Book Capsules

"Fisica sublime has the necessary rhythm, the dreaming tone of the unending, ever-approximated, never-known." --Patrick Madden, "Finity," Quotidiana


The whole purpose of starting this blog was not to blab about myself and my life and all that--I never meant it to become a public journal entry or even a photo album of my decidedly darling boys. My intent was (and still is) to keep a log of the things I read. A commonplace entry of the snippets I devoured and my thoughts on them. Alas--I am once again behind. I will probably not spend time on the small essays or poems I've enjoyed. I will probably not tell you about Elizabeth Bishop's formal movements or Czeslaw Milosz's endearing politics or even Lynn Kilpatrick's surprising short stories in the shape of poetry. But, to pretend I can catch up, I'll offer a few book capsules of my recent reading.

Quotidiana by Patrick Madden. Delightful, tangential, poignant. Somehow he can tie Rush into anything (including grapes) offer a calculation for even literary concepts, and provide quotes from so many varied sources that you wonder how he discovers all of them (because he doesn't just Google search for those). These essays stray, meander, trollop--they are not quick snapshots, they are maps searching the universe. Reaching an essay's conclusion always surprises me: how do you pause infinity? I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend the essays. As a collection there is an obvious/loose connection (the author) but the pieces could be enjoyed on their own. If you're a bedtime reader, especially if you read for an hour or so before, this would be great. I read most of the book standing in line; although I had to interrupt some of the pieces, it is easy to dive right back into them (in part because they are written in fragments). Uplifting, humorous, but not snarky or cheesy in any way. I appreciate that he can write the way that he does. Read it.

Words for Empty and Words for Full by Bob Hicok. Awesome: something unexpected in every turn. Hicok does not shy away from sentimentality and I think he's rewarded for it. Revise that: sentiment as in emotion--not in the connotations of "sentimentality." This book's organization seems to be a deliberate focus of certain ideas, but I think it is better if each poem is enjoyed on its own. As usual, Hicok's day-to-day process appeals to me. Love his work--still, if you plan to read him, note that he uses some sexual and vulgar language .

This is Not a Novel by David Markson. I really wish I could appreciate this book more. It's an interesting project, but I wanted more substance to the text. Not bad, but lacking the weight that it purports to have.

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory by Brian Greene. I gobbled this book--and I'm no physics person. Greene wrote it for the intrigued un-experts. He uses interesting metaphors to explain the history and theories that inform our contemporary perspective of how the universe works. I've been looking at the world around me in a significantly different way as a result. This is definitely worth reading, but not for those who want a quick read. I listened to it on 13 discs. Took a while.

The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the OED by Simon Winchestor. Leave it to a geologists to research the 71 year saga of the Oxford English Dictionary's creation. I leaped around the kitchen as I told Wesley about this book. I'll probably even buy it. I'm a word nerd anyway, but this makes you appreciate the language and the constantly changing symbols we cling to even more.

Crash's Law by Karen Volkman. Gorgeous. Balances music and meaning well (more so than her later, also interesting, collections). It is a book to read for pleasure and also study. Very useful for writers, but also lovely for people who just want to read. (she has a European style of reading, which some appreciate more than others. She just read at BYU--here's a taste of a rather interesting experience http://ers.byu.edu/play.php?filepath=2010-KarenVolkman).

Halls of Fame by John D'Agata. Intelligent, quirky, creative. It didn't really resonate as a whole for me though. I know he's great, I recognize the pieces are well crafted, but I felt pushed away more than invited in. As a commentary on form and how people seek to create meaning for/out of themselves though, it's worthwhile. Especially when compared to Ander Monson's Neck Deep and Other Predicaments. 


There are others, but I think that will suffice. Perhaps in my nonstudent life I will start reviewing books seriously instead of offering meager summaries!