It's a Jumble

Have you been writing any poems recently? If you're not writing poetry, how are you getting through these dreary days? A person can only be happy when he finds something to put his heart into. Some people put their hearts into chess, some into beautiful women, some into a particular skill or craft, some into writing.     --Excerpt, translation by Stephen Owens in his book, An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911

  It’s that liminal week between Christmas and the start of the first Monday after New Year’s Day. That time before the work or school week begins again, before a schedule resumes; this formless time when the hours dissolve. . . into what? I’m not sure; it all melts away.   But it’s still a good time to reflect on the past year, even though most people posted their year-in-reading round-ups before the clock struck twelve on Jan 1. I did a lot of reading last year, including the entire set of volumes encompassing Dream of the Red Chamber. I wrote some stories I really liked, including my favorite thing I’ve written yet. (And I’ve sold them all!) There are some things in my personal life that have disappointed and saddened me, but c’est la vie.   Below are some books that have stood out to me. That I feel have changed me, however subtly. I feel about them as Emily Bronte wrote of the quality of some dreams: “. . . they’ve gone though and through me, like wine throu...