Poetry Corner 2

I am not a huge reader of poetry; however, in one of Alexander McCall's new books (The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday), the main character (Isabel Dalhousie) makes frequent reference to W.H. Auden. So I started looking at Auden's poetry, some of which was long and (to me) indigestible. I did come across one poem I liked very much, titled "Talking To Dogs." The beginning of it (it's fairly long too) is:

From us, of course, you want gristly bones
and to be led through exciting odorscapes
-their colours don't matter - with the chance
of a rabbit to chase or of meeting
a fellow arse-hole to snuzzle at,
but your deepest fury is to be accepted
as junior members of a Salon
suaver in taste and manners than a pack,
to be scratched on the belly and talked to.

(The "polaroid" photo of Auden was done on an image generator, as you can tell by the advertising on the bottom - guess I could have cropped it - getting lazy in my old age!)

Random Books I've Read (created using LibraryThing)

Image Generator

OK, I played around with an image generator (imageGenerator.net) and this is what I came up with. A bit juvenile, I know, but you can always look under there! (ha, ha - made you say underwear!)

Biographies

Another column I wrote for North Shore Outlook "Bookbites" - Biographies

BIOGRAPHY

Biographies, autobiographies, memoirs—they all let you walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Take a look at these titles from NVDPL and get ready to immerse yourself in the life of another, be they famous, infamous or just darn intriguing!

Bombay Anna: The Real Story and Remarkable Adventures of the King and I Governess by Susan Morgan
Morgan's research yields the details of Anna Leonowens’ full and long life, delving into her roots as a child of the British in India and the power of a personality driven to reinvent itself several times over. In addition to telling the story of Anna’s true life in full for the first time, the book gives an engrossing account of how and why Anna became an icon in The King and I and its many adaptations.

Who Owns Canada Now? Old Money, New Money and the Future of Canadian Business by Diane Francis
Back in 1986, Diane Francis's hard-hitting Controlling Interest revealed the startling fact that one-third of Canada's wealth was in the hands of just 32 families and five conglomerates. Media coverage would have us believe that the last two decades have only increased this concentration of power. Diane Francis disagrees, and she's here to deliver some good news: financial reforms have shifted the balance away from an old boys' network of risk-averse investors towards daring Canadian innovators. Includes interviews with 70 of Canada’s billionaires.

Gaspipe: Confessions of a Mafia Boss by Philip Carlo
Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso is currently serving thirteen consecutive life sentences plus 455 years at a federal prison in Colorado. In this book, Casso gives author Philip Carlo the most intimate, personal look into the world of La Cosa Nostra ever seen. Casso’s story is gripping reading for anyone with a yen for the Mafia, the criminal underworld and a law enforcement system struggling to keep up.


Madness: A Bipolar Life by Marya Hornbacher
Hornbacher, who detailed her struggle with bulimia and anorexia in Wasted, now shares the story of her lifelong battle with mental illness. At age twenty-four, Hornbacher was diagnosed with Type 1 rapid-cycle bipolar, the most severe form of bipolar disease there is. She takes us inside her own desperate attempts to control violently careening mood swings by self-starvation, substance abuse, numbing sex, and self-mutilation. How Hornbacher fights her way up from a madness that all but destroys her, and what it is like to live in a difficult and sometimes beautiful life and marriage—where bipolar always beckons—is at the heart of this memoir.
Shattered Dreams : My Life as a Polygamist's Wife by Irene Spencer

Spencer grew up in the branch of the Mormon faith that still believes in polygamy. The second of what was ultimately her husband's ten wives, she became the mother of thirteen of his 58 children. She lived in squalor and desolate conditions and struggled to reconcile her religious beliefs against social norms and the deepest desires of her heart.