My Oates, My Hero

My Sister, My Love: The Intimate Story of Skyler Rampike
Joyce Carol Oates

My latest review for Pajiba is up, and this time I had the honor of reviewing one of my favorite authors, Joyce Carol Oates.

As always (well, perhaps not always, but most of the time), JCO doesn't disappoint. My Sister, My Love reaffirms my love for one of the greatest authors of our time.

Click here to read my review.

In a nutshell: This time, joke's on me. I borrowed this one from the library, when it would've been one to own. I lose.

Bibliolatry Scale: 5.5 out of 6 stars

Abstain from this one -- it sucks

The Abstinence Teacher
Tom Perrotta

I hate to abandon books - really, I do. But when said book is so painful, so trite, so utterly shitty, there comes a point when one must admit that it simply isn't worth it.

It took me some time to realize that abandoning this sinking turd was necessary. The Abstinence Teacher comes so lauded, that for awhile I thought the problem was with me. Don't believe me? From the jacket: The New York Times Book Review calls it an "extraordinary novel...at once suspenseful, ruefully funny, and ultimately generous."

REALLY? Suspenseful? By 30 pages in, I already knew how this one would end. I flipped to the end, and sure enough, I was right. Okay, maybe I'm just psychic, and Perrotta was really able to create suspense. Sure. But funny? Generous? Not funny, not funny at all. And generous? Every single character was the biggest fucking stereotype I've ever seen.

Let's see, there's Tim, the narrow-minded Christian who crusades against Ruth, a divorced, liberal sex-ed teacher. (Can you see where this is headed?) Then there's Randall, Ruth's token gay friend. As for Ruth, ugh what a cliche. She's divorced, getting older, and so desperate for a man that sleeping nude (and alone) on Friday nights is "the erotic highlight of her week." Whatever.

I was gonna stop there, but this one is too funny: The Washington Post calls this piece of shit "A virtuoso set of overlapping character studies." HAHAHAHAHA. I suppose it's easy to overlap so many character studies when each character is flat as a board. Having read almost 100 pages of this sucker, I can say that it's 100 pages too many.

In a nutshell: Joke's on you, suckers! I got this one out of the library. I win!

Bibliolatry Scale: abandoned

Sunday Sonnet

THE SONNET
by Edward Burrough Brownlow


The sonnet is a diamond flashing round
From every facet true rare coloured lights;
A gem of thought carved in poetic nights
To grace the brow of art by fancy crowned;
A miniature of soul wherein are found
Marvels of beauty and resplendent sights;
A drop of blood with which a lover writes
His heart's sad epitaph in its own bound;
A pearl gained from dark waters when the deep
Rocked in its frenzied passion; the last note
Heard from a heaven-saluting skylark's throat;
A cascade small flung in a canyon steep
With crystal music. At this shrine of song
High priests of poesy have worshipped long.

Nice!

I must thank the lovely Irish for bestowing upon this lowly Bibliolatrist an award for excellent blogging. Not to brag, but she she says I have a "wonderful wit." SCORE. (Um, Irish, can you tell that to my husband? Cause he doesn't always find me so funny.)

Now, I have to pass the award on to seven other bloggers. Hopefully I'll be able to find people who haven't yet received it. I've chosen bloggers who make my days a little brighter with their witty words and thoughtful posts.

1. My first Excellence in Blogging award goes to (and those of you who visit me here regularly will not be surprised by this) the good fellows over at Little Man, What Now? Little Man has long been one of my favorite reads, so if you haven't yet visited them, head on over now.

2. My second Excellence in Blogging award goes to Chiron at RabbitReader, for a few reasons. First, he's my uncle, so there you go. But more importantly, his opinions on all things book-related are to be respected, and he's an individual I strive to emulate in many ways, even if we disagree on the literary merit of, say, The Stones of Summer (which, by the way, I've vowed to try again...in a few years).

3. My third Excellence in Blogging award goes to Kristin at Books 4 Breakfast. I like that she can capture the essence of a book in just a few short paragraphs, something I seem to rarely accomplish. Plus, she rates all her books via different mixed drinks, and who doesn't love that?

4. My fourth Excellence in Blogging award goes to Lesley over at A Life in Books, since I can usually count on her to discuss a book I haven't heard much about before.

5. My fifth Excellence in Blogging award goes to Stephanie at Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic. Like Lesley, I can count on Stephanie to discuss those books which which I'm unfamiliar.

6. My sixth Excellence in Blogging award goes to Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf. Dewey is the mastermind behind the Weekly Geeks extravaganza, and the blogging world is better for her presence.

7. My seventh Excellence in Blogging award goes to Tanabata over at In Spring it is the Dawn. My favorite aspect of her site is her photography of places she visits in Japan. Although she describes her photography skills as "very amateur", I disagree - I am frequently wowed by her work.


For those of you who've won, if you're interested in participating in this award, simply do the following:

1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate at least seven other blogs, and link to them.
4. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

Enjoy!

More Friday Fun

Today brings you lots of links to help you avoid doing whatever it is you need to do this Friday.

First, The Guardian's Mark Ravenhill answers the question Want to know how to lose me as a friend? and I couldn't agree with him more. Next, David Barnett discusses the future of interactive fiction.

Keeping with The Guardian, I'm loving their Top 10 lists, all of which you can find here. Some of my faves are Alison MacLeod's top 10 short stories, Sebastian Beaumont's top 10 books about psychological journeys, Alex Barclay's top 10 psychological thrillers, and John Higgs' top 10 psychedelic non-fiction, especially because #7 is one of my favorite books. Be warned, though: at about 270 lists, you can easily lose a day surfing through the Top Tens.

Moving on, we have a discussion of five ways reality went sci-fi so far this century. And, keeping with science-fiction, Jacket Copy announced that science fiction and fantasy publisher Tor is launching Tor.com, which is (until this Sunday) offering free books and digital versions of original art. Visit Tor.com to download html, PDF, or mobile versions of 24 titles.

Some dude ponders the odds of writing a NYT bestseller, among other things. (via FARK)

Finally, remember this contest? Well, this one took the prize. Congratulations!

Wisdom for those lacking common sense

Moving Forward: Taking the Lead in Your Life
Dave Pelzer

Warning: I apologize in advance for the anger that appears in this post.


You know what? I’m going to write a self-help book. I’m not going to give away all my tips right now because that would just be silly, but I think my self-help book will go a little something like this:

Wanna be a millionaire? Well you’re gonna have to work. And save some money. Put away 20 bucks a week. Can’t do that? Try 10. Do what you gotta do.

Unlucky in love? Can’t meet the right person? Well stop your bitchin! Like being married is a real honeymoon. You know what they say: The grass is always greener.

Want to lose weight? Try not eating so much. Stay away from shit foods. If it’s fried, it’s probably gonna make you fat. Try drinking some friggin water and get the fuck off the computer while you're at it. Walk a little bit, even.

Unable to let go of the past? Well, Christ, loser, just let it go! No, seriously. Just let it go. I don't care if your daddy raped you while you were still a fetus. LET IT GO.

Actually, that last one isn't mine. It's the advice of my old friend, Cloud Hand, whom I didn't mind so much when I read his first book two years ago. Unfortunately, he had to keep going.

I'm speaking of Dave Pelzer, whose seventh book (all of which, ironically enough, are based on Pelzer's horrific past) Moving Forward advocates just that -- letting shit go and moving forward. While we're on the subject, shouldn't he have...I dunno, MOVED ON from his childhood, um, YEARS AGO? According to him, it should be easy, but I guess when you're making a lot of money off your past, it's okay. I guess his advice only applies to others.

And what advice!

Here's a few gems Pelzer provides in Moving Forward:

I say if there is something you can do, do it! If you've got something to state, state it.

If what you're doing is not working for you, well then, be adult enough to face the facts and commit to accomplishing something different.

Start accepting yourself for who you are and what you're about, including how you live your life.

Work hard, be kind, and help others along the path of life. Be happy, and be happy now! Damn it!

Alrighty then!

As you can see, his advice is pretty much common sense. If you want to pay for common sense, fine -- by all means. But if you want to pay for someone else's common sense, may I ask that you pay ME for mine? Because if you liked the three pearls of wisdom offered at the beginning of this post, there's more where that came from!

In a nutshell: I accept all forms of payment, even credit cards. Seriously. I'm going shopping today and I'll need to replenish the funds before my husband finds out.

Bibliolatry Scale: 0 out of 6 stars

Spreading the infection

I can't stop playing, so I thought I'd infect as many others as possible.

Enjoy, kiddies.

http://www.addictinggames.com/occupationsite.html

Ghosts danced around us

Apples and Oranges: My Brother and Me, Lost and Found
Marie Brenner

We all have a story to tell. That does not mean, however, that everyone’s story is worthwhile.

Perhaps I'm suffering from a glut of memoirs lately, although even if I hadn't read a lot of them recently, I'd still feel underwhelmed by Apples and Oranges, Marie Brenner’s memoir of her brother. Brenner recounts her troubled relationship with her late brother, at the same time she delves into her family history. Brenner writes of her struggle to understand her brother and help him as he is dying. Their troubled history, however, prevents this from being an easy task.

Brenner undoubtedly writes well, and her shifts in time from past to present are effective when they are clearly labeled, not all of which are. Unfortunately, the author's ruminations fell a bit flat for me.

I do have to say that I've read a lot of positive reviews on this one, so if Apples and Oranges sounds like it might interest you, then don't take my word for it.

In a nutshell: I didn't connect with all of it, but I will say that Carl's damn right about the Honeycrisp: they're the best apples around.

Bibliolatry Scale: 2 out of 6 stars

Weekly Geeks 12:Catching Up

This week’s Weekly Geeks theme allows Geeks to catch up on those books that have been read but not yet reviewed.

I’m actually pretty good about reviewing what I’ve read; even if I don’t always do so immediately, mostly everything I read gets reviewed. There have been, however, two exceptions to this rule, and I find that they are both classics: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (by Maya Angelou) and A Clockwork Orange (by Anthony Burgess).

I think my hesitation to review these books stems from a lack of having anything new to say about them. They're both classics, they're both amazing, neither is particularly easy to read, although for different reasons -- but still, what else can I say about them that hasn't already been said?

Enter Dewey's WG theme, which will provide a handy way for me to solve this problem.

To participate in this theme, I will:

1. List books I’ve read but haven’t reviewed yet.

2. Ask readers to ask questions about these books in the comments section of this post.

3. Later, I'll take these questions and use them in a post about each book. Like Dewey, I’ll probably turn mine into a sort of interview-review, and I'll link to everyone whose questions appear (which will probably be everyone who asks a question).

So, readers, you have your assignment! Leave your questions about either I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and/or A Clockwork Orange below, and be on the lookout for the answers to come!

Sunday Sonnet

MIDSUMMER
by William Cullen Bryant

A power is on the earth and in the air
From which the vital spirit shrinks afraid,
And shelters him, in nooks of deepest shade,
From the hot steam and from the fiery glare.
Look forth upon the earth--her thousand plants
Are smitten; even the dark sun-loving maize
Faints in the field beneath the torrid blaze;
The herd beside the shaded fountain pants;
For life is driven from all the landscape brown;
The bird has sought his tree, the snake his den,
The trout floats dead in the hot stream, and men
Drop by the sun-stroke in the populous town;
As if the Day of Fire had dawned, and sent
Its deadly breath into the firmament.

As the weekend looms, some bookish links

There's a lot going on this week, so spend your Friday doing some Internet surfing, instead of, you know, something productive.

First up, Slate explains the business of selling "blind" books and why Shakespeare is the world's worst stolen treasure.

Now on to The Millions, who has directed me to two particularly interesting articles this week. First, we have the 50 outstanding literary translations from the last 50 years as well as compiled lists of summer reading.

Now this is just cool. As soon as I read about this cool weapon I couldn't help but think of Ian McDonald's Brasyl, which passed in a whirlwind of atom blades and multiverses. Even more mind-blowing, however, is the video you'll find if you click the link -- it's truly mind-blowing. No lie: I watched it like three times.

Speaking of science fiction, lookee what I just bought! It will be a nice to add to this and this, but I'm not sure if I can come up with more dick jokes.

And finally, since we're on the subject of shopping, somebody needs to buy me this, which I found thanks to Pajiba. It's only 90 bucks. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Poetry is an orphan of silence

Congratulations are due to Kay Ryan, who has just been named Poet Laureate. (She replaces Charles Simic, whose words form the title to this post.)

Her entry page on Poets.org provides an interesting description of her work by J.D. McClatchy, who described her poems as "compact, exhilarating, strange affairs, like Erik Satie miniatures or Joseph Cornell boxes. She is an anomaly in today's literary culture: as intense and elliptical as Dickinson, as buoyant and rueful as Frost."

Ever the modern gal, I like that her poems are short and deceptively easy to read. Here's a couple selections courtesy of Poets.org, which provides other selections as well, in case you're interested in reading more by her.

NOTHING VENTURED
by Kay Ryan

Nothing exists as a block
and cannot be parceled up.
So if nothing's ventured
it's not just talk;
it's the big wager.
Don't you wonder
how people think
the banks of space
and time don't matter?
How they'll drain
the big tanks down to
slime and salamanders
and want thanks?



PATIENCE
by Kay Ryan

Patience is
wider than one
once envisioned,
with ribbons
of rivers
and distant
ranges and
tasks undertaken
and finished
with modest
relish by
natives in their
native dress.
Who would
have guessed
it possible
that waiting
is sustainable—
a place with
its own harvests.
Or that in
time's fullness
the diamonds
of patience
couldn't be
distinguished
from the genuine
in brilliance
or hardness.

People always make the wolf more formidable than he is

A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father
Augusten Burroughs

My latest review has posted at Pajiba, and this time it's on A Wolf at the Table, Augusten Burroughs' memoir of his father. You might remember him from an earlier work, Running With Scissors, but don't expect this new work to have the same humorous, light-hearted tone.

To read my review, go here.

In a nutshell: Issues of reliability aside, Wolf is a moving and cathartic memoir.

Bibliolatry Scale: 3 out of 6 stars

How to write a successful novel

The Interpretation of Murder
Jed Rubenfeld

This post will tell you how to write a successful novel. Follow these four easy steps and you too will be able to mimic the formula of today's author:

List everything that interests you

Meticulously research each topic

Tie everything together

Be as complicated as possible

That'll do it! Follow those steps and you'll have a successful novel. I'm not saying it will be a particularly good novel, mind you. But Jed Rubenfeld's Interpretation of Murder was successful without being particularly good, so there you go.

I was quite excited to begin The Interpretation of Murder, as it contains a few of my favorite things: murder, psychology, mystery – even a little Shakespeare. What’s not to like? I thought.

Hm.

Unfortunately, while Rubenfeld does blend the above elements, he doesn’t do so successfully. Rubenfeld behaves like a chef who throws every possible ingredient into the pot without any care for whether or not they taste good together. The ingredients, by the way, aren’t even similar: for example, the points of view. The narrative follows several different characters and is, as such, told mostly in the third person – except for that of one character, Stratham Younger. Why on earth is he the only character to speak in the first person? It’s just odd.

And then there’s the "denouement," if you could call it that. But first, the backstory: the novel begins as a young girl’s body is found. It’s 1909, and young women are not often found whipped, cut, and strangled. The next day, another young victim surfaces, only this one fortunately survives the attack. Unfortunately, she has amnesia and cannot remember her attacker. Fortunately, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung have just arrived in America, so they can help solve the crime. Whew!

Freud: Psssst. Carl.

Jung: Ja?

Freud: Can you believe zis shit?

Jung: Ja, and she hasn’t even gotten to ze vurst part yet.

Freud: Vat part vas zat? I sought ze whole zing was ze vurst.

Jung: Oh no, ze end vas by far ze vurst.

Freud: Oy vey. If I believed in an afterlife, I'd be spinning in my grave.

Jung: Right on, brozha.

Now for the end. The end is so convoluted and unnecessarily complicated that to even ponder it again threatens a migraine. Plots diverge and converge willy-nilly. (In fact, several subplots, including one about this Thaw person are underdeveloped and highly unnecessary. Equally unnecessary is a subplot regarding those trying to discredit Freud. Why so complicated?) Speaking of Freud, his role, which sounds so important when reading about the novel, is, in actuality, surprisingly small. Psychology is plunked in with all the subtlety of a cleaver, and such conversations have a decidedly stilted feel. (Rubenfeld took Freud and Jung's dialogue directly from their written words.)

These flaws could be forgivable if the crime were no so damn ... silly? overly complicated? highly improbable? How about the fact that the crime, when discovered, is not what we were led to believe -- instead, it's rather quite boring. In fact, when the facts come to light, I couldn't help but think of Scooby-Doo, as several scenes feature a nice, complete explanation by a dog-faced perp who "woulda gotten away for it if it weren't for those asshole kids." And that's the worst part about the end: all the explanation. What ever happened to showing, not telling? Especially not telling through tedious, stilted conversation.

Oy vey indeed.

In a nutshell: This one had promise but sorely missed the mark.

Bibliolatry Scale: 2 out of 6 stars

Each for himself is still the rule

The French Lieutenant's Woman
John Fowles

John Fowles has long been an author I've admired, even though I've only read a few of his novels. The Magus had a profound effect on me, and as soon as I feel up to the challenge, I plan to reread it. The Collector solidified my love for him, even if reading it did dredge up some unpleasant memories. So when I saw the movie version of The French Lieutenant's Woman appearing repeatedly on digital cable, I knew I had to read the book immediately.

Unfortunately, I was a bit confused. The plot blurb advertising the film led me to believe that it was about two Victorians in love and the actors who portray them. This, in turn, lead me to expect something sorta like Possession, a treat I'd rather prefer not to experience again. And so I began The French Lieutenant's Woman in a tizzy of ambivalence and confusion -- for the actors never appeared at all. Lo and behold, my digital cable had tricked me yet again: the film was not at all like the novel. Which is good, because I later watched about thirty minutes of the film and only prevented myself from stabbing myself in the eyeball through the most supreme exercise of will.

Anyway, The French Lieutenant's Woman is, basically, about a love triangle. Charles and Ernestina are engaged, and go to Lyme Regis to vacation. There, they see Sarah, an enigmatic figure known by the locals as "The French Lieutenant's Woman," a fallen woman who has lost her reputation. Charles and Sarah begin an odd relationship which both know is doomed. Technically, however, it's a match made in heaven, as both Charles and Sarah are so godawful annoying that that they deserve one another -- and a kick in the ass to boot.

The French Lieutenant's Woman is interesting not so much for the plot or the characters, but more for the narrative devices employed by Fowles. The author frequently employs a modern perspective when discussing events from a century earlier. Fowles also injects himself into the narrative, commenting on the events and explaining a bit of his narrative choices.

Those that like clear-cut endings will be disappointed by The French Lieutenant's Woman, which offers two, completely disparate, endings. The endings, however, are not the point, since an epigraph from Marx tells us that this novel is about "emancipation," and it cannot be denied that emancipation plays a large role in the events of the novel: Charles, Sarah, and Ernestina all experience an emancipation of sorts, and even the conventions of storytelling are freed from their normal boundaries.

That said, The French Lieutenant's Woman didn't "wow" me as did my previous excursions into the world of John Fowles. I'm glad that I read it, but, unlike The Magus, this is not a book I plan to reread in the future.

In a nutshell: Not as mind-blowing as The Magus or as compelling as The Collector, but still a must for fans of Fowles.

Bibliolatry Scale: 3.5 out of 6 stars

Sunday Sonnet

THOU ART NOT LOVELIER THAN LILACS...
by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Thou art not lovelier than lilacs,--no,
Nor honeysuckle; thou art not more fair
Than small white single poppies,--I can bear
Thy beauty; though I bend before thee, though
From left to right, not knowing where to go,
I turn my troubled eyes, nor here nor there
Find any refuge from thee, yet I swear
So has it been with mist,--with moonlight so.
Like him who day by day unto his draught
Of delicate poison adds him one drop more
Till he may drink unharmed the death of ten,
Even so, inured to beauty, who have quaffed
Each hour more deeply than the hour before,
I drink--and live--what has destroyed some men.

The individual is not a killer, the group is

Child 44
Tom Rob Smith

How do you solve a murder when murder doesn’t exist?

That’s the problem encountered by Leo Demidov when he’s forced to investigate “an accident” in which a child’s stomach was removed and his mouth forced with dirt. Demidov’s duty is to convince the victim’s family that making a fuss isn’t worth it; instead, they must accept their son's death was an accident and stop clamoring about a killer on the loose. You see, Demidov’s dealing with Stalinist Russia, and one of the tenets of their socialist philosophy is that crime is a Western phenomenon caused by economic inequality. Therefore, murder cannot exist in their society, which has removed such injustices.

Soon, however, more bodies appear, and it becomes increasingly difficult to believe that so many children – whose bodies are all found the same: stomachs torn open, dirt in mouths, string around ankles – are all the victims of unfortunate accidents. Worse, Russia lacks centralization, so neighboring villages aren’t even aware that a killer is among them.

It’s not long until Demidov, a member of the State Security force, finds himself on the wrong side of the law. True, the claims against him are unfounded, but it’s only a matter of time before someone turns you in for the only true crime in Stalinst Russia: subverting the State. The government cares little if it executes an innocent man, since fear is the oil that keeps everything running smoothly. Soon Demidov and his wife are on the run, struggling to avoid capture and find the killer before another innocent child is lost.

Before beginning Child 44, I was daunted for several reasons. First, the prospect of Russian patronymics struck fear into my heart. As soon as I heard it was set in Russia, I immediately recalled my experience with Dostoevsky, whose characters all seemed to have 1001 names. Nevertheless, I decided to persevere, and I considered myself a daredevil for beginning without paper and pen in hand to keep track of them all. (Wow. Has it come to that? I suppose it has.) Secondly, I was a little put off by the length, since the thickness of the tome indicated way more than its 450 pages.

Both fears were unfounded. I tore through the novel in about a day, unhindered by characters who, for the most part, are called only by their given name. The story is entrancing, and I enjoyed several twists that I didn’t see coming until I was meant to. The serial killer, based on Andrei Chikatilo, was duly fascinating, and Smith’s treatment of Stalinist Russia was both informative and fascinating. Child 44 is not the last of Leo Demidov, and I look forward to seeing him again in future novels.

In a nutshell: Serial killer + interesting history + hot author = Success!

Bibliolatry Scale: 5 out of 6 stars

The Six-Word Story

I've been tagged by the fine gentlemen over at Little Man, What Now? to write a story in six words. As always, I over-analyze everything, so I probably spent what was far too long on my response to the challenge. My efforts are not the best, but just like when peeing in public, I am hampered by performance anxiety.

Anyway, here's what I came up with:

Smiling grimly, she plotted her revenge.

And now, I'll pass the challenge on. I usually don't tag people, but this is a fun one. So I'm tagging Chiron over at RabbitReader, Kristin at Books for Breakfast, JRH at Stuff on my Mind, Stefanie at So Many Books, Irish at Ticket to Anywhere, and Bybee at Naked Without Books!.

If you are reading this and haven't been tagged, please do so -- I wanted to tag more but felt I was becoming obnoxious.

Everything he loved was on his doorstep

The Enchantress of Florence
Salman Rushdie

Another review of mine has been posted at Pajiba, and this time it's on the latest by Salman Rushdie, The Enchantress of Florence. I haven't read much in favor of this novel, so I was less than thrilled to begin. All things considered, I was pleasantly surprised, although Rushdie is still far from being one of my contemporary faves.

To read my thoughts on The Enchantress of Florence, you may click here.

In a nutshell: Not the best, not the worst. Rushdie's still a pimp.

Bibliolatry Scale: 3 out of 6 stars

Weekly Geeks 10: Magazines

This week’s Weekly Geeks theme challenges Geeks to write about the magazines we read.

I read a lot of magazines, so I limited myself to just my subscriptions. Fortunately for the challenge (and unfortunately for my wallet), I subscribe to a lot of magazines, so this should be quite the post. (In fact, I recently had to eliminate a few subscriptions, since I really did have too many, and a few weren't even that good.)

For each magazine, I've explained a few things about it, and I've also linked to the site in case you are moved to learn more about it. Hopefully, you can find something new to enjoy!


BOOKMARKS

Hands down, Bookmarks is my favorite magazine, and it's one that should every booklover should subscribe to. I've been subscribing to this magazine for years upon years, and I never question its price or whether or not I should continue to subscribe to this magazine.

In addition to its reviews, Bookmarks offers a variety of features, such as the "Readers Recommend," "Now in Paperback," and "The Year in Books," in which the most notable books of a given year are discussed. Each issue also features an in-depth look at two or three established authors, some literary giants (like Woolf or Hemingway) and some future giants (like LeGuin). The last issue gave an overview on the world of science-fiction, which I found very helpful.

My favorite aspect of Bookmarks is its reviews. The reviews are divided into not just fiction and nonfiction, but into further categories such as "literary fiction," "crime," "science," and so on. Furthermore, the reviews are short and also feature snippets from reviews like those from The New York Times, The Washington Post, and so on. It's always good to read a variety of opinions on a book, instead of just one.


THE SUN

The Sun is one of my favorite magazines, and I've been subscribing to it for almost a decade now. I ended my subscription a few years ago in an effort to save money, and I can honestly say that I missed receiving The Sun every month. I had to return.

The Sun features fiction, personal essays, interviews, poetry, and my favorite section, "Readers Write," in which readers send short pieces in response to a particular prompt. The Sun also features excellent photography, many of which I save for use in the classroom. I like that The Sun tackles a variety of "political, social, and philosophical issues" (to quote their site), so reading The Sun is both enjoyable and enlightening. I don't always agree with the ideas presented in The Sun, but it always makes me think and reconsider my position on a subject.


WRITER'S DIGEST

Writer's Digest is another magazine I've subscribed to for years. Writer's Digest provides a lot of great advice for those wishing to improve their writing, whether that writing is nonfiction, fiction, poetry -- whatever. Writer's Digest also gives practical advice for writing queries, submitting your work, finding an agent, freelancing and so on.

I particularly like Writer's Digest because it will provide me with great articles and activities that I can use in my classroom. Once a year they feature the "101 Best Websites for Writers," which usually gives me a few new sites to add to my favorites. Overall, Writer's Digest is a must-read for anyone involved with writing.


SELF

Next, we have Self. I once subscribed to a variety of fitness magazines (I very assiduously saved exercises -- as if I was actually going to go through the endless pile of scraps later), but soon found that little of the information was new. A lot of the toning exercises began to appear again and again (although one month with a dumbbell, another with a stability ball, etc.) and I have exercise equipment anyway, so I don't really need to do their exercises.

Still, Self is good because it also contains healthy recipes that I will try (every once in awhile), and it also features girly stuff like fashion and makeup. Besides, Self is my only magazine that isn't in some way book-related, so I allow myself this one "superficial" read. The biggest benefit to subscribing to Self is that it keeps me motivated to eat right and exercise daily, and that's something I can always use!


POETS & WRITERS

Poets & Writers is another magazine that I enjoy. The first half of the magazine is devoted to interviews and articles about writers, and the second is devoted to submissions and contests and other important information for writers.

Poets & Writers has helped me discover quite a few new poets and writers; there's a section entitled "Page One" that provides the first line of a novel or of a collection of poetry, and many times I have found the first line so intriguing that I had to read the rest of the work.


POETRY

I can't say enough good things about Poetry, a monthly magazine that features poetry and commentary about poetry. I usually find myself tearing out several poems per issue to save for later.

I like that Poetry features both well-known poets as well as those with whom I'm unfamiliar. Every year they have a translation issue that features both the English translation of the poem as well as its original form. The essays that appears in the second half of the issue features critical commentary about the nature of poetry, and I'll be frank and admit that I usually skip this section. However, for anyone interested in Poetry, this magazine is absolutely necessary.


ONE STORY

One Story is a little treasure that appears once a month in my mailbox. Quite simply, the contents of this magazine are...you guessed it...one story.

According to their site, "One Story is a non-profit literary magazine that features one great short story mailed to subscribers every three weeks. Our mission is to save the short story by publishing in a friendly format that allows readers to experience each story as a stand-alone work of art and a simple form of entertainment. One Story is designed to fit into your purse or pocket, and into your life...Many of the stories we have published have won awards, and many One Story writers have gone on to publish their first (or third, or tenth) books."

To be fair, I'm not wowed by every single story I receive, but the overall quality of the pieces makes my subscription to One Story one that I can't eliminate.


MCSWEENEY'S

My subscription to McSweeney's is a new one, and so far, so good. My first issue gave me this gem by Stephen King, so I immediately considered my money well spent.

I was also happy that my first issue came not only with the magazine but also with two other booklets, one a collection of illustrations and the other of cartoons. The three booklets arrived together in this neat little box, and I enjoyed the original packaging. I still haven't read all of the first issue, but I'm enjoying it so far.


TIN HOUSE

Finally, we have Tin House. Like McSweeney's, Tin House is a literary magazine. Tin House features fiction and poetry, as well as interviews and essays and other odds and ends. I enjoy the fiction and poetry the most, especially since I'm always on the lookout for a good author I haven't read before.

I like that Tin House is STUFFED full of writing -- literally dozens of pieces litter the pages of each issue, and I have yet to finish an issue. This is a new subscription for me, so I suppose this can be forgiven.



Okay -- that's it! (I think.) Hopefully you found a new magazine to enjoy. If you can think of a magazine I might like, leave it in the comments.

Sunday Sonnet

THE NEW COLOSSUS
by Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Linky-doo

In lieu of the half dozen or so reviews I don't feel like writing as this holiday weekend approaches, please enjoy the following.

BookFox ponders the nature of the short story.

Speaking of stories...ahh, censorship.

Moving from published stories to writing of a more...personal nature, we have this lovely exchange between two roommates. I too love mocking the anger of others using my exceptional editing skills.

And finally, I can say unequivocally that this video. is. THE SHIT. Warning: zombies ahead. Beware claymation gore. (Via FARK)

She is all States, all Princes I, Nothing else is

The Stone Gods
Jeanette Winterson

"Why would a man destroy the very thing he most needs?"

This question is central to Jeanette Winterson's novel The Stone Gods, a novel which concerns humanity's destruction of its home planet and its attempt to find another rock on which to live. Of course, humanity never learns; the new home soon faces the same fate as the former one.

Winterson suggests this is a cycle played out many times in humanity's history: we find a home, move from stone-age thought to space-age thought, push the planet to the brink of destruction, and find another planet to colonize. The cycle continues. We never learn from our mistakes, instead destroying the very thing we most need: our planet.

These lessons are certainly important, and I agree with Winterson that our current behavior towards our planet is entirely and utterly lacking, and I doubt we will ever truly learn. Our greed is too great. Winterson deftly proves these points, but unfortunately, her novel does little else, leaving me ultimately cold.

The Stone Gods begins as a new planet, Planet Blue, has been discovered. Humanity has been occupying Orbus, a planet on the brink of destruction. (It's not entirely clear whether Orbus is Earth; it seems as though Orbus is the planet to which humanity moved after Earth's destruction.) The Central Power (one of three world powers, the other two being the Eastern Caliphate and the SinoMosco Pact) plans to colonize Planet Blue.

Planet Blue appears much like the Earth during the time of the dinosaurs. It's pristine, jungle-filled, and totally unpolluted. (Give it time, says Winterson. We'll fix 'er.) Billie Crusoe, a maverick scientist who refuses "Fixing" (a procedure which genetically "fixes" individuals at a certain point to prevent aging), finds herself on the ship headed to Planet Blue. With her is Spike, a beautiful Robo sapiens capable of evolving.

The second section is a historical re-imagining of Easter Island during the 1700s; the natives' destruction of Easter Island becomes an analogy for humanity's treatment of Earth as a whole.

Left: the Gods themselves

The third and fourth sections take us to a post-apocalyptic future controlled by corporations instead of governments. These sections are connected only by Winterson's belief that "Everything is imprinted for ever with what it once was," a message that seems, at times, a bit forced. I couldn't muster much empathy for any character, although Billie's dog, Rufus, abandoned in Section One, did elicit from me a pang of regret.

If anything redeems The Stone Gods, it’s Winterson’s language, which is at times both lyrical and playful. Her prose often reads more like poetry, and I found enjoyment in her use of language even if the plot began to bore.

In a nutshell: Intriguing but ultimately unfulfilling.

Bibliolatry Scale: 3 out of 6 stars

Books like this make me really miss college

The Answer Is Always Yes
Monica Ferrell

My latest review for Pajiba is up, and this time it's on The Answer is Always Yes by Monica Ferrell. Ferrell, a successful poet, applies her skill at weaving words to this, her debut novel.

The Answer is Always Yes returns us to the land of Clubkids made famous by James St. James in Party Monster. I'm continually fascinated by this world of glitz and glitter, and Ferrell's novel gives us a viewpoint I've never before encountered: that of the club promoter.

Click here to read my review in full.

In a nutshell: Although The Answer is Always Yes doesn't offer anything new, it's still a light, fun summer read.

Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars