Have you ever shaken your head in frustration after reading a modern or contemporary poem, certain you didn’t get the “real meaning?” Matthew Zapruder’s Why Poetry? will convince you to try again. In his book of essays, Zapruder argues that poets do not write in coded messages. Instead, poetry can be understood by anyone by starting with the meanings of words and relying on the power of association, leaving room for leaps of imagination and the possibility of a “central unsayability.” Written with an awareness of our current political situation, Zapruder eloquently contends that, for the very reason that poetry relies on ways of understanding that are not purely logical or rational, we need poetry now more than ever for its ability to help us create a space where we can bridge the many divides we face.
For the reader or writer of poetry and for the person simply seeking a way to be in the world in these troubling times, Zapruder’s essays will prove enormously compelling and thought provoking. This book simply should not be missed.
(Originally reviewed for a free copy of book for Seattle Book Review.)
In 
A well-known watchmaker, Guy Chavanon, dies at a reception at his son’s boarding school from anaphylactic shock resulting from his peanut allergy. Was it just bad luck, or was it murder? Chavanon’s daughter insists her father was murdered because he was an eccentric genius who had made a great discovery. Others argue that Chavanon was mentally unbalanced. Agnes Luthi, barely back on the job from her last case, dives immediately into the intriguing, but tight-knit world of Swiss watchmaking. Alternating between a glamorous trade show and an exclusive private school, Luthi deftly sorts numerous loose ends, while occasionally tangling with her mother in law, dealing with her own grief, and trying not to think about the handsome, wealthy gentlemen who seems to be ever present. In 
As a young contemplative, James Finley had the opportunity to learn under Thomas Merton at the Abbey of Gethsemani. Years later, he shared those insights into Merton’s thinking in his book,