Reviews and Comments

Steven Ray

Joined 2 years ago

I’m interested in a multitude of things, including social justice, socialism, history, poetry, magical realism (fiction), capitalism, race and class struggle, plus stuff like wine, baseball and music.

So mostly non-fiction, though I read maybe two novels per year and maybe one poetry collection.

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Steven Ray rated A short history of nearly everything: 5 stars

Bill Bryson: A short history of nearly everything (2004)

A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson

A Short History of Nearly Everything by American-British author Bill Bryson is a popular science book that explains some areas …

Steven Ray rated Faithful and Virtuous Night: 3 stars

Louise Glück: Faithful and Virtuous Night (Paperback, 2015, Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Faithful and Virtuous Night by Louise Glück

Louise Gluck is one of the finest American poets at work today. Her Poems 1962-2012 was hailed as "a major …

Steven Ray reviewed Be With by Forrest Gander

Forrest Gander: Be With (Paperback, 2018, New Directions)

Review of 'Be With' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I see much of this collection as an articulation of Gander’s journey through grief after the sudden loss of his wife, the brilliant poet C.D. Wright. His elevated vocabulary challenges my own (which I love) and his mix of spiritual, geological and mildly erotic subject matter is a lovely, mystical meditation on life, love and intimacy. The final section is a collaboration with the photographer Michael Flomen, a deep dive which is stunning but demanding of the reader. Well worth your time. The more you read these poems, the more secrets they reveal.