A big year this year - 40 books. 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 2024. Here's the final book list for 2023: 1 - Book with... Continue Reading →
Consolations of the Forest, by Sylvain Tesson. Book report #40 (2023)
Consolations of the Forest, by Sylvain Tesson. Trans. By Linda Coverdale. Pub 2010, translation in 2013. I sought out this book as the basis of a film we watched last year, Dans les forêts de Sibérie. The books is actually quite different, which was good as the film, promoted as being about a man living alone... Continue Reading →
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, by John Koenig. Book report #39 (2023)
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, by John Koenig. Pub 2021 This has lingered on my shelves for a while now, something I started and stopped a few times. After the disastrous previous read about language, I decided to try again to make this one my language category. We use foreign words in English to name... Continue Reading →
The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman. Book report #38 (2023)
The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman. Pub 2020 This book was a gift from a fellow book clubber who shares my affection murder mysteries. This book series is a best seller in England, and it’s understandable why – it is terrific. The eponymous club is comprised of four residents of Coopers Chase retirement community... Continue Reading →
We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Book report #37
We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Originally published 1924. Translation by Clarence Brown, published 1993. This selection was driven primarily by the need to complete the banned-book category, but also by several pieces in The Happy Reader (issue #10) that made me dig it out of my bookshelves. Briefly, the story is set in the future -... Continue Reading →
The Adversary, by Michael Crummey. Book report #36 (2023)
The Adversary, by Michael Crummey. Pub 2023 Michael Crummey is a favourite author. I've read almost all his novels and short stories, and a few books of poetry, too. I heard about this book coming out, and while I'd normally wait till Christmas or for a paperback version, I also saw that Crummey was going to... Continue Reading →
Art, compiled by Shaun Usher. Book report #35 (2023)
Art, compiled by Shaun Usher. Pub 2020 I chose this book in order to satisfy the languishing category of "art" for this year's list. This little book of letters was delightful but very light. I think perhaps that artists - especially painters and sculptors - are not especially good writers. The best letters here are... Continue Reading →
The Bone Clocks, by David Mitchell. Book report #34 (2023)
The Bone Clocks, by David Mitchell. Pub 2014 I've been meaning to return to David Mitchell after enjoying Slade House a few years ago. I chose this one as it's related to that other book in a prequel kind of way, and also because it helps to satisfy a tricky book club category (a book with a... Continue Reading →
Something to Do with Paying Attention, by David Foster Wallace. Book report #33 (2023)
Something to Do with Paying Attention, by David Foster Wallace. Pub 2022 This novella was only recently published on its own. It was originally a part of the last novel of David Foster Wallace, The Pale King. I have not attempted any Wallace fiction in any significant way before (I have previously read and enjoyed the... Continue Reading →
The Wayfinders, by Wade Davis. Book report #31 (2023)
The Wayfinders, by Wade Davis. Pub 2009 I've had this book for many years, likely not long after it was published. I recall reading a few previous books in the series - especially Payback (Margaret Atwood) and A Short History of Progress (Ronald Wright) - and purchasing this one when it came out. After starting it, I think I... Continue Reading →
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