Book three and still going strong, The Waste Lands picks up right where the previous book ended. Roland and his not-so-merry band are making their long and slow way toward the Dark Tower. Jake returns to the story, after we get to see a bit more about his New York life prior to his “accident”,... Continue Reading →
Lawrence & Holloman, by Morris Panych. Pub 1998
We saw this play in 1998 at the Arts Club Granville Island stage, and It is one that has stuck with me ever since. Morris Panych is a favourite playwright, with several good plays seen over the years at local theatres. Briefly, things start out casually, with Lawrence chatting with Holloman over a beer at... Continue Reading →
The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu. Pub 2006. Translation by Ken Liu. Pub 2014.
My sci-fi book buddy recommended this a few years back, but also warned that it was “hard sci-fi” so I had avoided it. Then I watched the first season of 3 Body Problem on Netflix, and decided to give this a try. To summarize this book is challenge, but here’s my attempt. An astrophysicist named... Continue Reading →
Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan. Pub 2021
This book is on the NYT “Best 100 books of the 21st century so far”, and the author came highly recommended by my fellow book-clubber. I found it during a summer book browse at a favourite shop in Victoria, and when I needed a break from a longer book, I decided this short one would... Continue Reading →
Goblin Market and other poems, by Christina Rossetti. Pub 1862
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 →
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 →
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