From Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers
Poet Ted Kooser is the kind of neighbor you'll wish you had: no-nonsense, sentimental (without being maudlin), generous-hearted, good-humored, and so frugal (he inherited that trait from his dear, departed mother) that there won't be any "keeping up with the Joneses" to worry about!
His thoroughly delightful collection of reminiscences, collected in his first work of prose, is a faithful tribute to a place he loves and lives in: the "Bohemian Alps" of southeastern Nebraska. His observations betray a keen insight -- into people, places, and things -- and a simple way of approaching life that is, frankly, bewitching.
Reminiscent of Annie Dillard's Pulitzer Prizewinning Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Kooser takes readers in, really in, until they visually inhabit the territory that is his own. For Ted Kooser is the best kind of lover, one who is faithful to the beloved but eager to share the joy he's experienced with his friends. A cross between the best of Charles Kuralt, Dillard, and Garrison Keillor, Ted Kooser's memorable and poetic Local Wonders is a treasure not to be missed. (Fall 2002 Selection)
L Magazine
“Ted Kooser is a travel agent of words. He transports readers to a landscape of old grain trucks and weedsprayers and outhouses. Of country schools and grain elevators and fried pig’s ear crumbled over oatmeal. Of handmade quilts that cost exactly 12.43. His destination? The Bohemeian Alps, a cluster of affectionately nicknamed silty clay knolls in southeastern Nebraska. His tourists? Anyone.”—L Magazine: Lincoln’s Premier Lifestyle Magazine
Fourth Genre
“Reading . . . Local Wonders is a bit like running into Lao Tsu and Confucius in line at the hardware store. A Taoist love of country life permeates the book. . . . It is not nature alone, Kooser’s beautiful book reminds us, but the play of the imagination on nature--the mind that can speculate on the connection between stars and moths—that produces glory and brings insight into life’s inescapable truths.”—Fourth Genre
Heartlands
“This small gem of a book matches perfectly the vision of our Heartlands--conveying the beauty and courage of living close and deep.”—Larry Smith, Heartlands: A Magazine of Midwest Life and Art
— Larry Smith
New West Front Page
“Kooser writes with lovely prose, full of wry humor and affection for the land and its people.”—New West Front Page
Sioux City Journal
“A graceful memoir that saunters from his boyhood in Ames, Iowa to more recent years living as a writer…. Local readers everywhere will equally rejoice in the discovery of this wonderful and simple book.”—Sioux City Journal
— Sean Meehan
Judith Kitchen
"Kooser claims he doesn't like to travel, but for someone who stays put, he does an awful lot of sightseeing. Hindsight, foresight, near sight, far sight, insight, out of sight, you name it—Local Wonders takes us both ''out far'' and ''in deep.''"
—Judith Kitchen, author of Only the Dance: Essays on Time and Memory
Merrill Gilfillan
"Local Wonders takes its luminous place in the time-honored tradition of seasonal contemplation within a cherished place. It is a companionate book—bright of eye and wit, warm with the details and reflections of the world."
—Merrill Gilfillan, author of Grasshopper Falls
Jim Harrison
"Ted Kooser's Local Wonders is the quietest magnificent book I've ever read."
—Jim Harrison, author of Legends of the Fall
Nebraska Life
"Call them stories then. Call them letters from a friend. Call them what you wish, but read them."—Nebraska Life
Lahontan Valley News / Fallon Eagle Standard
“What Kooser does in this remarkable book is describe in exquisite—and understated, humorous—detail the place where he lives: the rural area of southeastern Nebraska. Kooser is one of our finest poets and has, over the years, published a series of poems about the rural life in Nebraska that are superb evocations of place. Here, he does the same thing in prose, again and again, discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary, the pithy underlying truth of conventional folk wisdom.”—Lahontan Valley News / Fallon Eagle Standard
Lincoln Journal Star
"With Thoreaulike reflection and insight, the author artfully engaged this reader in a lyrical embroidery of this neighboring frontier. Weaving images in soothing language, Kooser meticulously captures the nuances of life as it evolves in a country setting in which he is both observer and participant."—Dan Semrad, Lincoln Journal Star
— Dan Semrad
Verlyn Klinkenborg
"Reading Ted Kooser's Local Wonders, I feel like I've wandered into another world, a place where the past endures—broken down a little, it's true—and where the present contains enough room to pay attention to the people and the countryside around you. This is simple, patient prose, the annotations of living in a wide-open place."
Booklist
"Through his eyes we learn to see, then appreciate, the beauty and grace in everyday miracles, the comfort and sanctity in local wonders."—Booklist
Colorado Review
"In this elegaic volume of four chapters, National Poet Laureate Kooser shares with the reader a lifetime of observations about home, familiy, and land distlled into a series of sometimes sparkling, other times electrifying, and always engaging scenes that read like a poet's diary."—Mark Easter, Colorado Review
— Mark Easter
Dallas Morning News
"Local Wonders should be read and reread. It is a treasure, like the ripe wild plums Mr. Kooser, a retired insurance executive, picks along rural Nebraska roadsides."—Dan Barber, Dallas Morning News
— Dan Barber
Harvard Review
“Kooser forges connections with the past through witty, commonsense proverbs inherited from Czech and German immigrants to southeastern Nebraska. The proverbs lend a poetic folk wisdom to the examination of his rural environs.”—Jeffrey Galbraith, Harvard Review
— Jeffrey Galbraith
Janet Maslin
"A quietly eloquent diary of a year in a small town in Nebraska. . . . This is a heartfelt plainspoken book about slowing down and appreciating the world around you. . . . Maybe it's exactly the feeling your friends, even you, are looking for."
—New York Times book critic Janet Maslin on CBS News Sunday Morning
The Bloomsbury Review
"When you read Ted Kooser's Local Wonders, you question where he's been all these years. He'd probably tell you he's been right here, amidst all of us, working the simplicity of words, the clarity of insights. What he wouldn't tell you is that he has the quiet ability to sneak beneath your skin and ripple it ever so slightly. . . . Set back in the hills of southeastern Nebraska–the Bohemian Alps–Kooser's book doesn't venture far geographically but travels great distances along the lengths of wisdom. . . . Kooser is a poet by nature, and his essays have the generous feel of a man who's rolled up his sleeves, pen in hand, for a long time, choosing words as an act of beauty, and knowing the small things of the world are of great import."—The Bloomsbury Review
Janet Maslin
"A quietly eloquent diary of a year in a small town in Nebraska. . . . This is a heartfelt plainspoken book about slowing down and appreciating the world around you. . . . Maybe it's exactly the feeling your friends, even you, are looking for."—New York Times book critic Janet Maslin on CBS News Sunday Morning
Verlyn Klinkenborg
"Reading Ted Kooser's Local Wonders, I feel like I've wandered into another world, a place where the past endures—broken down a little, it's true—and where the present contains enough room to pay attention to the people and the countryside around you. This is simple, patient prose, the annotations of living in a wide-open place."—Verlyn Klinkenborg
Jim Harrison
"Ted Kooser's Local Wonders is the quietest magnificent book I've ever read."—Jim Harrison, author of Legends of the Fall
Merrill Gilfillan
"Local Wonders takes its luminous place in the time-honored tradition of seasonal contemplation within a cherished place. It is a companionate book—bright of eye and wit, warm with the details and reflections of the world."—Merrill Gilfillan, author of Grasshopper Falls
Judith Kitchen
"Kooser claims he doesn't like to travel, but for someone who stays put, he does an awful lot of sightseeing. Hindsight, foresight, near sight, far sight, insight, out of sight, you name it—Local Wonders takes us both 'out far' and 'in deep.'"—Judith Kitchen, author of Only the Dance: Essays on Time and Memory
Omaha World-Herald
http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2011/10/local-wonders.html
Literature and Life
lindsleyrinard.blogspot.com/2010/10/ted-kooser-poet-extraordinaire-this.html
— Lindsley Rinard
Crickhollow Books blog
http://crickhollow.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/poetry-home-repair-manual-small-press-month-book-recommendation-5/
UNP blog
http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2011/10/local-wonders.html
Nebraska Life
http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2011/10/local-wonders.html
Literature and Life
http://lindsleyrinard.blogspot.com/2010/10/ted-kooser-poet-extraordinaire-this.html
Harvard Review
“Kooser forges connections with the past through witty, commonsense proverbs inherited from Czech and German immigrants to southeastern Nebraska. The proverbs lend a poetic folk wisdom to the examination of his rural environs.”—Jeffrey Galbraith, Harvard Review
Dallas Morning News
"Local Wonders should be read and reread. It is a treasure, like the ripe wild plums Mr. Kooser, a retired insurance executive, picks along rural Nebraska roadsides."—Dan Barber, Dallas Morning News
Colorado Review
"In this elegaic volume of four chapters, National Poet Laureate Kooser shares with the reader a lifetime of observations about home, familiy, and land distlled into a series of sometimes sparkling, other times electrifying, and always engaging scenes that read like a poet's diary."—Mark Easter, Colorado Review
Lincoln Journal Star
"With Thoreaulike reflection and insight, the author artfully engaged this reader in a lyrical embroidery of this neighboring frontier. Weaving images in soothing language, Kooser meticulously captures the nuances of life as it evolves in a country setting in which he is both observer and participant."—Dan Semrad, Lincoln Journal Star
Heartlands
“This small gem of a book matches perfectly the vision of our Heartlands--conveying the beauty and courage of living close and deep.”—Larry Smith, Heartlands: A Magazine of Midwest Life and Art
Sioux City Journal
“A graceful memoir that saunters from his boyhood in Ames, Iowa to more recent years living as a writer…. Local readers everywhere will equally rejoice in the discovery of this wonderful and simple book.”—Sioux City Journal
Dallas Morning News
"Local Wonders should be read and reread. It is a treasure, like the ripe wild plums Mr. Kooser, a retired insurance executive, picks along rural Nebraska roadsides."
—Dan Barber, Dallas Morning News
Heartlands
“This small gem of a book matches perfectly the vision of our Heartlands--conveying the beauty and courage of living close and deep.”
—Larry Smith, Heartlands: A Magazine of Midwest Life and Art
Booklist
"Through his eyes we learn to see, then appreciate, the beauty and grace in everyday miracles, the comfort and sanctity in local wonders."
The Bloomsbury Review
"When you read Ted Kooser's Local Wonders, you question where he's been all these years. He'd probably tell you he''s been right here, amidst all of us, working the simplicity of words, the clarity of insights. What he wouldn't tell you is that he has the quiet ability to sneak beneath your skin and ripple it ever so slightly. . . . Set back in the hills of southeastern Nebraska–the Bohemian Alps–Kooser's book doesn't venture far geographically but travels great distances along the lengths of wisdom. . . . Kooser is a poet by nature, and his essays have the generous feel of a man who''s rolled up his sleeves, pen in hand, for a long time, choosing words as an act of beauty, and knowing the small things of the world are of great import."
Harvard Review
“Kooser forges connections with the past through witty, commonsense proverbs inherited from Czech and German immigrants to southeastern Nebraska. The proverbs lend a poetic folk wisdom to the examination of his rural environs.”
—Jeffrey Galbraith, Harvard Review
Lincoln Journal Star
"With Thoreaulike reflection and insight, the author artfully engaged this reader in a lyrical embroidery of this neighboring frontier. Weaving images in soothing language, Kooser meticulously captures the nuances of life as it evolves in a country setting in which he is both observer and participant."
—Dan Semrad, Lincoln Journal Star
Sioux City Journal
“A graceful memoir that saunters from his boyhood in Ames, Iowa to more recent years living as a writer…. Local readers everywhere will equally rejoice in the discovery of this wonderful and simple book.”
— Sean Meehan, Sioux City Journal
Colorado Review
"In this elegaic volume of four chapters, National Poet Laureate Kooser shares with the reader a lifetime of observations about home, familiy, and land distlled into a series of sometimes sparkling, other times electrifying, and always engaging scenes that read like a poet's diary."
—Mark Easter, Colorado Review
Nebraska Life
"Call them stories then. Call them letters from a friend. Call them what you wish, but read them."
Lahontan Valley News / Fallon Eagle Standard
“What Kooser does in this remarkable book is describe in exquisite—and understated, humorous—detail the place where he lives: the rural area of southeastern Nebraska. Kooser is one of our finest poets and has, over the years, published a series of poems about the rural life in Nebraska that are superb evocations of place. Here, he does the same thing in prose, again and again, discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary, the pithy underlying truth of conventional folk wisdom.”
Fourth Genre
“Reading . . . Local Wonders is a bit like running into Lao Tsu and Confucius in line at the hardware store. A Taoist love of country life permeates the book. . . . It is not nature alone, Kooser’s beautiful book reminds us, but the play of the imagination on nature--the mind that can speculate on the connection between stars and moths—that produces glory and brings insight into life’s inescapable truths.”
L Magazine
“Ted Kooser is a travel agent of words. He transports readers to a landscape of old grain trucks and weedsprayers and outhouses. Of country schools and grain elevators and fried pig’s ear crumbled over oatmeal. Of handmade quilts that cost exactly 12.43. His destination? The Bohemeian Alps, a cluster of affectionately nicknamed silty clay knolls in southeastern Nebraska. His tourists? Anyone.”
—L Magazine: Lincoln’s Premier Lifestyle Magazine
New West Front Page
“Kooser writes with lovely prose, full of wry humor and affection for the land and its people.”
Newsday
"Eloquent meditations on country pleasures, the rhythms of the seasons and the lingering presence of Czech folk culture in rural Nebraska."—Dan Cryer, Newsday
Speakeasy
"Clear, generous, and imaginative, Local Wonders increases the sum of the world's best goods."—Patrice Koelsch, Speakeasy
Newsday
"Eloquent meditations on country pleasures, the rhythms of the seasons and the lingering presence of Czech folk culture in rural Nebraska."—Dan Cryer, Newsday
— Dan Cryer
Speakeasy
"Clear, generous, and imaginative, Local Wonders increases the sum of the world's best goods."—Patrice Koelsch, Speakeasy
— Patrice Koelsch
