I had a chat today with a colleague and friend. We’re about the same age, and have been working for about the same number of years (30+ for me, close to the same for her plus school and family). She said, “When does all this hard work start to pay off?” We talked about it... Continue Reading →
The Library Book, by Susan Orlean. Book report #16 (2019)
The Library Book, by Susan Orlean. Pub 2018 This was my first reading of Susan Orlean (The Orchid Thief) in book form. I’ve read a few pieces by her in The New Yorker, but never a whole book. What I have I been waiting for? Starting out as bit of mystery, exploring a devastating fire... Continue Reading →
Fierce, by Hannah Holborn. Book report #15 (2019)
Fierce, by Hannah Holborn. Pub 2008 Rereading this book for the first time since 2008 when it came out. I have this book because I know the author: we met in 2007 in Pender Harbour, and she recommended a few other books (Wild Dogs, Raw Shark Texts) as well as her own forthcoming story collection.... Continue Reading →
Little Dogs, by Michael Crummey. Book report #14 (2019)
Little Dogs, by Michael Crummey. Pub 2016 New and selected poems from a favourite writer, this was a great way to get introduced to Crummey’s excellent poetry. The book includes selections from his previous four collections along with a set of new poems. The landscapes, the people, the history and the personal details are intertwined... Continue Reading →
Help the Witch, by Tom Cox. Book report #13 (2019)
Help the Witch, by Tom Cox. Pub 2018 An Unbound book, I don’t recall what took me to this one – likely a Facebook suggestion, or newsletter blurb make it sound intriguing. And it was. A quirky set of short stories, all with a ghostly theme, they are a bit uneven (trying to be eclectic)... Continue Reading →
The Raw Shark Texts, by Steven Hall. Book report #12 (2019)
The Raw Shark Texts, by Steven Hall. Pub 2007 Like Wild Dogs, I’ve at last gotten to this long-ago recommendation. I can’t believe I waited so long. This book was fantastic – literally. Part The Matrix, part Griffin & Sabine, with definite shades of David Mitchell, this adventure paranormal mystery love story is a page... Continue Reading →
The Red Car, by Marcy Dermansky. Book report #11 (2019)
The Red Car, by Marcy Dermansky. Pub 2016 My second taste of Marcy Dermansky was even better than the first. Dermansky creates characters real and recognizable, with a heroine (Leah) you want to like but don’t always. And despite Leah’s bad choices and missteps, you end up rooting for her throughout and cheering her at... Continue Reading →
Machine Without Horses, by Helen Humphreys. Book report #10 (2019)
Machine without Horses, by Helen Humphreys. Pub 2018 I bought this one last year on the strength of the author – Helen Humphreys is a long-time favourite – but ended up reading Wild Dogs instead. I came back to this one on vacation, on my e-reader after my pile of books held nothing more entrancing.... Continue Reading →
Hag-Seed, by Margaret Atwood. Book report #9 (2019)
Hag-Seed, by Margaret Atwood. Pub 2017 This novel is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series, and while the previous novel from the series that I read was exceptional (Macbeth), I had heard that the rest of the series was just so-so. But this one was available (as in, I already owned it), and fit into... Continue Reading →
The Handmaid’s Tale – Graphic Novel, by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault. Book report #8 (2019)
The Handmaid’s Tale – Graphic Novel, by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault. Pub 2019 This dystopic story has been on my reading list for the last few years, in a world that sometimes increasing resembles these fictional horror worlds, familiar and other-worldly at the same time. Also, there are the recent mini-serieses dramatizing the world... Continue Reading →
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