Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Pub 2007. I bought this book last year, after hearing an interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali on a podcast. I expected the story to be both brutal and remarkable, intense, so I delayed starting it till I had some time to get through it in one go, with time to... Continue Reading →
Rabbit Foot Bill, by Helen Humphreys. Book report #21 (2021)
Rabbit Foot Bill, by Helen Humphreys. Pub 2020 I've had this one in the pile since January's annual purge-and-splurge (part of the book diet), and it was a perfect little short book to add to the vacation pile. Helen Humphreys is a favourite author, and I've read nearly her entire oeuvre of novels. I should... Continue Reading →
How to Fly (in Ten Thousand Easy Lessons), by Barbara Kingsolver. Book report #20 (2021)
How to Fly (in Ten Thousand Easy Lessons), by Barbara Kingsolver. Pub 2020 I picked up this slim book of poetry just before vacation (allowable on my book diet, as Barbara Kingsolver is a favourite author). This is not Kingsolver's first book of poetry, but it is her first in nearly 30 years. And a... Continue Reading →
Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders. Book report #19 (2021)
Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders. Pub 2017 I started reading this last year sometime, and got distracted from it early on. At the end of teaching my course this summer, I included this commencement speech by George Saunders as part of the last module, and it reminded me that this book was overdue for... Continue Reading →
The Power, by Naomi Alderman. Book report #18 (2021)
The Power, by Naomi Alderman. Pub 2016. This book was mentioned/recommended in a leadership forum I'm participating in (or trying to), led by Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle is the Way. The forum is okay; some of the readings are inspiring, but many seem like rehashing of points already read and learned about in... Continue Reading →
A Scientific Romance, by Ronald Wright. Book report #17 (2021)
A Scientific Romance, by Ronald Wright. Pub 1997 I first read this book pre-2000, so not too long after it was published. It became a Desert Island book, one that I always list as an all-time favourite. Like others on this year's list for me, it's a favourite that I had not read in many... Continue Reading →
These Truths, by Jill Lepore. Book report #16 (2021)
These Truths, by Jill Lepore. Pub 2018 This book has been my Everest this year. I wish I had recorded when I started it, but am very glad to be recording that I finished it. It was very long (nearly 800 pages, plus nearly 100 pages of citations), but very good. I recall having read... Continue Reading →
Maxwell’s Demon, by Steven Hall. Book report #15 (2021)
Maxwell's Demon, by Steven Hall. Pub 2021 This was a surprise find for me at the bookstore last month. I was looking for a copy of Hall's Raw Shark Texts that I read a few years ago to send to a friend (my own copy was a Kindle version). When I went online to order... Continue Reading →
Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers. Book report #14 (2021)
Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers. Pub 1923 I've had more interest lately in murder mysteries, inspired by my reading Louise Penny last year and Iona Winslow this year. Dorothy L. Sayers came up in a search of something else, suggested as, "you might also like..." and since this one would tick a few more... Continue Reading →
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver. Book report #13 (2021)
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kinsgsolver. Pub 1998 Another re-read of an old favourite, and another that I often claim as a favourite even though I've only read it the once. This book was both good and popular back in the day, and I read it along with many others in the last heady years... Continue Reading →