Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel. Pub 2014 I chose this book based on a recommendation in the acknowledgements of a book I read last year (The End of Men)*. It was interesting to read a second post-apocalyptic book so close after the previous one (Moon of the Turning Leaves), especially one set in... Continue Reading →
Moon of the Turning Leaves, by Waubgeshig Rice. Book report #1 (2024)
Moon of the Turning Leaves, by Waubgeshig Rice. Pub 2023 This book is a sequel to Moon of the Crusted Snow, a book club read in 2020. In the earlier story, an unknown apocalypse event has occurred, cutting off power and communication to a small First Nations community (the "Rez") in Northern Ontario, forcing the survivors... Continue Reading →
The Schooldays of Jesus, by JM Coetzee. Book report extra #2 (2023)
The Schooldays of Jesus, by JM Coetzee. Pub 2016 This is the second part of a trilogy by Coetzee. In the first book, we meet Simón, Inés, and David, an unusual family in a strange world. The precocious and strong-willed David is beloved and indulged by his “parents”, and causes difficulties at school, leading to... Continue Reading →
Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell. Book report extra #1 (2023)
Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell. Pub 2004 I have been wanting to read this book for years, but have always been daunted by its length and alleged complexity (as per the movie version). After reading The Bone Clocks earlier this year, I was moved to try again. It’s a difficult novel to summarize. It is... Continue Reading →
2023 Reading Challenge – summary
A big year this year - 40 books. As in the past, book selections later in the year had to be more strategic to get through all the categories, which led to some interesting choices. I’m looking forward to a fresh slate for 2024. Here's the final book list for 2023: 1 - Book with... Continue Reading →
Consolations of the Forest, by Sylvain Tesson. Book report #40 (2023)
Consolations of the Forest, by Sylvain Tesson. Trans. By Linda Coverdale. Pub 2010, translation in 2013. I sought out this book as the basis of a film we watched last year, Dans les forêts de Sibérie. The books is actually quite different, which was good as the film, promoted as being about a man living alone... Continue Reading →
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, by John Koenig. Book report #39 (2023)
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, by John Koenig. Pub 2021 This has lingered on my shelves for a while now, something I started and stopped a few times. After the disastrous previous read about language, I decided to try again to make this one my language category. We use foreign words in English to name... Continue Reading →
The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman. Book report #38 (2023)
The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman. Pub 2020 This book was a gift from a fellow book clubber who shares my affection murder mysteries. This book series is a best seller in England, and it’s understandable why – it is terrific. The eponymous club is comprised of four residents of Coopers Chase retirement community... Continue Reading →
We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Book report #37
We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Originally published 1924. Translation by Clarence Brown, published 1993. This selection was driven primarily by the need to complete the banned-book category, but also by several pieces in The Happy Reader (issue #10) that made me dig it out of my bookshelves. Briefly, the story is set in the future -... Continue Reading →
The Adversary, by Michael Crummey. Book report #36 (2023)
The Adversary, by Michael Crummey. Pub 2023 Michael Crummey is a favourite author. I've read almost all his novels and short stories, and a few books of poetry, too. I heard about this book coming out, and while I'd normally wait till Christmas or for a paperback version, I also saw that Crummey was going to... Continue Reading →
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