Book Reviews & Essays on Literature
Humour and comedy, these days, are minefields – full of potential explosions of public vitriol and outrage. One minute aContinue Reading
After my wee bit of silliness last week, here is my actual review of Once Upon a Time in HollywoodContinue Reading
A review to suit a modern fairytale Once upon a time… Once upon a time, in a big, shiny cityContinue Reading
Uncomfortable truths aplenty come to mind when you read and absorb J.M. Coetzee’s famous dystopian narrative, Waiting for the Barbarians.Continue Reading
The plot, settings and characters of Star trek Picard – The Last Best Hope, were predetermined, and only needed toContinue Reading
In my review of Richard Morgan’s Altered Carbon, I wrote that season 1 of the TV version of the bookContinue Reading
The concept on which Altered Carbon is based is ingenious – it was futuristic and fantastical when Richard Morgan wrote theContinue Reading
Which Sci-Fi devotee is not looking forward to the debut of Star Trek: Picard? (Roll on, January 23, 2020!) IContinue Reading
Some books have exotic contexts – there is a story about the story, and it helps the promotion of theContinue Reading
In the last of this series of posts on Fictional Fiction, I look into those famous authors whose invented booksContinue Reading
Game of Thrones has now ended, and amid the uproar about the storyline and perceived-as-unsatisfactory conclusion of the final season, despairingContinue Reading
I’m not an anime fan. I don’t do cosplay, and I generally like Hard Science Fiction more than novels aboutContinue Reading
Sometimes, a line from a book or a film just sounds to good to resist. It sticks in your headContinue Reading
In my review of the return of the Bloom County comic strip, I had in my mind only the drawnContinue Reading
The teaser trailer for the new film based on the Mary Poppins books by P.L. Travers was released to coincideContinue Reading
I watched the final episode of the second season of Cardinal, based on the books by Giles Blunt, on Feb. 8,Continue Reading
What is the appeal of the old-fashioned stiff upper lip? Of a person with backbone, inner strength, dogged determination? Caroline,Continue Reading
The film adaptation of The Snowman by Jo Nesbø (Nesbo outside Norway) came out last year October. Directed by TomasContinue Reading
Book blogs and book review aggregators exist because people like being part of a community that shares their interests. ThisContinue Reading
I did not think that I would get tired of reading the heavily stylized and very British English of StephenContinue Reading
With books, as with films, success depends a lot on the timing and the tie-ins. Whether it will resonate withContinue Reading
Popular TV shows that are based on series of books are often favourite sources for “literary tourism”, but when fansContinue Reading
I think people fall into three categories: 1) those who read the book first, then go see the film ofContinue Reading
You could be tempted to dismiss Roger Moore’s autobiography, My Word Is My Bond, as a bit of a joke,Continue Reading
The first Academic Track session on the first day of Worldcon 75 (the 75th World Science Fiction Conference), on theContinue Reading
The reboot of the TV series Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks: The Return premiered on the 21st of May, to a hugeContinue Reading
For New Year 2016 I engaged my brain to delve into some interesting new non-fiction. These are not obvious choicesContinue Reading
For the last in my series of festive season books, the theme is romance and erotica, and I have someContinue Reading
Since the Canadian sitcom series Corner Gas ended in 2009, people have been asking why it stopped and when itContinue Reading
In some countries, comedy is a serious business At the time that I relocated to Canada from South Africa, IContinue Reading
“Ron Burgundy” is of course not the actual author of this book – it was penned by Will Ferrell andContinue Reading
SEVEN CIRCUMSTANCES