SEVEN CIRCUMSTANCES

Books Set in Warm PlacesSee all posts

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

Books for Summer Current events Discussion of writing style Published books Review of literary fiction

Suffering and sublime beauty – The Famished Road, by Ben Okri

Books for Summer Discussion of writing style ebook Review of historical fiction Review of new book Romances and Love Stories Video

A sexy idea that moves you – The Gods of Tango, by Carolina de Robertis

Books for Summer Review of classical fiction Review of historical fiction Review of novel

The Viceroy of Ouidah, by Bruce Chatwin

Books for Summer Review of new book Review of new novel

They don’t exist: The High Mountains of Portugal, by Yann Martel

Award-winning novel Books for Summer Discussion of current events Discussion of genre Discussion of writing style Review of modern fiction

Almost incomprehensible English – The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

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by M. Bijman March 29, 2019 0

Discussion of writing style Pastorale Review of modern fiction

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

by M. Bijman March 29, 2019 0

Discussion of author’s portfolio List of similar books List of top books

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

by M. Bijman March 24, 2019 0

Art Creative Process Current events Media and Technology Publishing technologies

I composed a bit like Bach! – 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

by M. Bijman March 23, 2019 0

Poetry

“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

by M. Bijman March 18, 2019 0

Review of literary fiction Video

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

by M. Bijman March 15, 2019 0

Discussion of writing style Review of literary fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new book

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

by M. Bijman March 10, 2019 0

Authors to watch Review of historical fiction Video

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

by M. Bijman March 7, 2019 0

Authors to watch Creative Process Discussion of writing style Review of Fantasy Review of new book

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

by M. Bijman February 22, 2019 0

Discussion of author’s portfolio Review of Fantasy Review of new book Review of Science Fiction and Fantasy

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

by M. Bijman February 15, 2019 0

Best of 2018 Discussion of writing style Review of modern fiction Review of new book Review of new novel

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

What is the song ‘Rings of Saturn’ about? I find myself in these lyrics. In Berlin I couldn’t stop crying when you performed it live. “Up and further up, up, up, up.” Is this song about evolving? I would love to know what you had in mind. August 20, 2019
View ArticleDear Lisa, There is great danger in asking a songwriter to explain their songs – or at least to make the assumption that their interpretation is in some way more valid or true than your own. This is simply not the case. I believe the fan often has a deeper understanding of a given song... The post What is the song ‘Rings of Saturn’ about? I find […]
molly

Good Omens (2019) August 9, 2019
“I didn't mean to fall. I just hung out with the wrong people.” — Crowley In the beginning was the word. But Aziraphale and Crowley were there, too. Soon there were also fruit-bearing trees and enormous stone cherubs, phone booths and spaceships, and people – so many people – all marching together on a bizarro pilgrimage toward their doom. This is the p […]
Nina Saxon: A Career Retrospective, Part 1 June 18, 2019
In 1996, critic Laurie Halpern Benenson, writing for the New York Times, called Nina Saxon “one of the most sought-after designers in the business” and it was true: some years, she could barely keep up with demand. Beginning in 1980 and working well into the 2010s, Saxon lent her titling talent to more than 200 films and TV series, working with directors inc […]

About M. Bijman and Seven Circumstances

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. (more…)