Smut, by Alan Bennett. Pub 2011 Another point-of-purchase purchase, I had planned this as a Christmas gift, but decided after starting to read it that it was now mine. I have only read one other Alan Bennett (The Uncommon Reader), but have also seen the film based on his semi-autobiographical The Lady in the Van... Continue Reading →
An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good, by Helene Tursten. Book report #1 (2019)
An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good, by Helene Tursten. Translated by Marlaine Delargy. Pub 2018 A quick read to start the year, I picked up this book as an impulse purchase during Christmas shopping as a gift for a friend, but was so intrigued by this quirky little book that I decided to... Continue Reading →
2019 Reading Challenge
Once more into the breach: we're continuing the challenge in 2019, with more modifications to the list. Still a total of 28 books, but some new categories to keep it interesting. The list is below. We ditched the murder book (that one was too easy) and author-younger-than-you (too difficult), and added genre-you-don't-normally-read and book-previously-unfinished. We also... Continue Reading →
Wild Dogs, by Helen Humphreys. Book report #20 (2018)
Wild Dogs, by Helen Humphreys. Pub 2004 I’ve read almost all of Helen Humphreys’ novels, but strangely not this one. Strange because this one was specifically recommended to me. It was in the early fall of 2008 (I think). I was visiting my friends Joan and Pete on the Sunshine Coast for the Pender Harbour... Continue Reading →
An Everlasting Meal, by Tamar Adler. Book report #19 (2018)
An Everlasting Meal, by Tamar Adler. Pub 2011 I don't recall how I learned about this book, but it truly a treasure of food writing. While there are many recipes included, the prose is mostly about creative and - yes - everlasting ways to cook food. More than that, the language is lyrical - Adler... Continue Reading →
The Wine Lover’s Daughter, by Anne Fadiman. Book report #18 (2018)
The Wine Lover’s Daughter, by Anne Fadiman. Pub 2017 Anne Fadiman is one of my favourite writers; sadly for me, she has very few books, so I was delighted to find that she’d at last produced another one. This memoir about her father is a poignant journey to find and enshrine the meaning of his... Continue Reading →
Books on Film
Time for another cinematic list. Since I’m putting a lot of effort this year (although clearly not right now) into reading, I thought a list of adaptations of novels into film, where the makers got it just right, would be apropos. My rule for this list – I have to have both read the book... Continue Reading →
There is No Long Distance Now, by Naomi Shihab Nye. Book report #16 (2018)
There is No Long Distance Now: Very Short Stories, by Naomi Shihab Nye. Pub 2011 This is the second book I've read by this author (last year I read her quasi-essays "I'll Ask You Three Times: Are You OK?"). This one is just as quirky as the first, but very different as well. After an... Continue Reading →
The Uncollected David Rakoff. Book report #15 (2018)
The Uncollected David Rakoff, ed. by Timothy G. Young. Pub 2015 I have read all of David Rakoff’s books, and enjoyed them all, so was delighted to find this collection of previously unpublished (or at least uncollected) works. David Rakoff’s essays are brilliant – wry, introspective, prescient, sad, and funny. Most are highly personal, sometimes... Continue Reading →
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. Book report #14 (2018)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. Pub 1884 I was led to re-read this book after watching the Ken Burns documentary about Mark Twain (which was fascinating and highly recommended). A big part of the documentary was about his most famous book and character, and so inspired me to pick this one up... Continue Reading →
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