The library will be closed on Friday, July 3. Enjoy the time at local Independence Day festivals. See you on Monday, July 6.
Summer is often a slower time, but finding less time for reading. That is an awful state to be in so I often turn to short stories in the summer. I’m not committing to an entire book and thus willing to start a story even if I know I don’t have much time. It is also a good time for poetry. A good poem will leave you thinking and pondering for hours on end. And that’s never a bad thing. So today here are a variety of story and poetry collections. Some are by one author, some by multiple authors, but all will allow you to pick and choose which to read and savor.
American Hybrid is a Norton Anthology of New Poetry and edited by Cole Swenson and David St. John. It contains selections from over seventy poets and represents the best of the new breed of poets writing the “hybrid poem.” This is an interesting collection that is best read by dabbling. Dip your toe in and select a poet or a single poem to read and ponder. Promised Land by Jay Parini is thirteen essays about thirteen books that changed America. He shows how each of these books entered American life and altered how we think and act in the world. Whether you like books, history or reading about the American character, this book is fascinating.
The Mystery Writers of America have two new collections out. On a Raven’s Wing is new tales in honor of Edgar Allen Poe and features stories by Mary Higgins Clark, James W. Hall, Rupert Holmes and seventeen others. The Prosecution Rests is new stories about courtrooms, criminals and the law and includes stories by James Grippando, S.J. Rozan and 19 others. For classic stories, try Murder, short and sweet edited by Paul D. Staudohar and presenting stories by notables such as Roald Dahl, Dorothy Sayers, Ellery Queen and more. Collections by multiple authors are a great way to find a new author. So take a look and discover a new (or old) author to explore.
Collections of stories by one author can be fun and another good way to become introduced to an author. You can then decide if they are worth your time and energy. The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich is new and selected stories. Just After Sunset is stories by Stephen King. We’ll always Have Paris by Ray Bradbury contains all never-before-published stories that take us near and far to worlds we’ve never seen. And Sum by David Eagleman is a collection of 40 original tales from the Afterlives. It is a strange collection of very short ideas and ponderings about life, death and the line between.
Whatever is filling your day, wherever you find yourself, don’t be without a book. It makes everything a little more pleasant, a little less stressful.