Literature Discussions and Book Reviews
Tension between Russia and Japan is increasing at the moment, because of the disputed nation status of the Kuril Islands,Continue Reading
Poetry within Fiction: sometimes, for the sake of fully portraying a character, a writer may invent the poetry, stories orContinue Reading
Because I absolutely loved Lampedusa, by Steven Price, I had to go back to the novel which caused all theContinue Reading
Wolf Hall is 672 pages long. It is 672 pages in which every single line and every single word haveContinue Reading
The latest novel by Isabel Allende is a family saga that depicts the modern history of Chile as well asContinue Reading
In the previous three posts, I looked deeper into the third and last part of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy.Continue Reading
In this post I continue to analyze the long and deeply nuanced historical novel, The Mirror and the Light. Previously,Continue Reading
Having read every single page in the 883-page long historical novel The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel, IContinue Reading
The Last Empress, by Anchee Min, is the second in a set of two novels about the Chinese Qing DynastyContinue Reading
A few months ago, I wrote a piece about three novels that have as their subjects the former President ofContinue Reading
Here’s a less than 2-minute review of Jon Gliddon’s latest novel, The Forbidden Zone. It was easy to add graphicsContinue Reading
For the first time in a very long while, I could feel tears coming to my eyes while I wasContinue Reading
Radio interview with Jon Gliddon about The Forbidden Zone Becca · Jon Gliddon Interview Review There’s a reason whyContinue Reading
If you look up Paraguay on a map, like I had to, you will see that it is a countryContinue Reading
The Welcome to Night Vale (WTNV) phenomenon is now so well known that the listeners to the podcast are actuallyContinue Reading
Do you where Lampedusa is? Or what it is? Steven Price’s historical novel, Lampedusa, is not actually about the islandContinue Reading
A reader should approach with caution any book that has won a whole bunch of awards. A reader should alsoContinue Reading
Some novels just cry out to be made into films. Undermajordomo Minor, by Patrick deWitt, is one of those. IContinue Reading
It seems to me that Hollywood film producers keep rehashing the same subjects and plots, which is why I rarelyContinue Reading
“Sjón, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Reader of Sjón. Her current mission: to explore strange new worlds, toContinue Reading
Sjón: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Reader of Sjón. Her current mission: to explore strange new worlds,Continue Reading
Sometimes, a line from a book or a film just sounds to good to resist. It sticks in your headContinue Reading
Compact Crits #5: 46-second review of 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
Compact Crits #4: 60-second review of Caroline, by Sarah Miller Here’s the long list of all the novels – apartContinue Reading
What is the appeal of the old-fashioned stiff upper lip? Of a person with backbone, inner strength, dogged determination? Caroline,Continue Reading
Compact Crits #2: 57-second review of Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders.
I wrote this review of Lincoln in the Bardo carefully, and I spent some time making sense of it, becauseContinue Reading
With books, as with films, success depends a lot on the timing and the tie-ins. Whether it will resonate withContinue Reading
I went to Iceland in August 2017 in the company of a Geologist to see volcanoes and other spectacular geologicalContinue Reading
The title is a fair indication of what lurks inside the covers of this book. It has been compared toContinue Reading
Sjón: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Reader of Sjón. Her current mission: to explore strange new worlds,Continue Reading
There is a lot of tango-ing in this novel, The Gods of Tango, as well as an eyebrow-raising amount ofContinue Reading
While I was reading The High Mountains of Portugal, which I reviewed in my previous post, I was also re-reading The Viceroy of OuidahContinue Reading
The Piano Maker could have been so much less, and in that way, been so much more. I thought that the author,Continue Reading
Murder on an imaginary mountain I wondered, when I read this, how Cecilia Ekbäck came to know Blackåsen Mountain inContinue Reading
For the last in my series of festive season books, the theme is romance and erotica, and I have someContinue Reading
In part 2 of good reads for the festive season, my choice is Island of Wings, by Karin Altenberg, which hasContinue Reading
A nocturne, as in the title of this novel, is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of,Continue Reading
Goodreads, bless their little algorithmic socks, let me know this week that I’ve read 14 books this year. Yep, allContinue Reading
Despite being 676 pages of dense text accompanied by glowing reviews from major newspapers and magazines, this biographical novel aboutContinue Reading
Grand old man of Canadian literature dies Just last week I gave my copy of Farley Mowat’s Eastern Passage to a friendContinue Reading
(Penguin Group, 2013) Introduction Khaled Hosseini’s latest novel has made me cry and made me miss my family. I knew,Continue Reading
SEVEN CIRCUMSTANCES