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 2025 are HERE, Jan.-March 2025 are HERE, October-December 2024 are HERE, July-September 2024 are HERE, April-June 2024 are HERE, Jan.-March 2024 are HERE.
9/30/25
Happy to receive my contributor’s copy of the newest anthology to welcome one of my poems: A FOLDED HISTORY: POEMS AND MYTHOLOGIES edited by Rachel Hadas and Philip Walsh. It’s unusual company for me as I’m amidst translators from the Greek and Latin, including the impressive poet A.E. Stallings, as well as a sculptor and philosopher. The anthology came out of a special issue of THE CLASSICAL OUTLOOK that uses poetry to look at the ancient Mediterranean world. But it’s possibly most notable for the accompanying prose for each poem, enhancing its attraction as well as making this a stellar teaching text. Guest poetry editor Hadas says fittingly:
“this project has nurtured my newfound wish that more journals and periodicals that publish poetry asked the poets to give some account of what they were doing. Such prose commentary is often enlightening; it’s also highly individual and frequently unexpected… The postludes provide a dazzlingly varied showcase of some of the myriad ways poems come into being.”
The 2nd image below shows only part of my “postlude” it’s the next page that notes how some of the poem’s lines came from wine tasting notes 😊 For poetry lovers, those interested in the classics, and teachers (of not just the classics): https://raggedsky.com/a-folded-history.html
With its target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), that’s 1,357 books down, 14,159 books to go! Good morning!
9/29/25
I often buy used books because I’m mostly not interested in books as collectibles but as things I’ll actually read. But recently, I bought two new hardcovers and… I don’t know. I feel like we’re doing something wrong here. The books were priced at $45 and $40. I splurged on the former as a birthday present to myself and the latter at a 62.5% discounted sale price. In other words, I rarely spend that type of money on books. I mean, do we really expect the majority of the reading public to find those books affordable? Sure, there are alternatives to pricey 100% retail prices but I still can’t help but think that this type of price structure is commercially unreasonable—and I make that point because so much of publishing is based on a book’s likely commercial appeal; this basis has adverse implications on many facets of publishing, like the core decision of which manuscripts to publish. I want to say publishing needs a reset but that would be reductive. The context of books needs a reset which means, among other things, certain structures for education, politics, and culture need a reset. For now unfortunately, that’s all I can say for the purpose of a Facebook post.
Meanwhile, I’ve been aware of Ann Patchett’s writings but for the first time I got really super-excited over one of her books, this ANNOTATED EDITION of her novel BEL CANTO. She did something I’ve long wished to do for some of my books, revisit the published versions and do edits with commentary on them (I’d love to do that for at least one of my earlier books). Props to her for pulling off this idea that requires so much respect/love for literature for it to find a publisher. Gosh, I hope to be similarly blessed someday…
And these two hardcovers enter my library-in-progress. With its target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), that’s 1,356 books down, 14,160 books to go!
9/23/25
Well now--this just may be the best essay collection I've read: AN ELEMENTAL THING by Eliot Weinberger! It transcends its genre through Kapwa-tic interconnection of All things to become open-ended poetry. A feat. Highly Recommended: https://www.ndbooks.com/book/an-elemental-thing/ !
And this bit of wonder, along with others in the second image, enter my library-in-progress. Thanks as well to David Harrison Horton sending me SAGINAW all the way from Beijing! With its target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), that’s 1,354 books down, 14,162 books to go! Good Evening!
9/21/25
I found the perfect text if I--and perhaps you--ever want to do a major erasure poetry project. It's not because any of the text warrants erasure. It's because every sentence, phrase, word are so high-energy one wants to lift samples for epigraphic fuel to move to a more divine state of consciousness. The effect is even more impressive as the email texts are collapsed into a single narrative without breaks that, say, could have been provided by each email's date. The writing, thus, stands on itself and it's charismatic. Example: "all life is suicide" which is not exactly a downer so much as a philosophical if not medical reality bla di bla. All this to say I finally got around to reading TWO SMOALTERS, a book of email correspondence over two years between Jim Leftwich and Scott MacLeod (in a prior life I must have been Scott's twin since I'm consistently empathetic with his projects). I post the book against "S.S. Kevin Killian" that Scott made and generously gave to me (bless you, Kevin, I miss you). I also post pages from the book to show how, visually/physically, the book's pages are hospitable to erased-thus-renewed poetry, an approach that befits what the two back cover blurbers say, especially Alison Knowles: "If I can open soya beans into a tray, it opens the possibility for anyone to make their own array of sounds. It's not necessary to organize them into a symphony." Yes, Reader, the symphony is yours to make; let the two authors rest for crissakes. As an aside, of which many arise as they often do in evocative reads, this makes me want to suggest someone collect and publish every single one of my Facebook posts for a new book--EILEEN'S FACE AS BOOK or some such title--until I mentally slapped my forehead because the last thing the universe needs from me at this time is another book but I was just so taken by Scott asking Jim something about a 650-page manuscript and to know me is to know I Heart Them BIG Books. Oh yes, I recommend--for the first time ever as I more likely counsel against the practice to focus on the writing themselves!--reading the bios. There's a bit of performance art going on in there (gotta admit, Scott had me until the point of his 64,000-acre ranch.) Interested folks can skip lunch for a month and get over to https://www.lulu.com/.../paperback/product-459r54y.html... . For now, thank you Scott!
P.S. Paradoxically, I recommend reading this book in one sitting.
And this book romps its way into my library-in-progress. With its target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), that’s 1,341 books down, 14,175 books to go! Onward!
9/20/25
The American Center in Moscow is Russia’s largest and oldest American space now located at the U.S. Embassy. In 2022, the cultural & educational center asked me to present some of my poems, as accompanied by a Russian translation. I remember my concern about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. After some dialogue, I decided to participate and thank translator Anna Krushelnitskaya for her participation as well. And I’d decided to participate because of the poem I wrote for this purpose: “Banog” which is Filipino for “kite” (see image below). If you look at the poem, you’ll see that its first stanza is acrostic to spell out the letters “U k r a i n e.” My protest strategy was inspired by Pete Lacaba’s poem “Prometheus Unbound,” an acrostic poem that spelled out the critique of “Marcos Hitler Dictador Tuta.”
I waited until my 2023 literary autobiography, THE INVENTOR, to reveal my acrostic infiltration of Russian space; see 4th image which explains the tactic in THE INVENTOR. This is only the second time I’ve mentioned this in public, and I do so because I’m mindful many would not have read THE INVENTOR.
I remember being slightly nervous that “Banog”’s tactic would be discovered, and so lamely added two more stanzas. If you consider the poem, you might see that the poem could have been legitimate only as its single first stanza. (Nonetheless, the 3-stanza poem later was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.)
I say all this because UTRICULI has just published a folio of my 16 poems and their Russian translations. Thanks to editor harry k stammer. I don’t know if I’ll ever be translated into Russian again, but I am grateful because I respect Russian literature… I remember walking around in junior high with a book nearly as big as my student bag: Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s THE GULAG ARCHIPELAGO which, among other things, gave me my first impression that a book can be … BIG! I was so impressed with its heft! (I thought of Solzhenitsyn whenever I made “big” books like my 500-plus poetry book, I TAKE THEE, ENGLISH FOR MY BELOVED.)
Anyway, I’m not sure what difference this all makes—the ongoing war in Russia/Ukraine has soured me on merely performative acts. I hope to do better. For now, literature continues and it must.
UTRICULI will go into my library-in-progress. With my library’s target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), that’s 1,340 books down, 14,176 books to go!
9/14/25
Making my almost daily trek to the post office, I walked by a local church having a “rummage sale”—Reader, I scored. The find du jour was this 1936 mother of pearl covered macrominiature book (2.5 x 3.75 inches) with gilded edges, gold-looking inlay on cover and a tiny crucifix inset on the cover’s verso. A brilliant addition to the Miniature Book Library. And despite its rummage sale price that’s far below market, that mini cost more than the rest of my acquisitions that included a small Wedgewood tray, a wooden frame, and six books that include a 1956 Graham Greene hardcover. I show the six books below which I acquired at 50 cents each. I love these church rummage sale prices but don’t think some of those books anticipated their fate (so much for literary awards!). The meager price also reminded me of another reader recently complaining about the $52 price of a hardcover book. $52! The complaint is warranted! Aren’t we pricing books beyond the “general readership”? There’s got to be a better publishing model for print beyond their digital equivalents.
Anyway, these books go into my library-in-progress (along with two previously unreported books by Harold Legaspi--Bahay Kubo, a children's book and Dios Ko / My God, a play). With my library’s target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), that’s 1,341 books down, 14,175 books to go!
9/4/25
Synchronicity is realizing I appear in two anthologies on the same theme of how/why writers write—one in the Philippines (22 writers) and one in the U.S. (26 writers). I wrote different essays for both books since I contain multitudes or sumthin’ like that. (Note to Self: consider doing a review comparing the two books…) I've posted before on the Filipino HOW I BECAME A WRITER and today I received my Author’s Copy of the U.S.-American QUEST. I do recommend both books. QUEST is not out until December (excellent holiday gift for poetry lovers) but Pre-Orders are available through https://chapter-one.marshhawkpress.org .
The prose by QUEST's poets—listed on the front cover—are most satisfying. I post an excerpt below from the first contributor Jane Hirshfield since she cites Jorge Luis Borges in a useful way that serves as a good intro into the book's contents.
Adding QUEST into my personal library also means that with my library’s target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), that’s 1,332 books down, 14,184 books to go!
9/3/25
Why did it take so long for me to appreciate this particular book? You could harvest numerous sentences/lines from Linda Ty-Casper’s Awaiting Trespass (A Pasion) that are worthy of acting as epigraphs. Or cut up into verse-poems. The novel’s gorgeous writing is deeply infused with a rare self- and world-awareness. Woven throughout the words is not just the maturity of a brilliant mind but the sophisticated compassion of one familiar with the Holy. As well, the all of it results in a stylishness that articulates the ineffable. I have never wanted to write like anyone else—but in Awaiting Trespass Linda Ty-Casper makes me want temporarily to emulate her. From hereon, whenever I hear her name, I shall pause deep in my mind for a bow to her talent and grace.
Awaiting Trespass also presents a character, Telly, who creates spontaneous poems. She thinks them without bothering to write them down, without bothering to look for publication. Were I not enamored with books (& their physicality), I could see myself going down this path. After all, poems should evaporate to be replaced with the poetry that was their impetus and, after the writing, their effect. I didn’t expect to find poetics like a ribbon traversing the pages. What a beautiful mind Linda bears—just look at these sample lines:
I come like a fugitive, unable to stay and unable to leave.
We will be like the rest of the world, who knows nothing about us because we too know nothing about ourselves.
…in terrible flight, like birds not knowing where to rest.
The sky is a false landmark.
He withdraws the hand he never placed on her.
Poems postpone suicide.
The above lines were plucked randomly from the novel but if I put a title atop the lines and insert some line-breaks, it’d already be a legitimate poem. Bow. Awaiting Trespass made me contact her—she’s 94!—and it’s been delightful discussion the notion of poems woven within novels’ narratives. I’ll be writing more about her and this book.
Awaiting Tresspass (A Pasion) joins two other books to be the latest to land in my library-in-progress. The other is another of Linda’s novels, Wings of Stone and James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans. The theme is vintage, which makes sense since I picked up the Cooper book simply because it’s an old and interesting edition from Parents Magazine Press (nevuh heard of it) that evokes a time when books were so valued they paid attention to book production qualities.
So with my library’s target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), that’s 1,331 books down, 14,185 books to go!
8/23/25
It’s always a moment, receiving one’s Author Copies of a book. I’ve since read this collection of 22 writers sharing how they “became” writers and it’s a good read, with some impressive surprises. I’m glad to be part of it. Of course, this essay anthology will enter my library-in progress. So with my library’s target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), that’s 1,328 books down, 14,188 books to go!
8/19/95
I have to say Danton Remoto’s BOY’S LOVE surprised me—it’s the most tender novel-writing I’ve read in years, which is particularly notable in today’s times when novels are praised for their edgy writing (whether in tone, subject, or approach). It’s refreshing to experience its lightness that’s admirable because I don’t think it’s easy to sustain, especially when its story is about love in its many forms, including the traumatic and anguished. There are scenes that in the hands of other writers would be developed in a more fraught—and louder—manner, versus Danton's approach that is elegantly understated without diminishing emotion or passion. Indeed, at the beginning of my read, I wondered whether the point of the novel was its nuanced stylishness, that is, its stylishness through language; at one point while reading it, I even felt the sensibility, while less melancholic, of Wong Kar-Wai’s poignant film, “In the Mood for Love.” (I almost feel silly hearkening Wong Kar-Wai but there ya go…). I’ll be writing a review but, for now, congratulations Danton Remoto! Unexpectedly, your BOYS’ LOVE is now my favorite book by you! Highly recommend you readers get it!
I happily add BOYS’ LOVE to my library-in-progress, along with the two books below. So with my library’s target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), that’s 1,327 books down, 14,189 books to go! Good Evening.
8/8/25
Wow! My library (& Archives)-in-progress just got a major boost from today's mail. Renaissance man Alex Gildzen has just gifted several precious books and paraphernalia. His "cover letter" is a postcard featuring him and Shirley MacLaine! I will write more about these treasures but, for now, Thank you so much, Alex!!
From these, three publications go into my library whose target is 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire). So that’s 1,325 books down, 14,191 books to go! Good Afternoon to Alex and you!
8/6/25
Latest acquired books include two Anais Nin books which I got for sentimental reasons. I read all of her famous Diaries over three decades ago and they arguably are still the best diary reads I’ve experienced. I’ve already perused the photographs and the first essay in her essay collection. The essay is a fine read, which makes me wonder if I’d given short shrift to date to her writings in non-diary genres because I’ve been so enamored with her diaries.
I’m also looking forward to the latest batch of books ordered from Grand Iota (the middle row): I’m a fan of all 3 writers: Fanny Howe, John Olson and Ken Edwards. I’ve already enjoyed the Michael Leong. The Penelope Lively is a gift from my favorite Communist Sonny San Juan who’s deaccessioning from his library. And I plan to read the Maxine Hong Kingston as research for writing a book on wildfires.
So with my library’s target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), that’s 1,322 books down, 14,194 books to go! Good Evening.
7/30/25
The brilliant fictionist Marianne Villanueva sends me her new book, the very nuanced Residents of the Deep, as part of my postcard exchange project. You can see it—and related links HERE Check out her book which I highly recommend! Here's what I say preliminarily about her short story collection:
"I’ve since had the chance to read the first story in Residents of the Deep, 'Dumaguete,' and it doesn’t disappoint. Marianne is a master of restraint—her insinuations and evocations become more than real as their effects become visceral. At one point of reading the story, I sensed my heartbeat quicken, all from the power of my emotional response to what the story was setting in play, in this case, dread. My continuous wondering of 'what is happening?' paradoxically made the story more muscular and powerful. I’ll be writing a more full-blown review in the future, but suffice it to say that Marianne’s strong resonant writing creates a nuanced universe from narrative pebbles."
You also are invited to participate in my postcard exchange project; info at https://postcardssearch.blogspot.com
And I also add Marianne’s book to my personal library. So with that library’s target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), that’s 1,313 books down, 14,203 books to go!
7/25/25
Done! Just finished my 4th edit of new novel GENESIS. This was the most complicated structure yet, though I hadn’t planned it that way. Its 97,000 words are in three parts but the second part was first drafted as a separate novel. Anyway, hopefully, it will become a book someday like the latest additions to my library.
So with my personal library’s’ target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), that’s 1,312 books down, 14,204 books to go. Good morning.
7/4/25
Recent library additions introduced me to a stellar poetry collection by a poet new to me but who I am glad to discover: Josh Fomon’s OUR HUMAN SHORES. It is elegantly written to perfectly manifest its concept of language “rooted in the Anthropocene,” that is of living amidst ecological disasters and inequality and its barriers as we try to create a better and more liveable world.
Gratitude to Black Ocean for publishing and sending me Josh’s book for which more info is at https://www.blackocean.org/catalog1/our-human-shores . Also grateful to Penguin Random House SEA for Danton Remoto’s new book BOYS’ LOVE. I do appreciate publishers sending me books.
So with my personal library’s’ target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), recent additions make it 1,304 books down, 14,212 books to go. Good morning.
7/1/25
What a lovely package from Luis Cabalquinto. It includes his first poetry collection which I’d introduced to its publisher Kaya Press, a poem for me (!), and a 1997 literary journal PEN & INK. I’d forgotten how P&I had published two of my poems before I’d even released a poetry book; I share these 24-year-old poems that remind me of how I loved the form of the prose poem from the start of writing poetry.
So with my personal library’s’ target of 15,516 books (a number that replicates the number of books lost to a wildfire), that’s 1,300 books down, 14,216 books to go. Good evening.
