Being on vacation is a great way to catch up on reading: Book report #2: Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande. Pub 2014 A very thoughtful gift from a dear friend, this book was full of meaning for me. As I crest middle-age and look forward, considerations of aging – from where and how to live, and... Continue Reading →
The Elements of Eloquence, by Mark Forsyth. Book report #1 (2018)
The Elements of Eloquence: Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase, by Mark Forsyth. Pub 2013 I found this book after seeing a Facebook post about the section on hyperbaton (defying the logical/grammatical order of words in a sentence). Hyperbaton covers three areas: prepositions (Shut up!), vowel order (tic-tac-toe), and word order (esp. adjectives and adjective-noun).... Continue Reading →
2018 Reading Challenge
Last year's reading challenge was a success, so we're repeating it in 2018, with a modified and longer list this year. The list is below. Any suggestions for additional categories? --------------------------------------------------------------- 2018 Reading Challenge (RSJ style) A book about or involving a murder (fiction or non-fiction). A book with a body part in the title.... Continue Reading →
Some Great Thing, by Lawrence Hill. Book report #26 (2017)
Some Great Thing, by Lawrence Hill. Pub 1992 I found this book when searching for a book set in Winnipeg (of which there are few) and a book published in 1992. Like The Republic of Love, this one met both criteria, and also happened to be one I’d not read before. Et voila, book 26!... Continue Reading →
Good Bones and Simple Murders, by Margaret Atwood. Book report #25 (2017)
Good Bones and Simple Murders, by Margaret Atwood. Pub 1994 (from material 1982-1994). An interesting if uneven collection of pieces, the material verges from short story to elegiac poem, covering science fiction, historical fiction and anthropomorphic portrayal. All with a healthy dose of strident feminism and a sprinkle of environmental guilt. While I usually like... Continue Reading →
The Republic of Love, by Carol Shields. Book report #24 (2017)
The Republic of Love, by Carol Shields. Pub 1992. This is one of my Desert Island books, one that I have read and reread and never tire of. It seemed ideal for this book project, as it fulfills both the "book that was published when I was half the age I am now" (which seems... Continue Reading →
Poems That Make Grown Women Cry. Book report #23 (2017)
Poems that make grown women cry - ed. Anthony Holden and Ben Holden. Pub 2016 An interesting anthology - poems selected by a diverse group of women (mostly actors and celebrities) with an intro by each about the significance of the poem to them. Even without the intros, this would be a good, if eclectic,... Continue Reading →
Howard’s End, by EM Forster. Book report #22 (2017)
Howard’s End, by EM Forster. Pub 1910 I didn’t enjoy this book much – I found several sections to be a real slog to get through. I had a similar experience with A Room With a View a few years ago. There are a few sections where Forster reverts to almost a sly commentary about the lives... Continue Reading →
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, by Alice Munro. Book report #21 * (2017)
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage. By Alice Munro, Pub 2001 I have enjoyed the few Alice Munro stories that I’ve read – usually in back issues of The New Yorker – and so decided to take the plunge with this one. I was not disappointed. Each story has a unique twist and tension, well drawn... Continue Reading →
The Opposite of Loneliness, by Marina Keegan. Book report #20* (2017)
The Opposite of Loneliness, by Marina Keegan. Pub 2014 I discovered this book when searching for anything new by one of my favourite essayists, Anne Fadiman. Her latest, it turns out, is the introduction to this volume of stories and essays by her former student, Marina Keegan. Keegan was just 22 when, shortly after graduating... Continue Reading →
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