Banango Lit

by: Justin Carter

Section 1: Books That I Own/ Have Ordered

Light Boxes by Shane Jones: Russ Woods suggested this book to me on gchat. I don’t know much about it. I flipped through the pages and it looks very stylistically interesting. I think this will be the next book I read.

I Am A Productive Entrepreneur by Mathias Svalina: I ordered this book. I hope it comes in soon. Svalina wrote a poetry collection called Destruction Myth that I loved a whole whole lot. The poetry was very strange and, probably using this word wrong, very surreal.

Birds of America by Lorrie Moore: Read the first story out of this. Loved it. Stopped reading it and read Lorrie’s novels instead.

Bed by Tao Lin: Read, I think, three stories from this. Have read all of Tao’s novels but for some reason have not finished this. I felt like it was good and it reminded me of Moore a little bit at times.

During My Nervous Breakdown I Want To Have A Biographer Present by Brandon Scott Gorrell: Got this a few weeks ago. It is sitting next to my bed. I have read Megan Boyle and Ellen Kennedy’s books from Muumuu House and enjoyed them so I think I will like this book also, but I am not sure.

So You Know It’s Me by Brian Oliu: Ordered this. It is made up of lyric essays that Oliu posted on Craigslist. I am hoping it arrives in the mail soon.

Part 2: Books That I Do Not Own That I Should Order Or Find From The Library Or Something

Grow Up by Ben Brooks: This has not been published in America yet but I could probably find a way to get it if I tried. It has been getting a lot of hype. I think it reflects a lot of things about youth culture. I don’t know.

Normally Special by xTx: I read her chapbook and I liked it, though it made me feel discomforted. Her story collection probably would too, but I think I need to read it anyways. It has gotten some good press.

Mercury by Ariana Reines: I am currently reading The Cow and it is blowing me the fuck away. I don’t know what to say about Reines’ poetry that hasn’t been said. She is one of the most unique poetic voices writing poetry today.

What Is Amazing by Heather Christle: This book snuck up on me. I got both of Christle’s full length collections a few months ago. They are a nice blend of beauty and strangeness and a lot of other things. I feel like this book will be something like that also.

Part 3: Books That I Have Not Read Due To Them Not Being Released Yet

Crunk Juice by Steve Roggenbuck: Not sure what this book will be. Not sure how I will feel about reading it. If it has as much heart in it as Steve’s previous books, I think I will like it a lot.

Fjords Volume 1 by Zachary Schomburg: Schomburg is my favorite prose poem/flash fiction/weird things that are somewhere in between writer. I read his first two collections in one day, sitting in a small room at my college. Please read his first two books. Please do it now. Then finish reading this list.

Cataclysm Baby by Matt Bell: Bell’s short story collection How They Were Found was strange but satisfying. The stories seemed to deal a lot with place and loss (or both, as in the story involving some guys at/near the North Pole that are all losing their memories). Not sure what this book is about.

Level End by Brian Oliu: This is a collection of lyric essays about video games. I read a few excerpts online and loved them.

Untitled Book (or I can’t remember what the title is) by Gabby Gabby: I know nothing about this, just that it comes out in two-ish years and I am ready for it.

Everything that Love Symbol Press is planning on publishing: Seriously, they have M Kitchell, Joshua Kleinberg, Matt Rowan, and Heather Palmer books in the pipeline.

Please let me know if I am missing any great books that deserve to be read.