Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Serendipity-Do

..or, as Ben Stiller might say, "There's something about Mary's hair."

It's Day 288 of the "What are you reading, and why?" project and, serendipitously, yet again, I will soon be reading A Story Like the Wind, by Laurens van der Post, because I found it instead of A Mantis Carol at Babbitt's, a recommendation from Seana, which sprang from yesterday's Praying Mantis, and it turns out to be one of Seana's favorite books, anyway!

It's about Africa, a boy who makes friends with a Bushman, and how "the living spirit needs a 'story' in order to survive" (book blurb on rear cover).  I remember reading about this before, and yearning for it.

But when, when, when can I read it?!  Things to read (stacked on desk & floor):

Mockingbird (2/3 of the way through). Back on page 190 I encountered Harper Lee's recipe for cracklin' bread, which reminded me of Emily Dickinson's recipe for black cake.  Both are outlandish--Lee's because she is being funny and throwing out the pig to get the renderings used in cracklin' bread, which I learned about from a museum exhibit on kitchens last year.  Oh, and The Simpsons.  "Sure, Lisa, there's a magical animal called the pig...." Dickinson's, because her recipe is more than doubled, and intended to serve the whole town, apparently.

Loving Frank (must re-read before book group in early December; must finish Mockingbird first).

Omnivore's Dilemma (must read, having reminded myself of the magical animal known as the pig).

Cyborgia (reading a few poems at a time; fantastic language and subject matter!)

American Eve (part way through, set aside, must read before I give it away).

The Death of Adam (still going slowly, requires great concentration, temporarily set aside).

A fabulous box of poetry books that arrived in the mail yesterday from RHINO, which doesn't do reviews anymore, so I will!  (Here, or elsewhere.)

And, by serendipity, The Utility of Heartbreak, a poetry chapbook by Charles Reynard, local judge, that arrived in my driveway today!  That is, Charley and I arrived at my driveway at the exact same time.  I was coming from the grocery store (bringing dinner and flour for tomorrow's baking of pumpkin bread!), and he was coming to deliver, and sign, at my kitchen table, the chapbook!!  Fortunately, chapbooks are short, and I have already read all these poems, so this will be a sweet dessert moment.

Fear not.  Though I hugged him, I did not tousle his hair.  Nor put any serendipity-do on it.

7 comments:

seana graham said...

Serendipity-Do is great!

I mean, as a concept...

Marcoantonio Arellano (Nene) said...

where can I attain, 'Cyborgia'?

Kathleen said...

Seana, thanks. I can't remember if I made it up, or if my friend Kim did! I might have told her to make some with hummus. Or vice versa.

Nene, you can get Cyborgia, by Susan Slaviero, from Mayapple Press, at www.mayapplepress.com, where you will find ordering information.

Kim said...

I made it up. It's in my blog last week. But it was definitely your idea to use hummus for that. Don't we make a great team? Let's write a book together.

Kathleen said...

Let's do! Thanks for providing the footnote and citation, Kim! Could you do that in my folded brain frequently?

Marcoantonio Arellano (Nene) said...

Sorry about using the word 'attain' in this context but I was trying (feebly) to use the word in reference to the heights that reading poetry sometimes takes one. Thanks for your 'youthful'(reference to 'older lady' in Drew's blog entry) assistance.

Kathleen said...

Ah! Well, one way to attain those heights is to read a lot of poetry, so my advice still applies!!