Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams

 

This is a collection of Sylvia Plath's short stories. It was just ok. I liked the short story "Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams" which is loosely based on her mental hospital experience. "That Widow Mangada" about an annoying landlord was cute. But Sylvia Plath's real achievements were in poetry and The Bell Jar. I got the impression from the biography Red Comet that these were stories that she didn't put her whole heart into. They were just stories that were written with magazines like Mademoiselle specifically in mind.  It shows potential but this isn't the first thing a Sylvia Plath newbie should read. 

Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

 

This was a pretty cool book covering the mythology of many cultures. It included stories of people I don't know much about like the Maori culture. It explains the stories behind many epic poems too which I thought was cool like The Mahabharata, Beowulf, and Ramayana. It was full of illustrations and chocked with a lot of information. I felt like I learned a lot. Definitely recommended.

Ted Hughes Selected Poems

 

I had a conversation with my older sister about the poet Ted Hughes and she said that no one talks about his poetry nowadays. He is mostly known for his association with Sylvia Plath. I was curious so I got this from the library. It was all right. The poems were mostly about nature. There were a lot of analysis of his poems on the internet until his book "Season Songs" so actually he is still remembered. I liked the poem "The Casualty" about a bunch of people who gawk and who do nothing when they see a plane crash. It's interesting how human nature acts like in situations like that. Also I like "Cat and Mouse" where God is the cat and the mouse. It was an interesting visual. "The Thought-Fox", his most famous poem about the writing process, was pretty good too. The poetry in the beginning of the book is best. Ted Hughes isn't my favorite but I'm glad I gave him a try.

The Goblin's Market and Other Poems

 

The trashy poem "The Goblin's Market" was mistakenly labelled as children's literature at the time. Christina Rossetti even went against it. Even today the poem still gets that label. I was mistaken and thought this fantastic poem was all that Christina Rossetti really wrote. This book she wrote in 1862 blew my mind. There are poems about women being tore between virtue and sex but there are just as many religious poems. Religion played a large part in Christina Rossetti's life. I'm going to read a biography of her soon. I'm fascinated to find out more about this woman. I think she's just as good as other favorites of mine like Anne Sexton and Emily Dickinson. I didn't know it until 2021 but poetry can be fun. 

Red Comet

 

When I got this book at the library I didn't know how long it was. When I saw it was over 900 pages I told myself that I would just flip through it. I was surprised. I got through the whole thing. It's an entertaining biography but very rich with detail. You practically feel like you are going through Sylvia Plath's daily life. One thing that I got from this book was that Sylvia Plath was very humble. She didn't know how good she was. Yes she was submitting to places like The New Yorker so she had some awareness of her talent. However to most people she just introduced herself as Mrs. Ted Hughes. It's sad reading Red Comet because one minute she's in love with him and walking on air. Then during the affair she's in pieces. Ted Hughes comes across as very indifferent to her feelings during the whole mess. This is the definitive Sylvia Plath biography. I don't think it is necessary to read another one. It also describes well how it was like to be a female writer in the 1950s and 1960s and the struggle of just getting your foot in the door. It also gives a thorough analysis of her poetry.

A Wolf for a spell

This was nominated as one of the best children's books last year at goodreads so I was curious. I found it to be enchanting. The witch Baba Yaga does a spell switching her body with a young wolf. An orphan girl named Nadya asks Baba Yaga (who is really the wolf) for help. I enjoyed the use of Russian folklore in this book. You don't need to learn about Baba Yaga beforehand to get this book. I find that people don't really talk about children's literature nowadays. Children's literature is just getting better. I love reading children's literature since it is so imaginative and avoids the trash that you often find in adult literature. 

Faces in the Water

 This was a biography about a woman's experiences in two mental institutions in New Zealand. This book makes Girl Interrupted and The Bell Jar look like heaven. The living conditions are horrible and the doctors only bother with the patients who are the most "sane." The main flaw I have with this book is that it's kind of detached. The author doesn't have any friends in these institutions. I would have liked to have made an emotional connection in the book other than the main character. On the other hand though if this writer didn't make any friends then that is simply her experience. The closest connection we meet is with a staff member who used to care but gave up along the way. She knows that this author judges her and responds aggressively towards her. The author's biography An Angel at my Table was later made into a movie by Jane Campion one I watched more than twenty years ago. This is apparently New Zealand's most famous writer.