Thursday, September 13, 2007

Recent Literary Food

Currently, there are 39 books on my "Must Read" list, most of which, you might guess, are poetry. In my post-MFA literary consumption to date, here are some of the highlights:

The Body of Poetry, Annie Finch
The Body of the Beloved, Gregory Orr
A Small and Remarkable Life, Nick DiChario (see previous post)
Loostrife, Stephen Dunn
The Liar's Club, Mary Karr
Sinners Welcome, Mary Karr
Ishmael, Daniel Quinn
The Long Meadow, Vijay Seshadri
Please, Mr. Einstein, Jean-Claude Carriere
The Deepest Part of the River, Mekeel McBride
Magnetic North, Linda Gregerson
Poetry as Survival, Gregory Orr
The Last Fine Time, Verlin Klinkenborg
Various Orbits, Thom Ward
City of Lights, Lauren Belfer
Transformations, Anne Sexton
Facts About the Moon, Dorianne Laux
The Faith of a Writer, Joyce Carol Oates
What We Carry, Dorianne Laux

Favorites:

Best Book on Writing/Poetry: Poetry as Survival
Best Poetry Collection: Sinners Welcome
Best Memoir: The Last Fine Time (though The Liar's Club is fabulous, I prefer not to choose it since I've already selected Karr's poetry collection as a "Best." )
Best Novel: A Small and Remarkable Life

I am currently reading Blue Angel by Francine Prose.

Perhaps you'll notice a pattern in my selections above. If you've got a suggestion that might fit or rock that pattern, feel free to leave a comment. Please tell me why you think I should read what you suggest. I am especially interested in memoir/biography suggestions. I'd also be interested in reading your comments on any of the books mentioned, positive or negative.