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 →
The Little Virtues, by Natalia Ginzburg. Book report #19* (2017)
The Little Virtues, by Natalia Ginzburg. Pub 1962, this translation 1985. I became interested in reading this book after reading this review. I've had the book in my tsundoku for nearly a year, and brought this slim volume along for my recent holiday. As a book, it did not live up to the effusive praise of... Continue Reading →
The Griffin and Sabine Saga, by Nick Bantock. Book report #18* (2017)
The Griffin and Sabine Saga, by Nick Bantock. Pub 1991-2016 I started on this one when I recently purchased book 7, The Pharos Gate, published in 2016. I've read this entire series since it started, and so thought I should wrap it up, ticking off item 4 from the list (book published in 2016). But... Continue Reading →
The Moon is Down, by John Steinbeck. Book report #17* (2017)
The Moon is Down, by John Steinbeck. Pub 1942 This short novel was written specifically to be a piece of insurgent propaganda. As the US was entering WWII, Steinbeck became one of many artists with a patriotic and anti-fascist bent who wanted to use their skills for the cause. Originally intended to take place in... Continue Reading →
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