Book Reviews & Essays on Literature
Brian Bilston’s first anthology of poetry contains more than 200 poems, and despite some of them being only four linesContinue Reading
Brian Bilston’s saucy, witty and insightful poems on Twitter (@brian_bilston) have made him famous. In this podcast (recorded in 2016,Continue Reading
I watched the final episode of the second season of Cardinal, based on the books by Giles Blunt, on Feb. 8,Continue Reading
In Charles Bukowski’s famous novel, Hollywood, one of his many famous cult classics, his alter-ego “Henry Chinaski” describes actors asContinue Reading
“A thing of beauty is a joy for ever”, John Keats wrote in his poem “Endymion” in 1818 – aboutContinue 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 #3: Rhett & Link’s Book of Mythicality, by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal
I have been watching Rhett and Link, a.k.a Rhett McLaughlin and Link (Charles) Neal, on their YouTube channel, Good MythicalContinue Reading
One of my favourite marketing professionals, Seth Godin, wrote his 7,000th post on Nov. 14, 2017. That’s quite something. TheContinue Reading
Compact Crits #2: 57-second review of 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
Taking a lesson from one of my favourite bloggers, Seth Godin, I am from now on going to compact myContinue 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
Sometimes reading is work, and the more I read to review the rarer it is that I discover a bookContinue Reading
I did not think that I would get tired of reading the heavily stylized and very British English of StephenContinue Reading
Tom Hanks’s debut work of fiction, a collection of short stories, came out on October 17, 2017. It has beenContinue Reading
Readers who can manage Afrikaans will get a real kick out of reading Die Onaantasbares (“The Untouchables”) by South African authorContinue Reading
Prue Leith, as Anglophiles and food show fans would know, replaced Mary Berry as the co-judge with Paul Hollywood whenContinue Reading
In popular author Kathy Lette’s latest novel, Best Laid Plans, her writing style is a torrent of words, which you eventuallyContinue Reading
Izak du Plessis’s non-fiction dive into the fascinating if mortifying world of Afrikaans scoundrels, crooks and high rollers should alsoContinue Reading
There is a current trend for novels with long titles about eccentric old people: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed OutContinue Reading
With books, as with films, success depends a lot on the timing and the tie-ins. Whether it will resonate withContinue Reading
It has been said that the problem with poetry is that whatever poem you come up with, due to theContinue Reading
Julian Barnes October 8 at 7:03pm · Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, on Julian Barnes’s novel The Noise of TimeContinue Reading
Iceland is a rocky, harsh, windy island, packed with ravening tourists, but the scenery is spectacular. This book is theContinue Reading
I know a good thing when I read it! Yesterday, 5 Oct. 2017, the British author Kazuo Ishiguro was named thisContinue Reading
I went to Iceland in August 2017 in the company of a Geologist to see volcanoes and other spectacular geologicalContinue Reading
It says on the cover that The Family Fang is a comedy – but I did not find it funny.Continue Reading
Popular TV shows that are based on series of books are often favourite sources for “literary tourism”, but when fansContinue Reading
On principle, I never respond when authors write to me to either complain about or say thank you for myContinue Reading
Icelandic writer Sjón has spent the first half of this year in Lillehammer, Norway, where, on June 2, 2017, heContinue Reading
Update In June 2017 it was announced that the Italian production company Cattleya had picked up the rights for theContinue Reading
The title is a fair indication of what lurks inside the covers of this book. It has been compared toContinue Reading
At the 75th World Science Fiction Conference (Worldcon 75) held in August 2017 in Helsinki, Finland, the bag of goodiesContinue 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
AI, Artificial Intelligence, is the one element that many SF writers like to work into their stories, particularly robot-human interactions.Continue Reading
On day 2 of Worldcon 75 in Helsinki, I finally got to have a word with one of the “insider”Continue Reading
Day 2 of Worldcon 75 delivered an Academic Track session that was on par, at least in terms of content,Continue Reading
The first Academic Track session on the first day of Worldcon 75 (the 75th World Science Fiction Conference), on theContinue Reading
See me, hear me and walk with me – that’s what many websites try to achieve; in other words, connectContinue Reading
Douglas Coupland, the artist, is terribly famous, not only in Canada. He has won heaps of awards. When I wasContinue Reading
It has been said that many authors seem to be unable to grasp or describe how big outer space is.Continue Reading
Sci-Fi and Fantasy writers often present original concepts in their novels, but Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross not only inventedContinue Reading
You know the colour “octarine”? It’s the colour of magic, visible only to magicians and cats, a sparkly, glowing combinationContinue Reading
If I can use one term to describe All the Birds in the Sky it would be “uneven”: uneven inContinue Reading
The reboot of the TV series Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks: The Return premiered on the 21st of May, to a hugeContinue Reading
This novel is on the shortlist for the 2017 Hugo Awards which will be handed out at Worldcon 75 inContinue Reading
In the previous post I discussed Ūgh and Bõögâr, the creations of Berlin-based Icelandic artist Egill Sæbjörnsson. The two trolls areContinue Reading
Sometimes artists use themes or characters from Mythology, and currently, two artists have done this in Venice, Italy, in exhibitionsContinue Reading
It is very hard to make two different languages rhyme. This struck me again when I was researching the phoneticContinue Reading
Sometimes a novel just flummoxes me. I have tried my best to get to grips with “J” by Howard Jacobson, whichContinue Reading
Update: On Dec. 18, 2017, the New York Times reported that Sheila Nevins is exiting HBO after 38 years. TheContinue Reading
(Above: Spot the possum details on these re-imagined book covers. Graphics by M. Bijman) I wondered what would happen ifContinue Reading
Dum-dah-dah…Another one bites the dust…♬ (Sorry, Queen.) A few months ago I announced that my reviews will be published inContinue Reading
I imagine a woman must’ve sat Kevin Wilson down and explained to him in excruciating detail what pregnancy, childbirth, breast-feeding andContinue Reading
Sometimes you have to admit you don’t know enough to give an opinion. For Appetites – A Cookbook, I askedContinue Reading
I did not like Backman’s previous novel, A Man Called Ove, but was spurred on to buy book no.3, Britt-MarieContinue Reading
This is the first English translation, published in January 2017, of the famous Dutch novel. It is a novel about boredomContinue Reading
Ben H. Winters wrote the acclaimed, award-winning Science Fiction series, The Last Policeman. I called the hero of the series,Continue Reading
“Madam, I’m afraid he’s come down with a bad case of Trolls.” If you’ve never imagined that trolls are anContinue Reading
Here is the last part in a series of four posts on the subject of fan fiction versus copyright rules.Continue Reading
On the subject of fan fiction versus copyright rules, I am discussing examples of three cases of what seems toContinue Reading
To continue the discussion on fan fiction versus copyright, here follows the case of the two “Alephs”, one by Jorge Luis BorgesContinue Reading
The Era of the Reboot and Sequel Whenever an author adds a new book on to a successful novel orContinue Reading
Comic artist and illustrator Lucas Levitan’s particular talent is to superimpose his bulbous-nosed cartoon figures onto actual photos he has found, mostlyContinue Reading
This is a stylized, studied novel, about a stylish gentleman, written in elegant style. It has a fin-de-siècle feel to it,Continue Reading
This is the report of my year on GoodReads.com, where I repost short versions of my reviews. Goodreads still hasContinue Reading
Another year has passed on the Seven Circumstances book blog. Here are the site stats, courtesy of WordPress’s StatsMonkeys whoContinue Reading
This important novel about two families of brilliant musicians in China during the “Great Leap Forward” (1958 – 1961), the “Cultural Revolution” (1966 –Continue Reading
Some magazines don’t publish negative reviews because they want to review books that people will buy. The problem with that argument isContinue Reading
To give some background on this peculiar novella, The Last Days of New Paris, consider this: No dedicated Science FictionContinue Reading
Julian Barnes is a writer who does not waste words. While his subjects are often difficult and his novels contain references to specializedContinue Reading
As of this month, I’m going to be contributing book reviews to Fairlady magazine. For those who don’t know, it’s anContinue Reading
This novel, first published 1991, won Ben Okri the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. You might wonder what relevance aContinue Reading
The Heart Goes Last held no surprises for me. Dystopia set somewhere in the future? Check. All doomed to implode due toContinue Reading
Paul Auster has been one of my favourite authors for many years, but not one whose name would come directly toContinue Reading
This is the Information Age and the Social Age. Whether on a tablet, PC, ipad or smart phone, people wadeContinue 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
Let’s just get one thing out of the way: the title of the book and the setting: First, there areContinue Reading
Not worth the effort, frankly This is part two of the essay about “readability” that I published yesterday. This timeContinue Reading
Hard to read but worthwhile reading Some books are hard to read and hard to finish. It could be becauseContinue Reading
My piano It has been said about inherited upright pianos that they are “1200lb heirloom paperweights”, unless they are keptContinue 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
I have found that truly memorable books have something in common: they make you think. As Science Fiction author Neil Gaiman says of KazuoContinue Reading
Like it says on the title page, this novella is mystery fiction. I could not figure out, even though IContinue Reading
I read Jenny Lawson’s first autobiography Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, with a sense of having made a happy discovery,Continue Reading
Murder on an imaginary mountain I wondered, when I read this, how Cecilia Ekbäck came to know Blackåsen Mountain inContinue Reading
Today I added the 153rd author to my list of reviewed authors. Only a few stand out, and here is one:Continue Reading
Two days ago, 19 February 2016, both Umberto Eco and Harper Lee died. Both their names were probably in theContinue Reading
Laura Ingalls Wilder – Pioneer Girl, the Annotated Biography by Pamela Smith Hill, et al I grew up with the LauraContinue Reading
Welcome to Marwencol, by Mark Hogancamp and Chris Shellen Mark Hogancamp is a celebrity – and for good reason. Obscure peopleContinue Reading
For New Year 2016 I engaged my brain to delve into some interesting new non-fiction. These are not obvious choicesContinue Reading
As famous film director Werner Herzog explains in an interview with Stephen Sackur on the BBC’s HARDTalk program on 24thContinue Reading
The WordPress.com stats Helper Monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: A New York City subwayContinue Reading
This year I’ve read highly forgettable, beautifully written, distressing, hilarious and puzzling books. For me, S., by Doug Dorst and J.J.Continue 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
For the festive season reading list, I’d like to get back to books that can stand up to frequent re-readings.Continue Reading
Today, Remembrance Day, I am remembering – unwillingly – the wars of the country I was born in, South Africa. EuropeansContinue Reading
Let’s pretend this never happened by Jenny Lawson I laughed ’til I cried when I read this book. I reallyContinue Reading
Death is a difficult subject to write about, but particularly when it is not coincidental but core to a book’s theme orContinue Reading
The Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell (born February 3, 1948) died of cancer on 5 October 2015. His most famous creation wasContinue Reading
The fatal problem with poetry: poems Poetry is everywhere. Just when you think poetry is dead, there is rap. IContinue Reading
This novel cannot be discussed without reference to Lee’s first and famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. However, as Go SetContinue Reading
The lead character in Hausfrau, “Anna Benz”, must be one of the most disagreeable people I have had the misfortuneContinue Reading
Review of The Unfixed Stars, by Michael Byers And photos of Pluto this week Looking at the pictures of PlutoContinue Reading
A nocturne, as in the title of this novel, is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of,Continue Reading
Inspiration has to come from somewhere To make a short story long: Borrowing or infringing? In 1947, Malcolm Lowry’s novelContinue Reading
Recently, while PBS was airing the documentary The Dust Bowl by Ken Burns, I bought Mary Coin by Marisa Silver. IContinue Reading
The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook Considering the quality and quirkiness of books published by Quirk Books, I was expecting somethingContinue Reading
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
Terry Pratchett (Sir Terence David John Pratchett, OBE) died on 12 March 2015. Last week Thursday. He was only 66Continue Reading
In Peter Carey’s new novel, Amnesia, the subtext of press freedom is woven through a plot about hacking, love, eco-terrorism,Continue Reading
Three novels I recently read have a plot in common: an individual’s urge to ferret out the truth, come hellContinue Reading
Eowyn Ivey was raised in Alaska, was educated there, and lives there. Ivey was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize forContinue Reading
Goodreads, bless their little algorithmic socks, let me know this week that I’ve read 14 books this year. Yep, allContinue Reading
Even if you know nothing about Jane Austen, never read one of her novels, and never seen a movie adaptationContinue Reading
Remembrance of horrors past Here are two novels suitable for Halloween – the real Halloween: The Fat Years by Chan KoonchungContinue Reading
Death is a difficult subject to write about, but particularly when it is not coincidental but core to a book’s theme orContinue Reading
Despite being 676 pages of dense text accompanied by glowing reviews from major newspapers and magazines, this biographical novel aboutContinue Reading
Reading Chinese novels in English After many years of being tasked to read and review novels (translated into English) by Chinese authors, IContinue Reading
A Google Doodle for First Day of Autumn I love Autumn – it’s a beautiful season. Today is the firstContinue Reading
Swapping art forms is tricky I am acutely aware of the fact that having a talent or skill in one lineContinue Reading
Last year I wrote about why old books, long-playing records and other non-digital media are gaining value, and why some unlikelyContinue Reading
Larry McMurtry knows how to write, that’s for sure. His technique is perfectly suited to the settings of many ofContinue Reading
In books I and II of The Last Policeman series, by Ben H. Winters, we met the last policeman inContinue Reading
Books for Summer road trips This past month I travelled south into the USA, down through Washington State, into Oregon, turningContinue Reading
Here’s a prezi for you – “Prezi HOTSHOT”, by Hedwyg van Groenendaal Everyone who’s up-to-date with apps for business knows ofContinue Reading
Manly books about famous men In celebration of Father’s Day coming up, here are some books about men I admire thatContinue Reading
Since the Canadian sitcom series Corner Gas ended in 2009, people have been asking why it stopped and when itContinue Reading
Vicariously living the drug-addled, suicide-obsessed life of the delinquent first-person narrator, “Gabriel Brockwell”, in DBC Pierre’s Lights Out in Wonderland, wasContinue Reading
Update, Jan. 7, 2017 Corrected spelling of “[en] plein air”, French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ plɛn ɛːʁ], which is from the FrenchContinue Reading
In some countries, comedy is a serious business At the time that I relocated to Canada from South Africa, IContinue 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
The Last Policeman Series To my surprise, I liked both books in “The Last policeman” series rather a lot. IContinue Reading
It’s the 450th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare, who is traditionally believed to have been born today, 23Continue Reading
South African author, poet, lyricist and playwright Hennie Aucamp died on 20 March 2014, aged 80 years, from a heartContinue Reading
New spins on old fables The past few years have seen an increase in films and novels that rework andContinue Reading
“Ron Burgundy” is of course not the actual author of this book – it was penned by Will Ferrell andContinue Reading
(Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012) You have to be determined to finish Umbrella. It’s 379 pages of text with no line breaks.Continue Reading
TWO “DEAR LIFE” TITLES The other day, I was rereading one of my favourite short story compilations, My Uncle Silas,Continue Reading
Man Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood is famous, celebrated, much awarded, and justly so. One comes to expect that everythingContinue Reading
Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam Trilogy – coming up – will be the subject of the 100th book review I’ve written inContinue Reading
This is a New Weird novel/thriller/sociological discourse (?) about Linguistics in society, or to be more precise – Semiotics – andContinue Reading
(Penguin Group, 2013) Introduction Khaled Hosseini’s latest novel has made me cry and made me miss my family. I knew,Continue Reading
Day of the Oprichnik gave me nightmares – literally. The cover shows a bear, with a dagger and a watchContinue Reading
Marthe Bijman (left) reads for pleasure and in order to write reviews for this website, for certain publishers and, on special request for certain authors. To earn a living, she is a professional proposal writer and runs a communications and Geoscience consultancy called Red Pennant Communications. She likes Literary Fiction and Science Fiction, finds the translated work of Chinese and Scandinavian authors particularly interesting and is a fan of Star Trek and James Bond – but otherwise 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. (more…)
I have often pointed out in these posts, that I favour brevity and carefully chosen words over flowery writing. ItContinue Reading
