Any Human Heart, by William Boyd. Pub 2002I picked this one based on the recommendation in The Diary of a Bookseller. It's not something I would normally pick (author I've never heard of, middling reviews), but the recommendation from The Bookshop owner had me interested. I was pleased that I did. It was very well... Continue Reading →
The Lost for Words Bookshop, by Stephanie Butland. Book report #17 (2020)
The Lost for Words Bookshop, by Stephanie Butland. Pub 2017 I purchased this book entirely because the author's name is the same as someone that I work with. I was interested in it as a novel set in a bookshop (always a favourite), and was not disappointed. Set in York, with side trips to Whitby... Continue Reading →
The Goldberg Variations, by Nancy Huston. Book report #16 (2020)
The Goldberg Variations, by Nancy Huston. Pub 1981 in French, translated to English by the author, pub 1996. This is yet another leftover, found in the same pile as Nocturnes and so likely purchased about the same time. I don't know why I didn't finish it when I first started, but since I remembered little... Continue Reading →
The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt. Book report #15 (2020)
The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt. Pub 2013. I've had this book for a while now, a recommendation from a friend. It has been avoided due to its size - >700 pages - and that it is a "check-out" book (as in, one that I frequently see amongst the pulp fiction collections at the grocery store).... Continue Reading →
Nocturnes, by Kazuo Ishiguro. Book report #14 (2020)
Nocturnes, by Kazuo Ishiguro. Pub 2009 I picked this book up right after I read Never Let Me Go, as I was so taken with the story telling and Ishiguro's deftness with female characters. That must have been in 2013, because I found the Port Townsend ferry ticket (shown in the picture) marking just 25 pages... Continue Reading →
The Last Policeman, by Ben H. Winters. Book report #12 (2020)
The Last Policeman, by Ben H. Winters. Pub 2012I can't remember where I read about this book, someone else's blog or book store posting on Facebook most likely. I picked it up (along with the rest of trilogy) on sale during my January stock-up. I can say that I am pleased that I did, as... Continue Reading →
The Diary of a Bookseller, by Shaun Bythell. Book report #13 (2020)
The Diary of a Bookseller, by Shaun Bythell. Pub 2017 A gift from a dear friend, this one-year diary by Shaun Bythell was a delightful read, perfect for reading a few entries or pages just before bed. I especially like the excerpts from George Orwell as introductions to each month, confirming that bookselling has not... Continue Reading →
Keeping an Eye Open, and Through the Window, by Julian Barnes. Book reports #10 and #11 (2020)
Keeping an Eye Open, by Julian Barnes. Pub 2015 Through the Window, by Julian Barnes. Pub 2012 Two non-fiction books by Julian Barnes. Keeping an Eye Open is a collection of essays on art (art history and art criticism) and Through the Window is a collection of essays on literature (more history and criticism). Each... Continue Reading →
The Mirror & the Light, by Hilary Mantel. Book report #9 (2020)
The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel. Pub 2020 I had read the previous books in this series a few years ago. Both were very good, so I had high hopes for this concluding book. And I was not disappointed. Personalities that we think we know from history become very real people in these... Continue Reading →
Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. Book report #6 (2020)
I read this book with a friend at work; he chose it as something we could each read and then talk about. I should have been wary - the last time I did this, the book was The Tipping Point, also by Malcolm Gladwell. That book was remarkable in that I did learn some new... Continue Reading →
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