There are three groups of people in the world: those you know intimately, those you don’t know at all, and those you know a bit. In other words: closest family and dearest friends, complete strangers, and coworkers, classmates and other assorted acquaintances. Of the three, I contend that the ones you should never read gut-spilling, […]
Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland – review
This is a first for me, a review of an audio book. That may not seem like a noteworthy distinction, but I’m growing ever more convinced that it is. I’ve been listening to audiobooks off and on for a few months now. They’re handy when out walking or doing some chores around the house and […]
Willful Blindness by Margaret Heffernan – review
I enjoy taking a break from fiction every now and again. Some quality non-fictional science reading allows me to broaden my mind a bit and pretend I’m still learning. This can be a hit or miss endeavour, though. Sometimes the book I choose is fantastic while other times I grow bored quickly, leaf through a […]
My 2016 Leacock Medal Challenge – Winner
Awarding “the best” is always fraught with contention, as any avid sports fan will quickly tell you. Be it a Hall of Fame induction or an MVP honour, there is almost never universal agreement on any winner. The Baseball Hall of Fame, as it is well known, has never once had a unanimous inductee. Hell, […]
Republic of Dirt by Susan Juby – review
It’s never a good omen when a book review starts with a caveat but alas, I am doing just that. In fact, having never been one to dwell in the lower echelons of omendom, I’m making two. The first is relatively benign, though potentially embarrassing in Canadian literature and book club circles. I had no […]
Poles Apart by Terry Fallis – review
This book, Terry Fallis’ latest, Poles Apart, had me in tears. Unfortunately those tears resulted from disappointment rather than the presumably preferred laughter, hardly the desired reaction by reader, of author, to a finalist of a major humour award such as The Leacock Medal. It’s been well over a week since I finished reading it […]