Episode 1456: Jet Lag Not As Bad This Time...

Read Sam Riviere's 81 Austerities today, which I thought was okay. It's nice to read poetry that isn't confined to the lyric mode, although I find it odd that he's published by Faber & Faber, precisely because of that. My cynical side thinks Faber is just trying to cash in on a segment of the poetry-reading market that isn't enamoured of Faber's usual list, but maybe it's also a sign that that list is starting to broaden its outlook. Right? (Yeah, I'm having a hard time persuading myself of that, even though I do love a couple of Faber poets like Thom Gunn and Philip Larkin.) I think Andrea said he was going to review the collection for Sidekick Books, so it'll be interesting to see what he has to say. I'm making slow but steady progress through Jonathan Lee's Joy, which I'm definitely enjoying. Angle for the review hasn't quite emerged yet, but I'm not even halfway through the novel, so I'm not worrying yet. I figure my reading speed will pick up anyway, as I get over my jet lag. So far, I haven't done my usual thing of sleeping till the afternoon, and have instead just stayed up once I've woken up, whatever time that is in the morning.