- Harold Bloom, Falstaff. This little volume is the beginning of a series of Shakespeare's major personalities by the venerable Bloom. Although he can be irascible and controversial, he does know how to read a text, and he is a master on Falstaff. A scholar in his eighties, Bloom distills years of teaching Shakespeare in a readable and accessible manner. Be forewarned, though, that if you like the Falstaff in Merry Wives of Windsor (which Verdi and I do, among many venerable others), Bloom is not your man; he is strictly concerned with the Henry plays.
- Michael Sells, Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations, second edition. If you have ever tried to read the Qur'an from beginning to end, as I have done, you find that you hit some of the most vexed texts first. Sells' edition is translation and commentary on the earliest suras (the organizing unit, like books in the Bible). He provides a necessary framework and helps you navigate the beauty of this compelling religious text. Everyone in America especially should know something about the Qu'ran, especially given the political obfuscation practiced on the right built on the backs of several misreadings (deliberate for political aims) of Islam; Sells provides an accessible and beautiful rendering that is highly readable.
- Camille Paglia, Free Women, Free Men: Sex, Gender, Feminism. As always a controversialist and provocateur, a former pupil of Harold Bloom (referenced above), Paglia is nonetheless at times a wise and insightful reader of texts and our times. This collections spans her career, even excerpting the most important chapters from her immense work Sexual Personae (a bestseller at the time of its publication that I believe few read). I could almost get behind her libertarianism (but as a socialist, I cannot quite!).
- Otto Penzler, editor, Bibliomysteries: Stories of Crime in the World of Books and Bookstores. Penzler is becoming a powerhouse of publishing in the world of mysteries. This collection is entertaining and, for the mystery-lover, a nice volume to dip into for a few minutes of repose.
- John Berryman, The Dream Songs. The complete volume of Berryman's The Dream Songs deservedly won the Pulitzer in poetry. This complete edition shows just how strong of a poet he was, and how much he still speaks to today. At times obscure, but always engaging, Berryman provides a powerful example of controlled but unique form over a long period. As good, I would add, as Ezra Pound's The Cantos, but more accessible.
- Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot's Christmas. Published originally as Lord Edgeware dies, this novel is pure Christie brilliance. She is one of my all-time favorite writers, and this one is a gem for any season, including these!
- Tarif Khalidi, translator, The Qur'an. A very readable and complete edition of this world literature masterpiece; a great next-stop after the Sells at #2.
- Richard Dawkins, Science in the Soul: Selected Writings of a Passionate Rationalist. Like #3, a collection that spans a lifetime of reading and reflection.
- Friedrich Nietzsche, The Will to Power, translated by R. Kevin Hill and Michael A. Scarpitti (Penguin Classics). This translation is a revelation, returning to the notebooks and ignoring the ordering and changes made by Nietzsche's sister, who controlled his legacy for the first forty years after his death. Simply, this volume is a revelation which will continue to set the tone for Nietzsche studies for years to come!
- Jane Austen, Mansfield Park. Now is the time to read (or re-read) this Austen classic countryhouse tale, and my personal favorite of all her works (and the text I have taught the most of any text in my 27 years of teaching).
Happy reading, friends!
