This had been lauded by the New York Times on a year-end book review, in a breathless but brief summary, but turned out to be about something much different than I expected. In the last few years, I've been trying to include some writing by Indigenous North Americans (not always Canadian) in my book choices,... Continue Reading →
Between Two Kingdoms, by Suleika Jaouad. Pub 2021
I bought this book to satisfy the travel category, as the blurb said it was about the author’s 15,000 mile journey around the US following completion of her cancer treatment. However, most of the book is about her cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, a different kind of journey, so it's more memoir than travel. As... Continue Reading →
Be Ready When the Luck Happens, by Ina Garten. Pub 2024
A colleague mentioned this book over coffee early last year. They found it a good leadership lesson book, and its closing message (and title) to be inspirational, a motivation to keep going even when things are hard so you can take advantage of any lucky break from a place of strength. That sounded good to... Continue Reading →
Anything is Possible, by Elizabeth Strout. Pub 2017
This is my fourth Strout book, and I continue to enjoy her every word. I was glad to find this on my bookshelf this weekend, as I had started it back in April and so could finish it in a couple of mornings (and also satisfying the leftover category, one I missed last year). In... Continue Reading →
Killing Stella, by Marlen Haushofer. Pub 1958. Translation by Shaun Whiteside, pub 2025.
I read about this in the NYT, and while I don't usually use that as a guide (they have led me astray often, and they tend to be (in the podcast at least) breathlessly ecstatic about everything), this intrigued me due to its recent rediscovery. The author died in 1970, but her novels have remained... Continue Reading →
Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn. Pub 1992. 25th anniversary edition, with foreword and afterword, pub 2017.
This book was a gift from someone who suggested I read it while or after I finished the bible. It was certainly an interesting counterpoint. While not great literature, its ideas are highly original and thought-provoking. There is not much of a story in the novel, as it consists almost entirely of a conversation between... Continue Reading →
The Bible, new standard revised version, Catholic edition, Anglicized text. Printed 1995.
My pop used to say that a hallmark of a smart person is that they've read the bible. In the spring, when going through some of his things with my sister, we found his bible - a Jerusalem bible, from 1966. I decided to take on reading it this year, but didn't want to risk... Continue Reading →
Address Unknown, by Katherine Kressman Taylor. Pub 1938
I don't know how I ended up with this little book, but I'm so glad I had it to slip into my bag for reading on a recent short trip. The novella is epistolary, between two former business partners in 1938, one in San Francisco and one in Germany, one Jewish and one not. I... Continue Reading →
A Season for Spies, by Iona Whishaw. Pub 2025
A banner year with two Lane Winslow stories! This one is a prequel of sorts, going back to Lane’s years during WWII. Here we read about her inaugural mission, where she of course goes above and beyond to thwart the Nazis and save the day, impressing some superiors and irritating others. I hope that there... Continue Reading →
Black Diamond, by Martin Walker. Pub 2012
The third book in the series picks up where The Dark Vineyard left off. Bruno becomes embroiled in both an Asian gang war and a fraudulent truffle market. The histories are complex and difficult to follow; while it was interesting to learn about the background between France and Vietnam, it got convoluted with references to... Continue Reading →
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