After Bird by Bird, I wanted to dip into more Anne Lamott, hoping in part to find another essayist on par with beloved Anne Fadiman. Alas, the two Annes are not alike. This collection (which I was disappointed to realize includes both new and previously published essays, such that previous collections will include repeats of... Continue Reading →
Never Whistle at Night. Ed. By Shane Hawk and Theodore C Van Alst Jr. Pub 2023
This was a last-minute addition to my vacation book pile, based on the recommendation of the bookstore. I was expecting ghost and monster stories, perfect for a camping trip, and while there are those in this collection, most stories were stronger as allegories about North American colonialism, generational trauma, and disrespect of nature and the... Continue Reading →
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. Pub 1954
I was inspired to read this by The Book Club podcast, as it is on their upcoming reading list. I recall I had to read this in Grade 9, and also saw the 1963 film at about the same time. However, my memory was quite vague about the story details, so this rereading was like... Continue Reading →
Train Dreams, by Denis Johnson. Pub 2002. Issued in book form in 2011.
I selected this slim book based on the recommendation of the New York Times. I’d also heard it was made into a well-received film, so added it to my vacation book pile. Blessedly short, this felt like a strange and pointless story. It is well written, but there is no meaningful story or characters. The... Continue Reading →
This is Happiness, by Niall Williams. Pub 2019
This has been on my shelf for a while, moving up and down the tsundoku depending on when and from whom I heard it mentioned. It was on the top at last just before vacation. Described by critics as “unhurried” and “elegiac”, it requires slow and savoury reading, perfect for a holiday. The novel is... Continue Reading →
Vax Off
"…history, by reason of human nature, will follow a similar course." Thucydides The mainstream media has recently been revisiting the Covid times with revelations from Anthony Fauci’s diaries, his subsequent appearance in the US Congress, and his eventual charge of contempt of congress. While several participants in that process advocate for leaving the past alone,... Continue Reading →
Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. Pub 1994
I have a friend who reads only non-fiction. Despite my efforts to cajole her into fiction, she stays resolutely in her camp. The benefit to me has been some terrific recommendations about books, like this one. Anne Lamott is an author I've not read before. She is well known for this book, a compilation of... Continue Reading →
The Odyssey, by Homer. Translation by Emily Wilson. Pub 2017
I have read The Odyssey before (not sure when), from another translator. A few years ago, listened to the audiobook version of Wilson's translation. Then I heard that Christopher Nolan's movie version was in part based on and inspired by this translation, so I wanted to read it again before seeing the movie. Very briefly, The Odyssey tells... Continue Reading →
11/22/63, by Stephen King. Pub 2011
This monster of a book was a recommendation from a fellow book shopper a few months ago. I was intrigued by the concept – a man travels back in time to stop the assassination of JFK – but that is only a sidebar in this lengthy mess of a story. Briefly, in a diner in... Continue Reading →
On the Calculation of Volume, Part IV by Solvej Balle. Pub 2022. Translation by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell, pub 2026.
In part IV of this promised seven-part series, Tara is now living in a commune of sorts with dozens of fellow travellers, in a large house in Bremen. The smaller group’s approach to seeking other travellers has succeeded and then some, with people bringing their own stories and adding to both the mystery and the... Continue Reading →
