Introduction to Poetry by Mark Van Doren. The book provides a selection of 30 poems, each followed by a few pages of commentary. It's pretty dated but I've enjoyed reading a poem, picking out some confusing parts, then reading the commentary and seeing the confusing parts explained clearly.

Do you live in a swing state? If not, that is if you live in a solid blue or red state, then you've got a little more choice beyond the "lesser of two evils." Your vote won't make a difference who wins, so why not voice your support for a third party? When third party candidates get a lot of votes it sends a pretty strong message to the two dominant parties, because they might get your vote next time if they change their policies. You're danging a carrot in front of their nose rather than giving it to them because you hate them less. Am I making any sense?