DUCTWORK

STAYIN’ ALIVE: THE 1970s AND THE LAST DAYS OF THE WORKING CLASS by Jefferson Cowie. In-depth analysis of how the Republican Party co-opted the working class (unions) by appealing to their class culture instead of their economic aspirations. Notable for Cowie’s use of the arts, mostly music, to demonstrate how the working class’s vision of themselves was evolving. A long read but key to understanding the current malaise of the working class in America.

A GATE AT THE STAIRS by Lorrie Moore. Writing that is smooth and fluid. I was carried away on her soft pillow of language that is saturated with many wonderful metaphors. A striking insight of what people think about race in America and politics in general. A keeper for a reread on a rainy day in two years.

Crazyhorse Number 78. Definitely one of the premier journals of creative writing. My favorites are All Galaxies Moving, The November Story, and Blue Side Up.

AGNI Number 74. First-rate writing. My favorites are Azeroth, Implanted Devices, A Beauty, and The Night Guardian of the Goat by authors who are insightful and erudite.

GODS WITHOUT MEN by Hari Kunzru. Fabulous writing about a place in the desert. Jaz and Raz are the best characters. Each chapter is wonderful, but the book as a whole was a little disjointed for me. I would recommend it for the fabulous dialogue and settings.

NEW MILLENNIUM WRITINGS-2012 edited by Don Williams. A collection of essays, short fiction and nonfiction, and poetry by post-novice writers. Many are worth reading, some are not to my taste in structure or emotional content. Invasive Species by Jacob Appel is quite good.

ANOTHER BULLSHIT NIGHT IN SUCK CITY by Nick Flynn. A memoir in pieces. Flynn has constructed a collage of his life, focused mostly on his relationship with his father. The lessons are all there for the plucking; you have to read it all to get them. A tour de force.

WAITING by Ha Jin. A magical story with simple language, subtle story development, wonderful characters, and an astonishing ending. A memorable read by a master story teller.

THE SEA by John Banville. Magical poetic language where each page has a memorable passage. Heartfelt journey of a man who has lost his wife. I read it twice; there is just too much depth to capture it all on the first pass.

LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Wonderfully complex love story with language rich and supple.

NIGHT by Elie Wiesel. Simple short rendering of the nightmare of a young boy caught in the Holocaust. Stunning and harrowing, a testament to the corrupt nature of man and the hope that is always present.

THE COLLECTED STORIES by Grace Paley. Surprising stories that entertain and expose parts of the human spirit often hidden. Paley’s language is complex in style but simple in message.

BLUE RIVERS: POEMS by Douglas Reid Skinner. Manly poems conjuring the hard life of one on the frontier of the world. Soft and gentle poems of how one man deals with the cold, hard world. Mesmerizing.

ANNA KARENIN by Leo Tolstoy. Intricate fabric of a woman and the love stories around her and within her. Amazing forays into the psychology of life in nineteenth century Russia, and the timeless psychology of the human condition. I was sorry to get to the end.

A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES by John Kennedy Toole. Fantastic character development, dialogue and story of the life of Ignatius Reilly. A primer on how to write dialogue. Too bad Toole didn’t stay to write other works.

THE RADIANT by Cynthia Huntington. Wonder-full poems that expose the rawness of our life and its tenuous place here on this earth. There are so many greats. One of my favorites is Canaan.

THE O’HENRY PRIZE STORIES -2003 edited by Laura Furman. As usual, fabulous shorts that remind the reader what real writing is like. My favorites are Train Dreams by Denis Johnson and Two Words by Molly Giles.

QUICK FICTION 18 (September 2011). Great short shorts (500 or words or less). I liked The Return and Washington ‘The First Shall Be First’ Franey.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. Great plot and story-telling. Not so great ending. Writing is solid but not great. I enjoyed my time in this world but it was too long and ponderous.

TITUS ANDRONICUS by William Shakespeare. War hero, intrigue, murder, beheadings, dismemberments, revenge, love, removal of tongues and hands, politics, . . . and all in just 90 pages. Couldn’t put it down. I wonder why it hasn’t been performed more often.

THE HALF-FINISHED HEAVEN by Tomas Transtromer. The best poems of Tomas Transtromer, selected and translated from the swedish by Robert Bly. Rich, deep, poems of love, nature and war. Each one opens a door previously unknown to the reader. I read this one twice one weekend; it captured me like a spider’s web.

FEELING SOMETHING YOU CAN’T FEEL AT ALL an anthology from the Boston Grub Street 2011 YAWP Summer Teen Fellowship. Inspiring forays into writing by young lights. My favorites are Subway by Isabella Kuresh and Reunion by Louisa McIntyre.

THE TICKING IS THE BOMB by Nick Flynn. “A beautiful, intelligent book that renders pain both ordinary and extraordinary into art.” – San Francisco Chronicle.

THE WOMAN WHO CUT OFF HER LEG AT THE MAIDSTONE CLUB by Julia Slavin. Strange stories that will carry you along in a rush to perfect endings.

WILL YOU PLEASE BE QUIET, PLEASE? by Raymond Carver. Masterful short stories, one after another. I read this volume twice in hopes of learning some of his tricks. Pure craft. Highly recommended.

SYRINGA poems by Laura Davies Foley. Startling meditations on the natural world as it moves through our lives, impacting us, drawing us to it, revealing new ways to relate to it. My favorite is City Trees.

MAPPING THE FOURTH DIMENSION poems by Laura Davies Foley. ‘…meditates upon the death of a significant love with poems that are dream-like and ecstatic.” I have already read these twice. They carry me to a new place in my own heart, which is just what good poetry is supposed to do. My favorites are THE LONG, BLACK STREETS and RISK.

PASTORALIA – STORIES AND A NOVELLA by George Saunders. Stories that carry the reader along swiftly and magically into new worlds. A candidate for rereading in a year.

THE SALT HOUSE by Cynthia Huntington. Wonderful lyrical story of her and her husband’s summer in a cottage in the dunes of Cape Cod. I had to stop and reread many passages. I was sad when the end of the book came. “Luminous and keenly observed.” – Annie Dillard.

SUS SCROFA by Markie Babbott. A wonderful short collection of poems exploring family life and growing up. Babbott’s knack for the unusual insight is strong, foreshadowing great things to come.

WHITE NOISE by Don Delillo. Brilliant writing. His ability to place the significance and meaning of each action and setting is phenomenal. This critique of modern life is as prescient today as when it was written in 1985. I challenge anyone to match his style.

WOMEN IN THEIR BEDS by Gina Berriault. Fabulous short stories, written with the voice of one with a deep understanding of the human spirit. I look to her as my ideal stylist. “In these thirty-five stories, one struggles to find a sentence that is anything less than jewel-box perfect.” – New York Times Book Review

A TABLE FOR ONE: UNDER THE LIGHT OF JERUSALEM by Aharon Appelfeld. Insightful short chapters on his cafe life in Jerusalem, and how he used them to be a writer. Many lessons, and good writing. Highly recommended for writers.

THE BURNING HOUSE by Paul Lisicky. Softly, quietly, this book creeps into your mind and heart with a style unlike any other. The narrator becomes someone close, perhaps yourself. Hard to shake off the impact of this book.

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME by Mark Haddon. Wonderful journey in the mind of a young man who sees the world better than most adults. Refreshing.

AN INSTANCE OF THE FINGERPOST by Iain Pears. “May well be the best historical mystery ever written.” – The Sunday Boston Globe

QUICK FICTION – 17 Strong collection of micro fiction in a variety of styles. My favorite of this group is “Companion” by Martha Clarkson.

THE POLITICS OF BEING MORTAL by Alfred G. Killilea. Clear and concise arguments for reestablishing Americans’ connection with their mortality, which would counter the greed and self-centeredness of our capitalist model with communitarianism and love. The best arguments I have seen for stopping the runaway kelptocracy of America.

BAD BEHAVIOR by Mary Gaitskill. Wonderful character development, emotions raw and subtle, simple language leading to strange places, fantastic voyages through the human heart. I will read this again, especially “An Affair, Edited.”

BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett. Wonderful journey amongst well-developed characters. Very tight writing style, very stock plot yet the softness of the words carry one along to a very sad ending. Recommended for a summer read.

PRICKSONGS & DESCANTS by Robert Coover. Fantastic voyages to surprising places within the soul; stories that play with time and the reader. One of Coover’s early works, but still fresh and inviting.

BATS OUT OF HELL by Barry Hannah. Brilliantly written short stories of dark and sometimes humorous corners of the world, with personalities both urbane and parochial. Hannah has a unique style that engages and transports. I was sorry when I had finished the last story, one of the best (Nicodemus Bluff).

A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD by Jennifer Egan. Wonderful story, written in a post-modern collage of personalities around the music scene in New York City. Memories of Jonathan Lethem.

THE IMPERFECTIONISTS by Tom Rachman. A finely crafted story that is a smooth, quick read. Seamless prose.

THE PHYSICS OF IMAGINARY THINGS by Tina May Hall. A mesmerizing collection of short poetic stories, and a novella, “All the Day’s Sad Stories.” The writing is so clear and imaginative that I found myself rereading passage after passage. For a taste, read, “This Is A Love Story, Too.” I will reread this this year. Maybe the most clear and powerful writing I have encountered.

THE CAPTIVE MIND by Czeslaw Milosz. Milosz’s Nobel Prize-winning study of the totalitarian phenomenon in Eastern Europe. Clear, frightening, prophetic, brilliant.

LOOKOUT CARTRIDGE By Joseph McElroy. A masterpiece. Incredible detail and realism. A trip through his character’s mind while engaged in a highly complex intrigue. Slow read as every word is important, and every sentence (long) is packed with insight.

DREAM WORK By Mary Oliver. Perpetual awareness on the page. Truth and loneliness are addressed with the touch of a feather. My favorites are Clamming and 1945-1985 Poem for the Anniversary.

AN AMERICAN CHILDHOOD By Annie Dillard. Great writing. A family that begs for you to come for dinner. Dillard’s sense of humor is strong and her style carries the reader along without effort.

AGNI – 72 Literary Magazine of Boston University. Fabulous collection of short fiction and nonfiction, and poetry. This issue has a very strong group of African writers showing their world class stuff.

JESUS’ SON by Denis Johnson. Perfect writing on the dreamers, addicts and lost souls of America’s world. Together, these stories create an unforgettable tableau. I especially liked Dirty Wedding.

WINTER’S JOURNEY by Stephen Dobyns. Warm, insightful narrative poems about isolation and redemption in the winter by the shore.

THE DANCE OF GEOMETRY by Brian Howell. Intriguing historical novel about Johannes Vermeer of Delft. Shades of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, with strong writing.

THE FEAST OF THE GOAT by Mario Vargas Llosa. Brilliant story of the last days of the Trullijo regime in the Dominican Republic and the culture of the citizens there. The writing is rife with visceral images and characters that come to life.

PALLBEARERS ENVYING THE ONE WHO RIDESby Stephen Dobyns. Stunning insightful book of prose poetry. Insights galore and images to open new places. Highest recommendation.

River Styx 83Great stories, poems and drawings/photos by top notch artists. Worth the cheap subscription rate.

SmokeLong Annual—Autumn 2003 – Summer 2004: 74 stories form the year’s best writers. Important lessons on how to write short fiction are learned by reading these masters. See Brian Howell for the best second person story I have ever read. A sure subscription.

THE POISONWOOD BIBLE by Barbara Kingsolver. Incredibly lush narrative of a missionary family in 1960′s Congo. Fabulous construction and imagery. Prodigious character development.

NO ONE BELONGS HERE MORE THAN YOU by Miranda July. Fresh new style, simple yet deep. I became highly invested in each story almost immediately. Highly recommended for all readers of quality literature.

SUN UNDER WOOD by Robert Hass. Clean lines, easy to drive – a sports car of poetry. Elegant images and metaphors to write down. I will read these poems again and again.

THE THOUSAND AUTUMNS OF JACOB DE ZOET by David Mitchell. Dense, highly readable, intriguing look at the first cracks in Japan’s opening to the west in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The writing style is unique and engaging.

THE BIRD CATCHER by Shirley Jackson. Lyrical prose with hints of Jonathan Letham’s New York. A must read for those wanting a taste of the Big Apple and poetic writing.

THE LOTTERY and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson. Her classic short story in bed with 24 other gems.

CHRONIC CITY by Jonathan Lethem. Brainy adventures of memorable characters. Lethem makes the City yield its secrets.

THE DEATH OF THE ADVERSARY by Hans Keilson. A dark novel of the place for enemies in one’s life. Beautiful writing, reminds me of Camus. I will read this again.

COMEDY IN A MINOR KEY by Hans Keilson. A wonderful novel of tension, existential examination, and personal growth set in Holland during WWII. Superbly simple language and technique, yielding a great story.

FREEDOM by Jonathan Franzen. Wonderful tale of the changes in the characters over time, with a great ending.

THE BURDEN OF RESPONSIBILITY: Blum, Camus, Aron, and the French Twentieth Century by Tony Judt. A brilliant exegesis of the three thinkers and writers who most influenced the path of France, and the world in some aspects, in the 20th century. Judt’s writing is magisterial and enticing. A treatise on responsibility in the face of a world in decline.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. “Inventive, amusing, magnetic, sad, and alive with unforgettable men and women — brimming with truth, compassion, and a lyrical magic that strikes the soul — this novel is a masterpiece in the art of fiction.” A lesson in how to write great literature.

CATFISH AND MANDALA by Andrew X. Pham. Wonderful travelogue about a Vietnamese-American trying to find his past, and his future.

CLOUD ATLAS by David Mitchell. Various worlds strangely but logically interlocked. mind-boggling clarity and insight. A true tour de force.

PROMPTED edited by Alison Hicks, Elizabeth Mosier, and Therese Halscheid. Stories, poems, and essays from the Greater Philadelphia Wordshop Studio. All are worthy, but my favorites are That Breathless Charm, The Nutmeg Tree, Split, Gnome Man’s Land, Senior Moments, Now or Never, Out, and Sanctuary.

THE TWIN by Gerbrand Bakker. “An unusual, memorable novel . . . loneliness, combined with the beauty of the landscape, creates an atmosphere of inchoate yearning.” Strangely stark writing yields a haunting emotion.

LETTER TO A HOSTAGE by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. A stark exposition on wartime France and what existence under the Nazis meant to individuals, and mankind’s existence.

THE NECKLACE by Guy de Maupassant, and THE PEARLS by Isak Dinesen.
Two short stories by master craftpersons, both with surprise endings. It is eye-opening to compare the styles – de Maupassant’s direct, fluid; Dinesen’s complex, insightful.

HOLY THE FIRM by Annie Dillard. “This a profound book about the natural world – both its beauty and its cruelty . . .” and the meaning of God in the world. Poetic in its essence, deep in its scope.

SPEAK, MEMORY by Vladimir Nabokov. A peek into a world of the past by a master memoirist. Deep imagery and insights into the early mind of a great writer.

HOTEL THEORY by Wayne Koestenbaum. Two books in one: a meditation of the meaning of hotels, and a dime store novel (called HOTEL WOMEN) featuring Lana Turner and Liberace (in this novel, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” never appear). Fascinating and insightful.

MYSTERY AND MANNERS: OCCASIONAL PROSE by Flannery O’Connor. Insightful and instructive essays on writing fiction from a master, who demands that good writing must search among the mysteries and manners (cultures) of life for truth. A refreshing look at writing and its methods and goals.

BLUETS by Maggie Nelson. Lyrical exposition of the writer’s experience with the color blue. Deep, personal, seductive, beautiful writing. Reminds me of Nabokov. A MUST read.

ON WRITING WELL (fifth edition) by William Zinsser. Hard to pick up, as it appears to be for new writers, but hard to put down once opened. Highly readable, highly insightful instructional manual for writers of all levels. Get it and use it.

I SHUDDER by Paul Rudnick. Surprising funny stories about modern life. Nice break from the heavy literary genre, with quality writing and insights galore.

OTHER PEOPLE’S FATHERS by Romana Petri. Startling stories of childhood and children’s memories of terror and failure of adults to understand what childhood should be. Gaetano’s Father is stunning. The quintessential childhood story book.

A FOOL’S LIFE by Akutagawa Ryunosuke. Poetry in prose form. Stunning images from Japan, with etching to stop one cold. A MUST READ for writers.

THE HISTORY OF LOVE by Nicole Krauss. A stunning tableau of fate and how we are all intertwined in the deep recesses of the world. Lyrical, thought-provoking, seductive.

TICKETS FOR A PRAYER WHEEL by Annie Dillard. Annie’s first book of poetry (1974), showing her depth of thought and high craft. Highly accessible and thought-provoking. Images to take note of.

BIRD BY BIRD: SOME INSTRUCTIONS ON WRITING AND LIFE by Anne Lamott. “Superb writing advice . . . hilarious, helpful and provocative.” New York Times book Review. Lessons galore, presented with wit and insight.

A MATCH TO THE HEART by Gretel Ehrlich. Poetic. “A dazzling work of art.” – LATimes Book Review. Ehrlich brings you into her heart and soul for a journey in search of existential meaning.

River Styx (a literary journal) ed. by Richard Newman, St. Louis. A treasure trove of quality poetry and prose. Recommended for serious craftspersons to see how good we can be.

THE FALL by Albert Camus. “An irresistibly brilliant examination of modern conscience.” – The New York Times.

EMPIRE OF SACRIFICE: The Religious Origins of American Violence by Jon Pahl. The title says it all.

REALITY HUNGER: A MANIFESTO by David Shields. Where to start? Epiphanies hanging like grapes in the high season, juicy, plump, meaty.

RANSOM by David Malouf.  ”. . .  stirring reimagination of one of the most famous passages in all of literature: Achilles’ rageful slaughter and desecration of Hector, and Priam’s attempt to ransom his son’s body in Homer’s The Illiad.”  A MASTERPIECE OF CRAFT.

THE SPIRIT LEVEL: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett.  ”This is a book with a big idea, big enough to change political thinking . . . .  In half a page, it tells you more about the pain of inequality than any play or novel could.” – Sunday Times.

THE PORTABLE CURMUDGEON compiled and edited by Jon Winokur – irreverent and humorous look at the dark side of humanity. “There are no dull subjects. There are only dull writers.” H.L. Mencken

THE GIVEN DAY by Dennis Lehane – riveting story about two societies, black and white, in Boston of the early 20th century.  Seamless, satisfying, and  written by a true craftsman.  I dare you not to finish this book.

THE SUICIDE INDEX by Joan Wickersham – stirring memoir about her father’s suicide. Simple yet penetrating writing, brilliantly organized material, insights galore.

THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE by Jonathan Lethem – wonderful epic journey of two lives, one white, one black, born in the bowels of Brooklyn. A brilliant tableau of lives on the street.

HACKS: 10 Years On Grub Street – Mix of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry published by Grub Street members between 1997 and 2007. Exceptional short writing. Craft at its finest.

The Best American Magazine Writing 2001 edited by Harold Evans – Somewhat strange mix of genres and styles, but exciting nuggets abound. Something for everyone.

OBLIVION: STORIES by David Foster Wallace – sometimes exasperating in its overwhelming detail and in sentences that run to two pages, but worth the read for the sprinkling of absolutely stunning insights into the human condition. When you read his description of how fast the mind can race ahead or around what is happening outside of it, you will become a Wallace devotee.

STRIPPING BARE THE BODY by Mark Danner – a frightening look at how torture and politics and join hands to terrorize and murder people. I still wince when I think about what he wrote about what was done to people in Bosnia. Important, a must read.

VISIBLE DARKNESS by William Styron – a classic short read on the mind and how it can crumble into itself toward destruction.

The Evil B.B. Chow and Other Stories by Steve Almond – tightly packed short stories, some deep, some less deep, but all highly entertaining. Almond is not just a funny guy.

LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov – maybe the best writing I have ever read for unusual but evocative word usage. Thanks to Dinah Lenney for her recommendation.

SO LONG, SEE YOU TOMORROW by William Maxwell – “This is one of the great books of our age. . .” Michael Ondaatje. “When she gets into bed and the springs creak under her weight, she groans with the pleasure of lying stretched out on an object that understands her so well.” p. 64.

(Not that You Asked) Rants, Exploits, and Obsessions by Steve Almond – “Refreshingly irreverent . . . absurdly funny.” The Boston Glove. Must read sections on becoming pubescent, the Boston Red Sox, literary fame, etc.

SECRET LIVES by Evans Chigounis – “marvellously rich and exuberant book” of poems. Eye-opening paeans to South America and North.

VANISHED SMILE: THE MYSTERIOUS THEFT OF MONA LISA by R. A. Scotti – “A fascinating tale of genius, power, and money.” Publishers Weekly. Great art history!

OTHER COLORS by Orhan Pamuk – such powerful writing built with simple language. My favorites are “The Implied Author” c. 1, “Meaning” c. 71, and “My Father’s Suitcase.”

THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH by Ken Follett – fascinating look at 12th century life and how the church ruled life and death. The story is formula and the writing is somewhat thin, but a page-turner, nonetheless.

LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN by Colum McCann – “An emotional tour de force . . . one of the most electric, profound novels I have read in years.” Jonathan Mahler, The New York Times Book Review.

COMING THROUGH SLAUGHTER by Michael Ondaatje – jazz prose about a tragic jazz figure, magnificent.

THE EMPEROR by Ryszard Kapuscinski – the downfall of Ethiopia’s Haile Selassie in prose as refreshing and clear as a bubbling brook.

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