This book was a gift from someone who suggested I read it while or after I finished the bible. It was certainly an interesting counterpoint. While not great literature, its ideas are highly original and thought-provoking. There is not much of a story in the novel, as it consists almost entirely of a conversation between... Continue Reading →
The Bible, new standard revised version, Catholic edition, Anglicized text. Printed 1995.
My pop used to say that a hallmark of a smart person is that they've read the bible. In the spring, when going through some of his things with my sister, we found his bible - a Jerusalem bible, from 1966. I decided to take on reading it this year, but didn't want to risk... Continue Reading →
Sleeping Children, by Anthony Passeron. Pub 2022. Translation by Frank Wynne, pub 2025.
Another gift from my fellow bookclubber, this autobiographical and historical novel tells the story of the early years of the AIDS pandemic. In parallel chapters, we read about the narrator's uncle, Désiré, the family's golden boy and eventual heroin user, who becomes an early case of AIDS, as well as the entire family saga before, during,... Continue Reading →
All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque. Pub 1928. Translation by A.W. Wheen, pub 1929.
Over the summer, we rewatched the 2022 film version of this story. I was impressed and moved by it the first time I saw it, and the second viewing delivered the same visceral horror and devastation. I’d heard that the book was even more powerful. I was less engaged with the novel, perhaps because much... Continue Reading →
The Stone Diaries, by Carol Shields. Pub 1993
Like so many favourite books from the distant past, this is one I hadn’t read since the first time, so didn’t remember much of the story (and in fact was confusing it in my memory with The Stone Angel). Like with A Prayer for Owen Meany, I decided to read it again to refresh the... Continue Reading →
The Forty Rule of Love, by Elif Shafak. Pub 2010
This book was recommended by a friend (the same who recommended The Berry Pickers), and was already in my book pile, so it was a good next choice. The poet Rumi has always seemed like a mythical romantic, someone one “should” read, and this seemed like a gentle way to get introduced. The novel has... Continue Reading →
On the Calculation of Volume, by Solvej Ball
On the Calculation of Volume - I, by Solvej Ball. Pub 2020. Translation by Barbara Haveland, pub 2024. On the Calculation of Volume - II, by Solvej Ball. Pub 2020. Translation by Barbara Haveland, pub 2024. I found these when looking at the Booker International list for 2025. I was interested as a time stories... Continue Reading →
Every Valley, by Charles King. Pub 2024.
In our last year at university, my friend and I joined the University Singers, an amateur choral group supporting the more advanced singers within the School of Music. I think we saw a poster advertising the group’s plan to perform Handel’s Messiah that fall, and so we signed up. Thus began a lifelong love of... Continue Reading →
Stop Reading the News, by Rolf Dobelli. Pub 2019. Translation by Caroline Waight, pub 2020.
The title of this book spoke to me, in light of many conversations this year about the depressing imposition the news represents, and the goal of reclaiming my attention from the whirlpool of online sites. According to Dobelli, the only way is cold turkey - as the title says, stop reading the news – and... Continue Reading →
In Covid’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us, by Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee. Pub 2025
Short version: In Covid’s Wake presents an excellent overview of the policies and actions in several regions of the world (primarily the US) during the Covid-19 pandemic, evaluating these for lessons learned for future crises. The authors do an excellent job analysing the rationales for the various approaches and the outcomes and impact on the... Continue Reading →
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