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The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

February 24, 2009 by

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett is a witty look at how the Queen of England’s love of reading impinges on her duties and helps her evolve as a human being. There is a great deal to love about this small volume, which I first heard about on Dewey’s Hidden Side of a Leaf. I couldn’t commit full force to the Dewey’s Book Challenge, but I wanted to make mention of her and the challenge with this post since Dewey highly recommended this book when she read and bought it.

At first, the Queen of England isn’t sure what to make of the traveling library that she runs across at the palace. Once she begins reading, she can’t stop and takes it upon herself to appoint a kitchen boy as her amanuensis, a writing assistant to conduct research and perform secretarial duties, named Norman. He helps her select books from the traveling library and from the London Library.

“[Norman] came back full of wonder and excitement at how old-fashioned it was, saying it was the sort of library he had only read about in books and had thought confined to the past. He wandered through its labyrinthine stacks marvelling that these were all books that he (or rather She) could borrow at will. So infectious was his enthusiasm that next time, the Queen thought, she might accompany him.” (page 19)

She becomes so engrossed in her reading that she begins carrying books with her in the carriages and to official functions and begins to look upon her normal daily activities, like being briefed on the events of the government and world, as the “antithesis of reading” (page 21). Her speeches before Parliament became tedious and “demeaned the very act of reading itself” (page 33).

It’s interesting to watch how certain members of the staff react to her reading habit and how they conspire to eliminate it. Despite all of the government’s machinations, however, the Queen perseveres. Readers will adore the end of the novel and how it turns the rest of it upside down.

Also Reviewed By:
Book-a-Rama
Hidden Side of a Leaf
Tea Leaves
A Novel Menagerie
Things Mean a Lot
Library Queue
It’s All About Books
Bloggin’ ’bout Books
Books on the Brain
Page After Page
Books of Mee
paper diet books
just add books…
The Bluestocking Society
Melody’s Reading Corner
1morechapter.com
ReadingAdventures
Reader for Life
Stuff As Dreams Are Made On
Rebecca Reads
Bermudaonion’s Weblog
Book Chase
A Reader’s Respite
Shelf Life
Reading and Ruminations
Confessions of a Bibliophile
Lesa’s Book Critiques
Outlandish Dreaming
The Family With Three Last Names
booklit
Under a Blood Red Sky
Linus’s Blanket
Behold, the thing that reads a lot
A Comfy Chair and a Good Book
One Literature Nut
Literate Housewife
Bibliofreak

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: borrowed copy, Dewey's Book Challenge 2009, fiction, Read in 2009, reviews Tagged With: ,

Plum Lovin’ by Janet Evanovich

February 23, 2009 by

Plum Lovin’ by Janet Evanovich is another between-the-numbers novel where Stephanie Plum and Diesel set out on another adventure to corral another unmentionable, Bernie Beaner, is on the loose causing havoc. Diesel shows up at Stephanie’s and informs her she now must become a relationship expert until Annie Hart is safe, but Stephanie only has a few days to complete the work.

With another ridiculous cast of characters, Janet Evanovich will have readers giggling and rolling on the floor with laughter. Stephanie must find a Valentine’s date for a motor vehicle worker with a number of undisciplined kids and a house full of animals, a vet with a knack for attracting gold diggers, a virgin, and help her sister and boyfriend get married.

In the process, hives pop up all over the characters’ skin, Delvina reappears looking for a “hot” necklace that was stolen from him, and Diesel and Stephanie make plans to get married. While Morelli is not in here much, Ranger does make an appearance, though Stephanie spends her Valentine’s Day with the family and Diesel. Lula is always hilarious with her wise cracks and alternative perspective. Although this is not literature at its finest, it will surely entertain readers and provide a light read full of comedy.

***Don’t forget my Arlene Ang, Secret Love Poems, giveaway***

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: audiobooks, borrowed copy, fiction, Read in 2009, reviews Tagged With: ,

Interview With Poet Alison Stine

February 23, 2009 by

I’ve been working on a interview project with Deborah at 32 Poems magazine, and she kindly allowed me to interview past contributors to the magazine. We will be posting the interviews throughout the coming months, and our fourth interview posted on Deborah’s Poetry Blog of 32 Poems on Feb. 23.

I’m going to provide you with a snippet from the interview, but if you want to read the entire interview, I’ll provide you a link for that as well.

For now, let me introduce to you 32 Poems contributor, Alison Stine:

1. Not only are you a contributor to 32 Poems, but you are also a composer and teacher. What “hat” do you find most difficult to wear and why?

And right now I’m a student too! I’ve gone back to school after six years away to pursue my PhD at Ohio University. I love it. Switching back and forth between learning and teaching isn’t as difficult as I had expected because I feel like I’m learning all the time. I feel my students really teach me. They constantly inspire me and surprise me. I learn from them, and I write for them, especially the high school students that I teach in the summer. I want to make them proud and write something they can believe in and relate to. As far as composing, at the moment, my music is very private. It’s still happening. I still write it. But it’s happening only for me. And that’s the hardest right now.

2. Most writers will read inspirational/how-to manuals, take workshops, or belong to writing groups. Did you subscribe to any of these aids and if so which did you find most helpful? Please feel free to name any “writing” books you enjoyed most (i.e. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott).

I did get an MFA in Writing, and I’m in a PhD program now, but the best writing workshops I had were unofficial or off record. Having informal, friendly conversations about the poems really shaped them and made them strong, grow tendrils and vines I never expected. I was fortunate to be a part of two workshops in the summer at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and during the school year in a “non-school” setting at Stanford University as a Wallace Stegner Fellow. Those experiences absolutely changed my writing life. Saved it even. And those workshop leaders were the best teachers I have ever had. But everyone you meet is a potential teacher. You never know who will touch you or your poems, will come back to you years later when you need their words. I’ve never been able to finish a self-help or writing book of any sort, although I have tried. I just had a tennis book recommended to me for what it says about concentration, that that can be applied to writing. Who knows? Maybe this one will stick!

3. How do you stay fit and healthy as a writer?

I’m a new fan of the Wii Fit! My college-age brother got one for Christmas, and my parents ending up buying each of my siblings one because they’re hilarious and imaginative. I also run a lot, run and walk but don’t listen to music. I think when I’m running. I think in the silence of running. I especially love to run into the deep country and in the deep dark ice of early morning winter, when there’s no one around but snow and birds. I’m definitely a winter runner.

Want to find out what Alison’s writing space looks like? What music she listens to while she writes? Find out what she’s working on now, her obsessions, and much more. Check out the rest of my interview with Alison here. Please feel free to comment on the 32 Poems blog and Savvy Verse & Wit.

Check out some of Alison’s work at Prairie Schooner.

***Don’t forget my Arlene Ang, Secret Love Poems, giveaway***

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: Interviews, poetry Tagged With: ,

Mailbox Monday #18

February 23, 2009 by


Welcome to another edition of Mailbox Monday, sponsored by Marcia of The Printed Page.

Here’s what made it to my mailbox or should I say bookshelves this week:

1. The Traitor’s Wife by Susan Higginbotham sent by Paul Samuelson at Sourcebooks for a blog tour in April.

2. To My Senses by Alexandra Weis, which I won over at Diary of an Eccentric.

3. National Security Mom by Gina M. Bennett, which I won at Bookroom Reviews.

4. The Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone sent by Danielle Jackson at Sourcebooks for a blog tour in May.

5. Signora da Vinci by Robin Maxwell, which I won at My Friend Amy.

6. How to Read Novels Like a Professor by Thomas Foster I bought this paperback at Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C., over the weekend, which I took my brother and my friend, Terrie, to. It was fun trekking the eight blocks or so in the freezing wind from Van Ness Metro station to the bookstore. I’ll have more to share on that subject, later.

7. A Pilot’s Journey by George Norfleet, which I bought at the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and is about WWII Tuskegee Airmen. The book is signed by the author and the main airman in the memoir, Curtis Christopher Robinson. They were both on hand to sign and chat with visitors at the museum.


8. Training the Best by Dorothy M. Poole, which I also bought at the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and is about WWII Tuskegee Airmen and Charles Flowers, who helped train them. This book is signed by Charles as well.

***Don’t forget my Arlene Ang, Secret Love Poems, giveaway***

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: mailbox monday

Writing Goal Week #8

February 22, 2009 by

The Writing Goal Update for this week is much better than most. I worked on three poems last week. The first poem is nearly done and I think the second one I uncovered last week is more complete than it has been since I put it away many months ago.

I started a third poem this week with some inspiration from a magazine theme, so if I can finish this poem and some others, I may just submit them to the magazine for publication.

Softdrink at Fizzy Thoughts last week kindly informed me that those men that paint the lines on the roads use striping machines, so that popped into one of the poems. I’ve also had that good friend of mine, Anna from Diary of an Eccentric, take a first look at these drafts and make some suggestions or comments.

Iliana of Bookgirl’s Nightstand also asked last week if I had any plans for these poems, and indeed I do. I am working on poems for a full-length manuscript, which I hope to complete by the end of this year. I’m not sure that all the poems I create this year will end up in the manuscript, but the more poems I work on and complete, the better pile I will have to pick from.

If anyone has any other questions, please feel to ask.

So, for Writing Goal Week #8:

Continue work on my third poem and hopefully start other poems this week as well.

***Don’t forget my Arlene Ang, Secret Love Poems, giveaway***

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: writing goals

Thursday’s Thoughts

February 21, 2009 by

Hey everyone, just wanted to alert you to my spotlight moment on Thursday’s Thoughts. Yes, I came up with this week’s question.

Head on over, check it out, and PARTICIPATE!

I hope you have fun!

***Don’t forget my Arlene Ang, Secret Love Poems, giveaway***

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: thursday's thoughts

Final Part of My Interview With Arlene Ang

February 19, 2009 by

Welcome Arlene Ang for her final questions from Savvy Verse & Wit. If you’ve missed the first two parts of the interview, click here and here. Additionally, you may have missed my review of her chapbook Secret Love Poems. If you have, check it out here. Stay tuned for giveaway details after the interview.

Without further ado, here’s Arlene:

7. While reading your chapbook “Secret Love Poems,” I noticed that there are five “numbered” Secret Love Poems (13th, 15th, 19th, 22nd, and 24th Secret Love Poems). Were there other numbered secret love poems that did not make the chapbook? If so, why were they not included?

The original plan was to have 69 for a book. I got as far as 35 before running out of gas. When I submitted the manuscript to Rubicon Press, the contents page looked so redundant with 1st Secret Love Poem, 2nd Secret Love Poem, etc that I decided to change most of the titles. Quite a bit of secret love poems are floating out there that weren’t included in the chapbook, mostly because they weren’t in context with the rest or were still awaiting first publication in a magazine at the time. Also, towards the end, I got a bit creative with the concept and wrote quite a lot of duds.

8. The poems included in “Secret Love Poems” obviously were chosen for their central theme. Were the poems written at the same time (Much like your self-proclaimed obsessions with words or ideas) or over a period of time in spurts?

Oh god, yes. I was obsessed with it — inspired by Apollinaire‘s secret poems (check out The 9th Secret Poem) — for a couple of months. I wrote all 35 in less than 60 days, I think.

9. Most writers will read inspirational/how-to manuals, take workshops, or belong to writing groups. Did you subscribe to any of these aids and if so which did you find most helpful? Please feel free to name any “writing” books you enjoyed most (i.e. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott).

For many years, I was a member of the Internet Writing Workshop’s Poetry-W, a critique group that functions via e-mail. Because participation was a requirement, I was forced to write a poem at least once a week. Then I discovered SaucyVox — an online writers’ community, now defunct — which had this challenge to write 30 poems for 30 days together with other people. It was such a fun and inspiring experience that when the site closed down, the members just moved on. Right now, the 30:30 challenge is being hosted by Rachel Mallino at In The Writer’s Studio. As much as I hate to admit it, the cure for writer’s block is writing. Bookwise, my favorite is still John Drury’s Creating Poetry.

10. When writing poetry, prose, essays, and other works do you listen to music, do you have a particular playlist for each genre you work in or does the playlist stay the same? What are the top 5 songs on that playlist? If you don’t listen to music while writing, do you have any other routines or habits?

No music, no tv. I get easily distracted. One routine I learned is to start writing as soon as I wake up. Once I start thinking of other things, I’m a goner. When inspired, I usually write in bed with pen and paper. When desperate, and the 30:30 clock is ticking, I type directly on the computer. I also read something like 30-50 poems a day — between books and online journals — before writing. It works as a kind of sun salutation for me.

11. What current projects are you working on and would you like to share some details with the readers?

Valerie Fox and I might have another poetry book in the making. We’re trying to move towards real collaborative writing as opposed to writing poems based on each other’s poems. It’s rather unexpected since we just had our Bundles (of joy) last year, but we find that once we start writing in 30:30 together, we just go into collaborative writing mode. Another project would be to start updating/revising my full-length manuscript, “Seeing Birds in Church is a Kind of Adieu” for Cinnamon Press. It’s scheduled to go into print early 2010.

I want to thank Arlene for spending time with us here at Savvy Verse & Wit, and for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer my unusual questions.

***Giveaway Details:***

Originally, I had decided to pay for one or two winner to receive a copy of Secret Love Poems.

However, Arlene has generously offered to giveaway THREE copies of her chapbook, Secret Love Poems, to three lucky winners.

The giveaway is INTERNATIONAL, since she is in Italy herself, and she will be mailing out the copies. She’s such a doll, and she likes to mail things.

Deadline is FEB. 26, Midnight EST.

1. Leave a comment, ask a question, just don’t use the trite: “Please enter me” or “pick me” comments.

2. If you blog about the contest, refer someone to the contest and they drop your name, or whatever, leave me a link or comment about it and you will get another entry.

***This Just In, there are now FIVE copies of Secret Love Poems available for the giveaway, courtesy of Arlene*** Enter away!

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: giveaway, Interviews, poetry Tagged With:

Secret Love Poems by Arlene Ang

February 18, 2009 by

Arlene Ang’s Secret Love Poems is a short chapbook of 22 pages, but the poems pack a powerful punch. The incongruous images used in some of these poems come together in unusual and satisfying ways. Readers will be hooked from the first page and the first poem, “The mime under my left breast.”

“The glass slipper on his night stand/is the couplet I swore//never to write after the first act./In a copy of Scientific Monthly,//the average boy steals at least five/street signs before he loses his virginity.//” (Page 1)

The last line says it all, revealing the “secret love.” I think it also sets the stage for the rest of the chapbook. “girls who live dangerously.”

A number of poems in this volume have girls, really women, who live dangerously. A woman involved with a married man, a woman who’s lived a long life and is running out of time, and a girl home alone with a boy she hardly knows and her parents are not home, just to name a few.

Whether these poems are real situations or hidden desires, it is obvious many of these poems are about hidden desires, passions simmering beneath the skin.

From “The 13th Secret Love Poem”:

“I wonder how his leather briefcase/would move against my skin./Twenty meters apart, we are never alone.//” (Page 10)

From “The 22nd Secret Love Poem”:

“We never exchange more than/a few words: my professional advice,/the weather, her next appointment.// She leaves like snow crystals on/my lash. Briefly, the world glitters.//” (Page 19)

In “The 13th Secret Love Poem,” mundane objects like a briefcase have an electric charge, emanating from the poem. A woman in “The 22nd Secret Love Poem” becomes magical to the narrator, helping the world to shine. Ang’s poetry has a luminescence that will stay with readers for many years to come, whether she speaks of passionate love or convivial love.

I cannot praise this volume of poetry enough.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of my interview with her here on Savvy Verse & Wit. Check out the first two parts of the interview with Arlene Ang here and here.

***Don’t forget my Arlene Ang, Secret Love Poems, giveaway***


About the Poet:

Arlene Ang lives in Italy and edits for several literary zines and is a prolific poet.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: poetry, Read in 2009, reviews Tagged With: ,

Part 2 of My Interview with Poet Arlene Ang

February 17, 2009 by

Welcome to Part 2 of my interview with Arlene Ang.

I was reading over her answers to the second part of our interview, and it donned on me where else I had heard of Arlene, and it was Poems Niederngasse, which published a poem of mine in 2004. Check out Sacrifice if you are interested.

However, this is not about me, it’s about Arlene, so without further ado, let me welcome Arlene back to Savvy Verse & Wit

4. Have you edited for other magazines? And are the processes and atmospheres similar at those magazines to those at Pedestal?

Before coming to Pedestal Magazine, I was editor of Niederngasse Italian for some years. Presently, I’m also one of the Press 1 editors — more webmistress than editor actually since Valerie Fox and Phyllis Wat do most of the paper/legwork.

Editing for Pedestal is certainly different pace-wise. I find that I have to read submissions every day or get behind. When I was editor for Niederngasse Italian, I remember having to solicit poems for every issue because otherwise there wouldn’t have been any issue. Pedestal has a sleek, businesslike atmosphere. I love the database, sorting out the submissions like a postal worker (one of my dream jobs). When I’m on duty, it feels like a real job behind a real cubicle. No chitchat with co-workers, just 100% concentration.

With Press 1, we’re pretty lax. We discuss the poems we receive and take votes. Oftentimes we’re late, too. The only time, I think, that a Pedestal issue came out late was because the server got hacked.

5. If you were to describe your writing what 5 buzzwords would you choose? And could you elaborate on what those buzzwords mean to you and why they describe your work?

Difficult question. Like standing in front of the mirror and wondering which shoes go better with your dress.

Versatile is the first word that comes to mind. A friend said that, not me, because I like to try different genres from traditional forms to prose poems to photoetry. Photoetry is just how I coined the marriage of photography and poetry. There’s probably an official literary term for it. I did a couple ages ago: Like Turned Tables and Like Electricity.

Evolving. At least that’s how it feels. At some point I broke off from the straight narrative road and entered the Twilight Zone.

Godless. After thirteen years in a Catholic school, it’s hard not to be. It probably shows in my writing.

Experimental. Sometimes I actually imagine myself putting on a lab coat when I write and start poking into bodies and language that shouldn’t concern me.

Inventive. Maybe. I like to think of ways on how to lure in the reader.

6. Do you have any obsessions you would like to share?

Obsessions are my passion. My updated list includes (in alphabetical order) computer games, death, drink, food, mutation, Sims 3, and Tom Waits.

I also get obsessed with words or ideas. This month is eye-patch month and hermit crabs. Last year was amputation, gorilla suit, and shipwreck year. Like with songs I love, I just keep repeating the words or concepts in my writing until I get bored and move on to another subject. I’m worse than a virus.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: Interviews, poetry Tagged With:

Mailbox Monday #17

February 16, 2009 by

Another edition of Mailbox Monday, sponsored by Marcia of The Printed Page.

Here’s what came in my mailbox this week:

1. MAX by James Patterson sent by Miriam at Hatchette Group; this is a continuation of the young adult series of winged children. This is book 5 in the series and is due out in Hardcover in Mid-March.

2. Of Dreams and Realities by Dr. Frank L. Johnson; courtesy of Bostick Communications and the poet.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: mailbox monday

Writing Goal Week #7

February 16, 2009 by

The Writing Goal Update for this week is better than last week. I not only made progress on the one poem I’ve been working on, but I worked on a second poem I had set aside some time ago. I’m not completely sure they are done, but at least I’ve made progress.

By the way, anyone know what those highway workers are called? Those ones that paint the lines on highways and roads? Or the name of the machines used to paint the lines on roads?

So, for Writing Goal Week #7:

If I can find the answers to the above questions, I may be able to finish one poem.

However, if I don’t I need to start working on some other projects for a while.

Have a great week, everyone.

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: writing goals

Remember the Euphoria of Your First Author Interview

February 15, 2009 by

Do you remember when you first started sharing your thoughts about books? And how you never expected people to read those thoughts or care enough to comment on them? I do. I’m sure many of you do. The happy moments of just writing down what you thought about a book.

I also remember the thrill of being asked to conduct my first author interview. I wondered what were the best questions to ask, what questions did I want answers to, and what would readers be interested in learning about the author?

Well, Jenners at Find Your Next Book Here is experiencing this right now. Go on over, show your support, and check out her interview with Efrem Sigel, author of The Disappearance.

I’m headed over to check it out; you should too. Have a great Sunday! Stay tuned for my writing goal update!

Copyright of Serena M. Agusto-Cox at Savvy Verse & Wit 2007-2010. This is not original content, this content is owned and copyrighted by Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Filed Under: announcements