Staff Reviews: Books, Films, Music, and More

Review by Library Assistant Andrea Nelson

The poems are short,
So short you can read the entire book in 40 minutes.
Laid end to end, the sentences of my book reviews
could cross the pond and return with crumpets and tea.
That won’t serve here.

Full disclosure:  I’m a Billy Collins fangirl. It all started on a California beach. I remember sea lions honking and groaning rudely, as if they owned the sun and the glitter it sprinkled on the waves.

Marinated in my sunscreen, I stood witness to an extraordinary exchange of wedding vows. Legal verbiage out of the way, the bride and groom begin reciting the poem, Litany [1] to each other. The first line, lofty and tired, offered little inspiration. That, I soon learned, was exactly what the sly poet intended. The poem quickly twisted into masterful satire mixed with just enough relationship truth to hold everyone spellbound.  The poem’s protagonist trips along for several stanzas, telling his lover exactly what she is–and is not–to him. In the end, he settles into something solid, sweet, humorous, and perfect… like a good marriage.

I remember sea lions honking and groaning rudely, as if they owned the sun and the glitter it sprinkled on the waves.

Since that day, I’ve devoured every line Billy Collins has written.

Not every Collins poem is satire. Like all great poets, he paints with the full spectrum of human emotion. One poem in Musical Tables haunts me. It’s about a house with windows that look out on the woods. Its owner has passed away. Its wording is simple–no sad reminiscence or forced melancholy–just the empty house looking out. Imagery like that stays with me. But I confess, I still like Collins’ satirical poems best. It takes a special kind of insomnia-induced genius to write this:

[2] Hotel Room

Unlike
the breakfast menu,
I had no desire
to be hung
outside
before 2am.

I doubt many critics would call Musical Tables the best of Billy Collins. In the postscript, Collins’ explains that he wrote the collection of short poems to experiment. Each time he picks up a new book of poetry, he flips through, finds the short ones, and reads those first. I have pocketed some of Collins’ petite poems to revisit again and again; others I have already forgotten, but all are worth reading.

It felt like sneaking into a caterer’s kitchen to eat the canopies straight off the butcher block, before they are whisked away on silver trays.

If you are new to Collins’ work, I strongly recommend starting with one of his defining collections. [3] Nine Horses and [4] Sailing Alone Around the Room are both exceptional. You’ll want to spend some time with those. If you’re like me, and you’ve got a long “To Read” list, here’s the thing about Musical Tables: I took it off a shelving cart and read the first poem while walking back to the Circulation Desk. It consisted of—I kid you not— three lines about a hitchhiker who notices an ant walking in the opposite direction. Hooked, I snuck off to read the rest of the tiny, tempting little poems over lunch. It felt like sneaking into a caterer’s kitchen to eat the canopies straight off the butcher block, before they are whisked away on silver trays.

As promised in my opening attempt at mini-poetry, I’ve kept this book review brief. If I haven’t written enough to whet your appetite for Musical Tables, consider investing the (minimal) reading time for bragging rights. After all, Billy Collins is a former U.S. Poet Laureate (2001-2003), and Musical Tables is his latest work. If nothing more, reading it will expand your literary knowledge and impress your friends!

I hope you enjoy it as I did.

---

[1] Collins, Billy. “Litany.” Nine Horses, Random House, New York, 2002, p. 69-70.
[2] Collins, Billy. “Hotel Room.” Musical Tables, Random House, New York, 2022.
[3] Collins, Billy. Nine Horses, Random House, New York, 2002.
[4] Collins, Billy. Sailing Alone Around the Room, Random House, New York,  2001.

Find all the titles in our Collection by Billy Collins here.

Peter Matschek, Gold Mine Processing Associate, recommends Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton.

This book is the true story about the experiences of the crew of the Belgica in their attempt to be the first ship to reach the magnetic South Pole. The captain, Adrien de Gerlache, was from an aristocratic family of Belgium; one of his ancestors was one of the founders of the Belgian nation. His brother, father, grandfather, and a long line of de Gerlache men all had careers in the military, but he had no interest in a military career.

Instead, de Gerlache had dreams of sailing the seas, which he had harbored since he was a child. When he was 28, he was able to put together an expedition under the guise that it would be a scientific endeavor, when in fact it was more for glory for Belgium as well as himself. 

This expedition was beset by problems from the start, so by the time they finally left Argentina, they were over a month behind schedule. de Gerlache had hoped to reach the magnetic South Pole and return to Argentina before the sea froze over.

“…when the time came to either abandon the trip and head back north, or continue, [the captain] decided to forge ahead so he could obtain the fame he sought…”

However, when the time came to either abandon the trip and head back north or continue, he decided to forge ahead so he could obtain the fame he sought (he lied to the crew about this).  As luck would have it, they became stuck in the ice before reaching their goal and had to endure an entire winter trapped in the cold and dark. 

The book details the decline of the crew’s physical as well as mental health as a result of the isolation, boredom, and lack of good nutrition. To make things worse, when the sun did finally return, the ice didn’t let the ship go, and it looked like it would remain that way through the next winter.  The hopes of the crew were dashed and one became insane and another one died. 

I liked this book since it went into detail of the dynamics between the captain and the crew. Usually the captain’s decisions are law, but when his health declined, some of the crew went ahead with their own ideas of survival.

“To make things worse, when the sun did finally return, the ice didn’t let the ship go, and it looked like it would remain that way through the next winter.”

The doctor played a pivotal role in the survival of the crew.  He was helped by a man named Roald Amundson, who would go on to become one of the world’s most accomplished polar explorers (he was the first to reach the South Pole). He used this trip to test ideas of exploration and survival in polar climates. 

This book was written based on the journals and notes from the crew and the ship’s logbook and is used as an example of what happens to humans in complete isolation.  In fact, NASA uses it for research on isolation for future trips to Mars.

Find Madhouse at the End of the Earth here.

Gold Mine Processing Associate, Brenda Cook, recommends Running with Sherman by Christopher McDougall.

The book, Running with Sherman: The Donkey With the Heart of a Hero, is based on a true story, and will appeal to many.  After taking in an abused donkey, the author, Christopher McDougall, is determined to compete in a grueling 10-mile burro race. While your donkey is tethered to you much like a dog on a leash,  you must endure the challenge up and down a mountainside in Colorado. 

The journey not only heals Sherman but everyone who connects with him, especially Zeke. Zeke suffered from depression so severely, he tried to take his own life. The bond created between Sherman, the donkey and Zeke gives an understanding of the impact animals can have on individuals.

Living in Pennsylvania, the team against all odds succeed in their journey to Colorado and the race of their dreams. 

This is a very relaxing read that encourages inspiration, determination, and gratitude. I highly recommend this book, it will leave you feeling good. 

Find it in print here.

Review by Gold Mine Processing Associate Eric Brown

Educated is a memoir by the American author Tara Westover. Tara recounts overcoming her survivalist Mormon family in order to go to college, and emphasizes the importance of education in enlarging her world.

She explores her struggle to reconcile her desire to learn with the world she inhabited with her father.

Tara details her journey from her isolated life in the mountains of Idaho to completing a PhD program in history at Cambridge University. She started college at the age of 17 having had no formal education. She explores her struggle to reconcile her desire to learn with the world she inhabited with her father.

Having grown up in rural southern Idaho, reading this memoir was more relatable and tangible than other memoirs I have read. Her story of resiliency, courage, and hope is inspiring for me, as well as many others.

Find it in print, ebook, eaudiobook, and CD here.

by Ali Hazelwood 

Reviewed by Sara Zagorski, Gold Mine Thrift Store Retail Manager

Now, I’m not generally one to (admit that I) like romance books or anything of the genre, but after the holidays I most definitely needed a bit of lighter fanfare than my usual sort. During the last bit of the year my stress level is generally at an all-time high and whatever book I find myself reading has no business adding to it. Queue: Love on the Brain. 

Two mortal nemeses find themselves paired together on a project for NASA that will either make or break Dr. Bee Königswasser’s career. Bee has devoted herself to neuroengineering and the simple question: What would Marie Curie do? From the very beginning the pushback from said nemesis, Levi Ward, is apparent and disheartening. The two had previously met in grad school where Ward made his feelings rather obnoxiously known—that life would be a heck of a lot easier if they stayed galaxies far, far away. (There’s a lot of Star Wars references sprinkled throughout, both a treat and an all-too-typical nerd trope. I digress.)  Bee is determined to overcome this and prove to Ward that, not only is she the best fit academically for the new technology they’re seeking to implement, but also a more than capable scientist overall.  

…life would be a heck of a lot easier if they stayed galaxies far, far away.

In addition to her workplace drama, she also finds herself the secret owner of a Twitter account that’s reached accidental fame, partially due to its questioning of the systems set into place concerning traditional testing and acceptance of new students into doctorate programs. She takes her real-life fight and that of her internet crusade on with an ardor that’s both admirable and exhausting to consider.  

My final thoughts are as follows. Entertaining? Certainly. Light-hearted? Yes, as long as you don’t actually sit and dwell on the practices and (still somehow) modern thoughts about women in science. Would I read it again? Probably, ask me around January 5^th next year. 

Find the ebook on Libby here.

Directed by Kim Bartly

Reviewed by Daniel Velasco, Gold Mine Processing Associate

Filmed over three years, Pure Grit explores the life of Sharmaine Weed, a ten-time Native American bareback horse racing champion living with her girlfriend, mother, two brothers, and paralyzed sister.

Filming took place in the Wind River reservation and in Denver, Colorado, where she and her girlfriend moved to start a life together. She never refused to let go of her dream of owning her own horse by taking jobs to raise money to buy one. She continued to become a champion in the dangerous sport that injured her brother and paralyzed her sister.

…no matter how hard life gets, you must get back on that horse and face the challenges that life gives you.

The documentary shows the difficulties of relationships, and the grief of losing a relationship and family members.

It also shows the real-life struggles of growing up within an unhealthy environment where there’s substance and physical abuse. That you sometimes must sacrifice the little good you have to start fresh and make your life better. What this film showed was that no matter how hard life gets, you must get back on that horse and face the challenges that life gives you.

This film hits a little too close to home being a part of the LGBTQ+ community in a small town as Sharmaine is in her hometown. I have great respect for her for going through all the struggles that she has been through all her entire life.

Watch the film on Kanopy here, free with your library card.