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
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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
Told you so! Brian Bilston’s Diary of a Somebody shortlisted for Costa First Novel Award
Brian Bilston 21 hours ago on Facebook: “I’m really pleased – and somewhat astonished – to announce that my new bookContinue 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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
“Don’t die, Dad – but they die.” Les Murray, The Bard of Bunyah, 17 October 1938 – 29 April 2019
The papers have been full with news of the death of Australia’s most world-famous poet, Les Murray. He died yesterdayContinue Reading
John Delacourt’s “Butterfly” in one-and-a-half minutes – Video-format review
Some novels really lend themselves to being discussed in visual terms – either their subject or setting is dramatic orContinue Reading
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A howl from the guts – White Out by Martine Delvaux
Before you read White Out it is best that you know that this book is written somewhat in the styleContinue Reading
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Two old people left behind, holding hands – The Fish Can Sing, by Halldór Laxness
A reader should approach with caution any book that has won a whole bunch of awards. A reader should alsoContinue Reading
So it won a Nobel – so what?
Every so often I discover a wonderful writer by some confluence of good fortune. In this case, I got myContinue Reading
Totally not Moomintrollish – The Summer Book, by Tove Jansson
I’m just such a sucker for a feel-good story and lovely gobs of happiness, which is why I so enjoyedContinue Reading
Does it work to pick from an author’s shortlist of favourites? – Sjón’s Top 10
Since I’m a devoted Sjón fan, I duly sat down and ordered the novels on this Top 10 list ofContinue Reading
I composed something! – Machine Learning and the joys of aspiring to great art
Computer-generated artistic text and images tend to resemble FrankenArt and FrankenFiction. Using machine learning, designers can build software programs thatContinue Reading
“When Facebook Went Down”, “The Germs of Love”, and other new silly rhymes
Here are four new rhymes; about the 13th of March when Facebook crashed, about someone who can’t sing, about catchingContinue Reading
How to squish Sjón’s 528-page “CoDex 1962” into 2.5 minutes
It took four posts to finish saying what I wanted to say about CoDex 1962, the strange but marvellous novelContinue Reading
Art Crimes and War Crimes – Butterfly, by John Delacourt
John Delacourt’s novel Butterfly is hard to read, not because of his writing style, but because of the subject matterContinue Reading
53-second take on Undermajordomo Minor, by Patrick deWitt
Some novels just cry out to be made into films. Undermajordomo Minor, by Patrick deWitt, is one of those. IContinue Reading
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Science Fiction versus HARD Science Fiction – The real science behind the Twelve Tomorrows Anthology
John Scalzi’s Science Fiction (SF) novel Head On was taken a step closer to being real when, in December 2018,Continue Reading
Into the mind of an author – Helena Gunter on what motivates her to write
In a previous post, I commented on Helena Gunter’s recently published anthology of short stories called Tweespoor (meaning “Double Track”).Continue Reading
What tickles your funny-bone? Rhett and Link caption The New Yorker’s cartoons
Here’s something entertaining: the appearance on The New Yorker magazine’s video channel of my favourite You-tubers, Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal,Continue Reading
Mannered throwaway lines and very bad people – Undermajordomo Minor, by Patrick deWitt
It seems to me that Hollywood film producers keep rehashing the same subjects and plots, which is why I rarelyContinue Reading
“The private, freaky sensuality of childhood” – “Tweespoor”(“Double Track”), by Helena Gunter
Helena Gunter’s skinny two-part work, with its dull brown cover featuring a faded-looking abstract drawing, looks harmless enough. What itContinue Reading
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your website grow? Part 2 – Quite well, actually!
The statistics for 2018 for the Seven Circumstances book blog illustrate some basics about the world of book writing, publishingContinue Reading
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your website grow? Growth factors in a book blog (part 1)
The statistics for 2018 for the Seven Circumstances book blog, released just before New Year, illustrate some basics about theContinue Reading
The Charm/Curse of Cliffhangers – The Hod King, by Josiah Bancroft
The Hod King, Bancroft’s third book in his Books of Babel tetralogy, is an exercise in exquisite torture through cliffhangers.Continue Reading
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The Hods are revolting – but we love them anyway – The Hod King, by Josiah Bancroft
Writer Nicholas Tucker said about Richard Adams’ 50-hankie-bunny-weepie, Watership Down, “Adams … has bravely and successfully resurrected the big picaresque adventureContinue Reading
Best of 2018 Discussion of writing style Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of new novel The Grim Reaper
Death Made Beautiful – Beirut Hellfire Society, by Rawi Hage
This is one those novels that will change the way you look at death and burial methods – and Beirut.Continue Reading
Mining Lullaby and Office Blues
I work for a firm of consulting engineers in the oil & gas and mining industries (my day job, whichContinue Reading
Julian Barnes on hard work, luck and serendipity in his writing career
Here is the fascinating first-hand exposé of how Julian Barnes wrote his first novel, Metroland, and got it published inContinue Reading
A Year in Books – Video of 2018 on Seven Circumstances
Readers who enjoy reading about the books they have read, and are searching for the next good book to read,Continue Reading
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Gentle Gallic Escapism – My Twenty-Five Years in Provence, by Peter Mayle
Recently my nose led me to a stall in down-town Vancouver where people were selling lavender products made in Provence,Continue Reading
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A codex of an Icelandic writer and his roots – CoDex, by Sjón (Part 4 – The nuclear fallout)
Part 4/4 of The Long Read review of Codex 1962, by Sjón (Back to part 3/4 of the review) TheContinue Reading
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A codex of an Icelandic writer and his roots – CoDex 1962, by Sjón (Part 3 – The clay child)
Back to part 2 of the review of Codex 1962, by Sjón The parts of the Trilogy The three partsContinue Reading
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A codex of an Icelandic writer and his roots – CoDex 1962, by Sjón (Part 2 – Turning people into zebras)
Part 2 of the review of CoDex 1962, by Sjón (Back to part 1) Antagonist/Protagonist Sjón comes close to directlyContinue Reading
Backstories Best of 2018 Discussion of writing style Literary analysis Review of literary fiction Review of new book
A codex of an Icelandic author and his roots – CoDex 1962 by Sjón (Part 1 – Roll-call of the dead)
CoDex 1962 is Icelandic author Sjón’s first new novel since Moonstone – The Boy Who Never Was, published in translation inContinue Reading
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Dismissive of mass market paperbacks? Think again.
This is the rack of “mass market” paperbacks that I see when I stand in the queue, every time IContinue Reading
The Genius of Genndy Tartakovsky – “Samurai Jack” returns one last time
I’m not an anime fan. I don’t do cosplay, and I generally like Hard Science Fiction more than novels aboutContinue Reading
This book needs no review – The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred-Year-old Man, by Jonas Jonasson
I have never written an easier review of a novel, than this one. Why? Because it does not need reviewingContinue Reading
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“Bond” is back, courtesy of Anthony Horowitz in “Trigger Mortis” and “Forever and a Day”
“Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” – “the more things change, the more they stay the same”, said by French critic Alphonse Karr,Continue Reading
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Homage to the Bard with Bloody-Handed Bastards and Gold Bars – Macbeth, by Jo Nesbo
Jo Nesbo is a masterful writer of crime fiction. In his particular niche, he is superb. That said, it probablyContinue Reading
One-minute video review – The Only Story by Julian Barnes
The novel is downbeat and intense, but demonstrates that what matters is love, what keeps people going is love, andContinue Reading
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Want some Whuffie for that? Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom – The reprint edition
Cory Doctorow writes about the future as if it were today, as if it were about him and his buddies,Continue Reading
Indie author causes uproar in the French publishing industry – shrugs it off as a matter of survival
I rarely repost news articles in their entirety but this one is a real eyebrow-raiser: – an independent author’s novel,Continue Reading
The Creative Process & Publishing III – Meet the “Four Brothers Buksalesnikov”
In previous posts on this subject, I focused on finding a publisher, finding an agent and finding your voice asContinue Reading
Detective fiction detective novel Discussion of writing style Review of new book Review of science fiction
Not exactly lightheaded – Head On by John Scalzi
The last novel by John Scalzi I read, before this one, was Agent To the Stars (Tor Books, 2008), andContinue Reading
So many superlatives to fit in – Calypso by David Sedaris (a video critique)
The more I think about David Sedaris’ writing, the more I realize I’ve been missing out on a good thingContinue Reading
The Creative Process & Publishing II – Literary Agents
Step 2: Find a literary agent In my previous post, I went into why and how writers connect with publishersContinue Reading
The Creative Process & Publishing I – How to get published
There are thousands of aspiring authors, thousands of unpublished books, and millions of readers who have not connected with particularContinue Reading
Backstories Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Mysteries and Thrillers Review of modern fiction Review of Mysteries and Thrillers Review of new book
A precisely-crafted Alternative History – Break in Communication, by Jon Gliddon
What is the connection between Mining Engineering and writing fiction? None. In fact, the minds of Mining Engineers often workContinue Reading
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Are you pondering what I’m pondering? – The lost, Icelandic version of “Dracula”
This is the Icelandic version of Bram Stoker’s famous Victorian Gothic novel, Dracula. Powers of Darkness, called Makt Myrkranna, “the powerContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Review of literary fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of new novel romance Romances and Love Stories
It’s not about mixed doubles at all – The Only Story, by Julian Barnes
Julian Barnes’ latest novel is called The Only Story and, despite the subject (the “scandalous” love affair between a manContinue Reading
Today’s Loose Rhymes – emails and airplanes
I’ve been putting my poems on my poem-page on this website, mostly for my own amusement. I’ve noticed that justContinue Reading
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The scripts work – does the novel? Night Vale – A Novel, by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor
Can the same subjects, settings and characters be successfully used in a podcast, and in published script format, and in aContinue Reading
Why would you feed human offcuts to that turtle? Calypso, by David Sedaris
I did not, until now, understand why David Sedaris is regarded as one of the best essayist and satirists writingContinue Reading
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It’s 4 not 3! – Arm of the Sphinx, by Josiah Bancroft
Compact Crit. #12 – The Books of Babel, by Josiah Bancroft (In particular: Arm of the Sphinx) I am publishingContinue Reading
Ten reasons why people don’t finish reading novels
Readers who are unable to finish reading a novel know that bothersome feeling – when you imagine that an inanimateContinue Reading
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A novel about a poet that’s filled with delightful poetry – Diary of a Somebody, by Brian Bilston
Comment from Brian Bilston: Brian Bilston “What a lovely review. Thank you so much. I’m delighted you enjoyed it – andContinue Reading
Best of 2018 Constructed World Novel Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Review of new book Review of new science fiction Review of science fiction
High calibre writing – Arm of the Sphinx, by Josiah Bancroft
Some writers write so clearly, elegantly and expressively that reading their words is like drinking a glass of the bestContinue Reading
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If it’s cute, tentacled and ravenous, don’t bring it home – Borne, by Jeff Vandermeer
“Borne” is the past participle of the verb “[to] bear”, which means to carry or transport, as in a weight orContinue Reading
New video-format review: On the Bright Side – The New Diary of Hendrik Groen
Compact Crit. #10 – On the Bright Side – The New Diary of Hendrik Groen (a.k.a. Zolang Er Leven IsContinue Reading
Discussion of writing style Non-fiction Pastoral Literature Review of new book Review of new non-fiction Subjective non-fiction
A different kind of oasis – Paradise Gardens, by Monty Don and Derry Moore
I have long been an admirer of Monty Don, the horticulturist and garden expert. I love watching him on hisContinue Reading
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The mystery of the misquoted quote from “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”
Sometimes, a line from a book or a film just sounds to good to resist. It sticks in your headContinue Reading
Books for Summer Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of new novel
A long trip without a decent map – A Long Way From Home, by Peter Carey
Despite two trips to Australia, I have failed to figure out the archetypal Australian or the layout of the country.Continue Reading
Anthony Bourdain is dead – No more “food-poetry”
Anthony Bourdain is dead – he killed himself. His body was found in Kaysersberg-Vignoble, France, on Friday, June 8, 2018. HeContinue Reading
Authors to watch Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of writing style Mysteries and Thrillers Review of Mysteries and Thrillers Review of new book Review of Thriller
Give me Stockholm or give me death – Midnight Sun, by Jo Nesbo
Jo Nesbo’s famous “Harry Hole” detective novels, and his other works for adults, bear the marks of contemporary Scandinavian NoirContinue Reading
75-seconds video review – More about the future of pleasure model robots
Compact Crit. #11 – The Pleasure Model Repairman, by Ruuf Wangersen It was great fun to read Ruuf Wangersen’s debut Sci-FiContinue Reading
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Romantic novels to put you in the mood for love
It’s Spring, love is in the air and it’s wedding season, so now is the time to revisit some excellentContinue Reading
Into the mind of an author: Ruuf Wangersen (author of The Pleasure Model Repairman)
Ruuf Wangersen’s debut novel is The Pleasure Model Repairman, reviewed here. I was fascinated by this new author and theContinue Reading
Best of 2018 Constructed World Novel Current events Discussion of writing style Review of new book Review of science fiction
The fatal thrills of zero inhibitions – The Pleasure Model Repairman, by Ruuf Wangersen
Any novel that has the words “pleasure model” in the title could be automatically relegated to the category of “chickContinue Reading
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Freaky bedtime stories from “Night Vale”, the town where nothing is normal
“Welcome to Night Vale” it says on the cover. Inside, there are stories about the town of “Night Vale”, somewhereContinue Reading
The one, the only, the greatest – Literary one-hit wonders video
Like in music, one-hit wonders are a never-ending source of fascination for people. Depending on how you define a “one-hitContinue Reading
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Hendrik Groen stubbornly clings to life – On the Bright Side, by Anonymous (Hendrik Groen)
The mystery over who “Hendrik Groen” is, continues. Groen is the pseudonym of a Dutch author who has produced twoContinue Reading
The Creative Process: What makes a literary one-hit wonder?
There is a lot more to the phenomenon of literary one-hit wonders than you’d think. There are many reasons forContinue Reading
New video-format review – The Memory Palace, by Edward Hollis
Compact Crit. #9 – The Memory Palace, by Edward Hollis Since Edward Hollis’ book, The Memory Palace, is mostly aboutContinue Reading
This is why we love our “stuff” – The Memory Palace, by Edward Hollis
When I studied Interior Decorating years ago, I didn’t have the foggiest idea about the real significance of interiors. YouContinue Reading
Review in a compact video – Bloom County, by Berke Breathed
In my review of the return of the Bloom County comic strip, I had in my mind only the drawnContinue Reading
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Oh dear, Mary Poppins Returns – here comes the spoonful of saccharine
The teaser trailer for the new film based on the Mary Poppins books by P.L. Travers was released to coincideContinue Reading
An amazing one-hit-wonder – Lives of the Monster Dogs, by Kirsten Bakis
Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr’s famous epigram reads; “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” – “the more it changes, the more it’s the sameContinue Reading
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The perks and perils of reanimating oldies but goodies – Bloom County, by Berke Breathed
After a 25-year absence, comic book artist Berkeley (“Berke”) Breathed restarted his famous and much-loved comic strip, Bloom County on Facebook,Continue Reading
5 The Creative Process – Conclusions
In the previous four posts on this subject, I looked into the link between addiction and mental problems of writersContinue Reading
4 The Creative Process – Performance enhancement for writers
In the previous article, I discussed the link between psychopathology and creativity. So here is a shortlist of authors whose bodyContinue Reading
54-second review of Insomniac City, by Bill Hayes
Compact Crits #7: 54-second review of Insomniac City, by Bill Hayes Read the whole story here. Make no mistake, thisContinue Reading
To read if you’re bone-tired, lonely or blue – Insomniac City, by Bill Hayes
Insomniac City made me cry – but in a nice way. I am an incurable romantic and Hayes’s revealing memoirContinue Reading
3 The Creative Process – The redemptive power of fiction
In the previous article, part 2 of the Long Read about the creative process, I looked at the link betweenContinue Reading
46-second review of The Last Kind Words Saloon
Compact Crits #5: 46-second review of The Last Kind Words Saloon, by Larry McMurtry
The Fine Art of Economical Prose – The Last Kind Words Saloon, by Larry McMurtry
The title is probably one of the longest phrases in the novel, which is a mere 191 pages, including illustrationsContinue Reading
Review in a 48-second video – You Took the Last Bus Home, by Brian Bilston
Compact Crits #6: 48-second review of You Took the Last Bus Home, by Brian Bilston (poetry) Here’s the full reviewContinue Reading
2 The Creative Process – Unreliable authors and narrators
Does an unreliable narrator mean the author is also unreliable? In the previous article, about “mad, bad and dangerous toContinue Reading
Authors to watch Backstories Discussion of poetry Discussion of writing style Poetry Publishing technologies Review of poetry collection Web series and vlogs
Manipulating words like Legos – You Took the Last Bus Home, by Brian Bilston
Brian Bilston’s first anthology of poetry contains more than 200 poems, and despite some of them being only four linesContinue Reading
The funny, thoughtful poems of Brian Bilston, the Twitter poet
Brian Bilston’s saucy, witty and insightful poems on Twitter (@brian_bilston) have made him famous. In this podcast (recorded in 2016,Continue Reading
Backstories Cold Climate Novels for Summer Current events Detective fiction detective novel Discussion of film/TV series Mysteries and Thrillers Review of Mysteries and Thrillers Trending
Classic crime fiction with a Canadian twist – The John Cardinal Series, by Giles Blunt
I watched the final episode of the second season of Cardinal, based on the books by Giles Blunt, on Feb. 8,Continue Reading
1 The Creative Process – Mad, bad and dangerous to know
In Charles Bukowski’s famous novel, Hollywood, one of his many famous cult classics, his alter-ego “Henry Chinaski” describes actors asContinue Reading
Share the stunning view of the Starman – and DON’T PANIC
“A thing of beauty is a joy for ever”, John Keats wrote in his poem “Endymion” in 1818 – aboutContinue Reading
Review in a 60-second video – Caroline, by Sarah Miller
Compact Crits #4: 60-second review of Caroline, by Sarah Miller Here’s the long list of all the novels – apartContinue Reading
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A portrait of stoicism and fortitude – Caroline, by Sarah Miller
What is the appeal of the old-fashioned stiff upper lip? Of a person with backbone, inner strength, dogged determination? Caroline,Continue Reading
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Review in 50-second video – Rhett & Link’s Book of Mythicality
Compact Crits #3: Rhett & Link’s Book of Mythicality, by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal
Current events Discussion of current events Humor Humour Publishing technologies Review of new book Review of new non-fiction Subjective non-fiction Trending Web series and vlogs
Will it…Print? – Rhett & Link’s Book of Mythicality
I have been watching Rhett and Link, a.k.a Rhett McLaughlin and Link (Charles) Neal, on their YouTube channel, Good MythicalContinue Reading
What does it take to create something new every day?
One of my favourite marketing professionals, Seth Godin, wrote his 7,000th post on Nov. 14, 2017. That’s quite something. TheContinue Reading
Review in a 57-second video – Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders
Compact Crits #2: 57-second review of Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders.
Authors to watch Award-winning novel Best of 2018 Constructed World Novel Discussion of writing style Review of Biographical Fiction Review of historical fiction Review of new book
A Triumph of Imagination – Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders
This is one review I composed carefully, as the novel is in a format I have never seen before, inContinue Reading
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Review in a 47-second video – The Thirst, by Jo Nesbo
Taking a lesson from one of my favourite bloggers, Seth Godin, I am from now on going to compact myContinue Reading
Best of 2018 Detective fiction detective novel Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of writing style Mysteries and Thrillers Review of Mysteries and Thrillers Review of new book Trending
It’s all about the blood…and how it drips! – The Thirst, by Jo Nesbo
The film adaptation of The Snowman by Jo Nesbø (Nesbo outside Norway) came out last year October. Directed by TomasContinue Reading
The Year in Books – Fancy yourself in a crowd?
Book blogs and book review aggregators exist because people like being part of a community that shares their interests. ThisContinue Reading
Required Reading – The Emperor of All Maladies, by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Sometimes reading is work, and the more I read to review the rarer it is that I discover a bookContinue Reading
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Just way too wordy – The Hippopotamus, by Stephen Fry
I did not think that I would get tired of reading the heavily stylized and very British English of StephenContinue Reading
Backstories Current events Discussion of current events Discussion of writing style Review of new book Reviews of short stories Trending
Debut fiction from Tom Hanks – “Uncommon Type” – is a labour of love
Tom Hanks’s debut work of fiction, a collection of short stories, came out on October 17, 2017. It has beenContinue Reading
Afrikaans Discussion of writing style Mysteries and Thrillers Review of Mysteries and Thrillers Review of new book
Taut, tense, snappy and shocking – Die Onaantasbares (The Untouchables) by Steve Hofmeyr
Readers who can manage Afrikaans will get a real kick out of reading Die Onaantasbares (“The Untouchables”) by South African authorContinue Reading
Backstories Current events Discussion of current events Modern fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book
The food is better than the family saga – The Prodigal Daughter, by Prue Leith
Prue Leith, as Anglophiles and food show fans would know, replaced Mary Berry as the co-judge with Paul Hollywood whenContinue Reading
Current events Discussion of current events Discussion of writing style Humor Humour Review of modern fiction Review of new book
Making Light of Autism and Lust – Best-laid Plans, by Kathy Lette
In popular author Kathy Lette’s latest novel, Best Laid Plans, her writing style is a torrent of words, which you eventuallyContinue Reading
Scoundrels, crooks and high rollers – “Boereverneukers”, by Izak du Plessis
Izak du Plessis’s non-fiction dive into the fascinating if mortifying world of Afrikaans scoundrels, crooks and high rollers should alsoContinue Reading
Backstories Current events Discussion of current events Discussion of writing style Humor Humour Modern fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Trending
This is what being old is really like – The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, by…?
There is a current trend for novels with long titles about eccentric old people: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed OutContinue Reading
Art Backstories Current events Discussion of current events Discussion of film/TV series List of similar books Review of historical fiction
It’s all in the timing – Film of Tulip Fever and exhibition of Vermeer’s paintings
With books, as with films, success depends a lot on the timing and the tie-ins. Whether it will resonate withContinue Reading
Backstories Detective fiction detective novel Discussion of poetry Discussion of writing style Mysteries and Thrillers Review of Mysteries and Thrillers
Lovely verses and violent deaths – Shanghai Redemption, by Qiu Xiaolong
It has been said that the problem with poetry is that whatever poem you come up with, due to theContinue Reading
Angela Merkel’s take on Julian Barnes’s novel about Shostakovich, The Noise of Time
Julian Barnes October 8 at 7:03pm · Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, on Julian Barnes’s novel The Noise of TimeContinue Reading
New photo book: A Thousand-Year Silence – Iceland, 2017
Iceland is a rocky, harsh, windy island, packed with ravening tourists, but the scenery is spectacular. This book is theContinue Reading
Author of The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguro, awarded Nobel Prize for Literature
I know a good thing when I read it! Yesterday, 5 Oct. 2017, the British author Kazuo Ishiguro was named thisContinue Reading
Authors to watch Discussion of writing style Review of historical fiction Review of novel Review of previously published novel
Wrathful Icelandic sheep – From the Mouth of the Whale, by Sjón
I went to Iceland in August 2017 in the company of a Geologist to see volcanoes and other spectacular geologicalContinue Reading
Art-themed Fiction kunstlerromane Review of new book Review of new novel Review of novel Unlikeable Protagonists
It’s a family thing – but is it art? The Family Fang, by Kevin Wilson
It says on the cover that The Family Fang is a comedy – but I did not find it funny.Continue Reading
Backstories Detective fiction detective novel Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of writing style Literary analysis Mysteries and Thrillers
In the footsteps of fictional detectives – The rise of literary tourism
Popular TV shows that are based on series of books are often favourite sources for “literary tourism”, but when fansContinue Reading
Backstories Discussion of writing style Literary analysis Review of literary fiction Review of memoir
It’s no use getting mad – The pact between reader and writer
On principle, I never respond when authors write to me to either complain about or say thank you for myContinue Reading
Pulping Your PC or Publishing Posthumously – Future Options for Authors
Icelandic writer Sjón has spent the first half of this year in Lillehammer, Norway, where, on June 2, 2017, heContinue Reading
Cold Climate Novels for Summer Detective fiction detective novel Discussion of writing style Modern fiction Mysteries and Thrillers Review of modern fiction Review of Thriller
Straight to the jugular – Blood on Snow, by Jo Nesbo
Update In June 2017 it was announced that the Italian production company Cattleya had picked up the rights for theContinue Reading
Ooh, what a horrible man – The Book of Human Skin, by Michelle Lovric
The title is a fair indication of what lurks inside the covers of this book. It has been compared toContinue Reading
Current events Discussion of current events Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Review of new book Review of science fiction Reviews of short stories
Reality from a different perspective – Giants at the End of the World, Finnish Weird anthology
At the 75th World Science Fiction Conference (Worldcon 75) held in August 2017 in Helsinki, Finland, the bag of goodiesContinue Reading
Marthe Bijman (left) reads for pleasure and in order to produce reviews for this website, and certain publishers. She likes Literary Fiction and Science Fiction and finds the translated work of Chinese and Scandinavian authors particularly interesting. She is a fan of Star Trek and James Bond – but her taste in literature is eclectic. She lives on the outskirts of Vancouver, Canada, and works on a big old iMac and various other PCs and Apple gadgets. 
