It was over a month ago that I promised another update but, better late than never.
Plenty has happened since early May, I should be given a reprieve.
Here is 26-30.
26) Scenes From An Impending Marriage by Adrian Tomine -- Okay, maybe this is a bit of a stretch to be called a 'book' but it has two covers, pages in between, and writing. This was delightful to read and a rather apt pick since less than two months after reading it I, myself, became engaged to be wed. Curious, non? Essentially, the book was illustrated and written by Tomine as a wedding favour for his guests. It comprises the events and days leading up to his own (then "impending") marriage.
27) Curtains by Tom Jokinen -- Another curiously timed choice. This was a non-fiction read about a fellow who takes a job in a Winnipeg funeral home. It outlines the ins, outs, and idiosyncrasies of the whole death business. I was just finishing it up when a member of the family passed away so I had a bit of a tough time plowing through to the end. I am, however, very glad to have done so.
28) What Is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman -- A very interesting read. Taking place in Nova Scotia during WWII, this novel is written as a letter to the protagonists somewhat long-lost daughter. Wyatt, the main character, has suffered the separate suicides of both his parents (they were both cheating on each other with the same woman. Don't worry, this is not a spoiler). It follows Wyatt's ensuing life with his aunt, uncle, and adopted cousin and his somewhat stitled growth into adulthood. It is wonderfully detatched, brooding prose that I really enjoyed.
29) Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 by David Petersen -- I don't really know how to describe Mouse Guard. If you haven't read the first book you really should. It reads like you're watching a feature film. Only the protagonists are all mice. It is adventure and fantasy and intrigue and drama and romance and just plain wonderful. Ah. Yes. More of this, please.
30) The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud -- I really thought this would be a BBIRTY contender it fell a bit flat for me. There were parts that I could completely fall into and stuck in my head after putting the book down but more often I felt like I was trudging through just to find those bits. Essentially the story is an interesting plot: daughter tries to reconnect with mysteriously absent/silent father in mysteriously silent surroundings to learn about mysterious past. I don't know, I don't even want to talk about it.
Okay, that's enough for now. I will leave you with the titles for 31-33 and then go read more to make up for my shameful falling behind.
31) Harvey: How I Became Invisible by Herve Bouchard
32) Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine
33) The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Consistently Bad at Updating -- Books 20 through 30 (but not really)
Okay, so I totally bypassed April. But, really, this post is all March through April so we'll just overlook the calendar date.
20) The Witch Doctor's Wife by Tamar Myers -- Set in the Congo in 1958, the story follows a well-developed set of unique characters throughout a relatively short period of time. Myers, a prolific mystery writer, peppers this novel with Southern US missionaries, local villagers, and a mix of, mostly, racist colonists and opportunists, each telling part of the story from their own point of view. All the characters end up coming together in the end making this a fantastic read and me eager to read her following novel, The Headhunter's Daughter: a mystery.
21) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald -- I realized it was a crime if I didn't read this before I reached my mid-twenties. However, I definitely am glad to not have read it during high school or University as, I fear, it would not have been as fully appreciated. Do I really need to outline the plot? No. Just read it.
22) Stitches: a memoir by David Small -- I picked this graphic novel up on a whim after a shift at the library. I read it in just about an hour and then immediately recommended it to everyone around me. The story is best left to unfold on its own, there isn't much to it, but is certainly touching and a bit harrowing. Okay, a lot harrowing. Anyone with a slightly dysfunctional family can relate, those with functional families can gawk at the horrifying display. By the way, it's autobiographical.
23) One Of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde -- The latest in Fforde's BookWorld series, I grabbed this one as soon as my library acquired a copy. If you aren't already acquainted with the series, I won't spoil the excellence of it here but I highly recommend you pick up a copy of The Eyre Affair, the first in the series, and devour it quickly. I digress. This latest novel I found unfortunately hard to get into. But my love for the previous books proved more powerful than my waivering attentionspan and I surged through the first half and was pleasantly rewarded by a delightfully charming and exciting second half. An excellent continuance of the series and, if it indeed is the last, a fulfulling ending.
24) Potential by Ariel Schrag -- Another memoir in graphic novel form, this one was actually written while Schrag was in highschool, chronicling the events around her. A decidedly more provocative book, it follows Schrag as she begins to self-identify as a lesbian and her ensuing relationships and sexual exploration, as well as the dissolution of her family. It just goes to prove that everyone goes through the same horrifying, confusing, embarrassing, stupid things as teenagers. Gay or straight, or somewhere in between. Boys or girls, or somewhere inbetween.
25) The Birth House by Ami Mckay -- Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. As it follows the life of Dora Rare, the only daughter in a lineage that only produces sons, living on the edge of the world in Nova Scotia, the novel breaks open the hidden world of midwifery and healing practices during the early 20th century. It also deals with the conflicts between traditional medicinal methods and the advent of modern medicine, and the social dynamic between sexes and classes in Maritime Canada. I read through this one quickly and wanted to read it again immediately afterward. Of course I couldn't. Maybe next year I will do a re-read of all my favourite 2011 books...
Okay, my fingers are sore. I promise I will soon update on 26-30. They are read. I promise. I'm not running off to go read five more books at this very second.
Really, I'm not.
Here, I'll prove it. Here are the titles:
26) Scenes From an Impending Marriage by Adrian Tomine
27) Curtains by Tom Jokinen
28) What Is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman
29) Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 by David Petersen
30) The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud
Until next time!
20) The Witch Doctor's Wife by Tamar Myers -- Set in the Congo in 1958, the story follows a well-developed set of unique characters throughout a relatively short period of time. Myers, a prolific mystery writer, peppers this novel with Southern US missionaries, local villagers, and a mix of, mostly, racist colonists and opportunists, each telling part of the story from their own point of view. All the characters end up coming together in the end making this a fantastic read and me eager to read her following novel, The Headhunter's Daughter: a mystery.
21) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald -- I realized it was a crime if I didn't read this before I reached my mid-twenties. However, I definitely am glad to not have read it during high school or University as, I fear, it would not have been as fully appreciated. Do I really need to outline the plot? No. Just read it.
22) Stitches: a memoir by David Small -- I picked this graphic novel up on a whim after a shift at the library. I read it in just about an hour and then immediately recommended it to everyone around me. The story is best left to unfold on its own, there isn't much to it, but is certainly touching and a bit harrowing. Okay, a lot harrowing. Anyone with a slightly dysfunctional family can relate, those with functional families can gawk at the horrifying display. By the way, it's autobiographical.
23) One Of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde -- The latest in Fforde's BookWorld series, I grabbed this one as soon as my library acquired a copy. If you aren't already acquainted with the series, I won't spoil the excellence of it here but I highly recommend you pick up a copy of The Eyre Affair, the first in the series, and devour it quickly. I digress. This latest novel I found unfortunately hard to get into. But my love for the previous books proved more powerful than my waivering attentionspan and I surged through the first half and was pleasantly rewarded by a delightfully charming and exciting second half. An excellent continuance of the series and, if it indeed is the last, a fulfulling ending.
24) Potential by Ariel Schrag -- Another memoir in graphic novel form, this one was actually written while Schrag was in highschool, chronicling the events around her. A decidedly more provocative book, it follows Schrag as she begins to self-identify as a lesbian and her ensuing relationships and sexual exploration, as well as the dissolution of her family. It just goes to prove that everyone goes through the same horrifying, confusing, embarrassing, stupid things as teenagers. Gay or straight, or somewhere in between. Boys or girls, or somewhere inbetween.
25) The Birth House by Ami Mckay -- Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. As it follows the life of Dora Rare, the only daughter in a lineage that only produces sons, living on the edge of the world in Nova Scotia, the novel breaks open the hidden world of midwifery and healing practices during the early 20th century. It also deals with the conflicts between traditional medicinal methods and the advent of modern medicine, and the social dynamic between sexes and classes in Maritime Canada. I read through this one quickly and wanted to read it again immediately afterward. Of course I couldn't. Maybe next year I will do a re-read of all my favourite 2011 books...
Okay, my fingers are sore. I promise I will soon update on 26-30. They are read. I promise. I'm not running off to go read five more books at this very second.
Really, I'm not.
Here, I'll prove it. Here are the titles:
26) Scenes From an Impending Marriage by Adrian Tomine
27) Curtains by Tom Jokinen
28) What Is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman
29) Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 by David Petersen
30) The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud
Until next time!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Consistently Bad at Updating -- Books 15 through 19
Okay, this is getting mildly embarrasing. I need to do two things: 1) read more, and 2) update more.
What I will also try and do is update with a brief summary of the book. Or, at the very least, what I either enjoyed or did not enjoy about it.
In any case, here is my first update for the month of March as well as the first update in which I attempt to say something meaningful about the books I've just read.
As a side note: I just turned my head away from the computer only to witness my cat's face in the most contorted position and emitting the most ridiculous mewing sound I have ever heard.
Now you all know that I am also a crazy-cat-lady, perhaps in her formative years when books have yet to be replaced with cats.
15) Inheritance: a novel by Natalie Danford -- the story of a second generation American woman who discovers a deed to a house in Italy while going through her father's things after his death. The side-by-side narrative follows Olivia as she travels to Italy and meets her previously unknown family as well as her father, Luigi, as an imigrant in post World War II United States and, prior to that, his life before and during the war in Italy. The story is compelling, even when the turns and reveals aren't all that surprising. While some have deemed the mix of English and Italian in the book 'awkward' I found it to be quite enjoyable.
16) Ape House by Sara Gruen -- After reading Water For Elephants, I was particularly excited by the topic of Gruen's latest novel as primatology was an area of my study during my undergraduate degree. Ape House blends the stories of American journalism and media, animal rights activists, primatology, linguistics study, and reality TV. If you think it sounds like a lot for a book to take on, you're right. But, somehow or other, Gruen pulls it off without sacrificing any attention to detail. And it reads like a dream. The pacing is perfect.
17) The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell -- perhaps a contender for Best Book I've Read This Year (BBIRTY?). The story is non-linear and richly detailed. It travels from 1930s India, to past and present Edinburgh, following a well-to-do family with two very different daughters, one mild-mannered and polite, the other considerably less so. It also deals with the grand-daughter of one of the sisters in present day and her interaction with these two elderly sisters, in considerably different circumstances. If this sounds a little vague and non-descript, bare with me. The story is full of delicious plot twists and secrets. Suffice to say that it focuses on women either fitting into or breaking out of societal moulds, the injustices of mental health officials (both past and present), and the dynamic of families. A wonderful novel.
18) X'ed Out by Charles Burns -- This was a bit of a cop-out. I was feeling a little drained so I gave in and let myself read this delightfully short but delightfully rich graphic novel. The story gives you no warning, and not much explanation either. An enigma itself and it points toward a continued story line elsewhere. But that elsewhere does not seem to include the Winnipeg Public Library, so I will have to broaden my search pool.
(Note: I just found out that X'ed Out was only released this past fall, so instead of broadening my search I will have to harness my patience.)
19) The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley -- another family saga style novel that can't seem to sit still. This time the setting is Conneticut, New York city, Gimli (a special place in my heart is reserved for this quiet Manitoban centre of Icelandic culture), brief jaunts into Winnipeg, and epic adventures in Iceland. This book may prove to be a BBIRTY (is it working?), but I feel to close to this one to tell (I only just finished it this afternoon). Awakening the two classes I took in Icelandic literature, history, and mythology in University this book is completely immersed in Althings Icelandic (that was a pun, for a very select few). The book seems self aware from the beginning, addressing the reader directly, the narrator criticising herself throughout. The pacing seems uneven at first, the narrator slightly unreliable. These things become clearer as the story progesses and elements I previously thought of as flaws may have been intentional and if so, quite clever. The story is beautifuly told with the characteristic love for story-telling that is so prevalent among Icelandic communities. I may have to come back and say more on this title.
What I will also try and do is update with a brief summary of the book. Or, at the very least, what I either enjoyed or did not enjoy about it.
In any case, here is my first update for the month of March as well as the first update in which I attempt to say something meaningful about the books I've just read.
As a side note: I just turned my head away from the computer only to witness my cat's face in the most contorted position and emitting the most ridiculous mewing sound I have ever heard.
Now you all know that I am also a crazy-cat-lady, perhaps in her formative years when books have yet to be replaced with cats.
15) Inheritance: a novel by Natalie Danford -- the story of a second generation American woman who discovers a deed to a house in Italy while going through her father's things after his death. The side-by-side narrative follows Olivia as she travels to Italy and meets her previously unknown family as well as her father, Luigi, as an imigrant in post World War II United States and, prior to that, his life before and during the war in Italy. The story is compelling, even when the turns and reveals aren't all that surprising. While some have deemed the mix of English and Italian in the book 'awkward' I found it to be quite enjoyable.
16) Ape House by Sara Gruen -- After reading Water For Elephants, I was particularly excited by the topic of Gruen's latest novel as primatology was an area of my study during my undergraduate degree. Ape House blends the stories of American journalism and media, animal rights activists, primatology, linguistics study, and reality TV. If you think it sounds like a lot for a book to take on, you're right. But, somehow or other, Gruen pulls it off without sacrificing any attention to detail. And it reads like a dream. The pacing is perfect.
17) The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell -- perhaps a contender for Best Book I've Read This Year (BBIRTY?). The story is non-linear and richly detailed. It travels from 1930s India, to past and present Edinburgh, following a well-to-do family with two very different daughters, one mild-mannered and polite, the other considerably less so. It also deals with the grand-daughter of one of the sisters in present day and her interaction with these two elderly sisters, in considerably different circumstances. If this sounds a little vague and non-descript, bare with me. The story is full of delicious plot twists and secrets. Suffice to say that it focuses on women either fitting into or breaking out of societal moulds, the injustices of mental health officials (both past and present), and the dynamic of families. A wonderful novel.
18) X'ed Out by Charles Burns -- This was a bit of a cop-out. I was feeling a little drained so I gave in and let myself read this delightfully short but delightfully rich graphic novel. The story gives you no warning, and not much explanation either. An enigma itself and it points toward a continued story line elsewhere. But that elsewhere does not seem to include the Winnipeg Public Library, so I will have to broaden my search pool.
(Note: I just found out that X'ed Out was only released this past fall, so instead of broadening my search I will have to harness my patience.)
19) The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley -- another family saga style novel that can't seem to sit still. This time the setting is Conneticut, New York city, Gimli (a special place in my heart is reserved for this quiet Manitoban centre of Icelandic culture), brief jaunts into Winnipeg, and epic adventures in Iceland. This book may prove to be a BBIRTY (is it working?), but I feel to close to this one to tell (I only just finished it this afternoon). Awakening the two classes I took in Icelandic literature, history, and mythology in University this book is completely immersed in Althings Icelandic (that was a pun, for a very select few). The book seems self aware from the beginning, addressing the reader directly, the narrator criticising herself throughout. The pacing seems uneven at first, the narrator slightly unreliable. These things become clearer as the story progesses and elements I previously thought of as flaws may have been intentional and if so, quite clever. The story is beautifuly told with the characteristic love for story-telling that is so prevalent among Icelandic communities. I may have to come back and say more on this title.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
A very delayed posting concerning books 12-14
I am bad at updating!
12) Deadly Loyalties by Jennifer Storm
13) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
14) The Clothes They Stood Up In by Alan Bennett
I know, I know, two books by the same author before the list even reaches twenty? But, trust me, Alan Bennett is worth making exceptions for and, really, they're such delightfully quick reads that it hardly seems to count.
Also I will go ahead and make this statement: The Guernsey Literary is to date the best book I have read in 2011. We shall see if another usurps its place before the year is through.
12) Deadly Loyalties by Jennifer Storm
13) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
14) The Clothes They Stood Up In by Alan Bennett
I know, I know, two books by the same author before the list even reaches twenty? But, trust me, Alan Bennett is worth making exceptions for and, really, they're such delightfully quick reads that it hardly seems to count.
Also I will go ahead and make this statement: The Guernsey Literary is to date the best book I have read in 2011. We shall see if another usurps its place before the year is through.
Friday, February 4, 2011
One month down, eleven to go.
Two more books!
10) The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
11) The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Both were exceptional! Hurray!
10) The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
11) The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Both were exceptional! Hurray!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
More Books! #6-9
Ok, so maybe I'm not quite strict enough with myself to start putting reviews of the books on here. But it's not a bad goal to have in mind.
For now I'll stick to simple lists. I will patiently wait for the day of not-so-divine inspiration. But when that day comes*, boy oh boy, you can expect some seriously inspired reviewing.
Books 6 through 9
6) Red River Story by Alfred Silver
7) Marie-Anne: the extraordinary life of Louis Riel's grandmother by Maggie Siggins
8) The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys
9) Wilson by Daniel Clowes
*that day may very well never come
For now I'll stick to simple lists. I will patiently wait for the day of not-so-divine inspiration. But when that day comes*, boy oh boy, you can expect some seriously inspired reviewing.
Books 6 through 9
6) Red River Story by Alfred Silver
7) Marie-Anne: the extraordinary life of Louis Riel's grandmother by Maggie Siggins
8) The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys
9) Wilson by Daniel Clowes
*that day may very well never come
Monday, January 17, 2011
Book #5
And the fifth book of the year:
5) Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay
Now, for this book I had been on the request list at the library for months. It finally came in on Friday, Jan. 13. I picked it up around 2pm that following afternoon and finished it by bedtime.
... it wasn't all I thought it'd be.
Granted, I may have hyped it up so much in my head while waiting those long months that nothing could have possibly lived up to the expectations. I may actually post a facimile of a review on this one later...
5) Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay
Now, for this book I had been on the request list at the library for months. It finally came in on Friday, Jan. 13. I picked it up around 2pm that following afternoon and finished it by bedtime.
... it wasn't all I thought it'd be.
Granted, I may have hyped it up so much in my head while waiting those long months that nothing could have possibly lived up to the expectations. I may actually post a facimile of a review on this one later...
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