E6 EZ EE THE WASHINGTON POST.SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22 , 2020
ly shifting moods and meanings of
the interior psychic landscape as
sensitively, or as beautifully, as he
does. This book is one of his finest,
an intoxicating cocktail of passion
mixed with tentativeness, precision
mixed with ambiguity, that trains
our attention on the intimations of
the divine that are frequently hid-
den in everyday landscapes and
encounters.“Still Life”
By Ciaran Carson
The Northern Irish poet Ciaran
Carson has always taken time as his
primary subject. In this posthu-
mously published book, written
while Carson was undergoing
treatment for cancer, his experi-
ence of time is focused by an
awareness of impending death, and
refracted through the exquisitely
close attention he pays to the paint-
ings that provide the poems’ sub-
jects and occasions. As in the work
of James Schuyler, whose spirit
often seems to hover over these
poems, it is life itself — mortal,
splendid, quotidian and almost un-
utterably beautiful and precious —
that ultimately emerges as the
book’s heroic protagonist.“Wicked Enchantment”
By Wanda Coleman
“Wicked Enchantment,” which
selects poems from the books Cole-
man published with Black Sparrow
Press between 197 9 and 200 1, pro-
vides a fantastically entertaining
and deeply engaging introduction
to a poet whose talent and signifi-
cance were not fully appreciated
during her lifetime. Her “A merican
Sonnets,” which have influenced
many later poets (most notably, per-
haps, Te rrence Hayes, who has edit-
ed and provided an introduction for
this volume) are potent distillations
of creative rage, social critique, and
subversive wit. Her excoriating exfo-
liations of the many varieties of
American false consciousness per-
fectly capture our contemporary
disillusionment and dismay:
“Screams of protest come cheap,”
she writes. “A ll that stomp about
equality was just stomp.”
[email protected]Troy Jollimore’s n ew book of poems,
“Earthly Delights,” will be published in
2021.ems in this intensely lovely book
manage somehow to feel simulta-
neously old-fashioned and cutting-
edge. Amidst the chaotic noise and
incessant annoyances of contem-
porary life, Klink’s poetry carves
out a space in which we are re-
minded what it is like for an
individual consciousness to en-
counter the awesome mysteries of
both the outer universe and the
inner self. “I am unable to/picture
anything so whole/ it doesn’t crush
what’s/ missing,” she writes. And
elsewhere: “I cannot tell/what is
unbearable in me/from what is
opening.”“Pale Colors in a Tall Field”
By Carl Phillips
“A m I not the animal by belief
alone I myself make possible?” asks
Carl Phillips in his latest collection.
As always with Phillips, I am mysti-
fied, yet at the same time know
precisely what he means. Almost no
one, to my ear, charts the perpetual-best books
BY TROY JOLLIMORE“The Malevolent Volume”
By Justin Phillip Reed
“The Malevolent Volume” reminds
us that poetry can be playful and
deadly serious in the same moment.
Reed, whose first poetry collection
won the National Book Award, is the
kind of poet who will write a poem
from the point of view of the alien in
Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic “A lien,” or
compose a caustic and terrifyingly
accurate portrait of contemporary
American life from the perspective of
the oppressed and title it “Leaves of
Grass.” He piles on anxious images
and quasi-logical connections to cre-
ate a gratifying weirdness: “Yes, I am
delectable, and therefore/a spiral of
buzzards descends in helix/or a
whole horde of countrymen perfects/
the custom of puzzling my flesh.”“The Nightfields”
By Joanna Klink
The hushed and meditative po-Poetry tinged
with u nsettling images
ILLUSTRATIONS BY AYSHA TENGIZ FOR THE WASHINGTON POSTinterminable, meet the hopeful,
haunting Addie LaRue. She prayed
to the old gods t o escape an arranged
marriage and became immortal...
but everyone she meets forgets her
immediately. Addie navigates the
world a lone for 300 years, u ntil 2014,
when a bookstore employee named
Henry remembers her.“The Rakess”
By Scarlett Peckham
Seraphina is a “rakess”: sexually
forthright, dedicated to advancing the
rights of women and determined to
write her memoirs, though revisiting
her history is painful. She begins a
liaison with single father Adam, who
has avoided physical intimacy for a
host of reasons, and whose career
depends on support from conservative
men who abhor women like Seraphi-
na. Inverting historical tropes and
a rchetypes, the story offers comedy
and catharsis, and ends with a happily-
ever-after so perfect it will make you
return immediately to page one.“Take a Hint, Dani Brown”
By Talia Hibbert
A balm f or whatever ails you. Dani
and Zafir are clearly made for each
other, a fact they stubbornly resist
even after he dramatically rescues
her in photos that go viral. Cue fake
dating for Instagram likes and ador-
able caretaking between a grumpy
former athlete and a PhD student.
Ta ke two, and give one to a friend.“Ties that Tether”
By Jane Igharo
A Canadian Nigerian heroine has
a one-night stand with Rafael, and,
oops, it wasn’t a one-night stand
after all. Azere is caught between
her family’s expectations to uphold
its culture and traditions and her
own desire to follow her heart and
find happiness. If you like snarky,
clever stories, Azere’s narration is
*chef’s kiss.*“Written in the Stars”
By Alexandria Bellefleur
Catnip alert! A disastrous first
date between an icy actuary and a
sunny astrologer turns into a tem-
porary alliance to endure family
holiday gatherings. Neither woman
thinks their incendiary chemistry
would last through a Real Relation-
ship, but the more they build their
fake one, the more their temporary
arrangement seems destined for
permanence.
[email protected]Sarah Wendell is the author of three
books and co-founder of Smart Bitches,
Trashy Books, one of the most popular
and longest-running online communities
devoted to romance fiction.and conspiracy. Continuing her ac-
quaintance with Gao, a c unning gang
enforcer who yearns for her, is just
part of the investigation (no, it isn’t).“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue”
By V.E. Schwab
If you thought your year was“The Hidden Moon”
By Jeannie Lin
The latest book in the intricate
Lotus Palace Mystery series features
wildly intelligent Lady Bai, accus-
tomed to being overlooked and un-
dervalued, who sneaks out to assist
her brother’s inquiries into a murdermarriage allows both of them the
most bloodthirsty revenge. In the
sequel, exiled Lizzan forms a painful
alliance with her former best friend
and l over Aerax, t he p erson r esponsi-
ble for her banishment. If you savor
ferocious r omance a nd f antasy, these
will keep you happy for many pages.BY SARAH WENDELLI
n addition to comfy pants and
my dishwasher, reading ro-
mance got me through 2020.
These stories will get you
through the holidays and the last
nine decades of 2020. Here’s to a
brighter 2021 for all of us.“Alpha Night”
By Nalini Singh
Pick this up for Selenka, the pack
alpha who finds an instant mating
bond with Ethan. Stay for the emo-
tional beauty of their intimacy, plus
a mystery plot that does not slow
down. You can start this series here
if you wish, but all the books in the
Psy-Changeling universe are worth
disappearing into.“Boyfriend Material”
By Alexis Hall
This England-set comedy features a
fake relationship between opposites
Oliver, a neat and emotionally tidy
barrister, and witty narrator Luc.
When Luc’s work for a nonprofit is
endangered by accidental public em-
barrassment, the pretend relationship
works to his advantage and to Oliver’s,
who needs a plus-one for a family
event. Their slowest-of-burns romance
is gentle, balanced by poignant mo-
ments a nd guffawingly funny dialogue.“The Care and Feeding
of Waspish Widows”
By Olivia Waite
Widowed printer Agatha discov-
ers a colony of bees residing amid old
printing plates and asks Penelope, a
local beekeeper, to help her move
them to a better home. Surprised by
the depth of their friendship and
their attraction, Penelope and Ag-
atha begin to carefully build their
connection, echoing the deliberate
precision of bees constructing a hive,
including the sweetness at the end.“The Duke Who Didn’t”
By Courtney Milan
Chloe, a perfectionist who some-
day might check off the last item on
her to-do list, is determined to resist
gentle, charming Jeremy, who
adores her and wants to marry her.
Sounds simple, but it’s not. Milan’s
specialty is writing complex, layered
stories that blend family, food and
history, featuring lovely, nuanced
characters. This historical romance
is a warm friends-to-lovers comfort
read you’ll savor repeatedly.“A Heart of Blood and Ashes” and
“A Touch of Stone and Snow”
By Milla Vane
Warrior Maddek captures Yvenne,
physically weak but intellectually
ruthless, and their resulting politicalRomance novels to have and to hold