Melissa opened an introduction thread, so I thought it would be nice to compare the books we are currently reading, or just finished or want to get next trip to the library, etc. (I know, this is about poetry, and I will try to stick to it, ).

I am reading Plath's Ariel and The Colossus (never read them in their entirety, and I am also reading them with a few anaysis' of them...havn't started them yet, but one was by Plath's roomate at Smith after she came back from her hospitalization.

I was reading "Cry thy Beloved County", but I kept drowsing off and so I just returned it rather than renew it.

Anyone else?

I'm reading, among other things, "A Treasury of Great Poems". It's very long and sometimes, very dull. I think I'm learning from it though. Oh it's not that long it's only 1,235 pages. I'm only on 400 something now. It has all the greats, and no so greats.

Thy own reproach alone do fear.

I am always reading TTTTTThe Eic of Gilgamesh [and downloading downloading infor on -- Sumer (mythology, history, archeology)], Anatolia [didn't I tell you too each yoir [sic yore] soup, Johnny?], the Hittites [bemember Uriah, betrayed husband of --_____ (fill in the balnc)], the late Bronze Age catastrophe (and the Flood) the end of the Old kingdom in Egypt, translation and transition of text via scipt to other cultures] and the Tao, to read The New American Poetry and my own.

Grrrrreat (?), as Tony the T. used to say.

amo,

Peter.

I am reading my latest set of Coleridge Notebooks and a book of essays on poetry by Mark Strand. I have recently completed rereading Plath's journals and also the excellent The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon.

Lined up on my desk but still to be opened are Cicero by Anthony Everitt, Give Me Your Hand, a series of poems inspired by paintings in the National Gallery, London, by Paul Durcan and Selected Poems by Mona Van Duyn.

Tony the Tiger, he's almost as cool as Chester the Cheetah!

Bring The Jubilee by Ward Moore
Moby Dick,
and the Bible (looking for loopholes, as WC Fields said )

Upstairs:- Thus spake Zarathustra
Downstairs:- There must have been a lone ranger.
Taking on holiday:-The city in history.
Bathroom:- New scientist magazines.
I'm going to arrive at church early:- The imitation of Christ.



Post Edited (07-31-04 18:19)

New scientist magazines? blah. Of course, in the bathroom, the backs of shampoo bottles can be interesting.

lather rinse repeat
does it NEVER end?

I am sort-of in the middle of reading Homer in audiobook (an on-going project, while I continue to read novels and try to catch up on NEW YORKER magazines). I finished THE ODYSSEY and then started THE ILIAD, but lost my place when I went on vacation. Will probably have to start over now.

Homer's Odyssey was the best minivan he ever had

Let's see....

just finished-

Rose in Bloom, Louisa M. Alcott
Wee Free Men, Terry Pratchett
The Doorbell Rang, Rex Stout
Bath Tangle, Georgette Heyer
Janus, Andre Norton
Missie Lee, Arthur Ransome

(I was flying on planes* last week, and had time to read!)

I just picked up a Civil War poetry book, and 'What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor,' which is a book full of the true (obscene!0 verses of sea shanties.

pam

*As opposed to my broomstick!

At the moment I'm reading "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I really recommend it.

Just starting "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse - thank you Les for the link.

I plan to read "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck and plan on re-reading "East of Eden" same author, one of my favourite books...

My favourite books:
"To Kill A MockingBird" Harper Lee
"East of Eden" Steinbeck
"Farenheit 451" Ray Bradbury

I have many more faves, those are my top 3.



Post Edited (08-08-04 15:00)

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. (Aristotle)

First time I read Siddhartha, sdrawkcab ti daer I, by paragraph, like the Tao Te Ching, read backwards, of Backward Down the Path, of Jerry O. Salton,--helped me teach it forwards later to my CompLit students.

Thomas the Tank Engine.
Yes, to Adam, what did you think?

Stephen

Try "Poems for the Millenium," Rithenberg and Joris,2 vols., 1671 pages, next.

Enigne, Mada?


Peter
******************************************
"Who among them do you think could out-guess you?"

Gwydion ! Farenheit 54 ! I knew not of Bradbury's Disco !

wonderful wonderful!

Right now I'm reading THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT.

A question for my esteemed panel of experts: What have you read lately that you would recommend to the average 16-18 year old male? female?

Stephen, you may go first.


Les



Post Edited (07-31-04 15:23)

Terry Prachett, just don't start with "The colour of magic"

What's wrong with "New Scientist" magazines? Even better they're ten year old copies a friend was throwing out, so I get to see which disasters never happened.

I'd have liked 'The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher," by Lewis Thomas when I was 16. Maybe, Loren Eiseley, 'The Unexpected Universe,' by the time I was 18.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time would be a good book to try. The subject is a teen with Asperger's syndrome and the story is told from his point of view. Great book.

The Lordof the Rings

Lord of the Flies

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. (Aristotle)

The books which constantly (very mysteriously) disappeared from the shelves at out school were: Go Ask Alice, anything by S. E. Hinton, especially the Outsiders.

Les

Sorry les, must try to keep up.
16-18 year olds? Well, I always leave Catcher in the Rye near the Playstation in case they can remember how to read. And the Northern Lights trilogy, wow.



Post Edited (08-01-04 17:44)

Stephen

You're only supposed to read Catcher in the Rye after you've assassinated someone

And the disasters that did happen. I remember reading old science magazines from the early 1980's, which talked about the sudden increase in skin cancers in gay men- it was the beginnings of AIDS.

pam

any gender

The Warrior's Apprentice
Falling Free
- Lois McMaster Bujold

Domesday Book
-Connie Willis

pam

My current pile of bedside books includes:

'The Stonehenge Syndrome' by Hal Colebatch - a very readable Oz poet.
'Confessions of a Corinthian' by Julian Croft - "an exploration of australia's past in Proustian detail" - not so sure about this one.
'The Lost Continent' by Bill Bryson - very funny - "I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to."
'And the Ass Saw the Angel' by Nick Cave - witty, cruel, compassionate, disturbing and very beautifully written, 300+ pages of incredible poetic prose.
'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho - i haven't started this one yet, but it looks interesting.

rikki

Whoa! That's a little too ambitious for my small mind! I grow slowly!

Thy own reproach alone do fear.

I have been thinking of reading 100 years, but heard it was terribly long, so I hesitated....will get to it some time. East of Eden was great. (you must be following Oprah's book club). She picks some pretty good classics.

I'm with you. The guy's, Jerry R., 73 now, andI could hardly keep up with him twenty years ago, when I knew him. It is a gas to peek through, though, from time to time.

Be well, as always,
and don't belittle yourself too much,
it's bad for the ego.

amo,



Peter

Talia, 100 reads both easily and quickly, though, it's such a good English verision...read it in the car on the way from Boston to Colorado with three wonderful people and a Parrot from Mexico, "prrrritty biirrd."-- whatta tongue.

g'luck

P.

Talia, Peter is right, 100 reads wonderfully fast and easy, it is full of creative and imaginative people, places...it will take you away!

I admit, yes, I heard about 100 from the Oprah club; however, East of Eden has been one of my faves for years...Steinbeck rocks. I can thank my grade 9 English teacher for introducing me to Steinbeck when we were made to read "the red pony'...fell in love with him from that time on.

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. (Aristotle)

That's amazing- I'd think that if anything could turn a person off of Steinbeck, it would be The Red Pony- it's even sadder than Old Yeller!

pam

I love just about everything Steinbeck wrote, most of all, "Of Mice and Men." That novel, along with Carson McCuller's "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter," are two of the best books I can recommend for 16-18 year old readers. Each is thought provoking and moving, while being relatively brief and easy to read.

I read both as a teenager and have never forgotten either.

As for current reading, I just completed "The DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown (interesting if rather far-fetched) and I'm about a third of the way through "The Member of the Wedding" by the aforementioned Carson McCullers. Also, I always keep my copy of "The New Oxford Book of Victorian Verse," edited by Christopher Ricks, nearby. It isn't really all that new (first published in 1987) but it is a wonderful anthology of the period that includes many lesser-known poets as well as the greats.

joet

The Steinbeck King Arthur is tops

Another favorite of my students was Where the Red Fern Grows. There must be something about adolescents and dogs.

Les

Some great books that I loved as a 5th and 6th grader (becasuse my favorite teacher loved them and got me to love reading) was Rahl Dahl's James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, and Matilda. Also, Hank the Cowdog, and Old Yeller.

I admit, I still love them today.

pam

Pam, one of the reasons literature is taught in the public schools is that most scholars agree that exposure to any great literature fosters a further desire to read more.

Les

And that is so true. If it were not taught in school, say math and science only...don't think I would have had much success and surely wouldn't be a college student today.

Lincoln - The Man, the Car, The Tunnel

Glad you enjoy "The Stonehenge Syndrome. My new collection, "The Light River" awaits a publisher

So what is everyone reading now? I'm reading (of course) The Yellow Wallpaper again, and some really bad short stories by Virginia Woolf. I have given her many chances, but I just don't get it. Oh, and I just finished reading the freadful Beowulf for my English class and starting next week will be reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Keep me in your prayers because I'd much rather be reading som good poetry.

Talia,

Run, do not walk, and find a copy of Silverlock, by John Myers Myers. You'll love it.

pam

Welcome, Hal!
I enjoyed your book very much. I regularly check out the Australian Poetry sections in my local libraries, and I'll look forward to reading your next one.

rikki

I too, love Steinbeck. I havn't read all of his stuff, but I read Of Mice and Men (good book for boys, by the way) The Pearl, Tortilla Flat(my favorite) and East of Eden ( I like most of Oprah's picks). I read a Memeber of the Wedding, and oddly liked it...not much of a story but McCullers did a great job with his characters. I have been meaning to borrow The Heart is a Lonley hunter (another Oprah pick) for some time. When I get through my dreadful "English Literatures to 1600" class maybe I'll have time to read it. Oh, and I won't waste my time with the DaVinci Code.

I am re-reading the Steinbeck King Arthur

Pam-

Silverlock

No kidding.

I read that years before I developed an interest in greek mythology.
Then wondered why it was vaguely familiar.

Good read.


Jack

I recently read 'Pompeii' by Robert Harris. Unexpectedly good and well-researched. For those with an interest in Roman antiquity

A friend gave me and I have just finished reading a love-worn, second-hand copy of 'More Than Somewhat', E.C.Bentley's selection (with brilliant introduction) of stories by Damon Runyon, first published in 1937. What a master! An escapist feast of hilarious period portraits of lovable lawbreaking guys and dolls on the make.

Wish I could find an equally cheerful book about the future.

Talia, if you like Steinbeck, you would probably enjoy his 'Cannery Row' and its sequel 'Sweet Thursday'. Haven't looked at them for a long time, but thought they were great when I read them at your age. And it was the Doc character who in one of those books quoted and thereby introduced me to the exotically romantic poetry of E. Powys Mathers.

Ian



Post Edited (09-20-04 17:17)

Recently read:

WINESBURG, OHIO by Sherwood Anderson (A "classic" -- I checked it out because I heard that the Steppenwolf Theatre Company is staging it next year.)

THE FOURTH HAND by John Irving (Not remotely my favorite by John Irving, but even his lesser-most works are worth reading.)

THE ODYSSEY by Homer (started out of a sense of obligation, finished it fascinated and a bit hypnotized)

THE ILIAD (started but got distracted -- need to start over)

I have all of these ON TAPE. I am an almost totally AUDITORY learner, and I can "read" on tape faster than on the page. A bad reader makes it impossible, but a good reader seems to disappear as you listen and you feel that you're just GETTING the book, without interpretation.

====

HERE ARE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS:

If you read only one Margaret Drabble novel in your lifetime, it should be THE GATES OF IVORY.

If you read only one John Irving novel in your lifetime, it should be THE CIDERHOUSE RULES.

If you read only one Tom Robbins, novel in your lifetime, it should be FIERCE INVALIDS, HOME FROM HOT CLIMATES.

If you can get into it -- many can't -- you'll find that Ford Madox Ford's THE GOOD SOLDIER deserves to be called one of the 20th century's best.

If you haven't read the book PETER PAN by James Barrie, then you don't know Peter Pan, no matter how many versions you've see performed.

If you haven't read THE THIRTEEN CLOCKS by James Thurber, then you don't know what the Golux is, poor you.

If you read only one Kurt Vonnegut book in your lifetime, you need to read two of them: CAT'S CRADLE (quintessential Vonnegut) and MOTHER NIGHT (totally atypical Vonnegut).

If you want to know what all the fuss is about THE DA VINCI CODE but you find it unreadable, then read FOUCAULT'S PENDULUM by Umberto Eco, instead.

A book I buy over and over again because I keep giving it away: HER FIRST AMERICAN by Lore Segal.

The only book I've ever read that really made me think, "I wish I'd written that!": THE BOOK OF LAUGHTER AND FORGETTING by Milan Kundera.

Favorite Dr. Seuss: DR. SUESS'S SLEEP BOOK
Next-favorite Dr. Seuss: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

I also love Randall Jarrell's fantasy, THE ANIMAL FAMILY. That's one I always have a copy of. It has an epigraph that I love:

    "Say what you will, but such things do happen.
    Not often, but they do happen."

Mother Night ! YES ! Mother Night !

Thank you again Marian for bringing this to everyone's attention !

I've recently succumbed to all the people who said 'you should read Georgette Heyer.' So my current books are The Grand Sophy and The Foundling. (and yes, all those people were right!)

Just to keep the genders balanced, I'm also rereading the Aubrey/Maturin books.

pam

THE THIRTEEN CLOCKS

Hark, hark, the dogs do bark.

There once was a box full of chatter,
Its wauling escaping the cater
Like basting a lam
With a bunctious ram,
And nosters repeated in pater.

Better than being slit from guggle to zatch, anyway.

You did it, Hugh! I tried for ages to write a Golux-verse but I couldn't do it.

If ever you heard such a clatter,
You'd wonder just what was the matter:
Like Father O'Reilly,
Gone the second mile-y,
With rabbi Melka making the sadh(e).

[www.stthomasu.ca] />
We all have flaws, and mine is being a strutfurrow.

There's a selection of poems by Michael P. Garofalo in Above the Fog, Cuttings, online which I like. It includes the following Taoist Buddhist poem:



chanting canyon streams



Opening bell
echoes from the canyon walls --
raindrops on the river.

The sounds of rocks bouncing off rocks;
the shadows of trees traced on trees.

I sit, still.
The canyon river chants,
moving mountains.

The sermon spun on the still point:
dropping off eternity, picking up time;
letting go of self, awakened to Mind.