Those books I said I'd be reviewing...

 Back in 2020, I said this:  Obviously, I read a lot, all the time; I just gave up writing book reviews. But Marg from my book club suggested we tell others what we have been reading, and I also was asked to write online reviews for authors I know. So, I will try to catch up on some of my most recent discoveries.

Expect to see reviews soon of The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (Audible), Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese (Audible), Driftwood by Tony Head (ebook), various books by Julia Huni (science fiction cozy mysteries and adventures, ebooks). A giant volume of Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea books, more mysteries, including Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series.

So here we are in a new year and I have read all those books (or listened to them).

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood was the first audiobook I have really enjoyed listening to. That's probably because real actors were used, along with narration by Tantoo Cardinal!. Some were actors from the TV series of The Handmaid's Tale. And of course the tale was well told and well-paced. There was a mystery for the reader to uncover, and lots of social commentary along the way.

Indian Horse  by Richard Wagamese was another very well-done audiobook. It was bleak in parts, but also poetic, and sometimes funny. The narrator was excellent and the images conjured up by the author were vivid, not only places and weather, but the times and the characters involved. A Native boy named Saul Indian Horse goes through residential school but is chosen to play hockey on an outside team. There are trials and triumphs all the way. 

Driftwood by Tony Head takes us back to the early days of the tourist boom in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. That's a place I've been a few times, but I never did get to the Luna Blue hotel that Tony ran there. This is a fictionalized version of his life as an expat there, but it is based on his observations of the many characters who hung out there. 

Julia Huni is my new favourite author. I'm a beta reader for her, so I get the books before publication. Yay! I have been through her Space Janitor series, including the prequels and the short stories, and this is the (probably) first ex-space janitor novel, The Rings of Grissom. The characters are becoming more real with every book, and there is a lot of adventure, romance, science, and all that good stuff. It seems that Triana and Ty will be together for a long time, investigating plots and seeing the sights of the universe. 

The Earth Concurrence by Julia Huni

 

I was privileged to read this one just before its official publication, I think it is the best of her stories yet, and that is saying quite a bit!

Julia has several series going, and it was the Space Janitor collection that I discovered first. Those are funny, intriguing, and enjoyable: cozy mysteries in space, with a spunky young woman as heroine. 

The Earth Concurrence appears at first to be more of the same, situated in the same time and space, with a spunky young woman in the leading role. Like Triana, the nominal Space Janitor, Siti comes from a privileged background, and like Triana, she has only one parent.  But this story is more serious and more thoughtful. Of course, there are interesting characters and goofy situations, and some adventurous action.

This is the first part of a series, too, and I can hardly wait for more.

2020 Seven years since my last book post! I can't catch up on all I've read!

 Obviously, I read a lot, all the time; I just gave up writing book reviews. But Marg from my book club suggested we tell others what we have been reading, and I also was asked to write online reviews for authors I know. So, I will try to catch up on some of my most recent discoveries.

Expect to see reviews soon of The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (Audible), Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese (Audible), Driftwood by Tony Head (ebook), various books by Julia Huni (science fiction cosy mysteries and adventures, ebooks). A giant volume of Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea books, more mysteries, including Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series.

Six weeks without a post... but not without a book or two or ten

 

Here are 4 books I read or started to read, captured by my phone. 

 

First, I read the Rod Stewart biography because of my brother. He does a Rod Stewart tribute act that impresses everyone who sees it. I think he's more fun than the real Rod would be. The book was quite good, with lots of facts and stories about his musical life and his love life. It is an old one, so only goes up to 1990 or so. I think a few things have happened to Rod since then.

 

 

I picked up the Barbara Kingsolver book, Prodigal Summer, in the condo my friends rented in Key West. This is a wonderful book, as so many of Barbara K's are. It was sensitive, sensual, ecological, historical, and full to the brim of interesting, attractive characters and good stories. I left it at the next stop, and hope someone else reads it and loves it.

 

When I dropped off Prodigal Summer at my motel's bookshelf, I was excited to find the Zadie Smith book called NW, but I soon put it back. It did not catch my interest at all, and I did not like any of the characters or their situations. I abandoned it after only a few chapters, which is unusual.

Six Months in Sudan by James Masakalyk was our Book Club choice for November. I wasn't sure I wanted to read any more war stories, but it was very good. A young Canadian emergency doctor goes to work in an isolated village in Sudan with MSF. It was horrifyingly real and gritty, but also touching, informative, and strangely optimistic.

Clara Callan!!!

Richard B. Wright's Clara Callan is an excellent book.
The story is told through diary entries and letters. We follow two sisters in 1930s mid-Ontario as they lead different lives. Just like those in Alice Munro's stories, these people are real and their society is one I have known forever, at least in part. I loved it!

Essays and such

I chose this book in the Paris airport, mostly because of the title. Who could resist Comment voyager avec un saumon?


Umberto Eco is a very talented writer and thinker, but I found only the middle third of the book suited my tastes.
The first part is a science-fiction-philosphoical satire. Those are always hard to read in French. (The book was written in Italian and the French translator worked closely with the author.) It was okay.

Most of the book is composed of essays written for newspapers and magazines. They are clever and often very funny.

The last part is philosophers' humour.... not mine.




For anyone who wants to read it in English, here is the cover.

Reading a book about BC in Paris....

I have enjoyed several of Jack Hodgins' books, and was impresed by the speech he gave at Kevin's graduation from UBC. The Honorary Patron, however, left me lukewarm. It is an early book (1987) and his skill has increased greatly with the years.

I left this book behind at the hotel in Paris when I finished it. Not special enough to carry it home, and I didn't think Neil would like it for the trip back.