Under my hashtag eileenreadsbooks on Facebook, I occasionally place Notes to my acquisitions as the library progresses. Here are selections in reverse chronological order from January 1, 2024 which is when I began inputting them on this blog. To see older book acquisition Notes, go to Facebook and look up the hashtag. Acquisitions from April-June 2024 are HERE, and Jan.-March 2024 are HERE.
9/17/24
I can be a fast reader but it didn’t even take a half hour or hour to read Carrie Fisher’s memoir THE PRINCESS DIARIST. I’ve had the impression the writer-actress is witty and sharp so I was surprised at the lite-ness of her memoir of her “Star Wars” experience. Not even her affair with Harrison Ford reduced the book’s banality. In fact, her book was fattened with excerpts from a diary she kept during the affair… which are better left unpublished because they were yawn-inducing. This is all to say, I’m surprised she’s the one to exemplify the deterioration of the publishing industry with its focus on celebrity memoirs.
Anyway, I have hope these recent book acquisitions (I’d borrowed the Fisher memoir from the library) should be more interesting, especially the latest poetry collection by John Phillips whose poems rarely disappoint (I even blurbed it!). So with 15,516 books as the target, that’s 947 books down, 14,569 books to go.
9/13/24
I just did a radio interview about my library-in-progress—a first! In celebration then of books and my passion-project-library, here are my latest acquisitions. So with 15,516 books as the target, that’s 937 books down, 14,579 books to go.
I estimate my To-Read pile currently at 200-300 books. The higher that number is, the more I feel at balanced in life…
9/7/24
I’ve not let go of my dream to open a bookshop one day. But as changes occur in the publishing industry, my imagined set-up also has changed. One of the key elements is how publishers focus on the economic bottom line, an impetus that’s turned categories like “beach reading” and “rom com” into excuses for putting out banal crap. In response to this element, a few years ago I adjusted my bookshop dream to be one of a used bookstore. A used bookstore has better margins than new books’ and would not have to deal with publisher returns. The former is particularly important as new book prices have risen astronomically--who can afford $30 for a new hardcover nowadays? Sure, those buying coffee at Starbucks prices might and should but somehow something gets lost in translation there. Technology also supports used books as the bookstore could run, say, an Ebay business on the side.
So when I stopped by the local—and only 2-month old—bookstore, I was intrigued to see that it had bolstered its used books offerings. I bought three books during my visit, of which two were from the shelves of used books. I think that’s telling—many of the new books simply do not have the literary attraction of what came from the larger landscape of used books. The new book I bought, Pip Williams’ THE BOOKBINDER, was chosen for its topic but also because the author had penned the wonderful THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS.
I could go on about my bookstore dream but, for now, let me just shelve my new books. So with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 930 books down, 14,586 books to go. Good Morning!
9/5/24
I kindly will not reveal the title of this novel but will share what I'd said about it on Facebook: "That former beauty queen's novel sucks. I'm not happy about the revelation--I'd like everyone who aspires to writing to do well. But the reason I'm posting is that this book was published by a company with stellar beginnings. Writers do their best, but publishing companies should do better, too. This is what you get for going for "brand" versus literary talent. This is how you disrespect your deservedly respected beginnings to become a hack publisher."
So with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 928 books down, 14,588 books to go!
9/4/24
There are certain people whose tastes I trust. Among them is Kathryn Rantala who recently sent me books for my library-in-progress. I share her website link because you might want to check out the books of one of the most interesting writers today. From her latest gift, I was not at all surprised that the first book I began reading is a welcome revelation to me (in part because I'd not paid as much attention to the essay as to other genres): Eliot Weinberger's AN ELEMENTAL THING. I haven't finished it yet but about this book, I anticipate HIGHLY RECOMMENDING.
So with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 927 books down, 14,589 books to go!
8/31/24
THE SEALEY CHALLENGE, AND MY SUGGESTED AMENDMENT:
A book-length poem is difficult to achieve. I finally managed to pull a couple off but it took two decades of strengthening my poetic spine to do it—that desired suspension of reality to live in the alternative universe of the poem being wrought, and then compel a relationship from the reader, is a feat to achieve in writing. For this reason, which nonetheless is just one of many reasons (this work has so many strengths), Tsipi Keller’s WAVES & TONICS is my favorite read, favorite discovery, and favorite ambition amongst the many other impressive reads in my Sealey Challenge—see list below.
The irony is that I’ve met Tsipi. Back in the late 1990s, she was a friend of a friend and we occasionally hung out at literary events in New York. But I was a newbie poet and didn’t know of her writings and didn’t think to ask because I was still as clueless as youth. Still, maybe it’s just as well that I had to mature as a person and writer to appreciate her work. I’m not sure I would have been as appreciative decades ago as I am today of WAVES & TONICS. I highly recommend it.
WAVES & TONICS also exemplifies why the real gems in poetry usually exist amidst small presses, far from the maddening crowds of the usual suspects dominating mainstream discourse with their prizes. It’s a shame this book from Ravenna Press hasn’t received more attention, hence my post as well. That’s why I’m doing something I loathe in poetry which is to rank poetry books against each other—and from my Sealey Challenge Read, I’m ranking it first.
For the Sealey Challenge, I chose poetry books simply because I hadn’t read them before rather than take up others’ recommendations. So I ended up reading mostly through the local library selections, further randomizing my selections. I’ve posted here before about my Sealey Challenge experience, but here are additional notes:
-- There are so many rules and gatekeepers in poetry that to be a poet is often to feel imposter syndrome. Perhaps for those who don't remain within inherited forms and ways of writing, this tendency can be greater. But if you do something like the Sealey Challenge with random poetry books versus books of authors and styles known to you, you'll realize just how wide poetry's tent is.
--I say this partly as a multi-genre writer: it’s ironic how poetry focuses—and should focus—much on form when it’s clear that publishing/reading decisions are based on themes;
--poets do write a lot of noise before coming up with a single poem; the ironic down-side of being a bigger-name poet ironically is that you get more of that noise published;
--another highlight was the Special Poetry Issue coming from The Classical Outlook. I read it via proof since, yes, one of my poems is included. But what I love about this particular Poetry Issue is how, after each poem, each of the 50-plus poets wrote “postludes” as to how they came to write the poems. As Poetry Editor Rachel Hadas aptly put it, “more journals and periodicals that publish poetry [could] ask the poets to give some account of what they were doing… One never knows quite what led to the birth of a poem… The postludes provide a dazzlingly varied showcase of some of the myriad ways poems come into being.” I recommend checking out this issue—it can be one of the most effective ways to teach poetry even if its subject matter is specialized.
--new-to-me-poet Danez Smith wrote a book so compelling (BLACK MOVIE) I searched for an additional read (HOMIE), and then yet another read (DON’T CALL US DEAD)—an impressive poet;
--I finally met a Charles Simic book that left me feeling… indifferent;
--most challenging (in a good way) read: Julia Rose Lewis;
--what a waste of reading time to give a celebrity or a “big name” in another genre a poetry book;
--I’m not clear as to why I like this Joy Harjo book so much (I don’t recall my read of her other books eliciting so much appreciation… which means, to me, I should return to them as the flaw might be mine, i.e. I might have been in the “wrong” mood, or age, to read her other books);
--you can tell certain books (poets?) would be nowhere without academic discourse;
--most heart-rending read is I NEVER SAW ANOTHER BUTTERFLY about children’s drawings and poems from Terezin Concentration Camp 1942-1944;
--I continue to be bored by that Nobel Prize winner;
--most poetry books are good/okay but it takes a special book to be of interest to others outside a poet’s “community” (whatever that is) or not assigned to read the book as a textbook;
--no need to begrudge the lower-quality poetry books—they all have their place in the universe and said place doesn’t necessarily have to do with literary quality
That said, I feel the Sealey Challenge is a silly way to read poetry. But because I recognize the sexiness of the idea of one poetry book a day for a month, I suggest that it be amended to a 52-week challenge for a calendar year: one poetry book per week for a year. My structure would allow for a more respectful reading space while offering the time period that gives such challenges their artificial but apparently desired frisson. That’s my suggestion, primarily for allowing the just-read poetry to percolate in the reader's mind rather than having to move on to the next read.
Gratitude to the poets for the books that comprised my first and last Sealey Challenge:
Life is a Fatal Disease by Paula Gunn Allen (West End Press, 1997).
A Brief History of Fruit by Kimberly Quiogue Andrews (University of Akron Press, 2020).
Collected Poems 1909-1962 by T.S. Eliot (Harcourt Brace, 1963).
Profile: Poems and Stories by Armando Garcia-Davila (McCAA Books, 2014).
The Wild Iris by Louise Gluck (Ecco Press,1992).
Special Poetry Issue The Classical Outlook 99.3 edited by Rachel Hadas (Fall 2024).
I Would Leave Me If I Could by Halsey (Simon and Schuster, 2020).
Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: 50 Poems for 50 Years by Joy Harjo (Norton, 2023).
Heart Mountain by Jodi Hottel (Blue Light Press, 2012).
Vibratory Milieu by Carrie Hunter (Nightboat Books, 2021).
Waves & Tonics by Tsipi Keller (Ravenna Press, 2022).
Another America by Barbara Kingsolver (The Seal Press, 1992).
Skeletons by Deborah Landau (Copper Canyon Press, 2023).
Hard Words and other poems by Ursula K. LeGuin (Harper and Row, 1981).
Selected Poems by Denise Levertov (New Directions Book, 2002).
MISUSE by Julia Rose Lewis (The Knives Forks and Spoons Press, 2024).
Lucky Wreck by Ada Limon (Autumn House Press, 2021).
The Best American Poetry 2022, guest-edited by Matthew Magruder (Scribner, 2022).
Dear Diaspora by Susan Nguyen (University of Nebraska Press, 2021).
The Tiny Journalist by Naomi Shihab Nye (BOA Editions, 2019).
Living Things: Collected Poems by Anne Porter (Zoland Books, 2006).
Works & Days by Dean Rader (Truman State University, 2010).
King Me by Roger Reeves (Copper Canyon Press, 2013).
Hermosa by Yesika Salgado (Not A Cult, 2019).
That Little Something by Charles Simic (Harcourt, Inc., 2008).
Counting Descent by Clint Smith (Write Bloody, 2016).
Black Movie by Danez Smith (Button Poetry / Exploding Pine Cone Press, 2015).
HOMIE by Danez Smith (Graywolf Press, 2020).
Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith (Graywolf Press, 2017).
Left Out in the Rain: New Poems 1974-1985 by Gary Snyder (North Point Press, 1986).
Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore (Scribner Poetry, 1997).
TERTULIA by Vincent Toro (Penguin, 2020).
...I never saw another butterfly...: Children's Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944 edited by Hana Volavkovd (Schocken Books, 1993).
Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong (Penguin Press, 2022).
Follow the Blackbirds by Gwen Nell Westerman (Michigan State University Press, 2013).
Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre by Lois-Ann Yamanaka (Bamboo Ridge Press, 1993).
8/20/24
LIFE AS A WRITER:
I was asked to write an essay on how I became a writer and I’m using that opportunity to expand/expound on my thoughts of writing a “Kapwa Novel.” “Kapwa” relates to how everyone/everything is interconnected. Reflecting my poetry background, when it came to the novel, I translate kapwa into cramming the book with elements that would seem to have no relationship to the novel’s plot. In THE BALIKBAYAN ARTIST, for example, I take the time to incorporate the relatively unknown “Bear Flag Revolt” in California. This matter and other random issues seem unrelated to the novel’s story but (hopefully) I make it work. All this relate to how, as a reader moiself, I like discovering interesting factoids that I didn’t know were interesting until I stumbled across them.
But in order for me to be effective as a Kapwa Novel writer, I need to know as many things as possible. My motto as a writer is “Education for education’s sake” because one never knows what can be used in the novel (or poem). I share all this as background to my latest book acquisition: The Book of Unusual Knowledge—I post some excerpts below.
So with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 887 books down, 14,629 books to go! Good Afternoon!
8/17/24
The Sealey Challenge is a challenge to read one poetry book a day during the month of August. The first image shows my progress to date with the Read stack higher than the remaining To-Read stack, and with Danez Smith's BLACK MOVIE being highlighted because it's my most recent read and I recommend it. For the Sealey Challenge, culling from my To-Read pile as well as borrowing books from the local library left me 1-2 books shy of the 31 books I needed for this challenge. Fortunately, Carrie Hunter agreed to trade me her latest collection, Vibratory Milieu, for a copy of my flash fiction collection Getting to One. All good!
So with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 886 books down, 14,630 books to go!
8/13/24
I have wonderful artist friends and when their books enter my personal library I am filled with joy.
I enjoy Julia Rose Lewis’ poetry because I fancy how it challenges me. With her latest, MISUSE, she creates a cerebral but welcoming music from her plays with color, science, and botany. It’s a unique voice that, in this book, I personally appreciate because I feel I’m relatively early on in my explorations of how to articulate color.
The second book just received is PASSED, conceptualized and designed by Scott MacLeod—it’s an art book with deceptive charisma. On the face of it (pun intended), it simply magnifies black and white photos from the college yearbook of Margaret Katherine Staples, MacLeod’s mother. Apparently, she had the habit of checking alumna obituaries and then writing “PASSED” across the yearbook photo of classmates who died. I was moved by the freshness (so to speak) in all the photographs since I didn’t yet know the significance of the scrawled word—at that moment of graduating into the adult world, those photographed are still mostly fresh-faced and fresh-eyed. So arriving to the explanatory text at the back of book and understanding that the word means “DIED” was unnerving—you’re a bit bludgeoned by the idea that all these young people are dead. The effect emphasizes the inevitable futility of so much hope against inevitable mortality—and so much hope versus the implied difficulties of what MacLeod calls the “restrictive realities of 1948 culture” (specifics aren’t cited but one can imagine or google the reference).
Well, what is artmaking but a way to heighten scrutiny of things we can easily overlook, such as ubiquitous yearbook-style photos? MacLeod admits his mother’s practice of writing PASSED can be considered “morbid.” But great art often comes from that impetus that most would shy away from. PASSED exemplifies how art is about seeing, not about shirking the gaze.
Thank you, Julia and Scott. I was stimulated by both books, and highly recommend them.
And with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 885 books down, 14,631 books to go!
8/11/24
The excerpted passages (below) explain why I recommend Elena Ferrante’s IN THE MARGINS: ON THE PLEASURES OF READING AND WRITING. She’s actually the first author I've read to expound on the necessity of fast writing (“The sweet word, in its quantum leap from the interior of the heart to the exterior of writing, needs a swift, capable scribe. If that passage isn’t completed with speed… failure is inevitable), which I much appreciate because most folks talk about the necessity of thoughtful writing by positing “thoughtful” to be a synonym for “slow.”
This is a library book and visiting the library gave me the opportunity to acquire books through what is the cheapest way I’ve found for buying good books: the library sale. So, with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 884 books down, 14,632 books to go! Good Afternoon!
8/10/24
I read books daily and at about Aug 7, I realized I’d coincidentally read enough books as if I was doing the Sealey Challenge of reading one poetry book a day for the month of August. So I decided to go for it, culling poetry books from my To-Read Pile for the exercise. I didn’t have enough unread books, though, so I went to the local library and checked out poetry books I hadn’t yet read or wished to re-read. The image below shows my Sealey Challenge, and also reflects what I attempt to do in reading poetry: I’ll read anything.
Eleven poetry books in, I have some takeaways:
--the poems that sticks (for me) often relate to the poet’s ability to philosophize
--welcome discoveries: Anne Porter and Ada Limon’s first poetry book (that was reissued), Lucky Wreck. Limon’s is what a first poetry collection should be by forecasting the inauguration of a good poet, i.e. showing the poet already tinkering with language from the beginning, or interrogating language in the way poets should or should consider doing. Limon says she trusts feelings more, but shows it’s not a binary to consider technique
--it takes writing many poems to come up with a single great and sometimes a single poem suffices to solidify a poet’s worth
--reading poetry books a la the Sealey Challenge is not the ideal way to read poetry. When people drop out from the challenge, they’re probably being wise and/or more respectful to poetry. I do it because I’m afflicted with a certain disease: nowadays, I often read as a writer, by which I mean I am dissecting books as I read them to see how the authors conducted their writing. This reading approach can mean I know I can skim across books that aren’t really doing something besides the predictable. This reading approach also has a downside of disregarding what the work “is about” as I focus more on the story’s construction. The upside is that when a work takes me out of my writerly-self to actually focus on the work, that means that the work was sufficiently compelling to move me from my intentions and focus on the story or poem itself. From what I’ve read so far ten days into the challenge, I’ve been most *compelled* by Anne Porter’s, Ada Limon’s, and Denise Levertov’s poetry.
Okay. Perhaps I’ll have more revelations later. For now, the image shows I lack two books to complete the Sealey Challenge.
P.S. And just like that! As soon as I posted the above on Facebook, snailmail arrived with Julia Rose Lewis’ latest poetry collection, MISUSE! So, with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 876 books down, 14,640 books to go!
8/3/24
I am often tickled by the books sent to me from the personal library of E. San Juan, Jr. These two are signed as from him and Delia Aguilar. Neither reflect their erudite reputations but what an honor. And a nice reminder to remind me to remind you to read Gantala Press’ Conversation with Delia Aguilar—it’s a nice one to overhear.
So, with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 875 books down, 14,641 books to go!
7/29/24
I read several poetry books this weekend. Delighted to have two new discoveries: the talented—indeed, she seems a “natural” (you can tell sometimes who’s blessed by the Muses)—Rachel McKibbens. Tis worth noting that her MAMMOTH is a chapbook vs full-length; that’s why I consider, for poetry, chapbooks to be “books.” The second discovery is an old book by Linda Hogan: SAVINGS. Hogan of course is a well-known poet but I’d not been moved by other reads of her work (though I’ve not read all) until SAVINGS… which, btw, is a deaccessioned library book released in 1988. The related factoids say something about poetry’s nature which I’ll leave you to guess. (Images show one sample poem following McKibbens and 2 sample poems following Hogan.)
In addition, it’s perhaps a bit surprising that, since I’m a writer, I come late to the “Commonplace book”. But my latest read, Dani Shapiro’s memoir HOURGLASS, inspired me to begin one. Her memoir first interested me as being a journal of two writers’ lives and specifically the financial and, thus, also emotional precarity with which she and her husband lived. As a writer’s autobiography, she mentioned the Commonplace because she mined it in writing her book. As a writer’s autobiography, it also touched on topics of interest to me, such as the excerpt below that discusses how writers feel about their earlier books and then Philip Roth’s idea of, upon retirement, reading “his oeuvre in order to decide for himself whether any of it had been worthwhile.” I am reminded of my interest in reading poets’ COLLECTED POEMS in part to determine whether that poet’s words had warranted a poet’s life—such intention perhaps says something about what a jerk (if that's the appropriate label) I can be but I admit it. Still, Shapiro’s memoir wouldn’t have inspired me to do anything if the writing wasn’t so luminous and moving—entonces, this, too, is a Recommended Read.
I’d previously recorded the Shapiro book but also share latest two acquisitions. So, with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 873 books down, 14,643 books to go!
7/27/24
I have zero interest in cars, but with one exception: the Lamborghini Countach. I simply love its design. I don't care about cars but I love the look of the Countach so much that, as a former journalist, I actually went so far as to write one car article (that was published by The NY Times). So when I saw the book THE LAMBORGHINIS, of course I picked it up. One should not ignore love. With this and four other books, that means that with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 871 books down, 14,645 books to go! Let's Vroooom-Go!
P.S. Maw Shein Win’s poetry collection INVISIBLE GIFTS is excellent and recommended. Good afternoon.
7/21/24
Before the week ends, I should say that said week brought some special mail days. Check out the goodies: the literal goodies of home-made cookies; three issues of SAGINAW poetry journal edited by David Harrison Horton out of Beijing/Detroit (one issue includes a powerful meditation by Elizabeth Robinson); one of Susan M. Schultz’s “Dementia” books which reveal (among other things) her mastery in prose poetry; a rare art monograph through a Memorial Catalogue for Venancio C. Igarta as created by Ninotchka Rosca, M. Teresa Lapid Rodriguez, Rene Ner, and Neil Garcia. For specifics, there were several coconut, macadamia nut, white chocolate, and dried pineapple cookies homemade by Sandy Hansen. I quickly gobbled up one cookie and can confirm it is absolutely yummy! And the Igarta catalog was courtesy of Luis Cabalquinto who'd introduced me to Igarta last century. Excellent mail days day indeed. Thank you, correspondents and baker!
So, with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 866 books down, 14,650 books to go! Good Evening on this historic day whose history doesn’t bear recounting here.
7/16/24
Sometimes you need to get to Nepal, or its representative restaurant, to get certain books. Twas a delight to host writers Denise Low and Diane Willie at local & recommended resto Himalayan Sherpa Kitchen for lunch today. They brought their books for my personal library, which I very much look forward to swallowing.
So, with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 861 books down, 14,655 books to go!
7/13/24
Yesterday saw some in-and-out book action from my writing studio/library. First image shows three books that soon will become part of the Ethnic Studies Library, Asian American Collection, at UC Berkeley (with the help of long-time community activist Harvey Dong of Eastwind Books). That VERSES TYPHOON YOLANDA anthology presents 133 poems by Filipino poets around the world; it's a 2014 anthology but we know that poetry is eternal.
The second image is of latest additions to my personal library. I see that the front cover of the two fiction books highlight “New York Times Bestseller.” I have to say that’s an unreliable marker for quality fiction; I’ve been disheartened by how much bestselling fiction is banal, predictable, and/or forgettable. I present as a hopeful but weak gasp: ye publishing industry needs to do better—don't look down or publish down on readers.
Meanwhile, I look forward to reading THE GATEKEEPERS to learn more about how White House chiefs of staff operates... for obvious reasons.
So with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 858 books down, 14,658 books to go. Onward!
7/5/24
Romalyn Ante’s ANTIEMETIC FOR HOMESICKNESS is a light in diasporic literature, steeped as it is in an authenticity of feeling that transcends autobiography. The empathy drawn by these poems is so strong I even didn’t mind when front cover blurber Liz Berry stated “a poet to fall in love with” instead of how I’d word it: “poetry to fall in love with”
Ante’s collection also provides an argument for looking into non-literary language for making poems. Which is to say, making poetry be truly in the world—a true world that’s much larger than the literary. Note how even the title makes use of such: antiemetic—a word I learned by reading her poetry—is a drug that is effective against vomiting and nausea. Antiemetics are typically used to treat motion sickness and the side effects of opioid analgesics, general anesthetics, and chemotherapy directed against cancer. Such diseases can become easy metaphors for the migration experience.
The above elements powerfully manifest in the opening poem “Half Empty” that fittingly bears the epigraph:
“The Philippines must be half-empty; you’re all here running the NHS.”—Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
NHS stands for the National Health Service, England’s publicly funded healthcare system. The epigraph is a good way to root the collection as it leads into the poet’s migration stories. The effect is occasionally heartbreaking, turning the word “resilience” into an obscenity. Such is the power of longing. Such is the power of her poetry.
~
Speaking of using language from a particular industry or specialty, Lottie Hazell’s inaugural novel PIGLET uses language and knowledge from the culinary arts to elevate the narrative. It’s an enjoyable read, a cut above the beach read due to incorporating what the novelist learned from cooking—this novelist apparently studied food writing in 21st century fiction as she obtained her PhD in creative writing from Loughborough University. Interesting.
I borrowed PIGLET from my local library whose recent library sales also proved fruitful: the last photo of books show my recent acquisitions. It helps that sales prices remain at 50 cents for paperback and $1 for hardcovers. Inflation seems to have hit library sales; the other nearby libraries have double the prices. I miss the days of a quarter for a paperback or $5 for all the books you can stuff in a shopping bag—anyone else seeing that still?
So with library sales and with 15,516 books as the target for my library-in-progress, that’s 853 books down, 14,663 books to go. Onward!
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