I like to think that I have a fairly full and diverse bookshelf, both at college and at home. Some of these titles can easily reflect in my work, some of them can’t. Each has a certain aspect that can be viewed as a form of “source” for poetry, and each can provide an infinite number of ideas. Here are some titles.
- The House of the Spirits, Isabelle Allende (historical fiction, magical realism)
- For when you need to escape, and if you like ghosts
- What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Love?, Raymond Carver (literary fiction)
- A subtle, yet real-world escape from common day pressures, an analysis of events
- Where The Sidewalk Ends, Shell Silverstein (poetry)
- Tell me you don’t love his work. We all have some inner child somewhere.
- Brodeck, Philippe Claudel (historical fiction)
- A look at Nazi occupation in France through an unreliable narrator. Deals with tragedy in a way that is poetic and well written. I wrote a huge essay on this one for IB English in high school.
- Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton (fiction)
- A study of a Massachusetts hillbilly according to 1911 standards. Pretty funny.
- Handbook for William, Dhuoda (primary historical source)
- A look at expectations for both men and women in the early middle ages. Was written by a common woman, so it is a very rare account of not only everyday life but also how common people were expected to act.
- To Keep from Undressing, Aisha Shariff (poetry)
- Met Shariff last year when she read at Geneseo. The collection deals in accepting race and religion, existing as a minority, and helping a battered sister. Beautiful poetry with innovative forms.
- The Dobe Ju/’hoansi, Richard B. Lee (ethnography)
- Takes a look at the lives of the Ju/’hoansi in Africa, and shows the differences between their culture and ours. Very thought provoking.