Cole, Teju. Open City. 2011. New York: Random, 2012. I recently taught the first chapter of this novel in one of my writing classes as an example of psychogeography. A colleague had passed it on to me, and I was completely enthralled, so I decided to buy the book, and I look forward to readingContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently”
Category Archives: Literature
Books Acquired Recently
Arthur, Anthony. The Tailor-King: The Rise and Fall of the Anabaptist Kingdom of Münster. New York: St. Martin’s, 1999. Queer Mennonite literature has been the primary focus of my scholarship over the last year and a half. I keep discovering more and more of it, and as I do, I realize that it is aContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently”
Two New Book Reviews
I’ve just had two book reviews published, both on exciting new texts in the field of Mennonite literature. The first is a review of Jessica Penner’s novel Shaken in the Water (pdf–scroll down to page 157), which appears in Mennonite Quarterly Review, the leading journal of Mennonite studies. It has been my goal to publishContinue reading “Two New Book Reviews”
Books Acquired Recently
Ferguson, Alex. My Autobiography. London: Hodder, 2013. I am a huge Manchester United fan, so of course I had to buy Sir Alex’s autobiography. It will be interesting to see what events from his 26-year reign at Old Trafford (not to mention his successful time at Aberdeen) stood out to him enough to write about.Continue reading “Books Acquired Recently”
Books Acquired Recently: Post-Holiday Edition
I ordered a number of books with some holiday cash, and they have been trickling in through the mail recently. Gundy, Jeff. Somewhere Near Defiance. Tallahassee: Anhinga, 2014. Gundy is one of my favorite poets, and he was kind enough to send me a review copy of his new collection. I look forward to readingContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently: Post-Holiday Edition”
Books Acquired Recently: Antique Edition
I received two antique books as belated holiday gifts from a relative who runs an antique shop. I am primarily interested in them as aesthetic objects, though the novel might be fascinating to read sometime. Dale, Annan. Dwellers in Gotham: A Romance of New York. New York: Eaton, 1898. This novel is actually still inContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently: Antique Edition”
Books Acquired Recently: Salt Lake City Edition
I am visiting Salt Lake City for the holidays, and over the past few days I’ve visited two of my favorite bookstores in the city, The King’s English, where I bought Lessing’s novel, and Central Book Exchange, where I bought Kosinski’s and Poe’s books. Kosinski, Jerzy. The Painted Bird. 1965. New York: Bantam, 1972. IContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently: Salt Lake City Edition”
Books Acquired Recently: Holiday Gift Edition
This post lists the various books I’ve received as gifts this holiday season. I actually didn’t ask for very many this year (I went a more purely aesthetic route, getting some snazzy clothing and several pieces of art), hence the small number, though I’ll probably buy a few more with some holiday cash. There areContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently: Holiday Gift Edition”
Book Acquired Recently: Stand Our Ground: Poems for Trayvon Martin & Marissa Alexander
Osayande, Ewuare X., ed. Stand Our Ground: Poems for Trayvon Martin & Marissa Alexander. Philadelphia: FreedomSeed, 2013. I received this anthology from my father, who works with Osayande at Mennonite Central Committee. I am incredibly excited to read it, as it looks to be an important addition to the long tradition of politically-activist poetry anthologiesContinue reading “Book Acquired Recently: Stand Our Ground: Poems for Trayvon Martin & Marissa Alexander”
The Ten Most Influential Books List
I recently participated in the Facebook meme that asks for a list of the ten most influential books on a person’s life. Here is my list with some brief comments: 1. boneyard by Stephen Beachy—This book showed myself to me in an exact way that I had never encountered before in literature. Queer and Anabaptist:Continue reading “The Ten Most Influential Books List”
Daniel Shank Cruz 