the time you get to season five, there will be countless more murders, unnecessarily complicated relationships, witchcraft (maybe? It’s very unclear), flashbacks and flashforwards, and more plot holes than you can imagine. As embarrassing as it is to admit you’ve watched this show, I think it’s well worth the laughs you will get out of its poor writing. Riverdale is the perfect show to watch if you want something mindless and entertaining and you have already watched everything else there is to see on Netflix.