Happy weekend, everyone! Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians for tomorrow! This week, I have not been reading much. I'm still working on On the Road. It has taken me awhile; I like the style, but the lack of cohesive plot or direction has made me unlikely to pick it up. I've been stuck at the halfway point for a few days now. I hope to finish it today maybe? In other news, I…
Month: June 2013
Is a book a classic when no one has heard of it? I looked on Goodreads and reportedly only about 55 people have rated/read it on that website. A classic should not defined by notoriety, but by its relevance over time. Does this book warrant that title? I added this book to my Classics Club selection and my Spin List. I had bought it at least four or five years ago at a used book…
Hello, everyone! It's been a tiring week for me, but I managed to read a couple of books: Stoner by John Williams, Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell, and William - An Englishman by Cicely Hamilton (review up tomorrow). Yesterday, I also started Jack Kerouac's On the Road. If I manage to finish that, I want to start J. K. Rowling's Casual Vacancy. The weather has been fairly nice this week up…
If you like books and bookstores, you should read this. It's funny. Ok, a more proper review then: As someone who has worked in retail or customer service, none of this stuff surprises me. People often live in their own bubbles which can show how ignorant and sadly entitled they are. Both the "Parents" and "Customers Behaving Badly" section of this book shows that. There is something depressing stuff about society in here. All we…
Nick Hornby wrote that this was one of the best novels he had read in the last few years. Originally published in 1965 and reissued in 2006, this novel is the story of a man who becomes a Professor of English at the University of Missouri. It recounts his whole life. I understand why Hornby loves this book. For readers who liked Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, this is very similar. Both are about undistinguishable men from…
Sophie Kinsella is one of my favourite chick lit authors. That's not a large niche because I don't read that much chick lit. Still, I've enjoyed most of her novels even though her characters embarass themselves a lot mostly through lying. This novel had more characters than the typical Kinsella book, and the two women narrate the story. It's interesting because it gives perspectives on some intimate relationships. It is the theme for all the…
Hello, everyone! It's been a bookish week for me. I read finished four books this week: Unnatural Creatures stories selected by Neil Gaiman, Soulless vol. 2 by Gail Carriger and REM, Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger, and Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella (review up tomorrow). I also bought some books. It's used book sale season! Even though I made a resolution to not buy any more books with one exception, I still had to hit…
I'm still not quite sure if I really like the works of Audrey Niffenegger. I read The Time Traveler's Wife as many others did which I found fine. I read Three Incestuous Sisters as a result and found myself more indifferent to her work. I do appreciate the use of art and writing together. This is basically an adult picture book except not inappropriate or gratuitous. It's still strange because it features a man and…
This steampunk and urban fantasy series is great in manga form. So fun and in many ways, even more hilarious and better than the books since it's done in this style. I hope this series is popular in Japan too because it definitely would have a market there. The exaggerated expressions and face sweats are typical manga form, but there is also a restraint it in because this is still an action series. I'm enjoying…
Neil Gaiman is one of my favourite authors alive today. He writes stories and has an imagination that touches and enthralls me. He also has excellent taste in short stories. In this collection, he curates some wonderful supernatural stories. He wrote one of them, but this collection of stories includes authors from the modern day and the early twentieth century. I liked that variety. I liked almost every one of the sixteen stories featured. I…
I am going through my Sedaris kick especially his audiobooks. It's rather difficult to review his books and essays as you either get his sense of humour or you don't. This one is even more family oriented than the others of his I have read. I'm actually less partial to his family stories, but they are still amusing and elicit some gems. I do laugh while listening to his essays. He is a great reader.…
This is my new favourite show of the past TV year. Ten reasons why I love it, in no particular order (no major spoilers): (more…)