-
2017 in Review
What a wreck of a year that was. While the world slowly crumbled down around us, I personally had quite a good time. We travelled a bit, spending a week in London and three weeks in Australia, and just generally enjoyed ourselves. I feel like I lost my drive for a bit there in the beginning, but the second half went much better. The year went in the opposite direction reading-wise, with a strong start and a lackluster end. My interest in both reading books and writing about them took a hit at the end of the summer and didn’t really come back until recently. For the next time this…
-
December in Review
Books Acquired: Akira boxset (Vol. 1 – 5) by Katsuhiro Otomo Artemis by Andy Weir Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis Books Read: Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence Ayoade on Ayoade by Richard Ayoade Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi by Anthony Bourdain Law School by Benjamin Law, Jenny Phang Cloudstreet by Tim Winton Happy New Year! If you had time off during the holidays, I hope you’re coming back well rested. I was feeling relaxed and re-energized, and then I came down with a cold on New Year’s Eve – 2017’s last kick in the ass as I stepped out the door. We had a great month here. There was…
-
Back to the Classics 2018
Another year, another Back to the Classics challenge. Last year I only read eight of the twelve categories, so I’d like to do a bit better in 2018. The rules are pretty simple – any book that fits the category and is at least fifty years old qualifies. At the end of the year, participants are entered into a draw for a Book Depository gift certificate. Complete six categories, and you get one entry in the drawing Complete nine categories, and you get two entries in the drawing Complete all twelve categories, and you get three entries in the drawing Here are the categories and my tentative choices: A 19th…
-
Foodies Read 2018
This year I read seven books for the Foodies Read linkup – a couple memoirs, a few pieces of food-related fiction, and Anthony Bourdain’s two graphic novels. A good mix, although I keep trying to incorporate cookbooks here somehow and failing to do so. Maybe this will be the year. I enjoy the nudge to read more food writing and the chance to see what everyone else is reading, so I’ll be joining in again this year. Last year I read these titles: Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl The Dinner by Herman Koch The Amateur Gourmet by Adam D. Roberts Gourmet…
-
Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi
Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi by Anthony Bourdain, Joel Rose Illustrated by: Alé Garza Series: Get Jiro #2 Publisher: Vertigo Published: 2015 Length: 160 pages This is the prequel to Get Jiro!, Anthony Bourdain’s debut comic. Here we get a small glimpse of Jiro’s origins, how he lived in Japan and how he came to live in America. Interestingly, Get Jiro! depicted L.A. as a sort of foodie dystopia, a wasteland essentially ruled by Food Network chefs turned mob bosses, where all forms of traditional entertainment disappeared, but this comic has a very different tone. There’s no attempt at a creative setting in this. What we see of Japanese society…
-
Back to the Classics 2017 Wrap-Up
This year I read eight books for the Back to the Classics 2017 challenge. I was aiming for at least nine, but that mid-year reading slump hit me pretty hard. This challenge continues to be a favourite of mine, and not just because I won the prize last year! This is my fifth time participating, and I still really enjoy the little push to read more and the chance to see what others choose for the same category. Mainly I like checking things off on a list, though. These are the categories I hit this year: A 19th Century Classic: The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope A 20th Century…
-
The Amateur Gourmet
The Amateur Gourmet: How to Shop, Chop and Table Hop Like a Pro by Adam D. Roberts Published: 2007 Length: 208 pages I’ve read Adam Roberts’ weblog for nearly a decade now, starting just after this book was first published, and until I found it in a bookshop last month I completed forgot it existed. I’d always meant to pick it up, but it somehow didn’t happen for ten years. This isn’t like me. I’m amazing at buying books. You could make a very strong argument that I’m better at buying them than reading them. If you’ve ever read Roberts’ weblog, you’ll know that it’s his combination of enthusiasm and…
-
Travels with Charley
Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck Published: 1962 Narrated by: Gary Sinise Length: 07:58 (214 pages) I love Steinbeck and I love travelogues, so I had high hopes going into this one, and thankfully it did not disappoint. It’s the first of his non-fiction work that I’ve tried, and I’m excited to read more. His fiction is often quite dark, and while there certainly is humour, he has to hold it back a bit to maintain the tone. He’s free to let loose in this book, and the result is a continuously amusing account of his trip around America in 1960. Charley, full name Charles le…
-
November in Review
Books Acquired: Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi by Anthony Bourdain The Amateur Gourmet by Adam D. Roberts A Girl and Her Pig by April Bloomfield Food Artisans of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands by Don Genova Books Read: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince by Robin Hobb The Amateur Gourmet by Adam D. Roberts Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck After a busy October, it was nice to spend November unwinding a bit. Normally I might need that, with stressful holidays coming up, but Christmas should be smooth sailing this year. I’m staying in…
-
Three Men on the Bummel
Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome Published: 1900 Narrated by: David Case Series: Three Men #2 Length: 06:59 (208 pages) Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) was my favourite novel last year. It was completely new to me and a great surprise. I was excited to discover a sequel existed, although I approached it with some trepidation knowing it almost certainly wouldn’t live up to the first book. “A ‘Bummel’,” I explained, “I should describe as a journey, long or short, without an end; the only thing regulating it being the necessity of getting back within a given time to the point…