…And love!
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In Helen of Troy, 1993, Maria Zoccola rejuvenates the titular Helen, dusting off layers of time and myth to offer up a relatable yet complex voice. Readers meet a woman with human yearnings, problems, and perspectives. This Helen could be your mother, your best friend – this Helen could be you. But Zoccola leaves behind traces of the mythological figure, reminding readers that it is not so easy to separate the stories someone else tells about us from the stories we tell about ourselves.
Helen of Troy, 1993 is perfect for those who shy away from poetry. Each poem stands alone beautifully, but together, they produce a satisfying narrative effect.
Listen to the audiobook (read by Zoccola) and be all the more amazed!
Helen of Troy, 1993 by Maria Zoccola, published by Scribner, January 14, 2025, 96 pages (paperback), English
Why bottle up the rage, the grief, the truth cultivated through living in a troubled world? Become empowered, energized, and humbled by Len Pennie as she imparts both personal and universal experiences, expressing thoughts many of us wish we could say—or have said but need to repeat. There is violence in this book, but also beauty. Pennie’s passion for language, especially for Scots, vibrates throughout in rich, rhythmic poems. Her verses resonate with wit and wisdom.
In poyums, Len Pennie challenges humanity’s past and present and charges forward into the future with resilience and hope. Be prepared to cry, to laugh out loud, to burn with indignation. Every woman—and man—should read poyums at least once.
Winner of the Discover Book of the Year award at the 2025 British Book Awards.
poyums by Len Pennie, published by Canongate Books, April 23, 2024, 128 pages (hardcover), English/Scots
From the author of The Ghost Bride (2013) and The Night Tiger (2019), The Fox Wife blends vivid landscapes with mythology and folklore.
More on this book to come… just know that if it made it onto our bookshelf, it’s worth the read (we can be… picky… about what we keep on our shelves).
“Dawn rose, like a jerk.” — Zach Weinersmith, Bea Wolf
“…one fine morning—a very fine morning, with the sun in my eyes—I fell over the world’s edge chasing a butterfly.” — J.R.R. Tolkien, Roverandom
“If you are as fragile as a tea glass, either find a way to never encounter burning water and hope to marry an ideal husband,… ” — Elif Shafak, The Bastard of Istanbul
VerseVarmint 