Books Read
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
My Life in France
My Life in France by Julia Child Published: 2006 Narrated by: Kimberly Farr I grew up watching Julia Child with my parents. I had no interest in actually cooking at that age, but I loved how easy and fun she made it seem. She even used a sword to cut up a chicken that time. I want to cut up a chicken with a sword. Many of my culinary ambitions can probably be traced back to her in some way. I have yet to cut up anything with a sword, but it will happen. Julia Child led a more interesting life than many realize. She doesn’t go into World War…
-
Fuzzy Nation
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi Published: 2011 Narrated by: Wil Wheaton This is the third novel I’ve listened to Wil Wheaton narrate, the second written by John Scalzi, and he always does a great job. I don’t know why I seem to go into these books thinking I’d rather have someone else reading, but by the end of the first chapter I’m always enthralled. Scalzi is officially in my good books after this one as well. Things were a bit patchy after RedShirts, and I was happy to find I loved Old Man’s War, but I was still a bit wary going into this one. In a way this book…
-
Gun Machine
Gun Machine by Warren Ellis Published: 2013 I really did not like Crooked Little Vein, Warren Ellis’ first novel, but I love his comics, so I decided to give his second novel a try. I’m happy to say he improved enormously this time around. My main complaint with Crooked Little Vein was that it had virtually no plot. It was just a series of bizarre fetishes he found on the Internet, strung together with a silly secret government treasure hunt. This novel actually had distinct characters, a story, conflict – you know, all those things that novels need. Gun Machine is a hard-boiled detective novel set in New York City,…
-
The Kraken Wakes
The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham Published: 1953 Narrated by: Alex Jennings A lot of stories take place in a world after an apocalypse, but The Kraken Wakes follows a couple who witness the first warning signs and live through the worst of it. In The Day of the Triffids, Wyndham used the societal breakdown as a backdrop to a more personal story, but in The Kraken Wakes he really focused on how the world was reacting. The personal story was still there, but it felt like its purpose was to give a viewpoint for this larger problem rather than to really explore the relationship. This is the first-hand account…
-
No Plot? No Problem!
No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty Published: 2004 If there was ever a year I was going to participate in NaNoWriMo, this wasn’t it, but I’ve had this sitting half-finished on my shelf for a few years now and decided just to give it a read anyway. This is meant to be a companion book to read while you’re attempting to write a novel in a month, so after the introduction it’s split up into four main sections, one for each week. Each of these contain anecdotes from previous winners, inspirational essays, and some advice for tackling common…
-
Have Space Suit—Will Travel
Have Space Suit—Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein Published: 1958 Wow, have I fallen behind. Not since I started this weblog has the backlog of pending posts grown this large. I guess I just needed a bit of time to get my mind in order again, and maybe time away is healthy. I’ll go with that. Anyway, I’m excited to get back into it again. This is my second Heinlein, after Starship Troopers. I did enjoy this a lot but I still think Troopers is my favourite of the two. I’ve really gotten into classic science fiction and adventure stories this year, and this is a good mix of the…