Sharon Olds--My Favorite Poet

Sharon Olds is my favorite contemporary American poet. I first discovered her in a college English class (yes, I was an English major). I'm particularly fond of her book The Gold Cell, and the poem "I go back to May 1937." I was reminded of my fondness for this poet last year when I was in a dark movie theater watching the film Into the Wild. (Based on the book by Jon Krakauer). The main character was reading the aforementioned poem to his sister to illustrate the anger and mixed-feelings that he felt toward his parents. No credit was given to Olds in the dialogue between the characters, but of course I was nudging my movie-going companion saying excitedly in a whisper "That's Sharon Olds!", and "Hey really....it's Sharon Olds!" It was nice to have my interests in poetry and Adventure Nonfiction collide in the film.

Cruise reads

I recently returned from a cruise to the Caribbean. There were lots of things to do and see, but I managed to squeeze in some time for books. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks was a fascinating read - one of those novels that treated its subject matter so well I now want to know more about the Hebrew text, the Haggadah. I also read The Solitary Vice: Against Reading by Mikita Brottman. Don't let the title fool you - this book will convince you to read even more. And if Hollywood biographies float your boat, Ms. Brottman will eloquently explain why she's a fan of them too.

The Survivors Club

Ben Sherwood has a new book out called The Survivors Club: the secrets and science that could save your life. One of the subject headings is "survival skills", but not in the typical way you might imagine. You won't find information about foraging for food, or starting a fire with a flint in this book. For instance, one of the secrets is to wear shoes that lace and tie when flying rather than slip-ons. The author talks about the increased trend to wear slip-ons in airports since we all have to remove our shoes when going through security. He says that wearing more secure footwear is very important in a plane crash, as you can better dash through holes in the fuselage. The book is an entertaining read, and who knows...maybe I'll wear better shoes the next time I fly.