Mrs. Bridge, by Evan S. Connell. Pub 1959. This was a recommendation from two years ago from my book club partner. I got it a few months later and made a few false starts on it last year. This year, I got stuck in and enjoyed it. The novel has 117 short chapters that provide... Continue Reading →
Tauhou, by Kōtuku Titihuia Nuttall. Book report #24 (2023)
Tauhou, by Kōtuku Titihuia Nuttall. Pub 2023 This was an impulse purchase last month when picking up some other books. I've been encountering situations with Indigenous communities and relations more and more in my work, and so this book seemed like perhaps a timely way to engage with those, however obliquely. However, the author herself... Continue Reading →
Hangman, by Julie Burtinshaw. Book report #21 (2023)
Hangman, by Julie Burtinshaw. Pub 2022 I purchased this book because it is written by a friend-of-a-friend, and because I thought it was something my mom might enjoy. This is the story of Canada's first official executioner, one John Radclive (or Ratley or Ratcliffe or Radcliff as he variously calls himself). Drawing heavily on Radclive's... Continue Reading →
Unnatural Death, by Dorothy L. Sayers. Book report #20 (2023)
Unnatural Death, by Dorothy L. Sayers. Pub 1927 The third in the Wimsey series, and by far my favourite so far, the eccentric Lord Peter takes on a pseudo-murder investigation, almost on a whim, thus setting in motion a series of additional crimes and murders that ultimately lead to the capture of the killer. Sayers... Continue Reading →
There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job, by Kikuko Tsumura. Book report #19 (2023)
There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job, by Kikuko Tsumura. Pub 2015. Translation by Polly Barton. Pub 2020. When I first got this one (as part of a set of books won in a raffle earlier this year), I thought it was a non-fiction book, a guide to job hunting in the realities of... Continue Reading →
The Quiet American, by Graham Greene. Book report #18 (2023)
The Quiet American, by Graham Greene. Pub 1955 I heard an episode of Backlisted (the show that gives new life to old books) discussing various books of Graham Greene, and The Quiet American was the only one I happened to already own and had never read. Greene's story and the story of his many novels was very interesting and... Continue Reading →
Murder Before Evensong, by The Reverend Richard Coles. Book report #17 (2023)
Murder Before Evensong, The Reverend Richard Coles. Pub 2022 Since reading The Madness of Grief a few years back, I've been a quasi-fan of Coles. He retired from parish duties in 2022, and continues his writing, presenting, social media activities. This book is his first work of fiction, creating a new accidental-detective-in-an-English-village character for a series of... Continue Reading →
The Light of No Other Hour, by Joseph Massey. Book report #16
The Light of No Other Hour, by Joseph Massey. Pub 2023 This is my third book of poems by Massey, an independent and prolific poet. This book is self-published, and he also publishes regularly on his blog and other online places. Like most best poems, these are wonderful when read aloud, evoking the grit and... Continue Reading →
Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver. Book report #15 (2023)
Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver. Pub 2022 After reading Kingsolver's previous novel Unsheltered, and really not enjoying it, I was tempted to this one given its premise: a transcribing of David Copperfield into the Appalachia. This would have been less appealing were it not for my having recently completed the audiobook of the Dickens novel, and loving it.... Continue Reading →
Olga Dies Dreaming, by Xochitl Gonzalez. Book report #14 (2023)
Olga Dies Dreaming, by Xochitl Gonzalez. Pub 2021 Another from the Christmas bounty from my sister, I chose this book based on a recommendation from a friend. While the setting and story elements are different, the tone and style (and even the cover art) are reminiscent of Lessons in Chemistry, and like that book, this... Continue Reading →
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