What I Read – March 2016

There was a time when Spring Break and holiday and travel meant I had time to read more than usual. Not this year, my friends, not this year. Here's what I did read: The Heart Goes Last - Margaret Atwood (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday Canada, 2015) Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes (Penguin Books, 2003) (translated… Continue reading What I Read – March 2016

Book Review: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Well, I finished it. I took my sweet time but I finished reading Don Quixote. I made my first attempt at Don Quixote in 2008, on the recommendation of someone whose book taste I usually agree with. I think I read most of the Part I before I sheepishly returned his copy and promptly left… Continue reading Book Review: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Book Review: The Company She Keeps by Mary McCarthy

A few years back, during the cold and snowy Chilliwack winter that Peter and I first subscribed to Netflix, I watched the first two seasons of Mad Men. Everyone seemed to be telling us that we had to watch this show. How clever it was, how realistic, how engaging. In the end, I don't think… Continue reading Book Review: The Company She Keeps by Mary McCarthy

Book Review: White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Some authors wow you with their debut novels and then disappoint with the follow-ups. With others, it works the opposite way and you're able to see their writing improve. White Teeth (Penguin Books, 2001) is Zadie Smith's first novel but the third one by her that I've read. While I enjoyed White Teeth I don't… Continue reading Book Review: White Teeth by Zadie Smith

What I Read – January 2016

Daydreams of Angels - Heather O'Neill (Harper Collins, 2015) Transatlantic - Colum McCann (Harper Perennial, 2013) The Humans - Matt Haig (Harper Collins, 2013) Fifteen Dogs - André Alexis (Coach House Books, 2015) A God in Ruins - Kate Atkinson (Doubleday Canada, 2015) Thirteen Ways of Looking - Colum McCann (Harper Collins, 2015) The Company… Continue reading What I Read – January 2016

Book Review: The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Coincidentally, I began reading The Omnivore's Dilemma around the same time that my daughter began eating solid foods. Food was on my mind. I quickly realized I was being more discerning about what Pearl ate than I ever am about my own diet. Thinking and planning what my girl should eat, and how she should… Continue reading Book Review: The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Book Review: The Pearl by John Steinbeck

I had never read this short novella by John Steinbeck and, seeing as I have a daughter named Pearl, it seemed like it was time to cross this one off the list. Set in an unnamed village on the Gulf of Mexico, the story follows Kino, a poor fisherman and pearl diver, who finds what… Continue reading Book Review: The Pearl by John Steinbeck

What I Read – December 2015

No Great Mischief - Alistair MacLeod (W.W. Norton & Company, 2000) The Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan (Penguin Books, 2006) ...however we choose to feed ourselves, we eat by the grace of nature, not industry, and what we're eating is never anything more or less than the body of the world. Ru - Kim Thúy… Continue reading What I Read – December 2015

What I Read – November 2015

November has seen a vast improvement on Pearl's night-time sleep. Which is awesome but has really cut into my reading time. So this month's list is a little shorter but there have been some good reads. 1. The Portrait of a Lady - Henry James (Modern Library 2. Burial Rites - Hannah Kent (Little, Brown,… Continue reading What I Read – November 2015

What I Read – June 2015

Requiem for a Nun - William Faulkner (Penguin, 1961) Aside from As I Lay Dying, I haven't read much Faulkner so I can't say whether or not this book is typical of his style. The format is definitely unique. The action of the story is a play, centred around the death of a child and… Continue reading What I Read – June 2015