Sylvia Plath reads "The Applicant"

Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath..(a new favorite)

I have done it again. One year in every ten I manage it-- A sort of walking miracle, my skin Bright as a Nazi lampshade, My right foot A paperweight, My face a featureless, fine Jew linen. Peel off the napkin O my enemy. Do I terrify?-- The nose, the eye pits, the full set of teeth? The sour breath Will vanish in a day. Soon, soon the flesh The grave cave ate will be At home on me And I a smiling woman. I am only thirty. And like the cat I have nine times to die. This is Number Three. What a trash To annihilate each decade. What a million filaments. The peanut-crunching crowd Shoves in to see Them unwrap me hand and foot-- The big strip tease. Gentlemen, ladies These are my hands My knees. I may be skin and bone, Nevertheless, I am the same, identical woman. The first time it happened I was ten. It was an accident. The second time I meant To last it out and not come back at all. I rocked shut As a seashell. They had to call and call And pick the worms off me like sticky pearls. Dying Is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well. I do it so it feels like hell. I do it so it feels real. I guess you could say I've a call. It's easy enough to do it in a cell. It's easy enough to do it and stay put. It's the theatrical Comeback in broad day To the same place, the same face, the same brute Amused shout: 'A miracle!' That knocks me out. There is a charge For the eyeing of my scars, there is a charge For the hearing of my heart-- It really goes. And there is a charge, a very large charge For a word or a touch Or a bit of blood Or a piece of my hair or my clothes. So, so, Herr Doktor. So, Herr Enemy. I am your opus, I am your valuable, The pure gold baby That melts to a shriek. I turn and burn. Do not think I underestimate your great concern. Ash, ash-- You poke and stir. Flesh, bone, there is nothing there-- A cake of soap, A wedding ring, A gold filling. Herr God, Herr Lucifer Beware Beware. Out of the ash I rise with my red hair And I eat men like air.

Well loved....

You can tell a book is well loved by its " battle scars" the little paperback on the right has had its spine cracked, been written / highlighted and well guarded... <3

Books always brighten my day

The past weekend was terrible for me. I meant a guy that I really thought was decent and he turned into a toad. I was crazy busy at work, only to find out that I didn't make as much money as I thought I had. And to boot everyone was getting on my last nerve. To make a long story short that only thing that made me happy was finding these four books (for $3.50) at the local used book store. I went in on a mission to find a copy of The Great Gatsby; not only did I find it but I also found  a copy of On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft in hard back. As well as a new book/author to explore this spring. Finding a replacement copy for my well loved paperback, just made me smile. My day was further made better by spending my afternoon sitting by the lake reading. I got to get out in the sunshine and got to enjoy one of my favorite places. And I can honestly say that It did me some good.....and next week I am planning another date with that bench and a new book. :)

Story Ideas

For a while now I have wanted to work on a Greek Mythology inspired short novella. The idea sprung from an episode of Supernatural of all things. If you follow the show you will know that they have used several characters that are based on Greek Mythic creatures, such as Sirens, Lilith, and the fates. I am very interested in weaving a tale about the fates or sisters. I would love to tie them into the story of a young, strong willed character. Perhaps a woman that is coming to them to save the life of her family etc. I have some ideas that seem really awesome and would love to develop them here on my blog. Well....we shall see how it all works out.

New book Purchase

In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

Why I bought this book: Of course I standing there in Walmart looking at books and there's this sign that says..."Done reading the Hunger Games? Want to find you next favorite book? Try Divergent by Veronica Roth".  Of course I loved Hunger Games so I decided to pick up the book and read the description. I was like wow, this looks different. Of course the society Beatrice lives in kind of reminds me of other books I've read; with that being said I am going to have to approach this book with a fresh set of eyes and no preconceived notions.   Also the books had a "GoodReads choice award" sticker on it (Which kinda sealed the deal for me).

Of course I have a timeline for when I plan on reading this book. I'll probably get it to in May...I have Cleopatra to get through this month and W.E.B Dubois and one other to get through next month. Hopefully this book lives up to all the hype.

Adventures to find a new book....at walmart

Well a few weeks ago the second (and only surviving) book store in my home town closed its doors. There is no way of knowing whether or not we will see another major bookstore here in Dover. So in order to feed my book addiction I have to run off to either Target or Walmart. The thought of only having two damn shelves to choose from frustrates me beyond belief. Unless I drive almost an hour to Barnes and Noble I am shit out of luck for getting a good book shopping experience. Book shopping does for me what a good massage does for others. Its my heavenly, out of body, gotta have a cup of coffee or tea while- doing- it - thing. I am truly happy when I  am surrounded by millions of words and tons of different stories and ideas. For this reason I believe that using a Nook or e-reader is going to be hard for me. It takes the joy out of grabbing a book off of a shelf and flipping it over to the backside, just so that I can read the info. Here's to hoping for another bookstore opening within a year or so. Until then I am FORCED to use Walmart/Target and the internet in order to feed my addiction (sigh).

New book

I've started reading a new book....Cleopatra: A life by Stacy Schiff. At first glance the book is just another bio of the Queen. However, after reading the first chapter you get the idea that Schiff is going to be able to keep your attention with all the torrid details of Cleopatra's love affairs and family life. I learned so much more than what I expected within the first forty pages of this book. I really can't wait to see what other revelations come about....