It is Spring – Here’s a lento for a tulip
The tulips came up a treat this month, and our little garden is looking quite festive. Posting on Facebook, myContinue Reading
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It’s only ten days but it feels like forever – The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles
Amor Towles wrote the excellent novel, A Gentleman in Moscow (2019), which I thoroughly enjoyed. It received a lot ofContinue Reading
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When absolute belief leads to absolute ruin – Firebrands, by Marc Ménard
If you want to really discover literature, you should read about subjects that you don’t know or don’t like. It’sContinue Reading
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So many ways to get lost in translation…
A multilingual perspective Yesterday, someone asked me how my Spanish, Portuguese and French skills are, because those are the languagesContinue Reading
Where does inspiration come from? (and a poem about music)
I recently completed a collection of compositions that share the theme of heat. It’s called Thérmos, and, until today, IContinue Reading
Creative Process Discussion of writing style Review of classical fiction Review of classical novel Review of historical fiction Review of translated novel
Two Tales of Japan of More Than a Thousand Years Ago – The Tale of Genji and The Tale of Murasaki
Tension between Russia and Japan is increasing at the moment, because of the disputed nation status of the Kuril Islands,Continue Reading
Ever felt like it’s too quiet? Here’s a poem about that.
People have grown used to being in each other’s company all the time during the past two years, what withContinue Reading
I recognize that lump of rock – Alexa, what is there to know about love, by Brian Bilston
I’m intrigued by those things called Google Easter Eggs – which is the result you get if you type aContinue Reading
My new blog goes live
This weekend my new blog went live. It’s about my music, under the artist name I’ve picked, Cōdae. It isContinue Reading
Vampire Like Farms – What are the alternatives?
Regarding my rant against the sellers of fake reviews: If I look at the online presences of artists, I noticeContinue Reading
The Scourge of Vampire Like Farms
The heading does not have a grammar mistake: I am referring to the businesses – also called farms – thatContinue Reading
Josiah Bancroft’s “Books of Babel” Tetralogy Goes Out with an Almighty Bang (3)
This post concludes my review of the Fantasy novel, The Fall of Babel, by Josiah Bancroft, the last in theContinue Reading
Josiah Bancroft’s “Books of Babel” Tetralogy Goes Out with an Almighty Bang (2)
Fans of Josiah Bancroft’s popular series, The Books of Babel, had to wait two long years for The Fall ofContinue Reading
Constructed World Novel Discussion of writing style New Fiction Review of Fantasy Review of new book
Josiah Bancroft’s “Books of Babel” Tetralogy Goes Out with an Almighty Bang
Fans of Josiah Bancroft’s popular series, The Books of Babel, had to wait two long years for The Fall ofContinue Reading
A rant in rhyme in praise of rain
The header image of this post is worded “un noo po-him”, or “ə ˈnuː ˈpoʊəm”, phonetically spelled: a new poem.Continue Reading
The “accidental dance between collected memory and influence” – Nick Cave’s affectionate honesty (2)
In the previous post, I wrote about how much I enjoy Nick Cave’s Red Hand Files. A recent Red HandContinue Reading
How to be kind to your fans – Nick Cave’s affectionate honesty (1)
The Red Hand Files, musician Nick Cave’s responses to questions from his fans, readers and listeners, has passed the 180Continue Reading
Hopefully, your opening line does not need a possum
I wondered what would happen if I added the random sentence, “But one day they found themselves on a possum woolContinue Reading
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What is your unguilty pleasure? – ENYA, by Chilly Gonzales
Musician Chilly Gonzales (born Jason Charles Beck) hates bananas. I’m not that fond of bananas myself. It’s that sticky, doughyContinue Reading
Looking back on this year
Looking at the stats on this blog for this year, our Annus Horribilis II, the previous horrible year being 2020,Continue Reading
What does he mean – “later”?
Later was published on March 2, 2021, as a paperback Hard Case Crime edition from Titan Books, London, UK. ItContinue Reading
Too good not to repost
I got news this morning from one of my favourite television writers, Brent Butt – and I just had toContinue Reading
It cheers you up and also freaks you out a little – A Carnival of Snackery, by David Sedaris
David Sedaris keeps a diary, for the same reasons, I suspect, as do other high-profile social commentators and journalists, likeContinue Reading
You’re a writer – What is your time worth?
Over the years I have discovered that people, for many reasons, give their services or creative products away for free,Continue Reading
When a novelist turns to poetry
Poetry within Fiction: sometimes, for the sake of fully portraying a character, a writer may invent the poetry, stories orContinue Reading
A poem about the first snowfall of the season
Today was the first snowfall of the Winter, and we woke up to the brightness of snow blanketing everything outsideContinue Reading
“…Peace in a little heap of vivid dust” – The Leopard, by Tomasi di Lampedusa
Because I absolutely loved Lampedusa, by Steven Price, I had to go back to the novel which caused all theContinue Reading
Are you familiar with any of these contenders for awards?
It’s book awards season again, alas. I used to be one of those tail-wagging puppies that practically did zoomies whenContinue Reading
All the little angels…
There’s a thing that really good authors do – and I don’t know what’s the word for it – theyContinue Reading
A winner of an alien – Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
Andy Weir’s latest Sci-Fi novel is on the subject of the end of the world: the sun is cooling downContinue Reading
Authors to watch crime fiction Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of Mysteries and Thrillers Review of new book
A few words more on The Apollo Murders, by Chris Hadfield
Here are my final thoughts about The Apollo Murders, by Chris Hadfield: would using Cyrillic in the text have beenContinue Reading
Authors to watch crime fiction Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of Mysteries and Thrillers Review of new book
Writing from rare experience – The Apollo Murders, by Chris Hadfield
So, if you had to pick someone to write a Crime Thriller about astronauts and space missions in the lateContinue Reading
Horrible lyrics and pitiful prose
My guilty pleasure is reading bad writing and then making savage but unspoken criticisms of it. It’s easy to lambastContinue Reading
Can you actually recite a famous poem? Bet you can’t.
I thunk me a thought these past few days, which was this: people were telling huge fibs about poetry, judgingContinue Reading
Award-winning novel Creative Process Discussion of writing style Literary analysis New Non-Fiction Readers and reading Review of historical fiction Review of literary fiction
A man on the roof of a 70-storey building – Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel
Wolf Hall is 672 pages long. It is 672 pages in which every single line and every single word haveContinue Reading
Ah well, “to be” it is…
This post concludes with my findings on what to do about my WordPress blogs, considering all the changes in technology.Continue Reading
Discussion of film/TV series Humor Humour Review of Autobiography Review of Humor Review of new book
There shall be no hugging – Is This Anything?, by Jerry Seinfeld
Humour and comedy, these days, are minefields – full of potential explosions of public vitriol and outrage. One minute aContinue Reading
A poem about a Declaration
When you are waiting for someone to say something that you really, really want to hear, even the softest whisperContinue Reading
Revealing the real story behind modern pop music – John Seabrook interview
John Seabrook’s non-fiction writing is the manifestation of his public image. The websites I have found that are dedicated toContinue Reading
Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book
It’s got MacGuffins! – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, by Quentin Tarantino
After my wee bit of silliness last week, here is my actual review of Once Upon a Time in HollywoodContinue Reading
To Be or Not To Be…?
On WordPress, that is. Here follow the confessions of a cynic. As of October, there will be a hiatus onContinue Reading
Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book
Now for the book: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, by Quentin Tarantino
A review to suit a modern fairytale Once upon a time… Once upon a time, in a big, shiny cityContinue Reading
Listen to this – Feel it
I am a fan of Nick Cave, and subscribe to his Red Hand Files communiques in which he answers questionsContinue Reading
Your brain wants to be happy! The Song Machine, by John Seabrook (cont.)
As someone who has taken to making music using Logic Pro, John Seabrook’s book about song factories fascinated me. IContinue Reading
Music with hooks like talons – The Song Machine, by John Seabrook
Anyone who is a musician will recognize the image on the cover of John Seabrook’s book: it is a quaverContinue Reading
The people are revolting, are they?
Seven Circumstances investigates People in my family like to say “the people are revolting” whenever we see a riot orContinue Reading
Mahmoud Darwish died 13 years ago today, but his words are immortal
One of the artists to whom Leila Marshy refers in her novel The Philistine, which I recently reviewed, is theContinue Reading
Bitter days, sweet days – The Philistine, by Leila Marshy
When I first had this novel in my hands, I looked at the decidedly odd cover design (thinking “What’s thisContinue Reading
Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style List of similar books Review of new book Review of new novel
Getting the hang of the Chinese novel
Updated discussion and reviews After many years of reading and reviewing novels by Chinese authors, that have been translated into English,Continue Reading
Backstories Discussion of film/TV series Published books Readers and reading Review of literary fiction
The origins of “Waiting for the Barbarians”
Uncomfortable truths aplenty come to mind when you read and absorb J.M. Coetzee’s famous dystopian narrative, Waiting for the Barbarians.Continue Reading
So you want to be a writer?
On the subscription film channel, MUBI, there’s a documentary about the writer Charles Bukowski (1920 – 1994), who wrote acerbic,Continue Reading
Discussion of writing style Readers and reading Review of new book Review of new science fiction Science Fiction
Can you feel for Klara? – Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro
The catch in Klara and the Sun, the latest, highly-anticipated novel by acclaimed British author Kazuo Ishiguro, is that theContinue Reading
Creative Process Discussion of writing style Review of literary fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Reviews of short stories
Finally – Then what happened? in First Person Singular, by Haruki Murakami
While looking at First Person Singular, by acclaimed Japanese author Haruki Murakami, I asked myself three questions in order toContinue Reading
A small poem about Spring
I was baking and heard the birds through the open window, and thought, these things mean it’s Spring. SIGNS TheContinue Reading
Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of writing style Humor Humour Review of memoir Review of new book
How to recognize your own particular monster – Broken, by Jenny Lawson
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be Jenny Lawson, the witty author and “Bloggess“, this book will explainContinue Reading
Creative Process Discussion of writing style Review of literary fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Reviews of short stories
The most important thing in First Person Singular, by Haruki Murakami
Trying to make sense of the new collection of stories by Japanese author Haruki Murakami, I asked the question: WhatContinue Reading
Creative Process Discussion of writing style Review of literary fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of translated novel Reviews of short stories
What is it about? – First Person Singular, by Haruki Murakami
Acclaimed Fantasy author Neil Gaiman teaches in his Masterclass course on The Art of Storytelling, that a writer and aContinue Reading
It all depends on how you look at it…
As my reward for having gotten through 2020 without any major ructions, while at the same time staying productive, IContinue Reading
Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of writing style Review of new book Review of science fiction
Hell hath no wrath like a disappointed Star Trek Fan
The plot, settings and characters of Star trek Picard – The Last Best Hope, were predetermined, and only needed toContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of historical fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book
Family sagas, Socialism and Chile – A Long Petal of the Sea, by Isabel Allende
The latest novel by Isabel Allende is a family saga that depicts the modern history of Chile as well asContinue Reading
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A novel for anxious people by Fredrik Backman
Fredrik Backman’s latest novel, Anxious People, published in Sept. 2020, is well-timed, written for people who feel anxious in theseContinue Reading
(How) can a computer produce Bach chorales and Harry Potter books?
My discovery of the Google Doodle which celebrated the music of Johann Sebastian Bach started me on the road toContinue Reading
“Nothing comes from nothing.”
Pondering creativity When you have read and reviewed many books, as I have done, you eventually realize that even theContinue Reading
“Rooted” – A mono-rhyme poem
Here’s a new poem I’ve written, called “Rooted”. I saw these tangled, blood-red tree roots while we were out onContinue Reading
The downfall of Cromwell – The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel (Part 4 of 4)
In the previous three posts, I looked deeper into the third and last part of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy.Continue Reading
What is “too long”? – The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel (Part 3 of 4)
In this post I continue to analyze the long and deeply nuanced historical novel, The Mirror and the Light. Previously,Continue Reading
And now for something completely different
Blogging about books and literature is something that I’ve been doing for more than a decade and may perhaps continueContinue Reading
Who is the mirror, and who is the light? – The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel (Part 2 of 4)
This is a post in which I continue to analyze the impressively long and deeply nuanced historical novel, The MirrorContinue Reading
The Master of Economical Prose, Larry McMurtry, has died
Larry McMurtry has died. He passed away on March 25, 2021, in Archer City, Texas,US, at the age of 84Continue Reading
A historical figure comes to life – The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel (Part 1 of 4)
Review In the previous post, I showed my appreciation for the third and last part in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf HallContinue Reading
Complete and intense immersion – The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel
Having read every single page in the 883-page long historical novel The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel, IContinue Reading
Megalomaniac Masters and Monarchs (4) – He was not right in the head
Continuing with the theme of biographies and literary biographies of megalomaniac monarchs and leaders of nations, here is the fourthContinue Reading
Megalomaniac Masters and Monarchs (3) – Undone by Mysteries
The Last Empress, by Anchee Min, is the second in a set of two novels about the Chinese Qing DynastyContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Historical Nonfiction Nonfiction Published books Review of Nonfiction Review of Reference Work
Megalomaniac Masters and Monarchs (2) – What is it with harems?
In this post, I continue looking at a select few biographies about mad, bad and dangerous monarchs and masters ofContinue Reading
Biographical Nonfiction Historical Nonfiction List of similar books Non-fiction Nonfiction Review of Biographical Fiction
Megalomaniac Masters and Monarchs (1) – The Juicy Biographies
In the last years of the 19th century and the first 20 or so years of the 20th century, AsiaContinue Reading
The Colours of Cold
I was thinking about a comment that Fran, one of the bloggers whom I follow, made the other day aboutContinue Reading
Constructed World Novel Review of new book Review of new science fiction Review of science fiction Science Fiction
If you’re the last – To Be Taught If Fortunate, by Becky Chambers
An elegantly worded, thoughtful and compelling novel about travellers in outer space who face a worse choice than life-or-death. ReviewContinue Reading
Nick Cave explains his departure from fictitious narrative songwriting
Nick Cave has become a writer of note in addition to being a celebrated musician, lyricist and composer. His blog,Continue Reading
Author interview Backstories Creative Process Discussion of writing style Readers and reading Review of previously published novel Review of translated novel
Dear BBC, what is there to know about Sjón?
Here is the sad tale of a quite discombobulated radio interview. In the post before this one I discussed theContinue Reading
Author interview Backstories Creative Process Discussion of writing style Readers and reading Review of previously published novel Review of translated novel
Performing to an empty room – Is there anyone out there?
The use of videotelephony software, such as Zoom, Facebook Live, Skype or Teams, for video and audio streaming of whatContinue Reading
Backstories Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Readers and reading Review of Biographical Fiction Review of historical fiction
A Paraguayan Perspective on the Strange Case of the President of Paraguay and the Irish Courtesan
A few months ago, I wrote a piece about three novels that have as their subjects the former President ofContinue Reading
At the end of your tether with typos? Read this
I know from personal experience how tiresome and aggravating it is to pick up mistakes in something you’ve made afterContinue Reading
The Year In Books – Not bad for 2020
Seven Circumstances grew some more this year – the 10th year of its existence. Yes, it’s been ten years sinceContinue Reading
Video review of the Forbidden Zone
Here’s a less than 2-minute review of Jon Gliddon’s latest novel, The Forbidden Zone. It was easy to add graphicsContinue Reading
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Should have had “Raven” in the title – Quantum Shadows, by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
L.E. Modesitt Jr. is world-famous and has written a formidable list of Science Fiction and Fantasy novels, so long thatContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Arts-themed novels Authors to watch Creative Process Discussion of writing style Künstlerroman Review of historical fiction Review of literary fiction Review of new book
Wonderful! – Hamnet and Judith, by Maggie O’Farrell
For the first time in a very long while, I could feel tears coming to my eyes while I wasContinue Reading
Wise, timeless advice from Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury is regarded as the most famous and most celebrated writer of Science Fiction in the world. On JuneContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Mysteries and Thrillers Review of historical fiction Review of new book Review of new novel
Dust, diamonds and damnation in the Namib Desert – The Forbidden Zone, by Jon Gliddon
Radio interview with Jon Gliddon about The Forbidden Zone Becca · Jon Gliddon Interview Review There’s a reason whyContinue Reading
Backstories Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Readers and reading Review of Biographical Fiction Review of historical fiction
The Strange Case of the President of Paraguay and the Irish Courtesan
If you look up Paraguay on a map, like I had to, you will see that it is a countryContinue Reading
crime fiction Current events Discussion of writing style Modern fiction psychology Realistic Fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of Thriller
Imagining the thoughts of a mass shooter – Parabellum, by Greg Hickey
Sometimes a new book comes out of which the plot or theme feels unimportant or irrelevant. But sometimes global eventsContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Review of historical fiction Review of Horror Fiction Review of new book Review of new novel
Departing from the winning formula? The latest Night Vale novel
The Welcome to Night Vale (WTNV) phenomenon is now so well known that the listeners to the podcast are actuallyContinue Reading
The Bookshop Sketch (or How to Infuriate the Staff at a Bookshop)
Way back in 1967 John Cleese and Marty Feldman produced a hilarious sketch called The Bookshop. (It was not subtitledContinue Reading
Creative Process Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Readers and reading Review of anthology Review of modern fiction Review of new book Reviews of short stories
Many tantalizing twists in these tales – If It Bleeds, by Stephen King
What is Stephen King known for? Horror Fiction. Suspenseful mysteries. I bought If It Bleeds in the hope that IContinue Reading
children’s book Children’s Literature Creative Process Discussion of writing style Review of Illustrated Book Review of Literary Graphic Novel Review of new book Reviews of graphic novels and comic strips
Buy it because it’s beautiful – The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, by Charlie Mackesy
This small book, with the tremendously long title printed in gold letters on the cover, is classified as a LiteraryContinue Reading
Absolutely excellent – Going Medieval on Pop Music
One of the books I’m reading now is William Shakespeare’s Get Thee…Back to the Future, by Ian Doescher, which isContinue Reading
The Blogess has a new book coming out – Broken, by Jenny Lawson
Here’s news from one of the writers I admire – Jenny Lawson, who made me laugh long and loud atContinue Reading
Authors to watch Current events Discussion of author’s portfolio getting published Non-fiction Poetry
From Babel to Borne – Upcoming Publications from Favourite Authors
What are my favourite authors doing next? My favourite authors have new works in the works, pardon the pun, soContinue Reading
Ever felt Liberfinisphobia?* Only the best books cause it.
*Made-up word!! Blogger, book lover, writer and member of the Rebusfontein writing collective, “Tannie Frannie”, meaning Auntie Frannie, posted thisContinue Reading
Authors to watch Current events Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of current events List of top books New Fiction Review of new book
Thrillers, Sci-Fi, History, Horror and Poetry – Reading list for the next six months
It’s the end of the first half of the year, and so far my reading time has been reduced byContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Arts-themed novels Discussion of writing style Künstlerromane Modern fiction music musicians Review of literary fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of new novel rock opera The Who
Listening to Someone Else’s Dreams – The Age of Anxiety, by Pete Townshend
All the Aging Groovies like me out there would know the name Pete Townshend, the Pete Townshend – a.k.a. Peter DennisContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Arts-themed novels CanLit Discussion of writing style kunstlerromane Review of Biographical Fiction Review of historical fiction Review of literary fiction Review of new book Review of new novel
Falling for the Leopard – Lampedusa, by Steven Price
Do you where Lampedusa is? Or what it is? Steven Price’s historical novel, Lampedusa, is not actually about the islandContinue Reading
Constructed World Novel Discussion of writing style Review of new book Review of new science fiction Review of science fiction speculative fiction
A strange and moving book – Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer
If you enjoy poetry as well as Science Fiction, you will appreciate Dead Astronauts. The novel has elements of both.Continue Reading
Backstories CanLit Creative Process Detective fiction Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style List of similar books Mysteries and Thrillers Published books Realistic Fiction
Real World Meets Realism – Devil’s Run, by Gordon Mohs (Part 3 of 3)
In this post I continue looking into the subject of factual accuracy in Fiction, and specifically Realistic Fiction and theContinue Reading
Real World Meets Realism – Is It Fact or Fiction? (Part 2 of 3)
In this post I continue looking into the subject of factual accuracy in Fiction, and specifically Realistic Fiction and theContinue Reading
Real World Meets Realism – Will the Real Robinson Crusoe Please Stand Up? (Part 1 of 3)
This month’s site header (below) is of a painting called The Tooth Extractor, by Dutch artist Theodoor Rombouts (1597–1637), in theContinue Reading
Going off the rails – Too many alterations in the TV version of “Altered Carbon”
In my review of Richard Morgan’s Altered Carbon, I wrote that season 1 of the TV version of the bookContinue Reading
The surprising results of using a machine text generator
Writers could encounter two problems specific to their profession: One is finding the right line or the right word, andContinue Reading
Award-winning novel Constructed World Novel Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of writing style Review of Mysteries and Thrillers Review of science fiction Science Fiction Science Fiction Awards
The grossest – and most poetic – scenes of violence ever – Altered Carbon, by Richard Morgan
The concept on which Altered Carbon is based is ingenious – it was futuristic and fantastical when Richard Morgan wrote theContinue Reading
Current events Discussion of genre List of similar books List of top books Review of anthology Review of essay collection Review of modern fiction Review of previously published novel
Funny, witty, amusing books for light relief
To alleviate the “morbs” that might have descended on you from reading those books with pandemic and epidemics as themes,Continue Reading
Current events Horror Fiction List of similar books Review of classical novel Review of previously published novel speculative fiction
Horror Stories for Today – Epidemics and Pandemics in Fiction
Staying at home and feeling trapped or bored? Not in the mood for your usual type of book? Have aContinue Reading
Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Review of literary fiction Review of new book Review of new novel Review of science fiction
Challenging the limits of physicality – Frankissstein – A Love Story, by Jeanette Winterson
Frankissstein (with 3 s’es) is a collection of interwoven love stories that takes place from the mid 1800s to theContinue Reading
Albert Uderzo has died – but “Asterix” lives on
Sad news – Albert Uderzo has died. He passed away on 24 March 2020 at the age of 92 at hisContinue Reading
Music, love, dogged determination and good fortune – Me, by Elton John
Poor Elton John had to leave the stage during his show in New Zealand this week because he has walkingContinue Reading
Creative Process Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Meta-data Review of new book Review of science fiction Reviews of graphic novels and comic strips Science Fiction
A perfect combination of Sci-Fi art and prose – Above the Timberline, by Gregory Manchess
Reading the screenplay of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs by Joel and Ethan Coen led me to the real artistContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Backstories Creative Process Meta-data Reviews of Screenplays and Dramas Reviews of short stories
From one book discovery to the next – The Ballad of Buster Scruggs screenplay
One of the enjoyable aspects of reading, is that in the process of sniffing out a particular book or authorContinue Reading
Organizing the info – an index of terms and tags for Seven Circumstances
A website like this can be difficult to negotiate because of its size – currently there are more than 3,000Continue Reading
Options for Authors – Back from the Future with Blog to Book
We’re going backwards. Back to print. First there was print. Then came the Internet, and there was JavaScript. And pdfs.Continue Reading
2019 Journey through Books
My journey through books this year It has been a very pleasant year in books for me. The activities onContinue Reading
A perfect little gem – The Strange Bird by Jeff VanderMeer
The Strange Bird is a little gem of a novel. Every carefully chosen word is just right. Each image isContinue Reading
Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of genre getting published Non-fiction Review of new book Science Fiction
Looking back at the original Star Trek – The Trouble with Tribbles
Which Sci-Fi devotee is not looking forward to the debut of Star Trek: Picard? (Roll on, January 23, 2020!) IContinue Reading
Goodbye, Clive James – Every word was meant, every image was meaningful
A big name in the world of literature, Clive James, died on November 24, 2019, in Cambridge, UK. He wasContinue Reading
Award-winning novel Current events Humor Humour Modern fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book satire
What a way to go – French Exit, by Patrick deWitt
After having enjoyed Patrick deWitt’s Undermajordomo Minor (2015) his most recent novel, French Exit, was a must-read. A “French exit” isContinue Reading
Ever wondered how a fox would sound if it could speak? – Fox 8 by George Saunders
I have often pointed out in these posts, that I favour brevity and carefully chosen words over flowery writing. ItContinue Reading
Simply perfect! Nick Cave explains the writing process
This post from Nick Cave’s Red Hand Files is too good not to share. From: Nick Cave Date: October 22,Continue Reading
We all have our little habits – what’s yours?
I saw the cartoon, “Things Book Lovers Do”, on Facebook, reposted by a UK company called forReadingAddicts, and for onceContinue Reading
How writers and reviewers connect, and how to avoid a war of words
A recent comment from an author on one of my book reviews got me thinking. I was pleased at theContinue Reading
The problem with this year’s Booker Prize selection
The Booker Award was announced on October 14, 2019, and for the first time they had two winners: The Testaments, by MargaretContinue Reading
Afrikaans Art Art-themed Fiction Authors to watch Award-winning novel Current events Discussion of current events Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of writing style Review of literary fiction Review of modern fiction Trending
Amazing Interconnectedness – The Garden of Evening Mists, by Tan Twan Eng (now a major film)
Some books have exotic contexts – there is a story about the story, and it helps the promotion of theContinue Reading
Backstories Best of 2018 Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Review of science fiction Review of translated novel Science Fiction
An “Invention Story” about Futile Obsession – Ball Lightning, by Cixin Liu
LIU Cixin, or Cixin Liu as he is known in English, is the author of the famous Science Fiction trilogyContinue Reading
What is it about Rebusfontein and King Louis VIII?
On the subject of fictional worlds: I’d like to introduce you to “Rebusfontein”. Rebusfontein (pronounced rhéá-booz-fonteyn) is an Afrikaans name meaningContinue Reading
Discussion of author’s portfolio Humor Humour Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of novel
A lot of Dutch sarcasm – “Live and let live”, by Hendrik Groen
“Anonymous”, also known as “Hendrik Groen” (a pseudonym) is famous for his creation of a gang of crotchety old folksContinue Reading
Backstories Creative Process Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of film/TV series List of similar books
Fascinating Fictional Fiction – Off the page into your hands (Part 3)
In the last of this series of posts on Fictional Fiction, I look into those famous authors whose invented booksContinue Reading
crime fiction Discussion of writing style Mysteries and Thrillers Review of Mysteries and Thrillers Review of new book
Death, not golf, in an idyllic town – Blindshot by Denis Coupal
When I read Denis Coupal’s thriller Blindshot, my overall impression of it was of competence – he had done allContinue Reading
This Year’s Hugo Winners and a Curiosity Courtesy of William Shatner
On August 18, 2019, at Worldcon 77 in Dublin, Mary Robinette Kowal was awarded the Hugo Award for the BestContinue Reading
Fascinating Fictional Fiction – You’re pulling my leg! (Part 2)
In this series of posts, I’m looking into some examples of “fictional fiction”. I’ve already spoiled the fun about books in Dr.Continue Reading
Fascinating fictional fiction – You never know if it’s real
Books associated with characters in a book or a film sometimes look real and are actual published books. But sometimesContinue Reading
A case for the quiet voice – The writing of Nick Cave
In a world filled with loud, angry voices, there’s something to be said for the quiet, thoughtful voice. Nick Cave,Continue Reading
A Source for the Perfect Rhyme? Sorry, there’s no easy solution
Rhyming is devilishly difficult. It’s a serious head-scratcher, as people who write poems, lyrics and rap well know. If youContinue Reading
Authors to watch Constructed World Novel Discussion of writing style Fairytales Review of Fantasy Review of new book
A good bet for a Hugo Award – Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik
There are authors whose restraint, clear vision and graceful expression make their novels a quiet joy to read. I haveContinue Reading
If you want a second career as an author, the clock’s ticking…
In the past few years, I have met quite a few authors, including self-published ones, who began writing late inContinue Reading
Greg Hickey’s The Friar’s Lantern in 1 minute and a bit
When you have a mashup between a medieval-sounding title and a modern forensic mystery and a choice of choice ofContinue Reading
Author interview Creative Process Mysteries and Thrillers Review of Gamebook (CYOA) Review of Mysteries and Thrillers
It’s up to you who lives and dies – The Friar’s Lantern, by Greg Hickey
When embarking on Greg Hickey’s novel, The Friar’s Lantern, you would be forgiven for thinking you are about to startContinue Reading
A poem for Canada Day – “Home”
Today, July 1, is Canada Day. I am a Canadian, and this is what is means to me. Home byContinue Reading
The long, hard road to getting a book published – Josiah Bancroft responds to eager fans
Josiah Bancroft is one of those authors who has defined his creative process with care and can explain how heContinue Reading
Someone else calls it “indelibly awful” – The Mister, by E.L. James
It gives me great pleasure to re-post a review of E.L. James’ latest romance novel, The Mister, because I justContinue Reading
Read the books before you judge the films – GoT and Florence Foster Jenkins
Game of Thrones has now ended, and amid the uproar about the storyline and perceived-as-unsatisfactory conclusion of the final season, despairingContinue Reading
Picking up whispers of a murder – The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington
Forget for a moment that Leonora Carrington, who died in 2011 at the age of 94, was one of theContinue Reading
An Armload of Art-themed Novels
“Künstlerromane” are fictional depictions of the coming-of-age of artists or art prodigies – real or imagined, and their personal andContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction Best of 2018 Creative Process kunstlerromane Review of modern fiction Review of new novel Review of translated novel
An idea that asks to be murdered – Killing Commendatore, by Haruki Murakami
Killing Commendatore was published in Japanese with the title 騎士団長殺し (Kishidancho Goroshi) in 2017, and the English translation came outContinue Reading
Best of 2018 Cold Climate Novels for Summer Discussion of writing style Fairytales Review of literary fiction Review of previously published novel Review of translated novel
Luminous, mysterious and bothersome – The Taiga Syndrome, by Cristina Rivera Garza
What is the Taiga? And what is the “Taiga Syndrome”? The Taiga is a snowy, fir-forested region in the highContinue Reading
SEVEN CIRCUMSTANCES 