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
Category: Humor
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
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
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
author Current events Discussion of writing style Humor Humour Modern fiction psychology Review of modern fiction Review of new book
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Backstories Discussion of writing style Humor Humour Pastoral Literature Review of memoir Review of new book
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
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
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
Authors to watch Discussion of lyrics Discussion of poetry Discussion of writing style Humor Humour kunstlerromane Poetry Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of new novel Review of poetry collection
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
Authors to watch Backstories Current events Discussion of writing style Humor Humour Modern fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book Trending
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
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
Backstories Comic books Current events Humor Humour Reviews of graphic novels and comic strips Trending
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
Discussion of current events Humor Humour Review of new book Review of new non-fiction Subjective non-fiction Video Web series and vlogs
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
Backstories Current events Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of writing style Humor Humour Modern fiction Review of modern fiction
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
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
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
Current events Discussion of current events Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of writing style Humor Humour Reviews of Screenplays and Dramas
When the film is better than the book – A Man Called Ove
I think people fall into three categories: 1) those who read the book first, then go see the film ofContinue Reading
Furiously Happy, by Jenny Lawson
I read Jenny Lawson’s first autobiography Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, with a sense of having made a happy discovery,Continue Reading
Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of writing style Humor Humour Non-fiction Review of memoir The Grim Reaper
Forensic analysis of death – Nothing to Be Frightened Of, by Julian Barnes
Death is a difficult subject to write about, but particularly when it is not coincidental but core to a book’s theme orContinue Reading
Discussion of author’s portfolio Humor Humour Review of previously published novel Review of science fiction
Where did that quote come from? – Making Money & Unseen Academicals, by Terry Pratchett
After Terry Pratchett’s death (my previous post), his daughter Rhianna tweeted from her father’s Twitter account: “AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUSTContinue Reading
“Corner Gas” – The Comedy of Brent Butt and the Canadian Psyche
At the time that I relocated to Canada from South Africa, I thought that the situation down in Southern AfricaContinue Reading
Horrid but funny – Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, by David Sedaris
Fables with Fangs Obviously fitting into the genre of Folklore, this collection of cautionary tales, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modern Bestiary,Continue Reading
A querulous knight on a quest – The 100-Year-Old Man…, by Jonas Jonasson
This book’s wordy title, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared (“The 100-Year-old-Man” for short) is partContinue Reading
Backstories Current events Discussion of genre Fairytales Humor Humour Review of modern fiction Review of novel
Easily digestible lessons for modern life – The 100-Year-Old Man and Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk
New spins on old fables The past few years have seen an increase in films and novels that rework andContinue Reading
Milking a franchise – Let Me Off at the Top! by Ron Burgundy
“Ron Burgundy” is of course not the actual author of this book – it was penned by Will Ferrell andContinue Reading
SEVEN CIRCUMSTANCES 