Last week I was in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and I visited the Jane Addams Book Shop. It is a lovely little place, with three floors full of used books. I was good and only bought three things.
Koestenbaum, Wayne. The Queen’s Throat: Opera, Homosexuality, and the Mystery of Desire. New York: Poseidon Press, 1993.
I’ve enjoyed the other books by Koestenbaum that I have read, so when I found this hardcover for sale for only $10.00 I decided to buy it. I am not an opera fan but am aware of the gay-opera intersection, which I look forward to learning more about.
Millet, Kate. Flying. 1974. New York: Ballantine Books, 1975.
I am aware of this book because of its inclusion in Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir Fun Home, in which she discusses it with her father. I found a signed copy of it in good condition and decided to buy it.
Oliver, Mary. Winter Hours: Prose, Prose Poems, and Poems. 1999. Boston: Mariner Books, 2000.
I have grown more appreciative of Oliver’s work in recent years and decided to buy this miscellaneous collection because it includes an essay about one of my favorite poets, Walt Whitman.