I picked this book based on the effusive praise from a customer in the local bookshop (there will be a few more in the next few months based on her recommendations). I didn't recognize the author's name, but upon starting this book realized I had read her before - her debut novel, Yellowface, which was so... Continue Reading →
Changing My Mind, by Julian Barnes. Pub 2025
Upon seeing this new volume by Barnes, I instantly ordered it, raced down the bookshop when it arrived, and made it my next read. I confess to being disappointed when I got it – it is so small – 57 small pages. But it’s Barnes, so it was, to me, essential reading, even if it... Continue Reading →
On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder. Pub 2017. Graphic edition, with illustrations by Nora Krug. Pub 2021.
This book has popped up on reading lists and various sites over the past few years. I expected it to be a weighty slog (turns out, it’s quite short), but the graphic edition makes for an easier, if just as sobering, read. Snyder is a professor of history and human sciences. Krug is an award-winning... Continue Reading →
Moon of the Turning Leaves, by Waubgeshig Rice. Book report #1 (2024)
Moon of the Turning Leaves, by Waubgeshig Rice. Pub 2023 This book is a sequel to Moon of the Crusted Snow, a book club read in 2020. In the earlier story, an unknown apocalypse event has occurred, cutting off power and communication to a small First Nations community (the "Rez") in Northern Ontario, forcing the survivors... Continue Reading →
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, by John Koenig. Book report #39 (2023)
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, by John Koenig. Pub 2021 This has lingered on my shelves for a while now, something I started and stopped a few times. After the disastrous previous read about language, I decided to try again to make this one my language category. We use foreign words in English to name... Continue Reading →
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Book report #14 (2022)
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Pub 2005 I don't recall where I heard about this book, but it must have been in late 2021 because it was on the list I gave as Christmas suggestions. I am very glad I did and that it was included in that Christmas bounty, as it was excellent.... Continue Reading →
Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell. Book report #9 (2022)
Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell. Pub 1949. As I saw on Twitter recently, satire writers are having a hard time these days keeping up with reality. In the current state of the world, reality seems like it must be satire, and writers have difficulty making up things that are too absurd. There are also plenty... Continue Reading →
2021 Reading Challenge – summary
I didn't quite make it through the entire 2021 list, but was very close. The goal was 34 books, and I got to 33, including one that did not make the official list due to redundancy. Here's the final book list for 2021: 1 - Book with a murder in it Death in a Darkening... 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 →
Landmarks, by Robert MacFarlane. Book report #35 (2020)
Landmarks, by Robert MacFarlane. Pub 2015 I have wanted to read something by Robert MacFarlane, and when I saw that I needed a language book to complete my list for 2020, he was a good choice. I opted for this book because I already owned it (otherwise, I would likely have chosen The Lost Words).... Continue Reading →
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