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The Fold
The Fold by Peter Clines Published: 2015 Narrated by: Ray Porter Length: 10:52 (384 pages) I read 14 by Peter Clines last year and really enjoyed it. The book had its flaws, but on the whole it was very entertaining. The Fold is set in the same universe, but he doesn’t describe it as a sequel. It takes place after the events of 14, and if you’ve read that you will catch a few connections, but it’s in no means required. I would still start there, personally, but I like to read things in order like that. The main character in this, Mike Erikson, has an advanced eidetic memory. He…
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Hide and Seek
Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin Published: 1991 Series: Inspector Rebus #2 Length: 224 pages I’ve finally gotten to the second novel in the Inspector Rebus series. I enjoyed the first one, Knots and Crosses, but I wasn’t in love, so I thought I should try one more just to see. Since the last novel, Detective Rebus has been promoted to Inspector. It feels like he’s still getting used to the position and is maybe somewhat insecure, because he can act like a complete ass at times, and it seems unprompted and against his usual level nature. He’s also fully in classic detective mode now – living alone and single,…
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Fresh Off the Boat
Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir by Eddie Huang Published: 2013 Narrated by: Eddie Huang Length: 07:55 (288 pages) I haven’t seen the sitcom of the same name that was created from this book, but I have seen clips of Eddie Huang’s show on Vice. I wasn’t sure if I liked him then, and now after reading this I’m still not entirely sure what I think of him. Eddie Huang is a restaurateur and a chef, with a successful Manhattan restaurant called BaoHaus that specializes in baozi, which are steamed Chinese meat buns. He became a known food personality after hosting a few shows on the Cooking Channel and, more…
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The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Published: 1939 Narrated by: Dylan Baker Length: 21:05 (464 pages) I’ve read two other Steinbecks, Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row, and I really enjoyed them both. The subject matter in his novels, typically people struggling to get by in the Great Depression, isn’t really something I find myself craving, but once I start reading I can’t stop. I’ve only read these few novels, but he’s slowly becoming one of my favourite authors. At the beginning of this novel, Tom Joad is let out of jail on parole and returns to his family home, only to find it abandoned. He learns from…
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The Alchemist
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Published: 1988 Translated by: Alan R. Clarke (from Portuguese in 1993) Length: 167 pages I’ve been hearing about this one for a long time now. At first I was excited to get to it, but as the years passed I started thinking it probably wasn’t for me. My girlfriend had a copy, though, and really loves the book, so I thought I’d give it a go. This is the story of a young Shepard who discovers that his Personal Legend is to travel to the Egyptian pyramids to find his fortune. He is met at the beginning of the book by a king who tells…
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April in Review
Books Acquired: Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel by Scott Adams Exiles on Asperus by John Wyndham Blankets by Craig Thompson The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon Amsterdam by Ian McEwan The Massacre Of Glencoe by John Buchan I’m a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood So, Anyway… by John Cleese The Salzburg Connection by Helen MacInnes The Tenth Man by Graham Greene Congo by Michael Crichton Microserfs by Douglas Coupland Black Swan Green by David Mitchell When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris Books Read: The…
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Times Colonist Annual Book Sale Haul
It’s that special time of year again. Christmas, you ask? No, much better than that. This weekend was the 19th annual used book here in Victoria. Every year they receive thousands of books by donation and sell them for one to three dollars. The proceeds go towards local literacy programs, and any remaining books are then made available for schools to pick up for free. This means guilt-free book shopping! I also donated about nine of my own books, so I don’t even really have to worry about space. The only book I really had in mind going in was Tooth & Nail by Ian Rankin, as his books are…