I have yet to forget about my promise to give the steamy details of my own experience of reading Edith Wharton's short stories.  I have loved every one I have read so far, the last being entitled, "Expiation."  It's the funniest shit in the world if you've ever worked in publishing, as I have, or if you have spent your life in a constant downward spiral of rejection letters, it might make you feel not so bad about it.  Anyway, this morning, I am only up because the plumber was at my house at 8:30 am, my dog was screaming at him the whole time, and now I get to run out, get my arm stuck with a big needle for blood work, and finally, I shall join my two faux-kids (the kids I stay with).  This isn't why I am writing, though.  I have compiled a rough draft of a summer reading list.  These are just books that I'd like to be able to say I didn't just read, but that I really absorbed the message behind the text.  So this is a tentative reading list, and also a topic list you may enjoy looking forward to as I sluggishly catch up on Edith, moving along to Jeanette.

1. Art and Lies - by Jeanette Winterson

2. Their Eyes Were Watching God - by Zora Neale Hurston

3. The House of Leaves - by Danielewski

3. The Financial Lives of Poets - by Jess Walter

4. Hamlet on the Holodeck - by Janet H. Murray.

So, there are the 4 books I've settled upon.  I may go ahead and make The Decent of Man: and other stories by Edith Wharton a fifth, and token short story collection, and then I wanted an awesome poetry collection, but I don't enjoy much of the newest.  I don't think famous poets always remember why it is they are doing exactly what they're doing, how, and also why they might do linguistic trapeze acts: it's pretty, nobody else did it (because, including you, no one has a reason).  Perhaps I'll reevaluate one of my favorite poets of all time, even though she's unsung by all of her contemporaries of her period, except for Charles Dickens, who wrote the forward to her first book.  That's Adelaide Anne Procter.  She's scrumptious.

Imaginary readers, I'll be back sooner with some meat to mix with these potatoes.  'Til then, stay cool Imaginary Audience, you rock.