I was moved to get this collection after hearing a Rossetti poem used as a plot device in a classic movie (Kiss Me Deadly, 1955). A character named Christina quotes a Rossetti poem that turns out to be a clue for the detective. This is Rossetti’s most famous collection, including her signature poem, “Goblin Market”.... Continue Reading →
Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel. Pub 2022
This is my second Mandel book for 2024, chosen based on how much I enjoyed Station Eleven. I actually liked this one even more. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, the story is about a world of the future where time travel is possible (and also illegal). Over the centuries, there are many pandemics – COVID-19... Continue Reading →
Amsterdam, by Ian McEwan. Pub 1998
This is one of those that’s been sitting on the bookshelf for ages, with the occasional false start over the years. I decided to start again and finish it off, if for no other reason than to satisfy the “place name in the title” category. Also, I enjoyed my last dip into McEwan’s work, which... Continue Reading →
The Nightingale Won’t Let You Sleep, by Steven Heighton. Pub 2017
This book was an accidental purchase. When I read last year about the death of Canadian poet and writer Steven Heighton, including a few moving elegies about his impact on CanLit, I ordered two books of his poetry. Or so I thought. This book is a novel, and I found the premise intriguing. Plus, I... Continue Reading →
Hillbilly Elegy, by JD Vance. Pub 2016, with update in 2018.
This book was an unlikely addition to my list this year. My fellow book-clubber had read and reviewed it back in 2017, and did not love it. But not long ago, the author rose to prominence in the 2024 US election, and it seemed like one way to learn more about this new face. In... Continue Reading →
Bruno, Chief of Police, by Martin Walker. Pub 2008
This was an impulse purchase during a recent visit to a favourite bookshop in Victoria. I was looking for something light, a new-to-me mystery series in the vein of the Lane Winslow books by Iona Whishaw. Something about the shape of the book and the style of the cover, as well as the praise on... Continue Reading →
Thick Skin, by Hilary Peach. Pub 2022
Hilary Peach is a poet, author, and boilermaker. This book is a memoir, her recollections of her decade in the field and on the road in a difficult, dangerous, demanding, and essential trade. She is part of a different 1% - the women in the boilermaker’s union. While the discrimination and misogyny of the industry... Continue Reading →
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, by Wayne Johnston. Pub 1998
I recall buying this book >10 years ago at a favourite used book shop in Victoria. I had previously read The Custodian of Paradise, and while I enjoyed it, I realized too late that it would have been enhanced by having read this book first. While I made a start on Colony back then, it drifted on to... Continue Reading →
The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Pub 1911
This is one of those "I can't believe I've never read it" books, one that it seems everyone has read except me. I was moved to read this after a conversation about books with a coaching client, who said that this was their favourite book ever. I decided to give it a try ahead of... Continue Reading →
The Tenth Man, by Graham Greene. Pub 1985
After thoroughly enjoying The Quiet American last year, I found this slim book in the bargain bin during my post-Christmas binge. I knew nothing about it, so the story and the novel’s history were both a delightful surprise. Greene was both novelist and screenwriter, and in that latter mode he wrote this short novel in... Continue Reading →
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