Tag: 2010

“Funeral II”

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Szymborska, Wislawa. “Funeral II.” New and Collected Poems. New York: Mariner Books, 2000. p 206.

This poem disturbed me to the core. To read it quite literally it is people standing around before (or after, or anytime in between) a funeral and gossiping. This sort of thing happens all the time. Events like funerals and weddings bring people together. Conversations are bound to happen, especially when people haven’t seen each other since the last milestone – wedding, or funeral…
I think what disturbed me the most is that I could identify with it so readily. I, too, have stood around making small talk; commenting on the people strangers around me. Call it catty. Call it human nature. It happens.

BookLust Twist: From More Book Lust in the chapter called, “Poetry Pleasers” (p 189).

Water Witches

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Bohjalian, Chris. Water Witches. Hanover: University Press of New England, 1995.

This is the story of environmentalists against developers. The storyline is simple. A Vermont ski resort needs to expand in order to stay in business. They are looking to clear trees and tap into a river in order to build more ski trails and man-made snow. That means obtaining permits and permissions. For lawyer Scottie Winston, working for Powder Peak, this means more jobs for the community…or so he says over and over again. Is he trying to convince himself? The trouble is Scottie is married to a water witch with minimal skills. More so, his sister-in-law is considered the most talented dowser in the country. Her abilities to find water, and even missing travelers is legendary. She is marrying the region’s most vocal environmentalist who opposes Powder Peak’s expansion. To make matters worse, Scottie’s own daughter is proving to be an even more accomplished water witch than her aunt…Scottie must chose between his job and his family especially when a drought complicates things not only for Powder Peak but for the entire community.

BookLust Twist: From Book Lust in the chapter called, “Ecofiction” (p 77).

Note: this review is lame because somehow I lost the one I thought I had already written….I didn’t have the energy to write it twice.

“Forgetfulness”

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Collins, Billy. “Forgetfulness.” Sailing Alone Around the Room: New & Selected Poetry. New York: Random House: 2002. 29.

You know that point in a conversation when someone says something so true and indisputable all you can do is nod in emphatic agreement? “Forgetfulness” is that point in the conversation. How many of us read something, whether it be an article, book or poem and couldn’t remember who wrote it a week later? A week after that and now we can’t remember the title of what we read. We find ourselves saying stupid things like, “I read this great book about the tenth largest island in the world by…by..oh what was his name? Anyway, it was really interesting.” I also like Billy’s imagery of a brain making room for something else to remember. When a new address or phone number is added to the brain, the author or title of a book must come out. For every new piece of information stored, something older must come out and slip away. Who knows where it goes? Billy has the answer:
“…to a little fishing village where there are no phone lines” (p 29).

BookLust Twist: From Book Lust in the chapter called, “Kitchen-Sink Poetry” (p 138).

Without End

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Zagajewski, Adam. Without End: New and Selected Poems. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002.

Nancy Pearl mentions “Try to Praise the Mutilated World” in Book Lust in the chapter called, “Polish Poems and Prose” (p 187), but she also recommends the book from which the poem is from, Without End: New and Selected Poems.

I quite enjoyed reading Without End from start to finish. The diversity of poetry within the 270+ pages is refreshing. I especially liked the poet to poet dedications. It’s as if Zagajewski is saying, “from one writer to another, I feel your craft and it influences mine.”

“Try to Praise the Mutilated World” reminds me of Natalie Merchant’s song “Life is Sweet” in that they both try to point out the beauty in the world in spite of the glaring ugliness.

Favorite lines:
“The innkeeper’s daughter was so thin
that she kept bricks in her backpack to outwit the wind…” (p14).

Favorite poem: “Treatise on Emptiness”
A friend and I both agree that this poem moved us in startling and profound ways.

BookLust Twist: From Book Lust in the chapter called, “Polish Poems and Prose” (p 187). Yeah, I know I already said that.

Downcanyon

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Zwinger, Ann Haymond. Downcanyon: A Naturalist Explores the Colorado River Through the Grand Canyon. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1995.

When I first heard about Downcanyon I was romanced by Nancy Pearl’s description of it in More Book Lust, “Even if you’re not actually doing down the rapids of the Colorado, this book will make you feel as if you are” (p 173). I don’t know what I was expecting after reading that quote. Something pulse-pounding and riveting, I’m sure. I was sort of disappointed.

Downcanyon is a wonderfully illustrated down-the-river adventure, but I would suggest using it as more of a reference book or guide than a white-rapids read. The map is fascinating and it was certainly fun to read the travels along it. But, my favorite parts were the rest areas, the stopping for the night. Zwinger took that opportunity to focus on the flowers, the reptiles, and the animals and the rock formations. It is here that Zwinger zeros in on the very nature of things (the foraging and nesting of bumblebees, for example).
Another pleasing point to Downcanyon was the addition of quotes from other explorers before each chapter. It’s as if Zwinger is giving a nod to those who went down the Colorado with far less in every sense. Less equipment, less experience, less education. Those who went before were more daring, more adventurous, and without a doubt, put themselves in far more danger. Downcanyon is the exploration of the Colorado River for Zwinger and Zwinger alone.

BookLust Twist: From More Book Lust in the chapter called, “Nature Writing” (p 173).

“Kaddish”

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Ginsberg, Allen.”Kaddish.” Kaddish and Other Poems; 1958-1960 San Francisco: City Lights Books, 2001. 7.

This took me forever to read. I think part of the reason was I wanted to find the absolute right moment to read it. I know that sounds odd, but consider this: “Kaddish” is said to be autobiographical. That, in and of itself, is extremely interesting to me because of how interesting and controversial Ginsberg was and still is to this day. Secondly, “Kaddish” is about mourning the passing of Ginsberg’s mother, Naomi Ginsberg. She was schizophrenic and  Natalie Merchant’s line “praise a crazy mother’s son” (King of May, Ophelia – 2006) only eludes to Naomi’s troubled mind. Thirdly, there is the religious aspect of Kaddish to consider, and finally, the poem “Kaddish” is said to be Ginsberg’s finest work. Having said all that it should be obvious why I wanted to devote my complete and undivided attention to reading it.

At first read “Kaddish” seems to be all over the place with only two central themes running through it: the death of Naomi Ginsberg and the strain her mental illness put on Ginsberg as a child. After the second reading I began to see how much of an influence art and history also had on the author. He is haunted by his mother’s fears of Hitler and the inability to escape the past. Her history is his history. By the third reading I was so moved by the descriptions  Naomi’s “treatments” that I couldn’t read any more.

One of these days I will research “Kaddish” to the fullest. I will find out why Naomi was afraid of Louis. I will discover the answer to the riddle of the Key in the window. Someday I will know what phrases like “Grand Canyons of asshole” and ” Lung Stew, & Stenka Razin” mean. Someday soon.

BookLust Twist: From More Book Lust in the chapter “The Beats and Their Generation” (p 17). PS ~ I should note this was not indexed in More Book Lust but since it was mentioned in the chapter I wanted to include it.

“Days of Pie and Coffee”

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Tate, James. “Days of Pie and Coffee.” Shroud of the Gnome. Hopewell: Ecco Press, 1997. pp 2 -4.

This is such a simple image. A man is walking his dog (a golden retriever no less) along a country road. He and the dog are startled by a motorist roaring up and looking for directions. A stranger in this part of the world is such a shock to the man and yet he finds easy conversation with the stranger…as if they are sitting down to a meal of pie and coffee.

I like the powerful descriptions in the poem. It’s not just a poem, it’s a story when you can see the images and feel as if you are there. The act of being startled because you don’t expect a motorist in your little part of the world. A conversation that haltingly starts with mistrust and grows easier with familiarity.

BookLust Twist: From Book Lust in the chapter called, “Kitchen-Sink Poetry” (p 138). Note: this missed getting included in the index.

“Wisdom of the Desert Fathers”

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Pollitt, Katha. “Wisdom of the Desert Fathers.” The Mind-Body Problem. New York: Random House, 2009, p.76.

If my father were alive he would want this poem to read “Wisdom of the Dessert Fathers” because he had such a voracious sweet tooth. Don’t know why I decided to say that. Just felt it was right. (And, and. And! I refrain from inserting a, “so there!”)

The first three times I read “Wisdom of the Desert Fathers” I almost wished desert were spelled with a double s. I didn’t get it at all. The wisdom of a dessert father I would get because they would say things like, “it is best to eat your whoopie pie before the broccoli,” or “ice cream melts faster in the sun,” or “there’s no such thing as bad chocolate.”  That kind of wisdom I can wrap my brain around and eat wholeheartedly. This desert stuff is something dry and different. I need to step outside the literal because maybe the word ‘father’ is not patriarchal in nature, but rather spiritual…dare I say religious?

I do. The more I read “Wisdom of the Desert Fathers” I saw religion in the picture. It was if the narrator was saying, “If you follow the scripture too closely life will pass you by.” You take the wisdom of the fathers quite literally and life happens without you. It was the line, “Even the demons hardly come round anymore with their childish bribes of money and sex” (p 76) that did it. I highly doubt I am right about this.

BookLust Twist: From More Book Lust in the chapter called, “Poetry Pleasers” (p 188).

“The Welcoming”

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Hirsch, Edward. “The Welcoming.” Earthly Measures. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994. p 54.

This was one of my favorite poems of the month. It’s not complicated in a tangle of words meter or rhyme, but rather complicated in a tangle of emotions. The pain of not being able to have children. The frustration over the red tape of adoption. the anticipation of bringing a newborn home. The hope of parenthood and perfection. The poem spans the duration of agony and heartbreak to excitement and hope. The travel is worth reading about.

My favorite line, “jet lag instead of labor” (p 54).

BookLust Twist: From More Book Lust in the chapter “Poetry Pleasers” (p 188).

“Secret Life”

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Dunn, Stephen. “A Secret Life.” Landscape at the End of the Century. New York: W.W. Norton, 1991, p 72.

“A Secret Life” has got to be one of my favorite poems of the month. Stephen Dunn isn’t exactly explaining why people have secret anythings. He’s more of the understanding nature. He simply gets it – the idea that people simply must have something they keep to themselves. The line, “It becomes what you’d most protect” defines the secret life perfectly. It isn’t wholly formed from the start. It grows and progresses. It becomes. I think a secret life starts early in the way that an obsession starts without notice. There is no cause for concern when the hoarder furtively buys and smuggles home one china cat, but about the 1001th one when it comes tumbling out of a closet?

BookLust Twist: From More Book Lust in the chapter, “Poetry Pleasers” (p 188).

“Prophet”

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Dennis, Carl. “Prophet.” Practical Gods. New York: Penguin Poets, 2001, 16.

The tone of this poem is didactic and more than a little condescending. It’s as if the speaker is the all-knowing on how to be a prophet and cannot keep from sharing his knowledge. “You’ll never be much…” are the first four words of the poem. There is a sense of prophesy, “you’ll land…” and “you’ll have to…” and “you’ll be…” It’s almost as if the speaker wants the wanna-be prophet to think like Jonah in the whale, making comparisons of journeys by whale and donkey. There is no kindness in this poem, only stern words of how it’s going to be. And yet…yet, I liked it.

BookLust Twist: From More Book Lust in the chapter, “Poetry Pleasers” (p 188).

Affliction

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Banks, Russell. Affliction. New York: Harper & Row, 1989.

Wade Whitehouse could be an ordinary guy. He could be that small town, hard-working, have a beer with the boys, all-around nice guy. Except bad luck not only follows Wade like a hungry dog, it bites him when he’s down. No matter how caring Wade Whitehouse is on the inside, no matter how well-meaning he is, when things go wrong people know not to stand in his way. The smarter ones walk away. The entire tiny town of Lawford, New Hampshire knows Wade and his troubles. It’s no secret he has a mean streak that runs to the center of his very core. Alcohol and a nagging toothache only widen that streak until it takes over his whole being. In theory it’s not all Wade’s fault. Abused by his father during his formative years, Wade loses his wife, home and daughter when he himself turns violent. All he wants is more time with his daughter, a decent paycheck and a simple way of life. When none of these things come easily Wade sets out to unveil the truth and right the wrongs, using violence as the vehicle to do so. What makes Wade’s story so fascinating is that it is told from a younger brother’s perspective. Being in Massachusetts he is a comfortable distance from both his brother and the memories that have scarred him as well.

BookLust Twist: From More Book Lust in the chapter called, “Oh, Brother” (p 180).

South Wind Through the Kitchen

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David, Elizabeth. South Wind Through the Kitchen. New York: North Point Press, 1998.

The cover of South Wind Through the Kitchen has Elizabeth David posing with a glass of wine in her hand. You can tell the shot is 1950’s staged. Elizabeth is supposed to be lounging with a glass of wine in her kitchen. Instead, she is delicately leaning against a counter, one foot angled just so from her body. She looks away from the camera with only a hint of expression on her face. She does not look comfortable and yet pulls off a sophisticated housewife glamor.

South Wind Through the Kitchen is a collection of Elizabeth David’s best everything – best recipes, best essays, best foot forward (as the cover photograph implies) compiled by friends and family. It is a multi-personality publication, part cookbook, part leisure reading, part reference. Any one person can pick it up for a multitude of reasons, whether to graze lightly through its pages or gorge on them entirely. It’s a great sampling of Elizabeth David’s writing throughout her career.
As for my reading pleasure, I found myself grazing lightly for in the Book Lust challenge I will be reading French Provincial Cooking, Italian Food, A Book of Mediterranean Food, and English Bread and Yeast Cookery. I felt that it was only fair that I skip those excerpts (since I’ll be reading them again in their entirety at some point) and concentrate on the commentary and the excerpts from the books I won’t be reading: French Country Cooking, Spices, Salt and Aromatics in the English Kitchen, Harvest of the Cold Months, and French Country Cooking.

My favorite part of South Wind Through the Kitchen was the praise for Elizabeth David not only as a cook, but as an accomplished writer. For example, one favorite line illustrates that praise, “I remember marveling at the quality of the writing, sitting entranced on a radiator…and quite forgetting to poach the eggs at all. A constant danger with E.D. is being distracted from the actual cooking. -Prue Leith” (p 61).

BookLust Twist: From Book Lust in the chapter called, “Food for Thought” (p 91).

“Luncheon on the Grass”

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Phillips, Carl. “Luncheon on the Grass.” In the Blood. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1992. p 33

Art examining art. That is how I see “Luncheon on the Grass.” Carl Phillips is commenting on Edouard Manet’s oil painting of the same name. In Carl’s poem, two individuals are having lunch on deserted property. The speaker is in a similar state of undress as the woman in Manet’s painting, yet the unknown companion is fully dressed, same as the men in Manet’s piece. There is a sarcasm to the voice in the poem, “Luncheon on the Grass” that mimics the visual caustic attitude in the painting. There is a feeling of fake in both pieces. While Carl is comparing surroundings – poem to art – the voice is childish, “you didn’t remember I hate chicken salad.”

I found the poem funny because without knowing Manet’s piece you wouldn’t even begin to understand Carl Phillips’s poem of the same name.

BookLust Twist: From More Book Lust in the chapter, “Poetry Pleasers” (p 188).

Belshazzar’s Daughter

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Nadel, Barbara. Belshazzar’s Daughter. New York: Felony & Mayhem, 2006.

The pronouncement, “The Donna Leon of Istanbul” meant nothing to me, I am sorry to say. It didn’t make me like to book any better. Nor did the curious “icon” information. According to the publisher the icon of a gun meant I was holding a book from the “Hard Boiled” category, meaning the language was going to be stronger, the bad guys a little badder, the violence a little more graphic. An “R” rating, if you will – only I would give this book an “X” rating for the weird sex scenes. Natalia seems to like her sex with a gun and rough…and that’s all I’ll say about that.

The overall story of Belshazzar’s Daughter was a little tedious. Technically, there is no daughter of Belshazzar in the story. It’s the story of Englishman Robert Cornelius and his obsession with Natalia Gulcu. It is also about Inspector Ikmen and his quest to solve the brutal murder of an elderly Jew. Robert Cornelius happens to be in the area when the crime is committed and becomes a suspect due to his prejudice-laced past. The crime scene is overly horrific and obviously hate-driven with addition of a giant swastika, but Inspector Ikmen isn’t convinced. Using historical profiling, Ikmen starts to unravel the mystery of who killed Leonid Meyer. At the same time Natalia’s family history is revealed. Their history is stranger than even the murder.

With the addition of several smaller plots Belshazzar’s Daughter is a drawn-out thriller-mystery. The sex scenes are over the top while the characters are watered down to the point of stereotyping. First, I found myself annoyed with just the character of Robert and his blinded obsession with the heaving bosoms of Natalia, but by the end I didn’t care for any of them.

BTW: I didn’t find any quotes that jumped out at me.

BookLust Twist: From More Book Lust in the chapter “Crime is a Globetrotter: Turkey” (p 61).