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The Shipping News
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx Published: 1993 The first 30 pages of this book are bloody depressing. The protagonist, Quoyle, has a miserable childhood, his parents kill themselves, he marries a horrible woman who openly cheats on him, and then his wife eventually leaves him and sells their two young daughters to sex traffickers (Happy Mother’s Day, by the way). This is the introduction to the book. The story then follows him as he leaves New York and returns to his father’s hometown in Newfoundland to begin a new life with his daughters and aunt. While the beginning is incredible important, since this is about a man trying to…
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April in Review
Books Acquired: The Serpent of Venice: A Novel by Christopher Moore X-Men: Days of Future Past by Chris Claremont Captain America: Winter Soldier Ultimate Collection by Ed Brubaker The Windup Girl (audiobook) by Paolo Bacigalupi Books Read: The Martian (audiobook) by Andy Weir Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin I thought I’d have a go at writing some monthly wrap-ups here. I enjoy them on other weblogs I read, and it gives me a chance to post some lists, and I do love lists, even if they are quite small. I feel like I’m just starting to come out of this half year reading drought, but that’s a pretty sad…
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Agent to the Stars
Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi Published: 2005 Narrated by: Wil Wheaton Accodording to Wikipedia, Scalzi first published this in 1999 on his website for free, asking for a $1 donation from those who enjoyed the book. This was his first attempt at a novel. I’m not sure if the current edition has changed much since that initial self-publishing, but as it’s written now this is a fantastic debut. I wonder if he started with the title and worked back from there? It feels a bit that way, but it worked if that’s the case, so no complaints here. The premise is goofy, but Scalzi doesn’t try to take…
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Under a Mackerel Sky
Under a Mackerel Sky by Rick Stein Published: 2013 Narrated by: Rick Stein I came across Rick Stein a few years back. From what I understand, he was one of the early television chefs in Britain, but I don’t think his shows were ever broadcasted in Canada. His latest food programmes are based around travel, taking a barge through France or searching for his favourite curry in India for example, and he’s a bit of a book nerd. He’ll read passages from travelogues, poetry, and related literature for the camera when he arrives somewhere new. It’s a book-worm, foodie, and traveler’s delight. So imagine my surprise when the majority of…
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The Complete Essex County
The Complete Essex County by Jeff Lemire Format: Graphic Novel Published: 2011 Publisher: Top Shelf Productions Essex County comes up on a lot of must-read lists, and it’s touted as the quintessential Canadian comic, so I’ve been meaning to read it since getting back into comics a few years back. I’m a naughty Canadian, though, and I don’t really follow hockey, so I thought a lot of it might be lost on me. While hockey is a large part of many of the characters’ lives, I wouldn’t say it’s central to enjoying any part of this. This is a collection of three main stories and two shorter stories, and it’s…
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Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture
Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland Published: 1991 This is Douglas Coupland’s debut, and the novel that popularized the term Generation X. I binged on a few of his books a couple years back, but hadn’t read anything of his since this. While this wasn’t my favourite of his, it was a nice reminder of why I should still be reading him. He’s has a creative way of telling stories. The overarching narrative here is about three disenfranchised twenty-somethings as they meander through unambitious lives. They hold jobs that are beneath their skill levels, live in a dive apartment block, and spend their time telling each…
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Shakespeare Wrote for Money
Shakespeare Wrote for Money by Nick Hornby Published: 2008 This is another collection of Nick Hornby’s articles from The Believer, an American literature magazine, in which he recounts his reading and book-buying habits each month. This is the third volume I’ve read, out of the four that currently exist, and I still just love them. These are essential a published book blog, but instead of a post for each book there’s a chapter for each month. It’s interesting to see how previous books and events in his life influence what he buys and reads each month. These collections don’t vary much, to be honest, so the description and review of…
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King Solomon’s Mines
King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard Published: 1885 This is the novel that first introduced the world to Allan Quartermain, the English-born hunter, trader, and renown marksman of southern Africa. Sir Henry Curtis, and his companion Captain Good, recruit Quartermain to find his brother, a man who went missing after last being seen searching for the fabled King Solomon’s Mines. He agrees to lead them on the expedition for either a share of the treasure or payment to his son should he die on the journey. They encounter an unknown civilization on the way, and the majority of the novel is actually focused on their civil war and the…
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The Things They Carried
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien Published: 1990 Narrated by: Bryan Cranston When I read that Bryan Cranston was narrating this book, I knew I had to give it a listen. I didn’t realize at the time that this was so highly regarded, that it was a runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize, or even that it is commonly included in high school curriculums (I’m from Canada, okay?). Embarrassingly, I wasn’t even sure which war I’d be reading about. Vietnam is the war, it turns out. Tim O’Brien is a veteran, and this is actually a collection of related short stories centred around a platoon of soldiers, based semi-autobiographically on…
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Maus I & II
Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale : My Father Bleeds History and Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman Illustrator: Art Spiegelman Published: 1991 Publisher: Pantheon Books I read Maus I and II right after each other, so I figured I’d do a combined post. These are another example of a comic I picked up ages ago because I felt like they were required reading, but then let them waste away on the shelf untouched. I’m really kicking myself for not getting to them sooner. They were fantastic. In the story, Art Spiegelman is interviewing his father Vladek, a Polish Holocaust survivor. The real story is of his…