Nearly 30 years ago, my mom began painting - first with watercolours but then in a variety of media that, in the mid-nineties, included painting on rock. She collects rocks of appropriate size and texture from the local beaches on Vancouver Island, as well as other locations that she visits in Canada and elsewhere. The... Continue Reading →
Milk and Honey, by Rupi Kaur, and The Other Side of Ourselves, by Rob Taylor. Books 11 and 12 (2018)
Milk and Honey, by Rupi Kaur. Pub 2015 The Other Side of Ourselves, by Rob Taylor. Pub 2011 Poetry time. I finished both of these on the same day, even though I started one a while ago. Insomnia is a great friend to making progress on the reading list. These two books couldn’t be more... Continue Reading →
Warlight, by Michael Ondaatje. Book report #10 (2018)
Warlight, by Michael Ondaatje. Pub 2018 I haven't been an Ondaatje fan, but a duo of events led me to read his latest: first, last week I found myself at a conference in Montreal, having finished the only book I brought with me and discovered that my Kindle battery was in need of a charge... Continue Reading →
Macbeth, by Jo Nesbø. Book report #9 (2018)
Macbeth, by Jo Nesbø. Pub 2018 The last of the recent recommendations, and this was another winner. I've not read any Jo Nesbø before, and looking at his bibliography I likely never would have, so this was a very pleasant surprise (I had a similar surprise with a longtime favourite book The Children of Men,... Continue Reading →
Slade House, by David Mitchell. Book report #8 (2018)
Slade House, by David Mitchell. Pub 2015 Another author recommendation from a the newly-found kindred literary spirit, I chose this book at random from the several available. I deliberately did NOT choose Cloud Atlas as I've made several failed attempts to start that very long book and wanted something I could finish (hopefully) in a timely... Continue Reading →
Bad Marie, by Marcy Dermansky. Book report #7 (2018)
Bad Marie, by Marcy Dermansky. Pub 2010 This book and author were recommended by a colleague/client and friend. We met for lunch in April, ostensibly to discuss past and future work, but discovered a mutual fondness for reading. We spent nearly 90 minutes talking about books (can you have too many?), reading (the joy of... Continue Reading →
Book of Treasures: Grade 9
Grade 9: 1980, JH Bruns Collegiate, Winnipeg, MB. Homeroom teacher - Mr. O. Veldnick This is me in grade 9 – except it’s not, as I don’t have a class picture from grade 9 to share. Grade 9 was the great convergence of students from the three local elementary schools into the one collegiate (a... Continue Reading →
The Only Story, by Julian Barnes. Book report # un-numberable (2018)
The Only Story, by Julian Barnes. Pub 2018 "Sometimes you see a couple, and they seem bored witless with one another, and you can't imagine them having anything in common, or why they're still living together. But it's not just habit or complacency or convention or anything like that. It's because once, they had their... Continue Reading →
Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande. Book Reports #2-6 (2018)
Being on vacation is a great way to catch up on reading: Book report #2: Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande. Pub 2014 A very thoughtful gift from a dear friend, this book was full of meaning for me. As I crest middle-age and look forward, considerations of aging – from where and how to live, and... Continue Reading →
Food on Film
Another cinematic list, about another favourite topic - food. Eating is a universal activity, and yet it doesn't get portrayed very well or often in movies. Here are some of my favourites, for times when you want to eat vicariously or need culinary inspiration. Babette's Feast (1987, Gabriel Axel). Starring Stéphan Audran, Birgitte Federspiel, Bodil... Continue Reading →
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