Another year, another list. 2023's reading list takes us to 40 (!) items, with some more new categories to keep things interesting. The list is below. For this year, we removed the category "read in school", (partly because that list was actually quite short and had even fewer that we wanted to reread), amalgamated "recommended"... Continue Reading →
How to Stop Time, by Matt Haig. Pub 2018
I've had a few Matt Haig books in mind over the past year, mostly because his The Comfort Book is always prominently displayed at the bookstore, and his The Midnight Library has been popular in best-books lists the past few years. A few months ago, when depositing some books in the local little free library, I saw this one... Continue Reading →
Dave Cooks the Turkey, by Stuart MacLean. Pub 2005
A gift from Christmas 2021 (thanks, Mom!), this seemed like a good holiday read for this year. Although very brief, it was a delight. For more than 20 years, Stuart McLean was the creator, writer, and host of a Canadian treasure called The Vinyl Café. Part story-telling, part variety show, the radio program and accompanying... Continue Reading →
Item #30 – Cru menu
This piece of paper is a treasure for two reasons – the event and the location. Cru Restaurant was a favourite for several years and for even more reasons. The ambiance – comfortable, intimate, not too loud, not too large – made it a treat to go for dinner. The menu and wine list were,... Continue Reading →
The President’s Hat, by Antoine Laurain. Pub 2012. Translation by Gallic Books, pub 2013
This is a wonderful semi-modern fable of the power of talismans over fate, luck, and confidence. The titular president is François Mitterand, President of France from 1981-1995, and he was well known for his sartorial elegance, especially his scarf and the also-titular hat. As the novel open, one Daniel Mercier is dining alone one evening... Continue Reading →
2022 Reading Challenge – summary
Wow – I did it! The goal was 37 books, and I did it and then some. As in the past, book selections later in the year had to be more strategic to get through all the categories, which led to some interesting choices. I’m looking forward to a fresh slate for 2023 and an... Continue Reading →
Broadsword Calling Danny Boy, by Geoff Dyer. Pub 2018
This book will only appeal to those who have a) seen and b) enjoyed (ideally several times) the 1968 movie Where Eagles Dare. For those who haven't, this book is meaningless. For those who have and like it, this book is a joyful and hilarious retelling of a classic overblown and strange action story filled with... Continue Reading →
By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept, by Elizabeth Smart. Pub 1945
I originally had somewhat positive hopes for this one, as I do usually enjoy a more lyrical/poetic narrative. This was not that. Lyrical and poetical yes, narrative not at all. There are only a few concrete incidents in the entire story (and I use the word “story” loosely). The rest reads like a lovesick teenager... Continue Reading →
The Children of Men, by PD James. Pub 1992
Sperm counts around the world declining "Suicide is generally available to people. (MAID helps people) who, for physical and possible mental reasons, can't make that choice themselves and do it themselves." David Lametti, Justice Minister and Attorney General for Canada. Canadian retailer's commercial celebrates the "hard beauty" of assisted suicide These bits in the recent... Continue Reading →
The Cellist of Sarajevo, by Steven Galloway. Pub 2008
I had read this only once before, not long after it first came out, but the story has stuck with me and it felt worthy of being read again (that, and "book with a place name in the title"). Using as inspiration the story of a cellist who played at various sites in 1992-3 during... Continue Reading →
