Things I'm reading, Jan. 5

You might also find these informative or entertaining or somehow otherwise a good use of your reading time:

Why you should stop reading the news: Whoa there. I still identify as a journalist. Am I listening to an argument in favor of being less informed? Not exactly. I am currently suffering, however, from being too informed. I’ve certainly hit a saturation point with my news consumption. I thought it was just me. As it turns out, I’m not alone.

Goldenrod, by Maggie Smith: This wonderful book of poetry is not quite as uplifting as her previous work, Keep Moving. But it’s necessary. Smith has a gift for language that is both direct and poetic. That’s not an easy trick.

Whirlybird Day, by Bob Walkenhorst: One of my all-time favorite musicians is also a wonderful painter and, as it turns out, a pretty good short-story writer. Walkenhorst, the singing and songwriting engine of The Rainmakers, captures the voice of small-town Missouri in prose. That’s a voice that is comforting and familiar to me. Walkenhorst tells a story in paragraphs almost as well as he tells it in verses and choruses, and the book is a good casual read.