Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books (formerly The Printed Page) where book lovers share the titles they received for review, purchased, or otherwise obtained over the past week. Mailbox Monday currently is on tour, and this month, it is being hosted by At Home With Books.
The only books I received last week were 4 of the 5 the short listed poetry books for the Indie Lit Awards:
Beyond the Scent of Sorrow by Sweta Srivastava Vikram, from Modern History Press (Amazon/IndieBound)
Beyond the Scent of Sorrow delves into the challenges faced by women on a global level. The eucalyptus trees in southwest Portugal are used as an archetype to symbolically elicit the challenges women face in today’s world. Boldly, the poems which are lyrical, literal, short, and succinct, profess the unkind capabilities of mankind. (publisher’s summary)
Sonics in Warholia by Megan Volpert, from Sibling Rivalry Press (Amazon/IndieBound)
Speaking directly to the pop icon’s ghost, Megan Volpert dives into a completely charted yet utterly unknown ocean that is Andy Warhol. The resulting collection of love letters and hate mail audaciously perforates the scene of the usual cultural suspects with icy shrapnel in a terrifying mirror game. This is not a biography, but a book that reflects Andy — detects him, the Andy who deflects.
Working into territory that channels the essay as its more radical practitioners imagine. Volpert revives the prose poem and rethinks herself. As the idea of a “real” Andy begins to decay, the author learns to invent him and discovers herself everywhere. Remaking this mythic man in the image of her own baggage, Volpert gives us her most personal writing to date and a striking truth: everybody becomes Andy. (publisher’s summary)
What Looks Like an Elephant by Edward Nudelman, from the author (Amazon/IndieBound)
WHAT LOOKS LIKE AN ELEPHANT is not a question, but the title of a groundbreaking full-length poetry book by Ed Nudelman containing over 80 poems dealing with ambiguities and paradoxes in experience–how impressions of certainty and doubt affect everyday life. A cancer research scientist by trade, Ed has brought elements of scientific inquiry together with child and adolescent memories, and mixed in humor and stunning poetic metaphor, to make this a compelling and provocative read. (publisher’s summary)
Three Women: A Poetic Triptych and Selected Poems by Emma Eden Ramos, from the author (Lulu)
A truly unique and awe-inspiring collection, Emma Eden Ramos wows readers with her narrative-style writing in Three Women: A Poetic Triptych and Selected Poems. This is the fifth chapbook to released by Heavy Hands Ink. (publisher’s summary)
What books did you add to your shelves recently?
Disclosure: I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.
© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
I hope you enjoy reading these. I read some of these last year. I’m looking forward to reading them again as part of Indie Lit Awards and comparing the volumes.
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I’m looking forward to the discussion! I tend to read more classic poetry, but you’ve been helping me branch out into more modern collections.
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Very different books this week – all new to me but they look so interesting. enjoy
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Thanks, Diane! They definitely are different from my usual fare.
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I hope you enjoy them all! I am so not a poetry reader although sometimes I write poetry when the mood strikes me.
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Thanks! I used to write a lot of poetry but didn’t read it much; now it’s the opposite.
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These are mostly new to me. I hope you enjoy all your new reads!
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Same here. The Indie Lit Awards certainly is broadening my reading horizons!
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These look very tempting…thanks for sharing. Enjoy!
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Thanks, Laurel!
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This is a nice diverse mailbox. Have a wonderful week, Anna, and happy reading. My MM is here
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Thanks, Kaye. You, too!
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I hope you enjoy!
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Thanks! Me, too. 😉
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Reading the summaries of these books makes me wish I read more poetry and, even more, that I knew how to read it so I could understand it more. (maybe if I read more poetry it would help!
“Beyond Secret Sorrow” sounds like its filled with sad, grim and troubling poems… while “…Warholia” sounds fascinating and entertaining but I think “What Looks Like an Elephant” is the book that really intrigues me as it just sounds like its filled with fascinating poems that many readers can probably relate to on some leval. I’m very interested to read your thoughts on these books Anna!
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I don’t know if there’s a right or a wrong way to read poetry. I just read them through a few times and see if I can get some meaning out of it, then look at the style and use of language. Really, I just go with the flow.
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What an interesting batch of books. Enjoy!
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Thanks, Carol!
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I hope you enjoy your books.
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2012/01/mailbox-monday_09.html
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Thanks, Mary Ann!
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Oooh, all look good — I’m esp jealous abt Three Women as I’ve heard some good things about it. Enjoy!
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Thanks, Audra! I’m looking forward to reading them.
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Enjoy your new books 🙂
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Thanks!
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Hope you enjoy all of these. I read poetry occasionally, but I’m not sure I’d know how to go about reviewing it. Happy New Year!
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I don’t think there’s any right or wrong way to review it, aside from talking about what the poems mean to you. At least that’s how I generally approach poetry reviews. I know the Indie Lit Awards voting process will be a little different.
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Your books all sound so interesting. Enjoy and have a great week!
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Thanks, Wrighty! You, too!
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Hope you enjoy these Anna! I’m not much for poetry but I like some.
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Thanks, Dar! I generally like poetry in small doses because it can be overwhelming.
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I am not a poetry reader but all of those look like very interesting books. I hope you enjoy them all!
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I hope that my participation in the Indie Lit awards and spotlighting these books soon will get more people interested in poetry.
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I hope you enjoy all your reads.
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Thanks, Mystica!
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Those are all new to me. Have fun with your Indie Lit reading!
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I’m really excited about the Indie Lit awards, so I intend to! 😉
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Interesting books Anna. I have Beyond the Scent of Sorrow as well. Happy reading 😉
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I will keep an eye out for your thoughts! Hope you enjoy it!
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Definitely new titles to me! Hope you enjoy them.
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Thanks, Mary!
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I’ll be watching to see which one wins!
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I can’t wait for the discussion!
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All new to me…can’t wait to see if any of them are ones that I want to read 😀
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It will be interesting because I haven’t read this much poetry in a long time!
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That one with the elephant on the cover sounds very curious.
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I’m curious about that one myself.
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I haven’t heard of any of these but I rarely read poetry.
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I hope one of these books will convince you to read it more often. 😉
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I have only read one of these titles. I loved Three Women. It was different than anything I have ever read. Sonics in Warholia looks very intriguing. Interesting that both involve visual arts.
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Glad to hear you loved Three Women. I think all of the titles sound interesting and are definitely outside my poetry comfort zone, which is a good thing. 😉
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