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Mailbox Monday #24

April 6, 2009 by

Hello! Welcome to another edition of Mailbox Monday, sponsored by Marcia at The Printed Page. Ok, I know it’s Sunday, but I have a tour on Monday, so here you go. . . a day early.

Here’s what I got in my mailbox:

1. Midnight Voices by Deborah Ager, which I ordered from the author who also administers the 32 Poems blog and published 32 Poems.

2. Green Bodies by Rosemary Winslow, which I received from the author for review.

3. Becoming the Villainess by Jeannine Hall Gailey, which I received from the author for review.

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

Bookish Meme

April 4, 2009 by

I snagged this from The Boston Bibliophile and The Bookkitten:

1. Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?
I also prefer trade paperbacks because I don’t have to squint or necessarily wear my reading glasses. Sometimes its just not convenient to pull out those reading glasses on the Metro.

2. Barnes & Noble or Borders?
The B&Ns here are not that great around me, though I do like the one in Bethesda, Md., but I prefer my Borders because of the staff and the selection of books, music, and magazines. The staff is always helpful and courteous.

3. Bookmark or dog-ear?
I use a bookmark most of the time and post-it flags…I usually only dog-ear pages when I run out of post-it flags, which is a compliment to the book.

4. Amazon or brick and mortar?
Brick and mortar stores, though Amazon has its purposes, especially when I want something that is hard to find around here at a good price.

5. Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
Right now, its random because I don’t have enough shelf space. When I get my new bookcases, which have to be custom made, I will probably group by genre.

6. Keep, throw away, or sell?
I keep a majority of the books I have, though I will giveaway some on my blog as a way to pass along some great books or books that didn’t work for me, but would work for someone else. I never throw away books…I have donated some to the library system, though.

7. Keep dust jacket or toss it?
I love dust jackets.

8. Read with dust jacket or remove it?
I sometimes use the flaps as bookmarks, but I generally don’t read them until I finish the book.

9. Short story or novel?
Mostly novels, but I love short stories when they are written well.

10. Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
neither

11. Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
I prefer to stop when I reach a chapter break, but I won’t force myself to get there if my eyes will not stay open.

12. “It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
“It was a dark and stormy night.” is perfectly ominous…foreshadowing conflict, which I need for a novel to work for me.

13. Buy or borrow?
I do a combination of both…I borrow audiobooks from the library more than books, which I get from the store and other places.

14. New or used?
I don’t discriminate when it comes to books.

15. Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
Book reviews from bloggers, not official reviews. Recommendations and browsing are a close second.

16. Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Both, but the resolution has to fit the plot.

17. Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
M-F its afternoon through evening reading, Saturdays I prefer to read in the morning and afternoon, and Sunday its all day reading.

18. Stand-alone or series?
Again, I don’t discriminate, but the series has to be good and continue to be so to hold my attention.

19. Favorite series?
Nancy Drew or Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles

20. Favorite children’s book?
Cat in the Hat or Where the Sidewalk Never Ends

21. Favorite YA book?
Nancy Drew The Kachina Doll Mystery

22. Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux or Tuxedo Park, though I can’t remember the author right now.

23. Favorite books read last year?
The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Black Flies, Testimony, The Road, Mr. Thundermug, Pemberley by the Sea, Gods Behaving Badly, Mr. Darcy’s Diary, Cold Rock River, and The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen

24. Favorite books of all time?
The Road, Phantom of the Opera, The Vampire Lestat, Hamlet, Pride & Prejudice, Wuthering Heights

25. What are you reading right now?
An Offer You Can’t Refuse by Jill Mansell and Mainline to the Heart by Clive Matson

26. What are you reading next?
The Traitor’s Wife by Susan Higginbotham

27. Favorite book to recommend to an eleven-year-old?
Nancy Drew Series

28. Favorite book to reread?
Pride & Prejudice

29. Do you ever smell books?
I do occasionally.

30. Do you ever read Primary source documents?
Sometimes. It really depends on my mood.

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: meme

Mailbox Monday #23

March 30, 2009 by


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

I can’t believe I’ve stuck with this weekly meme for 22 weeks. Now, I think its a habit.

Here’s what came in my mailbox this week:

1. The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris, which I received from the author for a June 2009 TLC Book Tour.


2. Sway by Zachary Lazar, which I won over at Teddy Rose’s So Many Precious Books, So Little Time!


3. Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa for review from the author.


4. The Shipwreck of a Nation: Germany: An Inside View by H. Peter Nennhaus, which I received from the author for review.


5. Aesop’s Fables retold by John Cech, illustrated by Martin Jarrie, which I won from Booking Mama


6. Coventry by Helen Humphreys, which I received for review as part of the WWII Reading Challenge from W.W. Norton & Company.

7. Stroke by Sidney Wade, which I received from the poet for review.

8. The Hardship Post by Jehanne Dubrow, which I bought at her most recent reading at The Writer’s Center on March 29. More on that later.


9. City of a Hundred Fires by Richard Blanco, which I bought at his most recent reading at The Writer’s Center on March 29. More on this later.

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

Mailbox Monday #22

March 23, 2009 by


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

What books did I get in the mail this week? Would you believe I had a slow week? Well, I did.

Here’s what I got in the mail:


1. Rubber Side Down: The Biker Poet Anthology by Jose (JoeGo) Gouveia, which I received for review thanks to Lisa Roe and Rosemary Tribulato from Archer Books.

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

***Giveaway Reminder***

3 Copies of Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly for U.S./Canada residents
1 copy of Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly for an international resident
Deadline is March 24, 5pm EST

1 copy of Plum Spooky Audiobook by Janet Evanovich; Deadline is March 26 at 5PM

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

Thursday’s Thoughts: What I Would Study

March 20, 2009 by


This week’s Thursday’s Thoughts question is

If you could study a subject that you’ve never had the opportunity to learn, what would you choose? This could be an academic class or the study of a specific skill or art.

I may be a day late on this week’s question, but hey, I’m answering it. I’ve wanted to go back to college for some time now, more specifically graduate school for an MFA in Creative Writing or an MA in literature, and eventually a PhD so I could teach college courses. Unfortunately, that time has passed along with my grandmother; she was a great inspiration to me and provided much of the money I needed to get into undergrad. I thank her dearly. Graduate work is out of the question unless I win the lottery.

However, I’ve also wanted to take courses in photography, particularly to learn about composition. It also would be great to learn about developing photos the old fashioned way in chemicals and a dark room and how to use photoshop to modify digital photos. I did learn a great deal when I worked for five years at photography store in the area, and the people I worked with taught me a lot. But formal training in photography would be fantastic.

Another thing on my to-do list is to learn my father’s native language, Portuguese. I’ve always loved other languages and can still speak some Spanish thanks to high school courses, but I would love to learn Portuguese and talk with my dad in his native tongue and head on over to the Azores to speak with those relatives as well.

I have a great many interests, but those are the top two on my list. What’s on yours?

***Giveaway Reminder***

1 gently used ARC of Reading by Lightning by Joan Thomas; Deadline is March 20 at Midnight EST.

3 Copies of Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly for U.S./Canada residents
1 copy of Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly for an international resident
Deadline is March 24, 5pm EST

1 copy of Plum Spooky Audiobook by Janet Evanovich; Deadline is March 26 at 5PM

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

Mailbox Monday #21

March 16, 2009 by


Marcia’s The Printed Page sponsored Mailbox Monday each week. Ready to see what came in my mailbox this week?

Here are the goodies:

1. A Lucky Child by Thomas Buergenthal from Hatchette Group

2. Miranda’s Big Mistake by Jill Mansell for a tour with Sourcebooks

3. The Mechanics of Falling by Catherine Brady for an April TLC Book Tour

4. Tea and Other Ayama Na Tales by Eleanor Bluestein for an April TLC Book Tour

5. Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews for Book Club Girl‘s March 25 show

6. The True Keeps Calm Biding Its Story by Rusty Morrison from the American Academy of Poets, which won the James Laughlin Award.

7. Keeper of Light and Dust by Natasha Mostert from A Novel Menagerie for a small virtual tour.

8. The Italian Lover by Robert Hellenga from my great friend Janel at Janel’s Jumble, and somehow I have two copies of this book. But this one is special because Janel included a cute little beaded book thong, which I assume she made herself! Janel, you’re a gem!

***GIVEAWAY REMINDER***

I also have two copies of Diana Raab‘s My Muse Undresses Me and one copy of Dear Anaïs: My Life in Poems for You. Deadline is March 18 at 5PM EST.

One gently used ARC of Reading by Lightning by Joan Thomas; Deadline is March 20 at Midnight EST.

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

Mailbox Monday #20

March 9, 2009 by

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

I cannot believe the influx of books I received this week. It amazes me that every week I get a new book in the mail to read and review. I really enjoy reading and reviewing books here from a variety of genres and I love interviewing and speaking with authors and poets.

Ok, enough of my jabbering, here’s what came in the mailbox this week:

1. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, which I won from In Bed With Books. Published by Penguin Group.

2. The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire by C.M. Mayo (a longtime instructor at the local Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Md.), which I received from Unbridled Books for a May blog tour.

3. The Italian Lover by Robert Hellenga, which I won on A Circle of Books. Published by Hatchette Group.

4. The 8th Confession by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, which I received from Hatchette Group–Mom will be reviewing this one.

5. Rubies in the Orchard by Lynda Resnick, which I received from the author for review. This is published by Doubleday.

6. Torched Verse Ends by Steven Schroeder, which I received from the poet whom I interviewed for 32 Poems. I’ll let you know when the interview is up and ready. His book is published by BlazeVOX.

From Poet H.L. Hix:

7. Estonian Elegy and Selected Poems; a translation of Juri Talvet’s poems

8. Legible Heavens

I also received the following from the great people at Soho Press:

9. Haunting Bombay by Shilpa Agarwal

10. Caravaggio’s Angel by Ruth Brandon

11. Silesian Station by David Downing, which may qualify for the WWII Reading Challenge.

12. Zoo Station by David Downing, which qualifies for the WWII Reading Challenge.

13. Exiles by Elliot Krieger

14. God of Luck by Ruthanne Lum McCunn

15. A Deadly Paradise by Grace Brophy, which may qualify for the WWII Reading Challenge.

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

Mailbox Monday #19

March 2, 2009 by

Welcome to another edition of Mailbox Monday, sponsored by Marcia at The Printed Page. Is everyone ready to see what came in my mailbox this week? It’s been a good two weeks for books.

I snagged a bunch of poetry books from Graywolf Press:

1. After Confession by Karen Sontag and David Graham

2. Antebellum Dream Book by Elizabeth Alexander (the poet who read at the inauguration)

3. Barter by Monica Youn

4. The Art of Time in Memoir by Sven Birkerts (current editor at AGNI Magazine)

5. The Book of Faces by Joseph Campana

From Author Suzanne Kamata:

6. Losing Kei

7. Call Me Okaasan

***Current giveaway of Dan Simmons’ Drood. Check it out, here.***

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

Thursday’s Thoughts: What Grabs You?

February 26, 2009 by

Which author’s writing surprised you when you first read their work and what about it grabs you?

Since the question is mine, I figured I better answer it, and I’m going to go a bit askew and mention a poet, who has been featured recently here on Savvy Verse & Wit.

You guessed it, Arlene Ang. I’ve read her work for several years now in journals, and I will immediately read the latest issue of Pedestal Magazine or in whichever journal I find her published next.

What grabbed me first about her poetry is its eccentricty. Yes, her poetry is odd at times, but that’s what I love about it. I love the way she thinks about language and applies it in her work.

The Itch on my Scalp Means is one of my favorites; this is how it begins:

“I’ve been drinking in the nude. There was

a special occasion sometime in my past:

the sliding door stuck and I invited the maitre d’
upstairs to come through the window”

I love the inherent suspense she builds at the beginning of her poems; what is this special occasion from her past and does it have to do with this maitre d’?

How about her poem, “Shipwreck“? (I have a poem with the same title)

“Arrival is another
optical illusion of departure—

to reach the bottom,
the body is called upon
to leave first: the surface, a self,

the neck of a broken bottle
that hangs by a string.

Prior to drowning,
people shout in unison
with their faith—little fetish objects
around their throat—

but do not stop
the ship from sinking.

ii.

Even water has a pulse.

It slows down in the absence
of living, and competes
with movements that have
to do with survival.”

You’ll have to read the rest of this great poem here.

Check out these poems in Poems Neiderngasse.

I also adore that she experiments with her art whether its photoetry in “Like Turned Tables” or her blog.

If you haven’t checked out her by now, you should. There’s even a chance for you to win a copy of her chapbook, here. Yes, that was my shameless plug for more entrants. Today’s the last day!

Happy Thursday!

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

Wondrous Words Wednesday

February 25, 2009 by


Bermudaonion is sponsoring a new meme to introduce readers to Wondrous Words on Wednesdays, and this will be the first time I am participating. Yipee.

Here are the words I found in The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett:

1. Amanuensis: a writing assistant to conduct research and perform secretarial duties, though I didn’t mark the page I found this on, so I can’t tell you how Bennett used the word.

2. Solipsistic: someone who believes the theory of self can be proved to exist or extreme self-absorption

3. Opsimath: a person that continues or begins to learn later in life.

Although, most of these are defined in the novel.

***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: meme, wondrous words

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

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