Finished December 5
City of Words by Alberto Manguel
This is the 2007 collection of CBC Massey Lectures, and I had listened to one of the lectures (the second one) on Ideas one evening and was interested to read the entire series.
Manguel brings life to famous literary works, both classic and modern, by showing how they relate to the current world and our issues. He shows the relationship between identity and the "other" as it relates to both the literature and our increasingly multicultural society. He discusses the difficulties: race riots, politically-motivated murders, suicide bombings, and hate crimes. The series had me thinking about the issues in new ways and towards new solutions. I found it fascinating.
Thursday, 6 December 2007
Wednesday, 5 December 2007
Swedish Mystery
Finished December 2
The Princess of Burundi by Kjell Eriksson
This started a bit slow, but got better as it went along. It begins with the murder of a man who had been involved in small-time crime when he was younger, but not for years. He had been unemployed lately and the police take some time to be able to track his final movements. This case becomes intertwined with that of a schizophrenic man who has begun attacking those he thinks have teased him in the past or are not helping him now.
The personal lives of some of the police officers are also brought in, including that of a single officer who is off on maternity leave. The stories are intertwined well and the human emotions are dealt with well. I enjoyed my first read by this author.
The Princess of Burundi by Kjell Eriksson
This started a bit slow, but got better as it went along. It begins with the murder of a man who had been involved in small-time crime when he was younger, but not for years. He had been unemployed lately and the police take some time to be able to track his final movements. This case becomes intertwined with that of a schizophrenic man who has begun attacking those he thinks have teased him in the past or are not helping him now.
The personal lives of some of the police officers are also brought in, including that of a single officer who is off on maternity leave. The stories are intertwined well and the human emotions are dealt with well. I enjoyed my first read by this author.
Monday, 3 December 2007
Letters
Finished December 1
The Staircase Letters: An Extraordinary Friendship at the End of Life by Arthur Motyer with Elma Gerwin and Carol Shields
This annotated collection of letters began with Elma. She was friends with both Arthur and Carol and started writing to them, often jointly in the last year of her life once she knew she had brain cancer. Carol had breast cancer and Arthur, although older than both of them, was not ill. He brought the letters together, giving us insight to the two women as well as himself. They also allow us into the inner thoughts of those suffering from cancer and how they deal with that.
I found this short book interesting and inspiring and encourage others to read it.
The Staircase Letters: An Extraordinary Friendship at the End of Life by Arthur Motyer with Elma Gerwin and Carol Shields
This annotated collection of letters began with Elma. She was friends with both Arthur and Carol and started writing to them, often jointly in the last year of her life once she knew she had brain cancer. Carol had breast cancer and Arthur, although older than both of them, was not ill. He brought the letters together, giving us insight to the two women as well as himself. They also allow us into the inner thoughts of those suffering from cancer and how they deal with that.
I found this short book interesting and inspiring and encourage others to read it.
Friday, 30 November 2007
Canadian Fiction
Finished November 30
Helpless by Barbara Gowdy
The storyline here is interesting. A young, pretty girl, Rachel, is abducted from her yard one evening by a man, Ron, who has been attracted by her beauty, and subsequently convinces himself that she is being abused by the adults in her life. Ron involves his girlfriend Nancy in looking after the girl in the well-appointed room he has built for her in his basement. Nancy, presented with this situation by the man she loves protects the girl while remaining loyal to Ron, but struggles with her own feelings over what she is doing. As Rachel's mother Celia struggles with her own situation, supported by those close to her she questions her own behaviour and whether it has led to this horrible situation. Despite the strong feelings presented by the story, I found the characters lacked depth.
Helpless by Barbara Gowdy
The storyline here is interesting. A young, pretty girl, Rachel, is abducted from her yard one evening by a man, Ron, who has been attracted by her beauty, and subsequently convinces himself that she is being abused by the adults in her life. Ron involves his girlfriend Nancy in looking after the girl in the well-appointed room he has built for her in his basement. Nancy, presented with this situation by the man she loves protects the girl while remaining loyal to Ron, but struggles with her own feelings over what she is doing. As Rachel's mother Celia struggles with her own situation, supported by those close to her she questions her own behaviour and whether it has led to this horrible situation. Despite the strong feelings presented by the story, I found the characters lacked depth.
Thursday, 29 November 2007
Great memoir
Finished November 29
When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: a memoir of Africa by Peter Godwin
This memoir by journalist Peter Godwin tells not only of the years from his sister's wedding to his father's death, but also gives a great deal of information about the history of Zimbabwe and the political and economic situation as it deteriorates. He also talks about his father's history as he learns of it in his father's final years. So much of this is fascinating it is hard to know where to start. The people that Godwin encounters in his trips to Zimbabwe are shown as individuals and their issues are shown in factual terms as Godwin's journalistic roots take over. While Godwin shows the collapse of the economy in Zimbabwe, his description of the people there give the reader hope for the future.
I learned so much here, especially about Zimbabwe and its history, but also had an enjoyable read.
When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: a memoir of Africa by Peter Godwin
This memoir by journalist Peter Godwin tells not only of the years from his sister's wedding to his father's death, but also gives a great deal of information about the history of Zimbabwe and the political and economic situation as it deteriorates. He also talks about his father's history as he learns of it in his father's final years. So much of this is fascinating it is hard to know where to start. The people that Godwin encounters in his trips to Zimbabwe are shown as individuals and their issues are shown in factual terms as Godwin's journalistic roots take over. While Godwin shows the collapse of the economy in Zimbabwe, his description of the people there give the reader hope for the future.
I learned so much here, especially about Zimbabwe and its history, but also had an enjoyable read.
Monday, 26 November 2007
First in a trilogy
Finished November 26
The Evening of the World: a romance of the Dark Ages by Allan Massie
This novel follows Marcus, a young man looking for his life's meaning in the Europe of the Middle Ages. He travels from Italy to Greece to Byzantium to England, and experiences the world of Christian monks, poor villages and great palaces. He meets that challenges that come to him from serving as interpreter for Visigoths attacking Rome to fighting seductive spirits and confrontational knights. The tale is couched as a story told by the scholar Michael Scott for his pupil, the young Emperor Frederick, grandson of Frederick Barbarossa in the early 13th century. An interesting tale, slow in spots, with lots of rhetoric and religious arguments.
The Evening of the World: a romance of the Dark Ages by Allan Massie
This novel follows Marcus, a young man looking for his life's meaning in the Europe of the Middle Ages. He travels from Italy to Greece to Byzantium to England, and experiences the world of Christian monks, poor villages and great palaces. He meets that challenges that come to him from serving as interpreter for Visigoths attacking Rome to fighting seductive spirits and confrontational knights. The tale is couched as a story told by the scholar Michael Scott for his pupil, the young Emperor Frederick, grandson of Frederick Barbarossa in the early 13th century. An interesting tale, slow in spots, with lots of rhetoric and religious arguments.
Wonderful Novel
Finished November 25
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
This novel both fascinates and horrifies. Esme Lennox was born in India and came to Scotland with her family as a schoolgirl, following her brother's death from typhoid. Esme is a non-conformist, good in school but not popular with her fellow students. They make fun of her for her lack of social skills, but don't really try to get to know her. She is close to her older sister Kitty, but it is Kitty that eventually betrays her secrets. Her defiance of social norms and independents spirit eventually cause her parents to put her into a mental hospital at the age of sixteen, and she does not get released until the hospital is closing more than sixty years later. The story goes back and forth between the past, the ramblings of her sister (who has Alzheimers), and the present. I could barely put this book down.
Highly recommended.
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
This novel both fascinates and horrifies. Esme Lennox was born in India and came to Scotland with her family as a schoolgirl, following her brother's death from typhoid. Esme is a non-conformist, good in school but not popular with her fellow students. They make fun of her for her lack of social skills, but don't really try to get to know her. She is close to her older sister Kitty, but it is Kitty that eventually betrays her secrets. Her defiance of social norms and independents spirit eventually cause her parents to put her into a mental hospital at the age of sixteen, and she does not get released until the hospital is closing more than sixty years later. The story goes back and forth between the past, the ramblings of her sister (who has Alzheimers), and the present. I could barely put this book down.
Highly recommended.
Sunday, 25 November 2007
Historical Fiction
Finished November 24
Stormy Weather by Paulette Jiles
This work is set in Texas in the late 1930s. The Stoddard family is following the man of the house around the state as he chases down work related to the oil fields. When he dies, leaving them with little they retreat to the family home of the mother, Elizabeth and try to make a go of it. With the mother and the three daughters going back to a farm in drought conditions, where they find they owe a great deal in back taxes and have little money and a racehorse as their only assets, they put their heads together and find a way to survive. Leasing out the land, repairing the damaged house, reclearing the fields and finding what work exists brings them both closer together and pushes them apart. They rely on each other and yet annoy each other as well. The girls have different personalities and skills and learn to take advantage of what they have and make the most of it. This is an interesting story of the time and place and well told.
Stormy Weather by Paulette Jiles
This work is set in Texas in the late 1930s. The Stoddard family is following the man of the house around the state as he chases down work related to the oil fields. When he dies, leaving them with little they retreat to the family home of the mother, Elizabeth and try to make a go of it. With the mother and the three daughters going back to a farm in drought conditions, where they find they owe a great deal in back taxes and have little money and a racehorse as their only assets, they put their heads together and find a way to survive. Leasing out the land, repairing the damaged house, reclearing the fields and finding what work exists brings them both closer together and pushes them apart. They rely on each other and yet annoy each other as well. The girls have different personalities and skills and learn to take advantage of what they have and make the most of it. This is an interesting story of the time and place and well told.
Mysteries of the Mind
Finished November 22
The Man Who Forgot How to Read by Howard Engel
This memoir by Engel tells the story of how he dealt with the stroke that took away his ability to read, among other things. It was a mild stroke, and did not affect his physical movement but besides the alexia, it also affected his vision and his memory. Because Engel, as a writer, naturally took to writing to communicate, and was still able to write despite not being able to read, he describes what is going on within very well. He talks about his struggle to learn to read again and the tools he uses to assist him in this. He also talks about his coping mechanisms for his memory problems and what has changed in his behaviour. He contacted Oliver Sachs about his condition and includes a couple of meetings with him in this work. I found the book fascinating as he shows the coping mechanisms and the thought behind them in coping with his disabilities.
The Man Who Forgot How to Read by Howard Engel
This memoir by Engel tells the story of how he dealt with the stroke that took away his ability to read, among other things. It was a mild stroke, and did not affect his physical movement but besides the alexia, it also affected his vision and his memory. Because Engel, as a writer, naturally took to writing to communicate, and was still able to write despite not being able to read, he describes what is going on within very well. He talks about his struggle to learn to read again and the tools he uses to assist him in this. He also talks about his coping mechanisms for his memory problems and what has changed in his behaviour. He contacted Oliver Sachs about his condition and includes a couple of meetings with him in this work. I found the book fascinating as he shows the coping mechanisms and the thought behind them in coping with his disabilities.
Historical Fiction audiobook
Finished November 21
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney, read by Sally Armstrong and Adam Sims
This tale is set in northern Ontario in the winter, and several trails converge to the final scenes. In the small town of Dove River, on the north side of Georgian Bay, a man is found murdered and a 17-year-old boy disappears. Members of the Hudson's Bay Company track after the boy, unsure if he was involved in the death, while another man seen at the cabin of the victim is arrested. The boy's mother feels that he is being blamed for the murder and sets out to find him with the assistance of another man. As the various trails lead to a Norwegian community and to a remote Hudson's Bay post, people's lives and stories converge. The travelling in the winter wilderness takes up a lot of plot in the book, giving nature and its brutality a compelling role. The characters learn about themselves, about the people who are close to them, and that makes the book more interesting as well.
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney, read by Sally Armstrong and Adam Sims
This tale is set in northern Ontario in the winter, and several trails converge to the final scenes. In the small town of Dove River, on the north side of Georgian Bay, a man is found murdered and a 17-year-old boy disappears. Members of the Hudson's Bay Company track after the boy, unsure if he was involved in the death, while another man seen at the cabin of the victim is arrested. The boy's mother feels that he is being blamed for the murder and sets out to find him with the assistance of another man. As the various trails lead to a Norwegian community and to a remote Hudson's Bay post, people's lives and stories converge. The travelling in the winter wilderness takes up a lot of plot in the book, giving nature and its brutality a compelling role. The characters learn about themselves, about the people who are close to them, and that makes the book more interesting as well.
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