Pop Sonnets: Shakespearean Spins on Your Favorite Songs

I preordered this as a birthday present to myself. I was so excited that I opened it the day it arrived - almost two weeks early. I've never been so happy to lack willpower!Erik Didriksen is a master wordsmith. Every page is beautiful, witty, and reverent. He does not mock, à la Tom Lehrer or Paul and Storm, but rather delivers brilliant and respectful homages. He manages to strike the perfect balance between new verse and clear references.There's a sonnet for every mood. Feeling nostalgic? There's Alice's Restaurant, House of the Rising Sun, or Mrs. Robinson. Need a post-hockey playlist? Sweet Caroline and Don't Stop Believin' at your service. Looking for your daily earworm? The Proclaimers deliver. I even got Rickrolled (only the second person to ever get me - bravo, sir!) Old soul that I am, I knew nothing of the original songs from Indina Menzel or Nicki Minaj, but loved the sonnets anyway!This is a great gift for every lover of beautiful words - be they written, spoken, or sung.

I LOVE this book! What a brilliant concept--taking major pop song hits and converting them to Shakespearean sonnets. The inventive 'translations' (transpositions?) are spot on--many hysterically so! The exercise seems so engaging that I can imagine introducing this in a high school classroom and assigning the students to 'sonnefy' their own favorite songs. I found myself rereading so many of these. I'll admit, the rewrites made me look at Eagles lyrics in a whole new way. The writer has added something fun and original that brings Shakespeare into the new generation. Kudos!

I found an e book copy years ago.Poetry is fun to read.Take a song and add a little Shakespeare. I had to have a copy for the times I need a unique poetry experience. The past style with known songs .It is a great combination.

The pop sonnet tumblr is one of the best things on the Internet. Every Thursday, Erik manages to come up with a brand new take on a classic pop song, something that is at once clever, fresh, and familiar. Personally, I like to cover up the title and try to guess the song, and it's always a delight to gradually figure out the tune he's referencing.The book is more of the same, but unlike other books based on Internet properties, there's a wealth of new material to go along with the greatest hits. Simply put, it's a hoot from start to finish, without a clunker in the bunch. Well worth the incredibly cheap cover charge.

This is not a book that you just sit down and read. It's one that you refer to and use when needed. When it comes to teaching teens poetry, who says the sonnets you use for examples have to be classic sonnets that they can't relate to? It's fun for all (nerdy) ages to pick out which songs are familiar and chuckle at the strangely accurate modifications.My particular favorite sonnet-ified song is Baby Got Back.

It is a great book! Hilarious, loved it got a huge kick out of it! If you're an English teacher it would be a great way to introduce kids to sonnets! Well worth every penny!

This was a holiday gift for a friend who is a big Shakespeare fan.A group of us at a party ended up taking turns reading them aloud, while the others guessed the songs. It kept us laughing and singing.It is on the list for next year's Secret Santa.Highly recommended!

This was a Christmas present for a friend of mine who loves Shakespeare. This was the perfect gift for her. Each sonnet sounds ridiculous, yet you can easily tell which song its supposed to be. Its lots of fun and even more fun if you perform them!

Most of the songs these sonnets are based on are really well known pop songs. It's not easy, but there is a pleasure to be had in revisiting the story of the music in a Shakespearean poetry form. It is a novel curiosity.

Cleverly done but its a one read novelty book. Lacks real staying power

Brilliant fun. It is highly possible that even the Bard would have approved. Clever use of language and rhyme.

A wonderful collection of well known songs written in pros of Shakespeare. Four score and 19 problems I have but my lady is not.

prompt delivery, very pleased. read one sonnet a day. clever and witty