This is billed as a retelling of George Orwell's 1984, with the imprimatur of approval from the Orwell estate (while the original novel is in the public domain in England, it is still under copyright in the US, and the estate has further protected both the title, the phrase "Big Brother is watching you" and the... Continue Reading →
Departure(s), by Julian Barnes. Pub 2026
First off, I'm pleased to say this book did not disappoint me (like the previous one did). I was delighted to get the UK edition, and a signed copy at that (although the signature was disappointing, such a small scribble). The physical book is a delight, with substantial paper, a cloth binding that invites holding... Continue Reading →
The Bible, new standard revised version, Catholic edition, Anglicized text. Printed 1995.
My pop used to say that a hallmark of a smart person is that they've read the bible. In the spring, when going through some of his things with my sister, we found his bible - a Jerusalem bible, from 1966. I decided to take on reading it this year, but didn't want to risk... Continue Reading →
All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque. Pub 1928. Translation by A.W. Wheen, pub 1929.
Over the summer, we rewatched the 2022 film version of this story. I was impressed and moved by it the first time I saw it, and the second viewing delivered the same visceral horror and devastation. I’d heard that the book was even more powerful. I was less engaged with the novel, perhaps because much... Continue Reading →
The Stone Diaries, by Carol Shields. Pub 1993
Like so many favourite books from the distant past, this is one I hadn’t read since the first time, so didn’t remember much of the story (and in fact was confusing it in my memory with The Stone Angel). Like with A Prayer for Owen Meany, I decided to read it again to refresh the... Continue Reading →
We Do Not Part, by Han Kang. Pub 2021. Translation by E. Yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris, Pub 2025.
I got this book when I read that the New York Times had selected it for its book club in March. I had also vaguely heard of it at my local bookshop, and with the added imprimatur of the Nobel Prize in 2024, it seemed like a good bet to try out this new-to-me author.... Continue Reading →
Kairos, by Jenny Erpenbeck. Pub 2021. Translation by Michael Hoffman, Pub 2023
I went for this book specifically because it won the 2024 International Booker prize, and so knew it would fulfill a booklist category. Otherwise, I knew nothing about this book, other than its original language was German. The title Kairos refers to the Greek god or characteristic of a chance encounter. This is how the... Continue Reading →
Dickens and Prince, by Nick Hornby. Pub 2022
Short version: Dickens may not be your cup of tea. Ditto for Prince. So the short version is: I really enjoyed this book, learned a lot, and found the comparison to be a fascinating look back at two artists of different mediums and times. If you are interested, but not so much you want to... Continue Reading →
The MANIAC, by Benjamín Labatut. Pub 2023
I got this book as part of a vacation bookstore binge earlier this year. After loving the previous book by Labatut (When We Cease to Understand the World), I was looking forward to this one, and saved it up for some quieter reading time. Almost double the length of Cease, The MANIAC takes its name... Continue Reading →
The World According to Garp, by John Irving. Pub 1976
It was the summer of 1982. I was 15ish and, while waiting for the bus at the corner of Portage Avenue and Vaughan Street in Winnipeg, I saw the marquee of the theatre across the street advertising the film The World According to Garp. I think I had seen a trailer for the film earlier... Continue Reading →
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