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by MMB April 6, 2014

Current events Fairytales Humor Humour Review of modern fiction Review of new novel 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

by MMB March 14, 2014

Discussion of film/TV series Discussion of genre Humor Humour Review of new book

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

by MMB March 2, 2014

Review of new book Review of new novel Review of novel

Umbrella, by Will Self – Writing as avant-garde Jazz

(Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012) You have to be determined to finish Umbrella. It’s 379 pages of text with no line breaks.Continue Reading

by MMB March 1, 2014

Discussion of genre Review of classical novel Review of new book

There’s another “Dear Life” out there – Comparing H.E. Bates and Alice Munro

TWO “DEAR LIFE” TITLES The other day, I was rereading one of my favourite short story compilations, My Uncle Silas,Continue Reading

by MMB February 10, 2014

Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of genre Review of new book Review of science fiction

The Pigoons are going to get you – MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood

Man Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood is famous, celebrated, much awarded, and justly so. One comes to expect that everythingContinue Reading

by MMB February 7, 2014

Children’s Literature List of top books Poetry Published books Review of new book

100 Reviews and counting

Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam Trilogy  – coming up – will be the subject of the 100th book review I’ve written inContinue Reading

by MMB January 25, 2014

Discussion of genre Review of new book Review of new science fiction Review of science fiction

The astonishing politics of language – Embassytown, by China Miéville

This is a New Weird novel/thriller/sociological discourse (?) about Linguistics in society, or to be more precise – Semiotics – andContinue Reading

by MMB January 7, 2014

Review of historical fiction Review of new book Review of new novel

And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini

(Penguin Group, 2013) Introduction Khaled Hosseini’s latest novel has made me cry and made me miss my family. I knew,Continue Reading

by MMB January 4, 2014

Review of new book Review of science fiction

Day of the Oprichnik, by Vladimir Sorokin

Day of the Oprichnik gave me nightmares – literally. The cover shows a bear, with a dagger and a watchContinue Reading

by MMB December 29, 2013

Uncategorized

From book to blog – reversing the publishing process

Book to blog  – the Schreuder family history Anyone who has ever written a book and wanted to make itContinue Reading

by MMB December 20, 2013

Afrikaans Current events Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of genre Discussion of poetry

Best Wishes for the Season – In the words of Breyten Breytenbach

The best way to express my best wishes to my family, friends, followers and fellow book lovers for the newContinue Reading

by MMB December 9, 2013

Children’s Literature Discussion of genre Review of Children’s Literature Review of film

Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers’ Hard-Hearted Nanny, the topic of new film

Update on this post: Here is an excellent analysis in the New Yorker of P.L. Travers’ youth, development as anContinue Reading

by MMB December 1, 2013

Art Art-themed Fiction Award-winning novel Discussion of current events Modern fiction Review of modern fiction Review of new novel

The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt

Update The Goldfinch won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Amazon selected the novel as the 2013 Best Book ofContinue Reading

by MMB November 19, 2013

Afrikaans Current events Discussion of author’s portfolio

The Grass Was Singing – Goodbye Doris Lessing

Doris Lessing, the Zimbabwean-raised author who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007, died on 17 November 2013.  Luckily forContinue Reading

by MMB November 18, 2013

Discussion of genre Discussion of poetry Discussion of writing style Poetry Review of new book

William Shakespeare’s Star Wars –  Verily, A New Hope,  by Ian Doescher

Skip the poetry, go to the Full review A Review of This Fine Tale, in Blank Verse and A HeroicContinue Reading

by MMB October 31, 2013

Children’s Literature Current events Discussion of author’s portfolio Discussion of genre Review of new book Review of new novel Review of novel

Depicting the minutiae of life – Dear Life, by Alice Munro

 – (Penguin Books Canada, 2012) The significant moments in Alice Munro’s latest collection of short stories tend to creep upContinue Reading

by MMB October 27, 2013

Current events Discussion of author’s portfolio Review of previously published novel

Happy birthday Dylan Thomas, you lovely Welshman

Dylan Thomas would’ve been 99 today. Born 27 October 1914, he died 9 November 1953, only 39 years old, muchContinue Reading

by MMB October 17, 2013

Discussion of genre Review of modern fiction Review of new novel Romances and Love Stories

The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion

Overview I initially liked this novel, written from the point of view of a man who shows quite a fewContinue Reading

by MMB September 30, 2013

Review of new book Review of new non-fiction

Detroit – An American Autopsy, by Charlie LeDuff

An autopsy is an examination to find the cause of death.  From the title, you can assume the subject, Detroit,Continue Reading

by MMB September 30, 2013

Review of new book Review of new non-fiction

Enlightenment for biking newbies

Bike Snob  – Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling, by Bike Snob NYC (Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2010)Continue Reading