Greg's 2017 Reads

[Greg]

1. (fiction) The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - 4★

2. (fiction) The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson - 3★

3. (fiction) Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson - 4.5★

4. (poetry) Our Dead Behind Us: Poems by Audre Lorde - 4.5★

5. (sci-fi/fantasy) His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik - 3.75★

[Greg]

6. (poetry) The War Prayer by Mark Twain 4★

My brief review here

A clear poem with no artifice whatsoever, but it's perhaps the most searing piece of writing I've ever read - an indictment of war itself but also more specifically, certain religious attitudes toward war that were prevalent in his time and unfortunately, still exist in many corners today. The straightforward way he whisks the veil off the too-easy hypocrisy is shockingly affecting. I feel a little stunned. Everyone should read this. I was tempted to give it 5★ based on sheer power alone, but I settled on 4★ in the end.

John Groth's ink drawings that accompany the poem are crudely drawn but appropriate. Like the poem itself, they're forceful, expressive, and unadorned.

[Greg]

7. (sci-fi/fantasy) Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey - 4.5★

Some fantastic storytelling in this one. I couldn't put it down.

[Greg]

8. (poetry) The Harp-Weaver and Other Poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay 3.75★

a great collection, as daring as Figs From Thistles but more ranged emotionally and a bit deeper. I can see why this is the one that was awarded the Pulitzer.

9. (poetry) A few figs from thistles: Poems and sonnets by Edna St. Vincent Millay 3.25★

wittier and more cynical than Renascence - some good verses but not very weighty

10. (poetry) Renascence & Other Poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay 3.25★

several great moments in "Renascence" but some other poems feel close to juvenalia compared to later work

[Greg]

11. (fiction) The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst 3.5★

This ambitious book spans mutiple generations with only tenuous links between some of the sections. A few parts were phenomenal, especially in the second half of the book. Others felt like they were just getting off the ground before they ended and time frame & characters jumped forward.

[Greg]

12 . (poetry) Second April by Edna St. Vincent Millay 2.5★

This one was a bit of a disappointment. A few good lyrics distributed throughout that are profound in a way that's pleasingly direct/straightforward, and some sonnets toward the end weren't bad. Overall though, the book is desperately uneven with several immature, clunky, and/or overblown lyrics. This is my least favorite of her books so far.

[Greg]

13. (mystery) The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie 3.5★

A fun mystery though a bit silly plot wise, some enjoyably exaggerated character sketches

[Greg]

14. (poetry) Fatal Interview: Sonnets by Edna St. Vincent Millay 4.25★

a superb collection! some of the sonnets are just wonderful in themselves, and the overall cycle is quite interesting in the emotional sequence it portrays. The first portion has a Romantic-era feel about it, but as time elapses in the sequence, the perspective matures in important ways.

[Greg]

15 (non-fiction) Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race 3.5★

a little drier than I'd hoped but a fantastic uncovering of key historical information, meticulously researched and important.

[Greg]

16. (poetry) The Buck in the Snow and Other Poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay 4★

My review here.

[Greg]

17. (drama) Creditors by August Strindberg 3★

An intriguing play of ideas where the various characters expound on relationships, identity, gender, etc. I liked but didn't love it. Not being very familiar with the playwright, there were some uncomfortable views I wasn't sure how to take.

18. (poetry) The murder of Lidice by Edna St. Vincent Millay 2★

Composed by Edna St. Vincent Millay at the request of the War Resources Board in WWII. I've no doubt that Nazis destroyed the town in a horrible way, but the narrative poem comes across merely as propoganda (which of course it was). The chsracters are mere idealized props. It's really only interesting as a historical curiosity. I applaud Millay's stance in writing it, but the book itself is nothing special - it even has the feel of perhaps being edited and puffed up by the War Board folks, though I have no evidence for this.