Don't Talk About Book Club

February's Pick

2012-02-01T13:34:00.000-05:00

February's selection is The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht. Not only was it the winner of the Orange Prize in 2011, it is a contender for the coveted Tournament of Books. Obreht's novel is a story of "family legend, loss, and love":

"In a Balkan country mending from years of conflict, Natalia, a young doctor, arrives on a mission of mercy at an orphanage by the sea. By the time she and her lifelong friend Zóra begin to inoculate the children there, she feels age-old superstitions and secrets gathering everywhere around her. Secrets her outwardly cheerful hosts have chosen not to tell her. Secrets involving the strange family digging for something in the surrounding vineyards. Secrets hidden in the landscape itself."

(read more at Powell's Books)

This should be an interesting read, and not too long, which is good, because I am aiming to read the majority of the books in this year's tournament (sorry 1Q84, you won't make the cut!). So far I have read 6 of the sixteen books in contention - The Tiger's Wife will be the seventh, and I am on schedule to read 4-5 more, bringing my total to 12 of the 16, which isn't bad at all. Read along with me if you dare! But definitely read The Tiger's Wife. Look for a post at the end of the month with my review.

Review - The Marriage Plot

2012-01-31T18:44:00.000-05:00

It's the end of the month and so time for my review of this month's pick, The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides.

For me, this book was all about the title. Immediately, Eugenides was comparing his story to the traditional idea of the marriage plot novels of the 19th century. It was even more interesting when you consider that his characters were conscious of this comparison - each of the three had high expectations when it came to romantic relationships. The story really came together for me in the last third of the novel, when all three characters finally broke away from preconceived notions of what their lives should be and went with what their lives actually are, accepting themselves and their loved ones in the process. It was a gradual acceptance and Eugenides unveils this change in a subtle way.

The main critical point of this novel, I think, is the Leonard Bankhead character. Though Eugenides insists that it is not based on David Foster Wallace, the bandana-wearing, tobacco-chewing, manic depressive Bankhead seems to be similar in a number of key areas.Zsuzsi Gartner's review in The Globe & Mail expounds on this further:

"In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Eugenides rather disingenuously denied the character was inspired by or even bore a resemblance to Wallace. If it’s a homage, why deny it? And if not, what is he playing at here? Is he making a meta-fictional point while pretending not to by writing a main character who so eerily resembles in almost every way one of the leading postmodernist writers of the 20th and 21st century? I find this disturbing."

The middle section of the novel goes into manic depression in extreme detail, both on the effects of the sufferer and of those around him. It is a key piece of the novel, and I feel that Eugenides does it justice without being exploitative or sensational, deliberate Wallace comparison notwithstanding.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It wasn't groundbreaking, it wasn't shocking, but it was a great read by a great writer. I found the three main characters - Madeleine, Leonard and Mitchell - to be realistic in their faults as well as their qualities, without being cynical or tragic. (It seems to be a misconception that "realistic" characters must also be jaded and bitter - i.e. Jonathan Franzen). Eugenides's connection to 19th century writers such as Henry James or George Eliot is clear, and he adds to the tradition of the marriage plot, updating it for the 20th century. I agree with Gartner that "The Marriage Plot can be read innocently enough as a modern romance about books and love and goodness, or as something tricksier, depending on what you bring to the text from outside."

Please add your own review to the comments section - I would love to hear what you think!

Tonight we're gonna party like it's 2012

2011-12-15T11:25:00.000-05:00

In January, I am going to read The Marriage Plot by Jeffery Eugenides. Already a NY Times Bestseller and on many top lists of 2011, it promises to be an entertaining read. This is his first novel since the Pulitzer Prize-winning Middlesex in 2002, and revolves around a love triangle at a college campus in New England. Make this your holiday read of 2011 and share your thoughts in the new year!

July Book Club Pick

2011-07-09T16:00:00.001-04:00

This July, I am traveling at the end of the month, but that doesn't mean that I can't read a book! I've decided to honour 2011 Man Booker International Prize winner Philip Roth by selecting 1979's The Ghost Writer. First volume of a trilogy, The Ghost Writer focuses on Nathan Zuckerman, "a budding writer infatuated with the Great Books". Roth explores "the tensions between literature and life, artistic truthfulness and conventional decency". Can't wait!

June Pick - The Eyre Affair

2011-07-08T00:26:00.000-04:00

The Erye Affair is a refreshing read, clever in its premise and well done to be pulled off at all. Fforde immediately demands that you suspend your disbelief by informing the reader that the Crimean War (1853-1856) was actually still ongoing, as the Treaty of Paris was never signed. And so the reader immediate realizes that British history needs a quick review (thank you Wikipedia). We follow heroine Thursday Next in her pursuit of literary criminals, in her profession as literary detective (“LiteraTecs”), investigating crimes against literature: “It’s way less flash than it sounds... It was under Boswell that we arrested the gang who were stealing and selling Samuel Johnson first editions; on another occasion we uncovered an attempt to authenticate a flagrantly unrealistic version of Shakespeare’s Cardenio. Fun while it lasted, but only small islands of excitement among the ocean of day-to-day mundanities that is SO-27: we spent most of our time dealing with illegal traders, copyright infringements and fraud”

Fforde’s London is a literary society, with classic literature and its authors holding high value in all parts of society. Thursday Next deals with the criminal element, and she meets an arch-villain appropriately named Acheron Hades (his brother’s name is, you guessed it, Styx). Hades is a worthy foe, and the two meet numerous times as she seeks to foil his plots to subvert society by abducting first editions and altering key events in literature. And he does it all for fun. The Eyre affair refers to one such attempt to alter literature, and Fforde deftly navigates the complicated details of the world he created in order to pull it off.

The Eyre Affair is an amusing and satisfying read, and is perfect for summer. You can escape into literature while Thursday may or may not be literally doing the same thing. Five stars!

Still Reading!

2011-06-17T00:58:00.001-04:00

I've finished A Storm of Swords, and have started A Feast for Crows. Storm is utterly heartbreaking at times, and I am yanked back to reality when Martin exhibits his superior storytelling skills by making it all so real, even though we're talking about dragons, wights, direwolves and giants. Brilliant. I can only hope A Feast for Crows lives up to its predecessors.

A fellow fan of the series recommended that I wait until shortly before the fifth book is released before I read the fourth book, as the timelines occur simultaneously, so I am putting AFfC on hiatus and jumping to The Eyre Affair, which I am loving. It is a marriage between Douglas Adams and Harold Bloom, so far. More to report once Fforde is ffinished.

A Song of Ice and Fire

2011-06-04T07:55:00.002-04:00

I’m 50% through the (soon to be) five part series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, having finished A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. I have started A Storm of Swords, and I am not expecting any diminish in quality - the first 150 pages are proving me right so far.

A Game of Thrones is a compelling read, focusing on several characters at once in an overall cast of hundreds, really. Martin is an accomplished storyteller, revealing just enough about the character and plot to build continuously on the already intense storyline. The saga starts with tense relations between the King of Westeros, Robert Barathon, and his Queen’s family, the Lannisters. The King has selected Eddard Stark to be the Hand of the King, his right-hand man, to have someone at court that he can trust. But Stark soon finds that he is in over his head, and duty and honour have no place at the seat of the Seven Kingdoms.

Martin focuses the story on House Stark for the most part: Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, his wife Catelyn, sons Robb, Bran, and, to a lesser extent, Rickard, daughters Sansa and Arya and bastard son Jon Snow, for whom life does not get easier from an already tumultuous upbringing. The trend continues in A Clash of Kings, and although one reviewer called the storylines “somewhat predictable,” it seems that she has not yet read A Clash of Kings, as Martin adds greatly to the one or two massive plot twists in A Game of Thrones in A Clash of Kings: by the middle of the book, I had no idea what to expect, as anything, Martin threatened, could happen. A Storm of Swords promises to be equally unsettling.

The series is getting much ballyhoo as it is the next hot new show on cable, having completed 7 episodes on HBO. The series, simply called Game of Thrones, has a star-studded cast and is reportedly both well-done and true to the book. They have already started casting for the second season, and with the fifth book due out July 12th, they seem to have a lucrative series run on their hands.

Read another review at Magnificent Octopus, and another at The Millions.

Slave Lake Public Library Not a Lost Cause!

2011-06-02T16:00:00.002-04:00

In the spirit of global community, there’s hardly a person that will say that this is a bad idea: Slave Lake Book Auction. P.E.I. poet Colleen McKie is raising money for the ravaged Slave Lake Public Library, which lost all of its 26,000 holdings.

And, from the Quill & Quire blog:

If you’re interested in helping out but aren’t sure how, the Peace Library System is taking donations of new or nearly new books (no more than two years old). Books can be shipped
prepaid to:

Peace Library System
8301 — 110 Street
Grande Prairie, AB T8W 6T2
ATTN: Books for Slave Lake Library

Also, check out the Slave Lake Library webpage, which offers other ways to donate. Help in any way you can!

New Book Club Pick!

2011-06-01T16:00:00.000-04:00

The Book Club pick for June 2011, celebrating 3 years of book clubbing, will be a “bookish” book, The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde:

"The novel is set in a very different reality, where literature is a very serious matter. Thursday Next is a Special Operative, who investigates literary fraud and forgeries. She's called in when a rare Dickens manuscript disappears without a trace. Then, she finds herself caught up in a literary detective tale, where she must unravel the puzzle of literary time travel and the re-writing of the the most famous endings." (thanks About.com)

Read more here.

Perhaps my wife will even respond, as she has read this book and I know for a fact that she enjoyed it.

Blogging Theory: How Much is Too Much?

2011-05-31T16:00:00.001-04:00

Over the last several weeks, The Reading Ape has opined about the nature of book blogging, and what the goal of the book blogger is, or should be. A very interesting thread of discussion, and leaves much up for discussion. Read the initial post here, and read follow up posts and comments here. Perhaps I will weigh in on these thoughts, but I am not sure yet. I am still processing. Part of me wants to speak my piece and defend my reasons for book blogging (or not doing so, as the case may be), but part of me just wants to go with the flow, not engaging too much with the disparate opinions of the many, many book bloggers out there. We shall see.

Throughout Unless

2011-05-30T15:45:00.003-04:00

Carol Shields’ Unless is a story about hope, determination, and perseverance. The crisis of the novel is a mother telling the story of her daughter, who one day decides to leave home and live on the streets of Toronto, without a word of explanation or reason. Reta and her family are left to piece together the clues as best they can, and hope that one day they will get their daughter and sister back.

Reta is the narrator of the story, and, as a writer herself, conscious of what she reveals and what she doesn’t. As the story progresses, however, the reader sees more about Reta than perhaps she intended initially; she becomes more and more willing to accept blame and finds fault with her own tendencies until she becomes much too hard on herself. As readers, the sympathy felt for Reta is a work of genius by Shields. Reta’s daughter, too, is an enigma as we learn about her through her mother’s eyes. And the more we learn about the events that lead to her decision to leave home and live on the streets of Toronto completely cut off from her previous life, the more we see that Norah really is her mother’s daughter.

Of the Canada Reads 2011 nominees, Unless is, in my opinion, the most well-written - Shields’ superior skill is without question. The story is contentious, however, and there is an argument that the denouement is not quite the sum of its parts. But Unless is a journey of waiting and watching more than anything, which means that the eventual outcome does not need to be bigger than anything that came before. And I enjoyed it immensely.

Though the book did not win the coveted Canada Reads title, it is still a book that Canadians should read - not only for the message of goodness and hope that, I think, most Canadians inherently possess, but also because Carol Shields is one of our most gifted writers and teaches us about the English language through her writing.

Hark! A Funny Blog

2010-11-23T10:23:00.000-05:00

A new blog I discovered is called Hark! A Vagrant. Cartoonist Kate Beaton "riffs" on popular literature (among other things). Here's MacBeth:

Hark! A Vagrant

(Thanks to biblioklept)

Giller Prize Fiasco

2010-11-13T09:41:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday night, the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize was announced: Johanna Skibsrud had won for her first novel, The Sentimentalists. The prize is worth $50,000 to the author, and thousands more in increased sales as readers get their hands on the biggest Canadian book of the year. However, there is a problem:

"Only 800 copies of The Sentimentalists were originally printed by small publishing house Gaspereau Press in the first run. The book's inclusion among the Giller Prize finalists forced the small five-person operation to print about 1,000 copies a week in an attempt to keep up with demand. A Giller win usually leads to an explosion in sales, so the small press may face a struggle in the weeks ahead."

This “struggle” has turned into a fight for the books. The demand for the book is closer to 1000 a day across the country, and the small press is now saying that they may not ship to large companies like Indigo Books & Music. Indigo, however, has thousands of books on order with no guarantee that they’ll receive the books by Christmas, if at all:

On Wednesday, Gaspereau said that despite the Giller win and a flood of requests for The Sentimentalists, it was sticking to its policy of making its books locally with no outsourcing. But on Thursday, Gaspereau co-owner Gary Dunfield said he and fellow publisher Andrew Steeves were considering several ways to produce the book more quickly.

Let’s hope for the author’s sake that they find that solution soon. Everyone loves small presses, but if it is not willing (or able) to accommodate the demand, what good is it doing the author? Ms. Skibsrud is an instant celebrity and every reader in the country wants to read her prize-winning novel. So what is Gaspereau Press doing? Shouldn’t the author be the first priority? “Getting the story out to thousands of curious readers is ‘certainly one of the priorities,’ Dunfield said. ‘Is it the main priority? What's the main priority? I don't know.’” I hope that future authors consider this statement when Gaspereau Press seeks to publish its next title.

from cbc.ca/arts/books

Canada Reads Top 10

2010-11-12T10:01:00.003-05:00

This year, CBC’s Canada Reads is taking a retrospective approach, selecting the best book from the last ten years rather than a general call for Canadian fiction. On Tuesday they released the top 10 finalists, based on suggestions from the public, with a top five to be revealed on November 24th. This year, I am venturing to read the top 10 books (regardless of which five actually make the cut) before the debate is aired sometime in February. Here’s the list:

The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis

The Birth House by Ami McKay

The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou

The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill

Bottle Rocket Hearts by Zoe Whittall

Essex County by Jeff Lemire

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson

Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden

Unless by Carol Shields
Fortunately for me, I have read or own half of these books. Life of Pi is already in the bag, and I already own The Birth House, The Book of Negroes, Three Day Road and Unless (Incidentally, there is a giveaway contest on CBC right now asking you to predict the top five - guess which five I picked). The remaining five I will have to investigate further, but they all look interesting.

I will begin with Unless, and report on each book as I finish it. By the end, I will be able to determine if the panel got it right, not just about the winner, but about the top 5 as well. For more info, see the Canada Reads main page.

Soul mates

2010-08-05T23:18:00.001-04:00

Unshelved.com

The Best Blog Title Ever

2010-07-11T22:50:00.000-04:00

Aside from mine, of course. But seriously, it doesn't matter how good this blog is, I will still laugh every time I read it. And isn't that what blogs are for? Entertainment?

Hungry Like the Woolf

As a bonus, the blog is good. It is smart and thorough, and features great books and authors, such as David Mitchell and Colm Toibin. Check it out! And don't forget to be entertained.

New Video - Jeff Tweedy spoken word virtuoso

2010-06-27T17:55:00.000-04:00

Nick Hornby is back

2010-06-07T22:41:00.000-04:00

Nick Hornby's monthly column "Stuff I've been reading" is back in action after an 18-month hiatus. Sure, he's been nominated for an Oscar and everything, but is that really an excuse? Doesn't he know that loyal fans have been waiting patiently? At any rate, he is back in old form, self-deprecating and all that. No football, however - I wonder what July's column will look like?

Nick Hornby: Stuff I've been reading

Best Video Ever!

2010-06-05T00:11:00.000-04:00

World Cup fever has hit Tatooine - with Snoop Dogg in tow!

http://www.starwars.com/video/view/001035.html

Top Books About Running

2010-06-01T13:40:00.001-04:00

The Ottawa Marathon took place on Sunday morning, and it got me thinking about the best books that are about running or feature running. I've limited the selection to books that I currently own, as I know that there are others out there that could easily make this list. However, here are my top books books about running:

1. "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" - Alan Silitoe
"So as soon as I tell myself that I'm the first man ever to be dropped into the world, and as soon as I take that first flying leap out into the frosty grass of an early morning when even birds haven't the heart to whistle, I get to thinking, and that's what I like. I go my rounds in a dream, turning at lane or footpath corners without knowing I'm shouting good morning to the early cow-milker without seeing him. It's a treat being a long-distance runner, out in the world by yourself with not a soul to make you bad-tempered or tell you what to do or that there's a shop to break and enter a bit back from the next street. Sometimes I think that I've never been so free as during that couple of hours when I'm trotting up the path out of the gates and turning by that bare-faced, big-bellied oak tree at the lane end. Everything's dead, but good, because it's dead before coming alive, not dead after being alive. That's how I look at it."
2. Once a Runner - John L. Parker, Jr.
Perhaps the most famous book about running, Once a Runner documents the story of a young college athlete as he strives to achieve a sub-4 minute mile (it's an impressive mark to reach). One reviewer writes, "Once a Runner captures the essence of what it means to be a competitive runner, to devote your entire existence to a single-minded pursuit of excellence. In doing so it has become one of the most beloved sports novels ever published."
3. The World According to Garp - John Irving
Garp is a voracious runner - equaled only by his passion for writing and cooking: "He spent his day writing (or trying to write), running, and cooking. He got up early and fixed breakfast for himself and the children; nobody was home for lunch and Garp never ate that mean; he fixed dinner for his family every night. It was a ritual he loved, but the ambition of his cooking was controlled by how good a day he'd had writing, and how good a run he'd had. If the writing went poorly, he took it out on himself with a long, hard run; or, sometimes, a bad day with his writing would exhaust him so much that he could barely run a mile; then he tried to save the day with a splendid meal."
4. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami
One of the best memoirs I have read. He talks about his life as a writer, and as a runner. The two passions are intertwined in his life, each requiring the same tireless work ethic, commitment and devotion. Every time I put the book down I was already half out the door in my mind, going for a run.
5. The Time-Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Henry, the time-traveler, must keep in great shape as he will never know when he must run for his life upon appearing, naked, in a strange location. There are plenty of scenes that feature him running or going for a run. However, the book's random sequencing prohibits me from locating an example, unless I were to re-read the entire book. Which I cannot do right now, as War & Peace waits quietly on the table.

I Guess It Is a Thing

2010-05-28T21:18:00.000-04:00

I wanted to post a video from Broken Social Scene's newest album, Forgiveness Rock Record, but, alas, they have not produced one yet. So I will settle for a video from their eponymous 2005 cd for "Fire Eye'd Boy" - it is sure to entertain.

Lost Booker Prize Winner Announced

2010-05-20T10:39:00.000-04:00

With the series finale of Lost a couple of days away, it is fitting that the "Lost" Booker Prize for 1970 was announced this week. J.G. Farrell's Troubles took home the prize, beating out The Birds on the Trees by Nina Bawden,The Bay of Noon by Shirley Hazzard, Fire From Heaven by Mary Renault and The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark. There are two things about this novel that intrigue me. One, it won by a popular vote - getting 38% of the votes - rather than by jury selection. Two, it's the first novel in Farrell's Empire Trilogy, which includes The Siege of Krishnapur, a title very familiar to DTABC readers. It was our second selection way back in 2008. While no one actually finished the novel, it has always intrigued me as a counter to the traditional depictions of India, filling the gap between the colonial literature of Kipling and Forrester and the post-colonial works of Rushdie, Ondaatje, and, more recently, Aravind Adiga. At any rate, it seems that the British public feels that I should give Farrell another chance, perhaps including Troubles along the way. The third book in the trilogy is The Singapore Grip, about Singapore just prior to the Japanese occupation in WW2. This one may be a counter to the traumatic experience that another J.G., Ballard, provided with his Empire of the Sun. Perhaps Farrell's Empire Trilogy will be the summer's reading pick. It is a worthy candidate.

On another note, reading the coverage of the award announcement, I realized that the CBC Books editors don't read books themselves, or they don't think that their readers read books, evidenced by the closing line of the article: "Salman Rushdie, Yann Martel, Kazuo Ishiguro, Hilary Mantel, J.M. Coetzee, Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje are among the writers who have won the Booker since its debut in 1969." My question is, what is the purpose of this line? I have to think that a) if you're reading this article, you know what the Booker prize is, and b) if you've read, or even heard of, authors like Rushdie, Coetzee or Ishiguro, you've probably read other Booker winners and nominees over the years. There are no "casual" readers of any of these authors, nor are any of them, save for Atwood and perhaps Martel, going to be known to people who are not avid readers as it is. CBC, did you just need 30 extra words to meet a quota?

My new thing

2010-05-18T22:24:00.001-04:00

Is posting videos that I like. Maybe. I'm not sure if it's a thing yet. But I like this video:

The Black Keys "Tighten Up"

The Black Keys | MySpace Music Videos

War & Peace by Tolstoy

2010-05-12T10:36:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I joined a book club boot camp to read War & Peace. The goal is to read the novel in 3-4 weeks - impossible, you say? Well, the impetus was that the only way to read War & Peace is to power through it with minimal distraction and a tight timeline. I tend to agree. I have previously started War & Peace, but abandoned it after only 150 pages or so because something shiny came along. My friend informed me that this was the story for many people. I dug out my Wordsworth Classics edition of War & Peace and was not quite daunted by the heft, the 964 pages of legend. However, upon opening the book, I discovered that I was but a fool: the type looks to be about 4pt, or this size. Actually smaller, as that's only 8pt. Then I was daunted. But the idea of reading such a book in such a way is a story to tell the blogosphere. How could I refuse? So myself and two friends are going to read the book and each week talk about the previous section. Good thing I found the CliffNotes site. Wish me luck!

Review: Last Night in Twisted River

2010-05-09T19:27:00.002-04:00

Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving was the book club's November pick, so everyone's had time to read it. It begins in the early 50s in a logging town in northern Vermont. There are two crises to the plot, one that spurs the narrative and the climax of the novel much later on. In between, we follow Daniel and his father as they shift from town to town and name to name. It is a tense, well-written and surprising story of a father and son.

Like all Irving novels, this one is set in New England, features wrestling, writing, running, Exeter academy, and single parent families. However, unlike most Irving stories, this one features a boy and his father. Irving's writing is maturing, too, so we see some softer edges than we're used to, as well as a story that is tied up a little too tightly at the end. But he creates a compelling lead character and several brilliant, quirky, secondary characters that propel the plot. I enjoyed the novel - it's better than some of his works, but not as good as his best stuff (The World According to Garp, A Widow For One Year, Until I Find You). At this point, Irving can only be compared to himself, as he's created a voice like no other in literature. It's an all-or-nothing style, and those who like him, like him a lot.

Another compelling aspect of the novel was the depth of detail he reaches. Much like the art of tattooing in Until I Find You, Irving ensures that his details are right, lending a credibility to the narrator's voice that might not have been there otherwise. I feel that I could survive in a mid-century logging camp thanks to the information garnered from this novel. Also, he discussed the towns of Vermont and New Hampshire with such admiration that when driving through Vermont earlier this year, I couldn't help but make a stop in Brattleboro just to see it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. As Irving is my favourite author, it seems without question, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up liking it. So, the update on my Irving Top Ten List is as follows:

1. The World According to Garp (1978)
2. Until I Find You (2005)
3. A Widow For One Year (1998)
4. Last Night In Twisted River (2009)
5. Setting Free The Bears (1968)
6. Hotel New Hampshire (1981)
7. A Prayer For Owen Meany (1988)
8. The Fourth Hand (2001)
9. The Water-Method Man (1972)
10. The Cider House Rules* (1985)

*It's at #10 because I haven't read it yet. However, based on the quality of the movie, I am assuming that it will be in my top ten.

Last Night In Twisted River gets four pizza places out of five.

Canada's Greatest Books

2010-04-27T23:13:00.001-04:00

My darling wife made my day by forwarding the best link today: Canada's 100 Greatest Books. The website is asking for submissions from Canadians to give their opinion about the best Canadian books:
"For the next six months, we will be polling thousands of book lovers from coast-to-coast-to-coast, collecting votes and then critiquing the top 100 fiction and non-fiction works from our vast literary landscape."
It is a great project! I already submitted my top ten:

1. Barney's Version - Morecai Richler
2. The Diviners - Margaret Laurence
3. A Complicated Kindness - Miriam Toews
4. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
5. Through Black Spruce - Joseph Boyden
6. The English Patient - Michael Ondaatje
7. The Wars - Timothy Findley
8. Life Of Pi - Yann Martel
9. Who Has Seen The Wind - W.O. Mitchell
10. Alligator - Lisa Moore

I have some sentimental favourites, like Oryx & Crake or Dance Me Outside, but I think this list is pretty solid - represents traditional and modern, male and female, and a cross-section of Canadian culture. The only thing missing is a B.C. author; my #11 would be The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy.

Anyhoo, I am pumped about the project, and so I sent my list off to canadas100greatestbooks@gmail.com and within five minutes I got a response!

hey gary - thanks for this - great picks and greatly appreciated!

love the lisa moore title.

stay close!

stephen

These guys are awesome. So submit a list of your favourite Canadian books - they need not be novels - and give this project a boost!

Margaret Atwood wins $1M Prize

2010-03-24T18:00:00.001-04:00

Margaret Atwood has been named one of this year's recipients of the Dan David Prize, an annual award that "recognizes and encourages innovative and interdisciplinary research that cuts across traditional boundaries and paradigms. It aims to foster universal values of excellence, creativity, justice, democracy and progress and to promote the scientific, technological and humanistic achievements that advance and improve our world." And yes, it is worth 1 million dollars. I am not surprised that she had won this award, but I am surprised at the reason why: "Her work enabled, for the first time, the emergence of a defined Canadian identity, while exploring both national and transnational issues, such as colonization, feminism, structures of political power and oppression, and the violation and exploitation of nature." I can't disagree with this synopsis of her career, but I am shocked that another country has recognized the fact that defining "Canadian identity" is a whole lot of work and has only just happened in our lifetime. We all know it's true - look at the Nobel Prize winners for literature, for example. Not a single Canadian. While the Man Booker and Orange Prizes have recognized Canadians a little more frequently, we are still relatively unknown on the world literature stage. So, for Ms. Atwood to be honoured for her work in conveying messages of feminism, ecology, and "political power and oppression," is perfectly understandable. But to be also honoured for her role in constructing a Canadian identity through literature, that is a welcome surprise.

Steven Galloway writes about King Leary

2010-03-23T18:00:00.001-04:00

Paul Quarrington has become legend around these parts, as his King Leary christened our blog into existence. Steven Galloway holds it in high regard as well, and has recommended it to Stephen Harper as a result. Galloway is the first guest writer in Yann Martel's What Is Stephen Harper Reading? series, as Martel himself is currently touring the country in support of his soon-to-be released novel Beatrice & Virgil. Galloway's review is in the spirit of Martel's, if not a tad harsh: recommend a great book that you think will benefit the PM's ability to lead our country. Galloway is a little more direct than Martel usually is, for example, when he explains his motivation for contributing to this project:
"[E]ven though a lot of writer types think Yann is tilting at windmills in sending you these books, I like to think that maybe you look at some of them, and maybe you read or have already read some of them, and that no one, anywhere, would think that receiving seventy-five free books in the mail with a letter from an internationally renowned author would be a bad thing. In a way, you’re in what must be the world’s most exclusive book club, albeit somewhat unwillingly. I bet Mr. Obama is jealous!"
Galloway's reasons for picking King Leary are twofold: first, in tribute to his late friend, Mr. Quarrington; and secondly, as a hockey novel it is truly "the sort of novel that only a Canadian would write." It is a good letter, and a good novel. I wonder if Galloway knows that Harper is one of the prominent hockey scholars in our country; it is highly likely that he has a first edition somewhere with his name in it. Nevertheless, a worthy recommendation.

Stay tuned for more guests!

A few opinions on Nick Hornby

2010-03-22T22:16:00.000-04:00

I found a couple of reviews of Juliet, Naked today and I wanted to share them. The first one is a favourable review, and the second, less so:

Baby Got Books

New Dork Review of Books

(and, of course, my own review).

I enjoyed the book greatly, as did BGB, but it is interesting that both of us seemingly found it difficult to explain what the book was about in one sentence. I am somewhat relieved to learn that it is not a personal failing that I was not able to sum this book up in a sentence (or, heaven forbid, six words). Is this a problem of the book? Of Hornby? Certainly not. The answer is that Nick Hornby writes about characters - this book is about two people who are involved in a, yes, highly convenient plot for our benefit. When a writer writes primarily about interesting characters involved in a seemingly uninteresting story, it is often difficult to explain why such a book is so great. Yet the book is indeed great.

Looking back on Hornby's other novels, the same is true. Can you sum up High Fidelity in a sentence? Or How to Be Good? Long Way Down has a fairly straightforward plot, but the characters are still quite strong. And An Education, though containing a thoroughly enjoyable story, is brilliant because of the great character brought to life by Carey Mulligan. So we all love Nick Hornby because of his characters, and the choices they face, and the same is true of Juliet, Naked. I tried to sum up the review further, but, alas, I cannot. I can only simply say that Nick Hornby is a terrific writer and Juliet, Naked proves that point once again.

P.S. watch Nick Hornby interviewed at the Oscars!

Books aren't dead! Huzzah!

2010-03-17T17:16:00.000-04:00

Yann Martel's War

2010-03-02T10:07:00.001-05:00

Yann Martel's serial drama What Is Stephen Harper Reading? has been going on for, well, ages, it seems, and it never fails to bring a smile to my face. Often, the smile is brought on by the sheer audacity of this writer to be so openly critical of our Prime Minister - for example, Animal Farm, Julius Caesar, even Martel's own book version of the website. Sometimes I smile because I sense that he is genuine about his recommendation and wants to create a connection, a dialogue, something, anything, to spark the PM's interest - some sign that the PM responds to his fellow Canadians with an open ear. This has yet to happen - yet Martel remains hopeful, writing month after month, always as though he is returning a letter rather than knowing that he will not elicit a response. And this determination, this sheer dedication to his project - which, I am sure, he never imagined would carry on for so long - makes me smile once again.

Today, I am smiling because I feel the starstruck awe that Martel felt upon receiving a short note from President Obama, who enjoyed Life of Pi so much that he felt compelled to write the author a note to say so - along with two lines of "insightful analysis". Yann Martel is an extremely talented creative writer; there's a possibility that he's creating a character that is awestruck in order to attain that much-sought after response from his own government leader. But I don't mind. The letters are near-perfect each time, both in selection and explanation. And for the next four months, while Martel is travelling to promote Beatrice & Virgil, he is recruiting fellow authors to pick up the mantel. It promises to be interesting reading, to be sure, and is guaranteed to make me smile.

January Book Club Pick

2010-02-21T00:05:00.000-05:00

Fantastic Mr. Fox was pretty good, though the movie was better. I will attempt a full review at a later date, but for now let's reveal the pick for January: Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner. Published in French in 2005, it was translated into English in 2008 and subsequently won the Governor General's Literary Award for Translation. In 2010, it's becoming popular once again as it is a selection for this year's Canada Reads competition on CBC Radio One. It is a story about "three young people" who "follow their personal songs of migration". The back cover synopsis may seem overdramatic, but it actually worked, as it convinced me to give it a try (being $10 at Chapters right now doesn't hurt, either). It seems like a true Canadian tale, a coming together of unlikely compatriots to overcome the odds, and with a few jokes thrown in for good measure. I am looking forward to it.

Right now, however, I am in the middle of The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger, the current selection for the other Book Club I am involved in, the Chapters Rideau Book Club. So far, so good. I am enjoying it. I am looking forward to our book club meeting on February 24th at 7pm. All are welcome to attend - it should be exciting!

Retrofitting the Blog

2010-02-18T23:20:00.000-05:00

I was tinkering with the layout of the blog the other day (check out the cool slideshow of past selections!), and I noticed that there were several gaps in DTABC's history. For instance, there is no selection for November 2008. Now, I realize that there were probably very good reasons for this at the time, but it upsets the aesthetic when the slideshow goes from October 2008 to January 2009 without so much as an apology. Now, however, to rectify the situation. In the spirit of the retroactive 1970 Man Booker Prize, I am going to offer a series of book club picks that will fill in the gaps in the Blog's history. 20 years from now no one will be the wiser.

We will start with the aforementioned November 2008. The first book in this series will be The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. We have talked about this one before, as my wife read it, and Chabon has been a constant presence in our discussions, coming up as a candidate for Summer 2009's pick. Well, now the Pulitzer Prize winner will finally get his chance, officially becoming a DTABC selection. Now that we've selected it, I've got to read it. No problem! And then I've got to review it. No problem!

Review: Juliet, Naked

2010-02-17T00:24:00.002-05:00

I'm going to ignore the obvious questions about timeliness and push on with the review as though it is still October, or at least early November. What helps is that I saw a rerun of The Hour with Nick Hornby as George Stromboulopoulos's guest. Great interview!

Nick Hornby's Juliet, Naked is an endearing work of escapist-quotidian fiction: the characters are everyday-types, and the story, though certainly unique, is not fantastical. Yet reading Juliet creates a place in your mind where even the most criminal of characters would be pleasant over a pint or two. In this case, antagonist Duncan is a whiny twerp but not by any stretch of the imagination is he a malevolent character. You cheer for Annie and Tucker above others, true, but you also cheer for everyone else. And everyone wins, in the end, including the reader.

Duncan is a major Tucker Crowe fan, perhaps the biggest in the world, and Annie, as his girlfriend, is number two by default. Duncan's infatuation with Crowe has become bigger than the artist himself, who created his own myth by disappearing from the public sphere abruptly 20 years earlier and leaving everything else to endless speculation. The novel starts with Annie and Duncan in the U.S., travelling to "sacred" Tucker Crowe spots - the Minnesota bar where he apparently made his last public appearance, his Bozeman, Montana childhood home, and, most crucially, the San Francisco home of Julie Beatty, the namesake of the artist's best and last album, Juliet. It all adds up to an intensely emotional experience for Duncan, and an eye-opening one for Annie, too: she sees Duncan as he is, a hopeless fanatic more attached to a legendary musician than his girlfriend of 15 years.

The story really gets started when Annie listens to a version of Juliet demos about to be released publicly for the first time (The album is called Juliet, Naked). The problem isn't that she listens to the album, but it's that she listens to the album before Duncan gets a chance to - it's an unspeakable breach of trust in his mind, and when she doesn't like the album that he considers sheer brilliance, well, it's all downhill from there. For Annie, however, it's all upside - she gets a chance to change her life, to "get back" those 15 wasted years. But things keep coming back to Tucker Crowe, and when she finally meets the iconic musician, perhaps the irony was too much to resist.

Hornby's writing is a smart as ever in this one. He shows his music chops, creating a love letter to both fans and fanatics of great music. Perhaps only slightly better, however, is his skill at writing about relationships. As in every of his books prior to this one, his depiction of warts-and-all characters and relationships is as appealing as his knowledge of music (his work on An Education is further proof of this). Overall, Juliet, Naked is an great read and should be read by every guy who's ever been in a relationship with music. Five solid gold records out of five.

UPDATE: If you haven't already heard, Nick Hornby is nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Writing (Adapted Screenplay). Watch the results on March 7th. Go Nick!

Man Booker Prize does it again!

2010-02-02T00:28:00.001-05:00

It was announced today that a Man Booker Prize will be awarded for the year 1970 - when a whole year of books were lost in a changed format. The prize went from celebrating books published in the previous year to books published in the current year. Therefore, the 1970 Booker Prize celebrated books published in 1969, and the 1971 prize celebrated books published in 1971, leaving 1970 in the cold. It only took 40 years to figure that one out.

But I think they're on to something here. The longlist consists of books that were published in that year and are still in print today. This is a key component. There are two factors to consider: first, does the fact that these books are still in print have to do with the author or the book? Is David Lodge's Out of the Shelter still in print because it's a classic read or because David Lodge has worked his way into the canon of modern British literature? On the other hand, how many books published in 1970 may have been kept in print if it had been nominated or won the prize in that year? How many people are going to remember Adam Foulds in 40 years? Will his book still be in print? Will it remain in print because he was nominated? Will he have a multi-book lease on life because of his nomination? How many authors in 1970 did not get that chance?

So my proposal is this: that we only give awards to books 40 years after they are published. Only then will the power of the novel itself will be truly revealed. The author will fight and scratch his or her way through a career based purely on merit, regardless of how many Oprah appearances he or she makes. Then, after 40 years, a panel of people too young to remember the author outside of the novel, will make a decision based on the merits of the individual novel. Of course, if a novel is no longer in print, well, that's an indication that it shouldn't win the prize anyway, right?

Incidentally, my vote for the 1970 Man Booker Prize is The Fire-Dwellers by Margaret Laurence.

Another Loss to the Literary Family

2010-01-28T14:19:00.002-05:00

"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them. They're quite touchy about anything like that, especially my father. They're nice and all - I'm not saying that - but they're also touchy as hell. Besides, I'm not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything. I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas"

Catcher in the Rye continues to impact successive generations since its publication in 1951. His only novel touches the human psyche in such a way that each and every teenager in North America, arguably, will remember it for the rest of his or her life. I certainly did. And while it remains a controversy about whether or not is should be taught in high schools, there is no doubt that it will remain a rite of passage for generations to come.

J.D. Salinger passed away today at age 91.

DTABC Inaugural author loses battle with cancer

2010-01-22T00:44:00.001-05:00

Paul Quarrington, DTABC's very first selected author, succumbed to lung cancer on Thursday. He was a celebrated writer, winning the Stephen Leacock Prize for humour with King Leary, the Governor General's Prize for Whale Music, and was nominated for the Giller Prize twice, with Galveston and The Ravine, respectively. King Leary, which also won the 2008 Canada Reads Competition, was our first selection, with mixed reviews: "I did not find this book funny, but sad. Quarrington's novel actually exemplifies the isolation of the aging population and that old people are most often portrayed as something to laugh at." Ouch. I feel a little less like that now, and more like Quarrington is much smarter than I gave him credit for - of course he was writing satirically about the portrayal of the elderly in pop culture! He wrote an enduring character that belongs in the pantheon of Canadian writing beside Barney Panofsky and Hagar Shipley. Of course, it doesn't hurt a Canadian writer to write about hockey. At any rate, I feel that I will read King Leary again with much less annoyance and contempt than I did initially. Mr. Quarrington, you will be missed.

Read more about Paul Quarrington here.

Calling all Bibliophiles

2009-12-27T13:24:00.000-05:00

What makes a bibliophile? Do you love books more if you preserve them, stack them neatly, store them away for future generations to admire from afar? Are you any less a booklover if you write in them, fold them, engage with them, lend them without promise of getting it back? That's the question posed by Steven Leveen in "So... Are You Going to Write in That New Book?" from the Huffington Post. He posits two types of reader: Preservationsists ("They see books as cherished objects that eventually will be passed on to others. You shouldn't contaminate them with your thoughts of the moment") and Footprint Leavers ("For them, books are like food to be heartily enjoyed, and if need be, consumed in the interest of a healthy diet. Writing in the margins and underlining are healthy interactions and make the book more valuable to them, which is their concern. There are plenty of unmarked books to go to posterity, they say; this one book will give its all to them"). They are both bibliophiles, to be sure, but have opposite philosophies when it comes to the place of books in our culture. Myself, I am sort of midway - I don't write in the margins of my books, and I love the presence of books on the bookshelf, but I don't necessarily go to great lengths to protect my books - I want to read them, and engage with them as the physical objects they are. However, I have purchased a replacement copy of a book when a borrower left the borrowed copy in a well-read state (too much of a Footprint Leaver). So I suppose I am a Preservationist, just not an adamant one. You can do whatever you like to your own books, just leave mine alone.

Read Leveen's full article here.

Don't Talk About Book Club comeback?

2009-12-26T22:56:00.003-05:00

My wife and I watched newly received Christmas present and thoroughly enjoyable Julie & Julia yesterday. And, upon seeing how blogging reinvigorated 30-something Julie Powell into a meaningful existence, I decided that I, too, can be reinvigorated. DTABC has more or less been on a hiatus for the last six months, and I need some inspiration: not by cooking a French recipe a day, but by reading - wait for it - a book a day! Starting January 1st, I would read a book a day for a grand total of 365 books by January 1st, 2011. I was ready to go: a book a day, and real books, like Dickens and Tolstoy and Pynchon and Atwood - no grey areas, such as novellas or blogs, or Nick Hornby books. I was really inspired... until I read that after Julie Powell completed her massive Julie/Julia Project, she was once again lost and needed to find herself again, and turned to an adulterous affair and an apprenticeship at a butcher shop. After that, she was lost once again and decided to travel to world destinations where beef and meat processing are a major industry. After that, she wrote about her experiences in a new book, Cleaving, about butchering and, apparently, how to butcher personal relationships.

And all of a sudden, my fantastic dream of 365 books in 2010 disappeared. It was an impossible dream, if Powell was my guide. As Kim Moritsugu of The Globe & Mail writes, "the real Julie Powell is no Amy Adams". By all accounts, Cleaving is a self-absorbed tell-all that tells too much, and she takes up butchering "for reasons that are not made clear (nor even explored)". An unmitigated disaster, really: "Reading this book is like watching an automobile crash in slow motion". Ouch!

A fellow blogger, Jen from A Book a Week With Jen, felt similarly inspired by Powell's lead, and her blog is a result. She is still going strong, but her review of Cleaving shows that she's outgrown her mentor and become her own blogger:
"The reason I don't like the book is because the retelling of the whole sordid thing is dull. She whines -- a lot. Powell becomes that best friend who is dating the absolute wrong guy, knows it, still does it, and won't shut up about it." (Good for you!!)

I decided that the real Julie Powell was a poor role model to follow, and so I will follow the fictional Julie Powell, aka Amy Adams, who is sweet and cute and sympathetic, and I will try to blog on a regular basis if only to keep myself entertained. Of course, my wife will continue to be mortified, but I will persevere: Don't Talk About Book Club will make a comeback in 2010!

P.S. Notes on Julie & Julia - Jen provides thoughts on the movie, Amy Adams, and Cleaving. She also provides the link to her first review, of Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1Tiny Apartment Kitchen.

December Book Club Pick

2009-12-19T09:00:00.001-05:00

December's book club pick is a short and easy one: Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl, accompanied by the film version by Wes Anderson. Hotbox!

November Book Club Pick

2009-12-07T00:13:00.000-05:00

I'm slowly but surely catching up to the present. October's pick, Juliet, Naked, is done and we can't just skip over to December without covering November first. So, without further ado, I present November's book club pick: Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving. I understand that we just did a John Irving novel, but Irving's newest release is too good not to read. Stay tuned for December's pick!

Stay the Course!

2009-10-05T22:12:00.002-04:00

So the book reviews are few and far between lately. However, you can expect that I will post reviews about a number of books I've read lately, including Year of the Flood, The Time Traveler's Wife, Fables, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and our wayward book club selections A Prayer for Owen Meany and Inherent Vice. Although neither has made it to my "Already Read" section on Facebook, I will get to them soon enough. For now, however, I am reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

I have also not forgotten about October's book club pick. As everyone may or may not already know, one of my favourite authors is Nick Hornby. As everyone may or may not already know, Nick Hornby has a new book out. Thus, without really needing to explain myself further, Juliet, Naked will be October's book club selection.

I encourage all members to stay the course and maintain the discipline that has propelled us this far: don't give up on Owen Meany, get to Pynchon asap, and revel in the rare treat that is provided by anything writtenby Nick Hornby.

Margaret Atwood's latest comes out today

2009-09-08T12:00:00.002-04:00

Today Margaret Atwood's Year of the Flood is released, amid great hype and expectation. However, as everything she writes is approached with either extreme caution or suspension of disbelief, the book is bound to be a success. Critics will buy it just to pan it, and fans will buy it and love it before they read it. Either way, I am eagerly anticipating her appearance here in Ottawa in a couple of weeks, for the book tour is creating some major buzz (so, too, is her blog)

Check out a review of the book here, and the book tour here. Atwood fan or not, this is an event to behold.

Neil Gaiman's Bookshelves

2009-09-07T18:20:00.000-04:00

Wouldn't you want a room in your house like this?

Neil Gaiman's bookshelves

This reminds me of Alberto Manguel's awesome ode to the library, The Library at Night: "I live among ever-increasing bookshelves whose limits begin to blur or coincide with the house itself". Someday, dear wife, this, too, shall be our reality.

David Byrne blogs about the Kindle

2009-09-02T12:00:00.001-04:00

The title of this post includes two words I never thought to associate with David Byrne: blog and kindle. First off, he has a website. It is a comprehensive site, with music and dvd info, art and books, touring and news. It also includes a journal, which he seems to update quite often. It is surreal to think of an artist that is seemingly apart from the world, adding to it without quite being part of it, blogging his daily thoughts and movements. He is currently touring in England, setting up an art installation in London and promoting his soon-to-be released book, Bicycle Diaries.
But the most interesting post had to do with Amazon's Kindle. Byrne recently purchased one to facilitate reading whilst traveling, and heartily agrees with the concept. He writes at length about the pros and cons of the Kindle and other electronic readers, and debates the change in the publishing industry that may or may not occur as a result. It is an interesting perspective, as he is an artist and author himself. He has been affected by the change in the music industry in the last 10 years and likens the rise of ebooks to the drastic effect of the MP3 on the music industry. Interesting stuff.

Check out the site here, and read his journal entry on Kindle here.

Inherent Vice foisted upon the public

2009-08-31T23:10:00.003-04:00

As August comes to a close, I have been thinking about which books to choose for our monthly poll. However, I have made a decision for the group, and it's entirely selfish: September's book will be Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon. Pynchon's latest novel, which can be described very briefly as a stoner gumshoe mystery, seems to baffle most critics: some expect Pynchon's postmodern leanings to come out in full force, i.e. the more complicated and confusing the better, and some like the idea of a straightforward murder mystery. It seems that Inherent Vice is somewhere in between. I am intrigued enough to find out for myself. The review on The Millions (yes, I am their greatest fan) is necessarily ambiguous, but it features a video trailer for the book that is, I believe, narrated by Tommy Chong, of Cheech & Chong fame. Which would make sense.

In other news, keep chugging away at A Prayer for Owen Meany, people! I am not yet done myself, but I will be shortly. It is proving to be a difficult one to get through, not the summer read I expected at the beginning of July. At any rate, my review will be here sometime in September.

Summer Vacation Reading

2009-08-25T20:31:00.006-04:00

Inspired by an essay on The Millions called What I Read on My Summer Vacation, I decided to write what I read on my summer vacation - as it turns out, not that much. However, I can talk about the books that we talked about on my summer vacation:

1. A Prayer for Owen Meany. As this is our current club selection, I dutifully brought it with me to our trip to New Jersey. I'm halfway through, and it's proving to be slow, probably since much of the story takes place around Christmas, which makes for terrible summer vacation reading. But John Irving's a great writer, and Owen Meany is a great character. I'm pushing forward, with high hopes for the latter half.
2. A Widow For One Year. Another John Irving book, this time purchased at an awesome book store in Greenwich Village my wife and I stumbled upon called Three Lives & Company.

It is the quintessential corner bookshop, with low ceilings and dark-wood shelves. I bought the American edition of Widow to mark the event. I have read the book a few times already, so I probably won't actually read this edition, but it already looks great on the shelf.
3. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger. I've been thinking about Salinger a lot lately, for a few reasons. One, I recently reread Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella, in which Salinger (or "Jerry") is a main character. Two, I recently rewatched Imagine: John Lennon and could not help but somehow implicate Salinger in Lennon's death, as Mark David Chapman was obsessed with Holden Caulfield and had a copy of Catcher in the Rye in his pocket when he shot Lennon to death. This feeling of tragedy was exacerbated by our visit to The Dakota and Strawberry Fields in Central Park:

Nine Stories is brilliant, however, so I forgave Salinger his involvement in the twisting of Chapman's mind.
4. Housekeeping vs. The Dirt. Nick Hornby's second collection of articles for The Believer are every bit as enjoyable as the other two. I can't really put into words what these books do for me, though "pure enjoyment" comes pretty close. And he talks about Miriam Toews in this one, which gets me even more excited, as I always feel a little bit of excitement whenever a Canadian is featured in an international-type program or book. The same is true for Owen Meany, as the protagonist eventually ends up in Toronto. Even though it's Toronto, I still think to myself, "cool, he's talking about Toronto!" I'm so Canadian.
5. Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Everybody's favourite book about a bookstore became my wife's beach book this summer. Since she liked it, a lot, I am inclined to read it sooner rather than later. In her words, "It's a strange, mysterious mystery. And strange."

6. Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson. Another American edition find. I shopped at Borders for this one, and was lucky enough to find an edition that is not available in Canada, making my biblioventure complete. My wife also recently finished this one, and liked it, a lot. It's a dark, dark mystery, set in Sweden and is part one of a trilogy. Part 2 is out now in hardcover, Girl Who Played With Fire, and the third one is set for release next summer. The author wrote the trilogy but died before its publication, and its subsequent translation from Swedish has been an interesting biblioventure in itself, as the entire trilogy, called the Millennium trilogy, has been fully translated into French, but not English. There's also a movie in the pipe, making this a burgeoning franchise opportunity. For all the hype, however, well-deserved, according to my wife.

That's my trip in books - look for less interesting posts in the days to come. Also, it's close to September reading time, so get your thinking caps on for a September book selection.

Margaret Atwood: Year of the Flood

2009-08-22T09:11:00.001-04:00

I'm too stunned for words, really: Margaret Atwood, blogger.

Margaret Atwood: Year of the Flood

1000 Awesome Things

2009-08-02T19:20:00.000-04:00

This blog doesn't necessarily have to do with books, but I am positive that DTABC is on here somewhere.

1000 Awesome Things

Man Booker longlist announced

2009-07-29T08:42:00.002-04:00

The Man Booker Prize longlist was announced yesterday, starting the much-anticipated awards season of 2009. The list is generating a ton of buzz, as many of the authors are first time nominees, and three of them are major authors with either a previous Booker win (Byatt, Coetzee) or multiple nominations (Toibin). I haven't read any of the books yet, and the Coetzee title hasn't been released yet, but the award isn't announced until October 8, so we have some time to catch up. Here's the list (from The Millions):

The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
Summertime by J.M Coetzee (excerpt)
The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds
How to Paint a Dead Man by Sarah Hall
The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey (excerpt)
Me Cheeta by James Lever ("I'm the real Cheeta")
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (excerpt)
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer (excerpt pdf)
Not Untrue and Not Unkind by Ed O'Loughlin
Heliopolis by James Scudamore (excerpt)
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin (excerpt)
Love and Summer by William Trevor (excerpt)
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (excerpt pdf)

Perhaps the biggest buzz is for James Lever's book Me Cheeta, which is a faux memoir of a movie star chimpanzee. Well, they all look interesting anyhow.

Cloud Atlas Review - finally!

2009-07-28T17:10:00.003-04:00

June's selection was David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas. I did read it in June, I swear! But I haven't posted the review yet. So here it is:
Cloud Atlas is epic. It spans several generations, continents, characters and even civilizations. The structure is six separate story lines, taking place in six different places and time periods, beginning in the 18th century and ending sometime in the distant future. Mitchell weaves the stories together with minuscule threads: a birthmark, a repeated phrase, an artifact, an ideology. The result is a fascinating, complex novel at times pure adventure and at others poignant and tragic. Through it all comes a story of human nature, of civilization, of people. His characters are deep, real, and brilliant. Each story centres on a particular character with ties to the previous character - the composer reads the travel journal, the reporter listens to the composer's work, the agent reads a screenplay about the reporter, and so on. Even though each story can stand independent of the others, but it is the connection, or the possibility of connection, between the stories that provides the real fascination. The stories deliver a message about human nature that isn't new: parts reflect Pilgrim's Progress, 1984, Brave New World, Lord of the Flies, and so on. It is a narrative pleading for caution and responsibility - beware of excess and greed. It's a green message, essentially, as the Earth loses in all scenarios.
But aside from the potentially overbearing political treatise, the characters are unique, independent and sympathetic. Mitchell writes wonderful prose, as well, which makes for a wonderful read. The novel overall is overwhelming, and certainly epic, but also daring. It is a tough act to tie together such disparate stories, but Mitchell pulls it off. Most importantly, it was immensely enjoyable on several levels, making this a book I would not hesitate to recommend. 8 missing secret documents out of 10.

"Kind of like 90210 with owls"

2009-07-16T01:41:00.003-04:00

With the release of HP6's film version, I suppose I should post something about the movie. I'll keep it short by referring to Slate's movie critic Dana Stevens, who writes that "too much of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince resembles a lesser episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 with owls."

See the full review here.

*update* Saw Half-Blood Prince tonight. Enjoyed it a lot, on the edge of my seat and all that. Jim Broadbent as Slughorn stole the show, and Michael Gambon as Dumbledore once again proved that he is the best actor for the part. Of course, it was visually spectacular. On the other side of the coin, there were a few missing elements that I felt were crucial, such as the climax at Hogwarts, and an added scene that was superfluous at best. All in all, however, an enjoyable experience. Certainly the funniest of the movies - the actors are definitely coming into their own as a troupe. Looking forward to the sequels!!

Summer Reading Pick

2009-07-13T14:26:00.004-04:00

The poll has closed and our choice is clear: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving has been selected as our summer pick. I am happy with this choice, as this is one Irving novel that I have not yet read, and by all accounts it is one of his best. I've seen the movie (Simon Birch), or parts of it, and I liked that, so I know I'll like the book. I also just finished reading Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella (another great summer read - a full post on that later), which prominently features Iowa, writers and/or writing, and New England, three Irving staples.

Given the length of time before our next reading selection (September 1st), we should also try to read as many of the other nominees as possible and write some bonus reviews. As mentioned previously, they're all great reads and should be interesting to read about them.

Summer Reading Poll Open for All

2009-07-04T10:27:00.000-04:00

The poll to select our summer reading pick is now up. You'll notice a couple of additions, one at the behest of Jackie, who suggested Lamb by Christopher Moore, and, much to my chagrin, Bonnie's suggestions of Twilight and Sophie Kinsella, as well as Jackie's other suggestion of Charlaine Harris. Who said democracy was easy? Poll closes in a week.

Great Minds Think Alike

2009-06-29T20:05:00.004-04:00

Frances from Slaves of Golconda found us this morning, revealing another great online book club. In addition to posted reviews, the team members participate in a forum discussion on an appointed date each month. If you've read any of the books, the archived discussions are quite interesting. However, if you haven't, there will be spoilers! Slaves has many, many members, many of whom have other book blogs, so it's a new world opened up of great reads and informative reviews.
Check it out!

Summer Reading

2009-06-28T12:48:00.002-04:00

For the next book selection, I thought we'd focus on summer reads - fun reads you can enjoy while sitting under a tree on a sunny summer day. I also thought that we would choose for two months instead of just one, coming back from summer with a new title for September (this has nothing to do with the fact that I haven't finished Cloud Atlas yet). I've compiled a list of summer reads - granted, "summer reads" have different connotations for different people, but I will try my best:

1. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving

2. The Yiddish Policemen's Union - Michael Chabon

3. The Believers - Zoe Heller

4. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers

5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I've provided five possibilities, but I invite more, if there are any other suggestions. You'll notice that a few of them are familiar, as they have been previous nominees, but I think they fit the category and would be worthy reads for summer. All have great stories told with humour and are relatively short, with, I think, Eggers' book the longest at 375 pages. However, if I'm right, the pages will fly by as we will all have so much fun while reading. Who could ask for more? I'll set up the poll on Thursday with the list of suggestions.

Empire of Fun It's Not

2009-06-09T20:17:00.005-04:00

Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard

J.G. Ballard wrote Empire of the Sun in 1984, forty years after his imprisonment in a Japanese POW camp during WWII in Shanghai. The book is a novel, though it is based upon his experiences in Shanghai during the war. The story begins on the eve of the Pearl Harbour attack on the American fleet, and ends with the liberation of Shanghai by Allied forces. During this time, four years in total, the main character, Jim, grows from precocious school boy to hardened survivor, keeping alive any way he can in the harsh environment of the Lunghua prison camp.

This book is not a heartwarming tale. There is no redeeming action, the characters are not sympathetic, and there is no hope for the future, even after the war ends and those imprisoned are allowed to return to their former homes. It is the stark reality of a possible life inside enemy-occupied territory. Jim is emotionless throughout the story: there is no attachment, no sentimentality, no crying for home. It reminded me of Cormac McCarthy's The Road on more than one occasion, making the most disturbing part of the novel not the brutal realities that Jim faced, but Ballard's statement in the foreward: "For the most part this novel is an eyewitness account of events I observed during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai and within the camp at Lunghua." Even for those interested in stories about the Second World War, I would not recommend it. It is harsh, bleak, sickening and, as mentioned before, brutal. I suppose, that being said, Ballard succeeds, as war is all of those things and more, more than we could possibly imagine. Two and a half toy fighter planes out of five.

New York City!

2009-06-04T09:45:00.003-04:00

Digging for Cloud Atlas reviews I came across this awesome site for an independent book store in Brooklyn called, simply, Word (as in, I presume, "Word to your mother"). Its website is quite good, featuring author events, top ten lists, book club news, and a blog. Incidentally, I discovered that Cloud Atlas was their bestselling book of 2008. This may have been due to the fact that it was a book club pick for March 2008, and the book club is so popular they have two meetings a month - fantastic! So if you're in Brooklyn any time soon, check this place out!

June's pick: Cloud Atlas

2009-06-04T09:34:00.002-04:00

This month, we have a unanimous selection: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. The premise and reach of this novel is ambitious, so prepare for a challenging read, or so I'm told:

"David Mitchell entices his readers on to a rollercoaster, and at first they wonder if they want to get off. Then - at least in my case - they can't bear the journey to end. Like Scheherazade, and like serialised Victorian novels and modern soaps, he ends his episodes on cliffhangers and missed heartbeats. But unlike these, he starts his next tale in another place, in another time, in another vocabulary, and expects us to go through it all again. Trust the tale. He reaches a cumulative ending of all of them, and then finishes them all individually, giving a complete narrative pleasure that is rare."

Looking forward to it.

*Update*: Check out Books Worth Reading for another favourable review.

News Roundup

2009-06-03T09:12:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple of items from the news struck me as interesting this past week:

1. Salinger sues Catcher in the Rye sequel. Well, Salinger's lawyers filed a lawsuit: "The lawsuit requests a recall of the book 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye, which has yet to be released. It also seeks unspecified damages from its author, John David California, believed to be a pseudonym." (J.D. California? Yes, probably a pseudonym). It is interesting that
Salinger, aged 90, still has the gusto to take such legal action. I wonder what will happen when he passes away? The copyrights pass to the closest living relative and go up for renewal five years after an author's death, which means that someone could decide to reverse all of Salinger's wishes if desired. It seems unlikely that that would happen, however.

2. New Haruki Murakami book released. - in Japanese. Murakami's latest, 1Q84, was released amid great secrecy as his previous novel, Kafka on the Shore, enjoyed some controversy due to leaked plot points: "Murakami... had refused to reveal the plot of the two-volume work after criticism that leaked details about his 2002 bestseller, Kafka on the Shore, spoiled its novelty value." Adding to the mystique is the play on words in the title, as the letter "Q" in English sounds very similar to the number 9 in Japanese, leaving the opening for the reference to Orwell's 1984. It is not known when the book will be translated into English. Read the full article here.

June Selection

2009-05-30T01:49:00.005-04:00

I like to use a theme to select potential book club reads, and for June I was drawing a blank, so I decided upon a British writers theme, based mostly on titles sitting on my bookcase that I have yet to read. So, the list of nominees for the June selection are as follows:

Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

I've read Mitchell's Black Swan Green and really enjoyed it, and Cloud Atlas has been up there on my to be read list. Mitchell plays with linearity, telling the story across several generations and through several characters. Its structure is essentially 12 short stories that make up the whole of the novel. Interesting enough to try, anyhow. Here are two views that, in my mind, add to the hype: Reading Matters and this one.

The Believers - Zoë Heller
Zoë Heller is also the author of Notes on a Scandal: What Was She Thinking? that was made into a pretty good movie with Cate Blanchett a few years back. Her latest novel is a "layered and utterly assured study of a family driven by political passion whose personal lives refuse to comply with prescribed ideology." So it's funny and bittersweet and sharp, and brilliant, according to this critic. Sounds interesting!

On Beauty - Zadie Smith
Another modern classic of the British family, Smith's novel was shortlisted for every major award in 2006, winning the Orange Broadband Prize which celebrates female authors. I've read a number of reviews and synopses of On Beauty, and I can only say that it intrigues me more. Her writing is celebrated, the characters are celebrated, the cultural and social issues are celebrated, and, of course, she's celebrated. It sounds delightful.

So there's the three. After researching these three I feel that it is not a question of if I will read them, but in what order. Which will be first? You decide. Poll opens tomorrow.

Top 10 Memoirs

2009-05-29T11:06:00.001-04:00

CBC Book Club readers have voted on a top ten memoirs list. It's filled with popular titles from the last few years, such as Glass Castle and A Year of Magical Thinking, but also a couple of new ones, like Nothing to be Frightened of by Julian Barnes, released earlier this year. There are classics, too: Anne Frank and Maya Angelou made the list. A good starting point for non-biography readers, I think. Perhaps we'll use this as a launching point for book club suggestions in the future.

The Top 10 Memoirs | Blogs | CBC Book Club | CBC.ca — CBC Radio

What My Wife Is Reading #4

2009-05-29T00:15:00.004-04:00

After a long hiatus, the popular series What My Wife is Reading is back. Updates from the last post: The Unbearable Lightness of Being never had a chance, as my wife took an immediate disliking to Kundera's style and characters. Such is life.
Recently, my wife has been reading academic work, with two conference papers down and a dissertation chapter drafted. However, she did pick up Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It is a great book, a test of will against 900+ pages of 19th magic and darkness. I admit, I had a love-hate relationship with this book. Way back in 2004, my wife bought this for me for Christmas. I started it immediately, and it took the entire rest of my holiday to finish, even with several long nights of reading. I was frustrated by the 19th century pace - Clarke indeed channels Austen, Bronte and Eliot with this book. Also, as is the issue with every introductory novel, she spent a long time introducing the characters and setting. I believe that is the point my wife is at right now in the book - the good parts are just beginning. Yes, they wouldn't be as good without the background material; yes, knowing the dynamic between Strange and Norrell informs all that follows, but it doesn't seem worth it until the very end. I do admit that I had trouble putting it down after a certain point. Hence, the love-hate relationship. I resented the book for making me read so much of it, but the latter half was rewarding enough to admit that it was worth it. I am not sure how my wife feels at this point, but I am sure it is much the same.
I will say this: I have not read anything like it. The book is regularly touted as a Harry Potter for adults, but I feel that it is different enough to avoid such comparisons. I hope my wife likes it. I will let you know.

Fool by Christopher Moore

2009-05-28T16:18:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since I read this, but a month has given me time to ruminate. I really enjoyed Fool, from the bawdyness to the convenient plot twists to the clever dialogue. Moore admits at the beginning of the book that he is trying to write a Shakespearean story in a Shakespearean manner, hence the puns and convenience. He weaves in and out of King Lear, adding elements (Macbeth's witches) and changing some to make for a better ending. But Pocket is a classic character, at once a social critic and performer, much like the fools present in Shakespeare's plays: he is always on for his crowd, and his performances reveal more about the audience than they realize or are willing to admit. Knowing the truth behind his actions and his personality is a little like looking behind the curtain, but more like Looking for Richard than Wizard of Oz. We know he is deliberate and calculated with his act, yet its effect is still surprising.
Moore's novel is hilarious, too. He lives up to his reputation as a humorist - one of his novels was recently selected as the #1 book to make you laugh by the CBC Book Club - with insane characters and devilish shenanigans. And jokes, too - many of Pocket's witty phrases are indeed as funny as anything Shakespeare wrote.
My overall opinion is that if you have ever laughed out loud whilst reading a Shakespeare play, you will like this book. You also need a stomach for extreme bawdyness, as Moore does not spare any detail or leave an innuendo unturned. Enjoyable - looking forward to reading more of Moore.

*Update*: Unbound! has recently reviewed Fool, and has also read a couple of others that might be worth a read. I'm leaning toward Lamb as my next Christopher Moore pick.

June's pick and Alice Munro

2009-05-27T19:30:00.004-04:00

The month is closing fast, and even though I haven't posted in a while (nor have I read the Ballard selection), I would like to embark upon picking the next book. I'll do some figurin' in the next few days, but please make any suggestions you wish. I'm really at a loss, though with summer around the corner perhaps we should do some summer reading. I don't know.

Yesterday Alice Munro has won the Man Booker International Prize, which is awarded every two years to "a living fiction author writing in English, or whose work is widely translated into English." This is only the third time this award has been given (previous winners are Chinua Achebe and Ismail Kildare). It's another major honour for Munro, who is widely acknowledged as one of the world's best writers. Perhaps a Munro pick for our June selection?

Read the CBC article here.

May Read

2009-05-03T21:16:00.004-04:00

May's pick was far from unanimous, but a winner nonetheless: Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard. Categorized as a novel, technically, Ballard calls EOTS "for the most part... an eyewitness account of events I observed during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai and within the camp at Lunghua" (from the Foreward). As autobiography is often described as fiction anyway, it is fitting that this is a fictionalized story of his experience as a young boy in China and Japan during the Second World War.

Interesting note: it was made into a movie in 1987 by Steven Spielberg and starred a young Christian Bale. Even more interesting is that the screenplay was penned by Tom Stoppard!

May Possibilities

2009-04-29T20:03:00.008-04:00

I'm currently reading a book from the Extraordinary Canadians series from Penguin, Mordecai Richler by M.G. Vassanji. The series involves contemporary authors writing about Canadian historical figures. So, Nino Ricci writes about Pierre Trudeau, Adrienne Clarkson about Norman Bethune, and so on. Vassanji's book is far from comprehensive, but it is interesting, and quick. It also provides some insight on the man and writer that was Mordecai Richler. Check out the website for more. I'm excited about Glenn Gould, which comes out in September. Anyway, I'm a little interested in biography of late. As such, for the next book selection, I've compiled a list of cool biographies:

1. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls - for a harrowing tale of growing up rough, it certainly has staying power. It is a perennial book club pick, it was on the bestseller list for something like two years and it continues to sell well. From the Chapters.ca blurb: "What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms."

2. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers - the editor of McSweeney's writes about raising his brother after his parents succumb to cancer. Eggers is funny and poignant, and a sharp critic of our times. From the website: "If you're looking here for a story of tears, inspiration and empowerment, try one of Oprah's lachrymal literary offerings. This is unlike any memoir I have ever read. Eggers' story is funny, absurd, clever, self-indulgent and unexpectedly moving. It's not perfect by any means, but it comes close to fulfilling the audacious promise of its title."

3. Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard - Ballard was another staunch critic of our times, mainly through his semi-fantastical stories that pushed the boundaries of fiction and art. He writes about environmental issues in The Drowned World and Rushing to Paradise, and in Crash, about car-crash fetishists. Empire of the Sun recounts his childhood in a Shanghai prison camp after Japanese forces captured the city in WW2. Ballard recently passed away, so it is timely as well. The other two are still alive, I believe.

There you have it. Three worthy contenders for the May book club selection. Voting closes by Friday midnight, so please get those voting fingers primed.

It's almost May!

2009-04-28T01:05:00.002-04:00

I guess we should pick the next book. For once, I am without a theme. Some Dickens to fit a Victoria Day theme? Dostoevsky for May Day? J.G. Ballard? Let's enjoy the Spring air for a few days and ruminate.

PS I've finished Fool and I liked it. Review to follow.

Book gets sales boost from Chavez

2009-04-20T21:38:00.001-04:00

Here's an article about the book that Hugo Chavez presented Barack Obama at the Summit of the Americas. The book is Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent by Eduardo Galeano, originally published in 1971: "It's a favourite among left-leaning Latin Americans from Argentina to Mexico." So Obama wants to open up Cuba and make friends with Chavez? Republicans won't even have to make anything up for the Presidential race in four years - all they need is a picture of Obama shaking hands with Chavez, visiting Cuba, enjoying a cookie in Canada... their case is already made!

globeandmail.com: Book gets sales boost from Chavez, Obama

Most-challenged books of 2008

2009-04-18T02:51:00.001-04:00

Found this today when rummaging through CBC Books. It's an interesting aspect of our society, that we have the freedom to publish whatever we want but that same freedom allows us to suppress whatever we want (or whatever the majority wants). Some of the ideas in these books seem completely harmless - when do you think kids will learn about this stuff? In college? And from who? It baffles me... I am not a parent, yet, but I have to believe that I will do my best to teach my children well enough that I won't have to keep things from them - that they will be able to experience and learn things on their own without too much difficulty. Anyway, that's what I think - now. When I actually have a 16-year-old, we'll see what I think then.

The Kite Runner among most-challenged books of 2008

Review: Wayson Choy's Latest

2009-04-12T19:42:00.005-04:00

Not Yet: A Memoir of Living and Almost Dying - Wayson Choy

Wayson Choy's newest book chronicles his brush with death after a heart attack in 2001. He was kept in a medically-induced coma for four days and spent several months in the hospital afterward. It was a traumatic event that made him think about his life, his family, and himself.
Choy is quite candid in this account of his illness, reporting everything from learning to walk again to becoming aroused during a tissue massage (that part he probably could've skipped). However, the proof is in the details, and the story of his recovery would not have been as poignant or sympathetic had he not bared his soul in this way. We learn of the close, close friends that are his family and the circumstances leading to those same relationships. As the Random House official page reports, "Not Yet is a passionate, sensitive, and beautiful exploration of the importance of family, which in Choy’s case is constituted not through blood but through love. It is also a quiet manifesto for embracing life, not blind to our mortality, but knowing how lucky we are for each day that comes." Highly recommended.

Review: Novel of the North

2009-04-05T16:25:00.004-04:00

Late Nights on Air – Elizabeth Hay

Late Nights on Air follows a group of Yellowknife radio station employees over the course of a year – new arrivals, old hands, fallen stars. Set in the 70s, it takes place against the backdrop of the burgeoning oil boom that raises the possibility of a pipeline that would seemingly cut the north in two. The characters are given equal treatment over the first part of the novel, as Hay fully explores each characters motivations, history, impulses and hopes for the future. By the halfway point, we know the characters, we know why they do what they do and what we can expect them to do next. The climax of the story, as a result, is not so much a plot point but character development.
Hay is a funny, fluid, emotional writer that adds wit and spontaneity to each character and situation. In fact, I found that she was nearly opposite Joseph Boyden in style – reading Late Nights immediately after Through Black Spruce, this was quite a shock at times. However, Hay’s relaxed, detailed style made for a delightful read, providing an opportunity for the reader to engage with the social and political climate of Yellowknife in the 70s without losing contact with the characters directly affected by such possible changes. Hay has a reporter’s voice in this regard, giving the facts of the people and circumstances involved in living in Yellowknife at this time, allowing the reader to draw conclusions and connections about the characters and the events that follow.
I enjoyed this book. It was a great read, quick and funny with a poignant climax and satisfying conclusion. It’s not a political book per se, but the political events shape the characters’ decisions enough that a statement about the political events of the time comes through. I am looking forward to reading her other books, A Student of Weather, Garbo Laughs, and another one, I think. I can’t remember. Four overturned canoes out of five.

April: Fool

2009-04-01T20:16:00.002-04:00

April's pick is Fool by Christopher Moore. Surprisingly, I have nothing more to add. Let's have a fun read!

Another Winner

2009-03-27T00:05:00.001-04:00

Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden

Joseph Boyden’s follow-up to critically acclaimed Three Day Road does not disappoint. Told from the point of view of alternating narrators Will Bird and his niece Annie, Boyden’s tale unfolds from end to beginning – we see the present before the past, leaving only the why. The two stories are interwoven seamlessly, each narrator providing a unique voice to the events that transpired. Will’s story is about redemption, as he finds his true self among the trees and traplines of his younger self, coming to terms with past events that set his life down a predictable and tragic path. However, he does so while in a coma, reciting the story in his dreams while his family and friends wait patiently for him to wake up. Annie tells her story to Will during solitary visits to the hospital, coming to terms with her past by reconnecting with her roots – the old traplines, the hunting cabin, the ice road. Her life is just beginning – she has yet to make any decision that cannot be remedied.
Boyden gives the physical environment a prominent role just behind the characters, making its place in the story as important as it would be in actuality to the characters. It is part of the way of life for these characters, living off the land. Annie seems most ill at ease when she’s in New York, spending money and dressing to the nines, but when she’s back in Moosonee, living in the winter cabin, trapping and hunting, she’s comfortable. Will, too: he can be ready to live off the land in a short time, settling his affairs and relying on the things he learned from his father. The title phrase “through black spruce” comes up again and again, a metaphor for many aspects of Aboriginal life, from literally returning from the bush and wilderness to experiencing personal revelation and understanding.
Boyden’s beautiful prose style only adds to the gripping story. It is a great read, and he is a great Canadian writer, taking features of the Canadian landscape such as thick spruce trees and polar bears or the effect of residential schools on the Aboriginal population and telling a poignant and forceful story. Four and a half marten pelts out of five.

April's Fool

2009-03-24T23:19:00.005-04:00

It's been coming for a while, based on a suggestion by Jacks: I am going to co-opt the voting this month and make Christopher Moore's latest book Fool April's pick, for the sole reason of saluting April 1st. I've heard so many mixed things about this book - the buzz is too interesting to set aside. The basic story is a retelling of King Lear in the manner of Shakespeare at his populist best - bawdy, raunchy, vulgar, a little bit sexist (okay, a lot) and also full of sex. But also funny. Very funny, if I am to believe those Moore fans out there. It is a risk, but what is a book club without a little risk? We'll have some fun, hopefully.

Through Black Spruce was great, really great - my full review is forthcoming.

What My Wife is Reading - Watchmen and Adventures

2009-03-18T23:10:00.010-04:00

This past month my wife and I survived, I mean, enjoyed three family visits, which left little time for reading. However, my wife did finish two of the books on the previous list, Watchmen and The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. I took the opportunity to ask her about them:

M: Okay, let’s talk about these books.
W: Let’s do it.
M: What did you think of Watchmen?
W: Hmm. It was quite graphic in parts, and there’s a misogynistic tone to Alan Moore’s writing that disturbs me. I liked it, just not as much as I thought I would.
M: Moore’s intent is certainly to change the way the idea of the superhero. Does he succeed?
W: Well, I hated Rorschach. He was a disgusting character, really. I was happy when he died. Dr. Manhattan was an interesting character, though; it seems that he could’ve changed things, but, in the end, chose not to as he could see the outcome and determined that it was best.
M: I suppose in that way Moore does succeed, as the image of Rorschach as superhero never seems right. Comedian, Nite Owl, Ozymandias, Silk Spectre – they succeeded in spite of themselves, but never triumphantly.
W: I don’t think I would’ve read it if the movie wasn’t out.
M: Right. We should see that soon. Okay, now to Michael Chabon.
W: I loved The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. It was epic, exhausting at times, great detail, good length.
M: Yes, you do burn through books quickly. What were the strong points?
W: It’s a great story and the characters of Kavalier and Clay are well-developed and intriguing.
M: Was it engaging?
W: I’m married.
M: [silent embarrassment]
W: There was comedy, intensity, the whole gambit – Chabon is a great storyteller. It is an awesome book.
M: So you would recommend it?
W: Easily.

Now my wife is reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. Not only does this book have the distinction of being on the 1001 Books To Read Before You Die list, it is also on mental_floss’s Top 25 Most Powerful Books of the last 25 years. Written in 1984 and set in 1968 Czechoslavkia, Lightness “made life behind the Iron Curtain seem real to Westerners, even sexy.” Furthermore, it contributed to the falling of the Berlin Wall: “The bureaucratic intimidation, pervasive spying, and grim Communist kitsch are there, but so is an unwavering erotic force that proves stronger than any repressive regime.” I look forward to hearing about it.

“The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner” by Alan Sillitoe

2009-03-13T11:47:00.006-04:00

This short story is a masterful piece of short fiction. The premise is simple: the story is told over the course of two runs – one a morning jog and the other a competition. During these excursions we learn about the narrator, the runner, why he is where is and why he is running. His story is interesting and he is a sympathetic character, but, more importantly, we learn how he uses running to free himself from the restraints of society and code: “Because when on a raw and frosty morning I get up at 5 o’clock and stand shivering my belly off on the stone floor and all the rest still have another hour to snooze before the bells go, I slink downstairs through all the corridors to the big outside door with a permit running-card in my fist, I feel like the first and last man on the world, both at once, if you can believe what I’m trying to say.” The narration is in real-time, following the runner’s thoughts as he makes his way over the morning course and then during a competition.
As the title suggests, this story is about running, even though it is a device for a very different story. It will appeal to anyone who has ever run, either competitively or recreationally. Certainly, the “loneliness of the long distance runner” has a metaphorical meaning as well as a literal one in this story, but it is also a universal feeling, as most runners, at any given time, have felt the solitude, the silence, of running along wooded trails, or in urban areas, or, as I felt during my first 10k, within a crowd of 10,000. Sillitoe evokes this feeling perfectly, the inner monologue narration capturing not only the meanderings of the runner’s brain, but also the emotion and adrenaline of the competition.
Beyond the workings of the runner’s mind is a deeper story, the personal life and goals of the runner himself, and Sillitoe manages to present all sorts of conflict, from social to generational, behind the immediate act of the morning run or afternoon competition. In the end, it becomes unified, and we see not that the runner succeeds, but that he had succeeded long before he set that first foot on the cold floor: “Then he turned into a tongue of trees and bushes where I couldn’t see him anymore, and I couldn’t see anybody, and I knew what the loneliness of the long-distance runner running across country felt like, realizing that as far as I was concerned this feeling was the only honesty and realness there was in the world and I knowing it would be no different ever, no matter what I felt at odd times, and no matter what anybody else tried to tell me.” Brilliant.

Which came first?

2009-03-10T20:37:00.003-04:00

Ever read something by someone and wish that you had written it? Of course, and speaking only for myself, it's always written much more lyrically and poignantly than I could ever hope to muster. In deference to the last post and Rob from High Fidelity, I offer, in no particular order, my Top Four Contemporary Writers Who Write Stuff That I Wish That I Had Written: Michael Ondaatje, Paul Auster, Siri Hustvedt, and Haruki Murakami. The latter for every time he has ever put pen to paper, but especially this.

Nick Hornby Talks Books! Yay!

2009-03-03T13:27:00.005-05:00

Apparently I'm in a good mood today, what with all the exclamation marks. Anyhoo, Nick Hornby contributed to a writer's table display at British bookseller Waterstone's and shared his selection with the Times Online. The list is mixed with old and young, classic and new, fiction and non-fiction - much what you'd expect from Nick Hornby. Does anyone defend literature like Nick Hornby? He doesn't resort to arguing for artistic merit, but makes his picks based on personal enjoyment or growth. His position is, in a nutshell, "if you enjoy it, it's a good book." I can get behind that. Furthermore, he selects two Canadians, Carol Shields (The Republic of Love) and Miriam Toews, for A Complicated Kindness, which made me squeal with joy: "A fresh, quirky fictional voice, telling us about a community of which we know nothing. What else do you need from contemporary fiction?" As my wife mentioned, we know a little more about the community than he does, which, by his reasoning, should reduce our enjoyment of the book. Nevertheless, it is on his list, and thousands of British folk will pick up a new Canadian author, which makes me happy for Miriam Toews. It also creates in my mind a fantastical scenario for which I would pay any dollar amount to see actualized: Nick Hornby and Miriam Toews talking books and life with each other at some literary event, or, even better, in my living room. Two young(ish) authors with a similar view of lightness and tragedy of life and who bring wit and poignancy into everything they write (even book lists), together, talking books? I can't think of anything better. For now, however, the only place they can be found together is on this blog. Sigh.

New Book! March

2009-03-03T13:01:00.004-05:00

The poll is closed and the results are in - Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden has been selected as March's book club pick. The timing is great, as Through Black Spruce is available everywhere due to its popularity due to awards and such (it's also on sale at Chapters). Through Black Spruce follows two characters, Will and Annie, in an examination of disappearing culture: Will reminisces the past in small-town Ontario, while his niece, Annie, tests her resolve in New York, where traditions merge into ubiquitous stereotypes. Most reviewers liked this book, Quill & Quire did not, oddly. Perhaps they were worried about bandwagon-jumping. At any rate, it is our March pick: I'm expecting some heated discussion over the next few weeks.

B. Button and his Mysterious Experience

2009-02-28T13:26:00.003-05:00

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
By F. Scott Fitzgerald

In my introduction to this selection, I found a quote from Fitzgerald stating that the idea for this short novella came from a quote of Mark Twain that “it was a pity that the best part of life came at the beginning and the worst part at the end.” So, is it better to age oppositely, so that you are born with life’s experiences and an aged body and then as your chronological age increases, your physical age decreases? The Curious Case of Benjamin Button seeks to answer that question.
The story begins with the Buttons, a well-to-do couple on the up-and-up with every advantage ahead of them. The next phase is a family, but when Benjamin is born, it is utter disaster for Mr. Roger Button: “A grotesque picture formed itself with dreadful clarity before the eyes of the tortured man – a picture of himself walking through the crowded streets of the city with this appalling apparition stalked by his side.” For Benjamin Button was born “an old man apparently about seventy years of age.” The story progresses with Benjamin on the outside for his entire life, from spending quality time with his grandfather sitting on the porch in his first decade to playing with kindergartners while in his 70s. He is never fully accepted by his family or his peers, and spends much his time sad and alone. In fact, the only truly happy time in his life was in his middle years, when his actual age closely matched his physical age.
Fitzgerald’s answer, then, is that your life would be worse if lived oppositely – always an outcast, always hiding who you are, constantly frustrated by an inability to reconcile his desires to his capabilities, poignantly illustrated as he nears the end of his life, looking like a small child: “He went back a third year to kindergarten, but he was too little now to understand what the bright shining strips of paper were for. He cried because the other boys were bigger than he and he was afraid of them. The teacher talked to him, but though he tried to understand he could not understand at all.”
Fitzgerald omits many details in this story, such as his mother’s name, but there was a repeated emphasis that everyone must act his or her own age, with Benjamin’s father and son looking foolishly narrow-minded in their embarrassment of Benjamin. I saw two points raised by this story: one, that given a change from the norm, i.e. a man who ages backwards, compassion and understanding should still be at the fore of everyone involved, rather than the anger and embarrassment that punished Benjamin for the “affliction” he had no say over. Secondly, Fitzgerald shows that age and experience are necessarily tied together. One cannot have the wisdom of experience without the experience itself. And so, to wish that you were young again is a thought gained through the wisdom of having experienced being young, and makes it impossible to have that experience again. Mark Twain, you are but wrong.
Interesting read, though only 82 pages. If it were longer, I would give it a pass, but because it is so short, I will give it a recommendation. Three bottles of hair dye out of five.

Salman Rushdie on Celluloid Adaptations of Novels

2009-02-28T12:50:00.000-05:00

There is an interesting article on the Guardian's website today: Salman Rushdie talks about film adaptations. Earlier this week, Rushdie blasted the film versions of Benjamin Button, The Reader and Slumdog Millionaire at a lecture, and as Slumdog had just won the Oscar for Best Picture, there was an obvious backlash. Rushdie explains his point further, and perhaps more diplomatically, in his article.

Salman Rushdie on celluloid adaptations of novels | Books | The Guardian

It is long, but an interesting point of view from an author who does not shy away from controversy. Surely, however, he's asked himself why put forth such a view when he himself is writing an adaptation of his greatest novel? He can tell himself that the film or stage versions will be "second cousins" to the book, but inevitably the viewing audience will not see it as such. With such a view of adaptations already in the public sphere, there is only trouble ahead for Rushdie, no matter how good Deepa Mehta's film turns out.

In Like a Lion

2009-02-27T22:43:00.006-05:00

We've got three picks for March's selection. The poll will go up tonight and close Monday night. And the nominees are:

1. No One Belongs Here More Than You - Miranda July. Miranda July (I'm convinced that she has the type of name that only sounds good when you say both first and last every time. I don't know her well enough - or at all, really - to call her by her first name, and writing just "July" is surreal, like a Neil Gaiman story: "'I don't have anything personal on this, said July, apologetically. 'It's purely procedural. We shouldn't be setting precedents'") is a contemporary American writer and I admit I have not read anything by her. No One is a book of short stories from last year, and based on the book description and her website (click on the arrow in the bottom right), it looks intriguing. Thanks Suzanne for the suggestion.

2. Through Black Spruce - Joseph Boyden. Boyden (whose surname is a little more manageable) won the Giller prize in 2008 and by all accounts is a great read. One reader said, "Really enjoying the first 10 or 20 pages I have read so far" and another fan I spoke with loved Three Day Road, Boyden's previous novel. So another winner, it looks like. Thanks to Deanna for this one.

3. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving. I suggested this one for three reasons: it is now considered a "classic" (it has its own SparkNotes!); Owen Meany is an Irish name; and, duh, it's John Irving. What more reason do you need?

Vote! Do it now!

What My Wife Is Reading: Essays and Exams

2009-02-26T10:55:00.011-05:00

Last week my wife didn't get to any of the books she was reading - we had a family visit followed by marking of essays and preparing an exam. However, she did have to re-read a house favourite, Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson, in preparation for the next set of essay topics for her class. Monkey Beach centres around a teenager dealing with the loss of her older brother, who mysteriously vanished at sea. Set in a Native community on B.C.'s West Coast, Robinson ties together a modern setting with Haisla lore "into a multilayered story of loss and redemption" (from the jacket). I really liked it - it is another example of a Canadian novelist using the landscape as an additional character in the story - the shadows of the forest and the darkness of the sea are mystical elements that play as much a part of Lisamarie's story than her mother, uncle or cousin. My wife also liked it, hence teaching it for her class. Robinson's writing is dark and violent but also hilarious - Monkey Beach is a coming of age story centred around a teenager, and every emotion that a teenager feels - anger, confusion, violence, fear, love - is represented well. My wife also had the opportunity to meet Robinson at a conference, which is pretty cool. Robinson was dark and hilarious herself, making inappropriate jokes about her own depression at a breakfast meet and greet.
Update on the other books my wife is reading: Watchmen is still going and will be read, as will the Michael Chabon book, which is so far funny but also dense ("and epic" my wife chimes in). And 2666, for all its critical acclaim, is back on the shelf. I suspect it requires more of a focused read, perhaps when classes are over. More next week!

March Picks

2009-02-23T23:37:00.003-05:00

With only a week left of February, it's time to pick a book for March. What will it be? So far we've read three Canadian books, an American "book", an award winner, and a memoir, so what's next? A classic? Perhaps an Irish pick to celebrate St. Patrick's? Decisions! But not much time: let's get some suggestions in so we can vote and get reading. I'll set up the poll by Friday.

Commonweath Writers' Prize Noms Announced

2009-02-19T13:25:00.001-05:00

Another year, another list of award nominees. This time it's the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. The prize is awarded to authors from Commonwealth countries, divided into four zones: Africa, Canada and the Caribbean, Europe and South Asia, Southeast Asia and Pacific. The process is rather extended, but it basically awards winners in each of the zones and then the winners are nominated for the grand prize. Last year's winner was Canadian Lawrence Hill for The Book of Negroes. This year, two notables are Nino Ricci for The Origin of Species, and Fred Stenson for The Great Karoo. The full list of nominees can be found via CBC Books, above, or at the Commonwealth Writers' Prize official site. It's not surprising that the "Canada and Caribbean" section is dominated by Canadians - there's been some great books released in the past 12 months and I anticipate that the grand prize will go to a Canadian again this year - The Origin of Species is my official pick, though I have not read it yet - I just have a feeling. I'll pick it up when it comes out in paperback.

"We're not going to Guam, are we?"

2009-02-19T01:10:00.003-05:00

It seems that everybody and their monkey has a blog post about the latest episode of Lost. Well, consider me part of that prestigious group. However, instead of breaking down the plot or speculating on future episodes, I'll send you to Pop Candy's post-episode breakdown. PC follows all sorts of entertainment-related stuff and posts several times a day. It also features a rather interesting Lost breakdown each week, and I am additionally amazed at how quickly comments are accumulated. 208 already! It's only been a couple of hours. Well, enjoy.

If you're not into the t.v., perhaps you should try reading a few books that will simulate the experience of watching Lost: Finnegan's Wake, Gravity's Rainbow, Infinite Jest, or 2666 (btw, in no way am I comparing these items in terms of quality, but rather in terms of opacity).

What My Wife is Reading

2009-02-16T22:51:00.013-05:00

My wife is an intelligent, voracious, relentless and unmerciful reader, devouring dozens of books a month in her quest to calm her brain after taking a beating from her dissertation, planning classes and marking essays. As a PhD student, she is no stranger to literary criticism. However, she is a lazy blogger. She will admit as much. I have taken it upon myself to report her reading habits, her likes and dislikes, her thumbs up/thumbs down. I will observe the books she is currently reading, which, somehow, is often four or five books at a time, and ask her questions as she progresses. Sometimes, a book will fall by the wayside – most times she will give a book a very short time to impress her. If it does not, back on the shelf it goes. As I said, unmerciful. She is insightful and often ties together two disparate themes I would not guess to be in the same ballpark (did I mention how much I love and respect my wife?). However, she is unrelenting in her criticism of an unremarkable read. I will be a faithful journalist in this series, reporting only her own thoughts and impressions of the books she reads, inserting my own opinions only as a contrast or to build context. I will begin by listing, Nick Hornby style, books started and books read, and I will pull no punches when it comes to an unfavorable review. If a book sucks, I want to know why. I’m planning for this to be a weekly post, starting with this one. I’ll call it “What My Wife is Reading.”

Books started: Watchmen, The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, 2666, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Books read: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

This week my wife started reading a few books, and by all indications 2666 by Roberto Bolano will be an ongoing project. It is, after all, five volumes. The posthumous work of the Chilean author is reportedly a master work of 21st century fiction, described by one critic as “a novel of stupefying ambition with a mock-documentary element at its core” and is Time magazine’s Best Book of 2008. It might be on this list for a few weeks to come. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons is interesting and intense, and her only complaint right now is that it is too big to read in bed comfortably. But she must be close to finishing, and so I will report further next time. The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon was brought into the house after I saw it on Entertainment Weekly’s Top 100 New Classics (it’s #53). So far it’s funny and interesting and I feel that we will explore the rest of Michael Chabon’s works in time. The only book actually finished in the past week, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, the basis for the classic film Blade Runner, got a favorable response: “I liked it” (I can see that I will have to encourage my wife for more engaging descriptions in the future). All the books on this list are connected only in that they are quite different from each other, and that both my wife and I will probably read them. Next week, I expect that my wife will finish 2/3 of the remaining list and start a couple of new ones. And I’ll tell you what she thought.

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones

2009-02-15T23:48:00.003-05:00

I finished Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones just over a week ago and I have been eagerly recommending it to anyone who will listen. As I work at a bookstore, "anyone"is really any customer that has asked me for assistance in the last few days. And I think I've even sold a few. I can easily recommend this book because it is intriguing, fast-paced, sympathetic, heart-breaking and, of course, well-written. Jones is an efficient writer, holding details back and allowing the reader to assume or guess at what comes next. It is a quick, excellent read - obviously, I highly recommend it.
The story begins as an island village in the South Pacific is being evacuated under threat of bloody civil war. The villagers are left with no teacher, among other things, and an eccentric white man - the only white left on the island - agrees to teach the children while the crisis continues. He teaches normal subjects but adds a daily treat for the kids - a reading from Great Expectations. Mathilda, the narrator, describes the first lesson: "I had never been read to in English before. Nor had the others. We didn't have books in our homes, and before the blockade our only books had come from Moresby, and those were written in pidgin. When Mr. Watts read to us we fell quiet. It was a new sound in the world. He read slowly so we heard the shape of each word." Each day he reads a new section of Great Expectations, and each day the kids are exposed to a different world, one in which they could dream freely without worrying about what the next day will bring.
The story progresses to an understandably tragic climax but, as one reviewer puts it, the "novel would be almost unbearable if it weren’t for its moments of affirmation of the miracles possible between good people and within the pages of a good book."
Jones raises many interesting questions with this story. I found myself recalling not only post-colonial narratives of Chinua Achebe and Cry, The Beloved Country (or even Graham Greene), but also Fahrenheit 451 in that books and stories can provide an escape from persecution. It is a complex and engaging novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. 5 Dickens novels out of 5.

Biting the Hand That Feeds You

2009-02-13T22:27:00.001-05:00

Statement: Recommendation for the dismissal with cause of Mr. Denis Rancourt | News Releases & Announcements | Media Room

This is not really a book-related post, but it is close enough, and it takes place right here at the University of Ottawa. Here ends the trials and tribulations of Prof. Denis Rancourt, Anarchist, who was banned from his own classroom after various curious incidents and statements, including giving all his fourth-year and graduate students A+ - before the start of the course. There are external links to read to get the entire saga, but the one to read is Stanley Fish's opinion piece from the N.Y. Times, "The Two Languages of Academic Freedom". Honestly, I have no words for the ridiculousness of Mr. Rancourt. Actually, "ridiculous" works pretty well.

Books vs. books

2009-02-10T23:00:00.005-05:00

Have you ever wanted to chance to pit your favourite books against one another in a fantasy final four showdown, March Madness style? Well, here's your chance. HarperCollins has kicked off HCC March Madness 2009. It starts with 64 books and each week, based on the votes of the public, the field is narrowed until only two remain. And then one remains. It's an interesting sidebar for a boring day. Or a boring month, I guess (If you're not basketball fans, March Madness is the annual Men's American College Basketball Championship Tournament). Maybe we should read the winner of this contest... or just a book about basketball. Rabbit, Run? Basketball Diaries? Air Bud? Teen Wolf? Oh, wait. Those are movies (Thanks to The Indextrious Reader for the link).

February Selection: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2009-02-10T09:02:00.002-05:00

The masses have spoken: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald will be February's quick pick. As it is a short book and a short month, let's look to finish this one by the end of the month and have a new one ready to go for March.

I found a limited preview for BB from Google Books. In the introduction, Fitzgerald explains that the idea for BB came from Mark Twain: "This story was inspired by a remark of Mark Twain's that it was a pity that the best part of life came at the beginning and the worst part at the end." We'll have to come back to that idea after reading the story - is it truly better to age into infancy? To have knowledge of 80 years but to have the body of a baby? Is that any different than having the body of an 80-year-old when you're 80? I guess we'll find out.

Take Your Pick

2009-02-06T21:55:00.004-05:00

Our short read selection warranted two suggestions, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (64 pages) and The Uncommon Reader (121 pages). Don't let the fact that one is twice as long as the other be your deciding factor - I'm sure each book will fly by as I am certain they will be entertaining reads.
Continuing with the short read, the poll is open for three short days. Vote now!

Who Reads the Watchmen?

2009-02-03T21:17:00.005-05:00

Apparently, a lot of people read Watchmen, especially with the movie coming out in a couple of months. I admit, that's the reason I finally read it, since the previews look quite awesome. It is an impressive novel - I've not read anything like it. It is more than a graphic novel; it is a work of literature in itself. Its storyline and character development are its strong points - first, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons have to convince you of superheroes that do not have any super powers - they're extremely capable and morally motivated individuals who use those skills to fight crime. The only character with any sort of "super" powers - Dr. Manhattan - has unlimited power and is more powerful than any other comic book superhero in history. It is turning the genre on its head with these new descriptions of heroes. The achievement of the novel is that it becomes believeable within a short period. The characters are interesting and sympathetic and we soon fall for the classic "cheering for the bad guy" ploy so often used. In the end - I won't bother giving away any story secrets - the plot and storyline come through as well. It is indeed a masterpiece.
The graphic aspect means that there are other tools employed: scenes without dialogue, mixed media, challenging images, seamlessly interwoven story arcs. It is a graphic novel not just because it uses images, but because it uses images to enhance and contribute to the reading experience.
I strongly recommend this book, and not just because the movie is coming out; you should see that, too. Five bloody smiley faces out of five.

Also, I've changed the look of the blog a touch. Hope you like it!

February Quick Pick

2009-02-01T22:41:00.004-05:00

Since February is the shortest month, I thought we'd try something short for our next book. So let's open up the floor to suggestions under 200 pages. In keeping with the theme of the month, this post will also be short.

More Hornby love

2009-01-26T11:22:00.004-05:00

I came across another Hornby groupie today - it seems that everyone loves Nick Hornby's Shakespeare Wrote For Money. As a result, I went back to my review of Nick Hornby, thinking that I could do a proper review of the book. The previous post really is more of an unabashed book crush. However, the only words available to me were "Yes!" and "Bonnie, I'm going out to buy some books. I'll be back in a few hours." Which is why I liked the review from Things Mean A Lot: "[H]is reading philosophy is pretty much the same as mine... [w]hich actually makes it harder to write about this book, because I’m tempted to just post 40 passages with a few comments like “Yes!”, “Exactly!”, “Go Nick!” or “Bwahahaha” scattered here and there." It's funny because it's true. Go get this book so that you either a) know what I'm talking about or b) don't have to listen to me prattle on about Nick Hornby.

1000 books to read - better get started!

2009-01-23T23:05:00.003-05:00

the guardian has released its full list of 1000 books everyone must read. They've done it by genre, of sorts, which works pretty well, as far as I can tell, as they've decided that it's not the "best" books, but "must reads." As for reading all the books on the list, the writers figured that if you read a book a month (plus one extra per year) from age 8 to 85, you'll get there. Let's see, I'm 30, so I'm 22 years behind - better get cracking! I guess I could just live to be 107. Check out the list and its defense.

Or you can read 100 "classics"

2009-01-23T22:47:00.003-05:00

Entertainment Weekly (I know, I know, Paris Review it's not) released a list of 100 "New Classics": "The best reads from 1983 to 2008". I saw this on another book blog called The Written World, which, despite the presence of fairies in the background, is a decent read for bookfans. WW, apparently, has read 22 of these items. I've read 12 - which ones? You'll have to guess.

1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators' Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

Reading Lolita in Tehran - early review

2009-01-18T16:58:00.002-05:00

Reading Lolita in Tehran is an important read for Western audiences. Azar Nafisi presents an overall picture of oppression, persecution and terror in the Islamic Republic of Iran. She describes her life in Tehran from the beginning of the Revolution – along with the majority of her compatriots, she was hopeful for the future – to the moment she leaves once and for all for America. She is oppressed in two ways: first, as a woman living in a fundamentalist Islamic state, where one by one her personal rights and freedoms are taken away, and secondly as an academic.
She was forced to resign from the university where she worked when she refused to wear the veil in the workplace, a decision which became moot when the government soon made it illegal for women to be seen in public at all without the veil. Women could only be seen in public accompanied by her husband, father or brother; unaccompanied women faced all sorts of difficulties. Married women had little or no rights: even custody of children was granted to fathers in cases of divorce. The University of Tehran had a secondary entrance for women, where they were subjected to rigorous and humiliating searches and inspections to ensure that they were acceptable. This alone seems altogether unbearable.
But Nafisi was also an academic. Her ability to teach university students is quickly limited until she can no longer teach the texts she wants in the way she wants. She is primarily a Western scholar, specializing in Nabokov, Fitzgerald, James and Austen; each of these authors come under strict scrutiny until she can no longer find copies of their works in any bookstores in Iran. The majority of her students have photocopied versions of old texts. Sadly, she recounts how booksellers were first forbidden to sell these works, and how the Revolutionary Guard came and removed any extant copies and arrested the bookstore owners, and then even to possess such works was illegal. As a scholar, this was an impossible environment.
Such is the historical backdrop of Reading Lolita in Tehran. She conducts a secret class of female students interested in discussing Western novels unrestricted by law or social pressure. The class came to be a safe haven for the students, Nafisi a mentor. They came to discover themselves as women and as scholars and ultimately decide for themselves how they would proceed with their lives in such an oppressive environment. Nafisi admits that she changes and borrows events and facts to create certain characteristics, giving the western eye a snapshot of what life is like for women in Iran. The characters range from young and inexperienced to sexually liberal to devout to loyal to the regime. In the end, while the reader wishes all women in Iran had the ability and chance to escape such oppression, Nafisi gives us reasons for staying as well as for leaving. She asks, how can our country change if all the people committed to change leave? She also has personal feeling s of guilt, as she had become a mentor to these young women: “I felt guilty enough on my own, as if my decision to leave was a betrayal of some promise I had made to them.” It is not such an easy decision to leave when looking at both sides of the story: for every Azar Nafisi that leaves, thousands are forced to stay and endure, clinging to whatever hope they can piece together to get through the days. And Nafisi provided some of this hope to her students.
The structure of Reading Lolita in Tehran is intriguing, pairing a novel or author with a period of her life in Iran and drawing parallels to her own life and that of the author’s or those of the characters she studies. Hence, Lolita is courageous, not a tramp but an enduring victim, The Great Gatsby is revolutionary, Henry James’s Daisy Miller is courageous in her fatal choices that were at least her own, and Austen demonstrated the hope that literature and imagination can provide.
I enjoyed this book, though it was certainly exhausting to read of the plight that so many women faced at that time (and still today – the Taliban in Afghanistan is torturing young women who choose to go to school!). Nafisi’s main point is this: through literature, through imagination, we can all feel hope and freedom, if only for a moment. As she says of Pride and Prejudice, “All we needed was to read and appreciate the cacophony of voices to understand its democratic imperative. This was where Austen’s danger lay.” Four forbidden texts out of five.

Happy New Year

2009-01-07T22:43:00.006-05:00

I was hoping to post on interesting things during the nearly month-long hiatus between now and the last post, but for several reasons I did not; now, there are several reasons to post once again:

1. I just picked up Nick Hornby's new book Shakespeare Wrote For Money. It is the third collection of his articles for The Believer, an American arts magazine (and published by McSweeney's). He is interesting and colloquial and I feel that my life would be enriched by having a beer with him, mostly because I am convinced that he feels the same way about me. The book reads like a memoir, a memoir through books, as it were, and has created a wonderful segue to the next reason for posting after such an absence.

2. Through Hornby's new book I picked up his first volume of articles, The Polysyllabic Spree, which led me to a Google search of Gregory Corso's poem "Marriage" (a quirky poem which can be found here) which led me to an interesting lit blog called Literary Kicks. Literary Kicks is a lit blog - possibly the first - which I intend to read on a semi-regular basis. Which leads me to my next reason for posting.

3. Through Literary Kicks, I read a review of a review of Azar Nafisi's new memoir Things I've Been Silent About. This lead me to the review itself, which made me want to read the book, which reminded me that I was already reading book of hers, Reading Lolita in Tehran, which is subtitled "A memoir in books," leading you, dear reader, back to Nick Hornby, who reveals himself ever so slightly in each of his Believer articles about the books he's bought and read each month. Which, of course, leads me to the next reason for posting.

4. Nick Hornby is a good writer because he makes other people think they're good writers, too. His opinions are my opinions, written a thousand times better, but nevertheless leads me to thinking that I can write my own opinions just as good. And so, in my mind, this post is written as well as Hornby's assessment of his brother-in-law's new book. At this point, Bonnie calls from the other room, "you're a weirdo". In my mind, however, I am triumphant. Now to do just as brilliant a job on the dishes.