Fancy Pants Poetry by Agostino Scafidi

Fancy Pants Poetry   by Agostino Scafidi - 4Stars

Mr Scafidi sent me a request to review his latest poetry collection. I must say this is a first. Usually, I have authors give me a bit of run around and request my purchasing the book in question. (I think we can all say 'scam'.) So I was sent the collection and was pleasantly surprised.

Often poetry can be rather flowery and lacking in actual substance. Not so with Fancy Pants! The poem "Passing Time" is short and simple in wording, but gives a valuable piece of wisdom-- one doesn't have to travel the world to find the peace that they seek. Another entitled "Roger, Yankee, Foxtrot" struck me rather to the core of my being. We each carry a weight and a burden that sometimes we need not carry, but for the safety of those we love, we gladly bear the burden. I could go on and review each poem, but there are far too many, and I've not enough space.

Scafidi's poetry is light, beautiful, and honest... even if our author does bemoan the pain of honesty. All in all, Fancy Pants Poetry really doesn't live up to its name. Its not fancy, not in the slightest, but its raw in its beauty and simplicity. A wonderful collection that I feel many would enjoy immensely.

Apologies

Wow... all right the end of 2014 has been one heck of a trip. I did read, but couldn't be bothered to track them. Busy little bee... any way I will strive to do better in 2015.

See you in the funny papers.

Sharp by David Fitzpatrick

Sharp -- 4 Stars

This is the memoir of a man who fought his demons for years, half of his life really, and managed to survive it all. David Fitzpatrick is a self harmer, he started in his early twenties, he's obviously a man, and he's an anomaly. The statistics used to lean more towards women self-injuring, but that number has evened out to nearly 50-50 in recent years. In the 1990's, mental patients that injured were mostly female and patients in general were kept in hospital for many months to many years.

David tells us his life of pain and fear, surviving an abusive brother, then abusive room mates in college. He fell fast and deep into the world of self harm and stayed there for some time. With each minor triumph, I felt the need to shout out in joy for him. With each set back, I felt the pain and disappointment.

He writes in a very open way, no frills, and comments on his own faults. "I'm a dramatic person... if you haven't figured that out by now." He tells us about his therapists and the other patients, and how each one helped him in their own way.

Truly an inspiring story of strength in the face of great odds, even if he didn't feel strong at the time. I have depression and PTSD, Mr Fitzpatrick's life and success at beating his illness gives me hope in managing mine. 

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Darkly Dreaming Dexter-- 4Stars

I've been wanting to read this for some time and finally managed to get a copy from the library. I've seen bits and pieces (no pun intended), but wanted to read the books first. It was amazing!

We follow Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter annalist with the Miami-Dade police. Not a terrible job, really, sure the reason you're employed is a bit gruesome, but its for the greater good. Dexter does many things for the greater good... including getting rid of those people that the planet really doesn't need.

Did I forget to mention he's a serial killer? Since his foster father knew that eventually his son would become a killer, he taught him how to channel that energy into ridding the world of those monsters that, say, prey on children. Sure, Dexter is a heartless bastard, but he'd never hurt a child! He's as clever as it gets, witty too. There's never a dull moment.

I'm docking points for his sister, Deborah. She swears worse than a drunken sailor at Fleet Week! Other than that, its a great read and I'm looking forward to starting the next one.

The Soloist by Steve Lopez

The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez  4Stars

I picked this up some time ago, its been saving a place on my shelves. It sounded interesting and I was not disappointed.

Steve Lopez is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. As a columnist, he has many interests and short attention span. He's always hunting for the next story. He finds it in the Second Street Tunnel, next to the statue of Beethoven. A man is standing there, perfectly calm, playing a violin with only two strings. There had to be a story there! Turns out Mr Nathaniel Anthony Ayers isn't just some old bum down and out, he's a former student of Julliard, and has schizophrenia.

We follow Lopez over two years as he strives to help Ayers off the streets and into a home. This is no mean feat as Ayers tends to fight this all the way. Along the way, Lopez is learning more about himself as he tries to help a man that was once just a column pice, but has become much more than that.

Lopez quickly discovers that the music Ayers plays creates a peace in his head and silences the noise in his head. Lopez, traditionally a rock and roll type guy, starts listening to the classical music that Ayers plays to understand him better and only discovers the calm that Ayers feels as his plays.

This is an amazing story that shows that each of us have the capability to change a life... even if those efforts change ourselves. Perhaps especially so.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchel

Cloud Atlas -- 4Stars

I wasn't so sure what to think of this novel when I first started reading. The book is broken into six different parts, none of which seem to be connected to the next. Once you start to really get into it, all the different narratives are indeed linked in the most incredible ways!

We see our past in the forms of a journal circa 1850, letters from 1931, and novella from 1975. Aspects of our past as humans that we would rather forget. Slavery, war, nuclear "mistakes".

Our present is taken up by an old man with the most ghastly luck. Our future is a bit jarring. Slavery returns in ways that we wouldn't expect as well as its savage roots.

All in all, the theme is "Freedom". We all want to be free, to make our own choices, but when that is taken away, we become prisoner to someone else and their ideas, their forces.

I know this is going to take a while to get into, but really its quite a lovely read, full of depth and interest.

Group: Six People in Search of Life by Paul Solotaroff

Group: Six People in Search of Life 4 Stars

I happened on this gem in a used bookshop and thought, 'why not?' The author was given a special access to follow the group sessions of one particular handful of people in New York. They are taught how to use talk therapy and supervised sessions to self treat. Honestly, I read this as a way to get ahead of the curve if my therapist ever wants to go the group therapy route.

I was a bit miffed to be honest. That and pleased that my therapist isn't a jerk like the one in these people had to deal with. He has a bad habit of stopping people mid-thought to derail and go on to whatever he was thinking. As a whole, the group just rolls with it.

I found it interesting to see these people change and grow over the course of a year. Some made changes for the better, others... not so much. In the end it was an interesting book, but difficult to recommend to others.