The Wars
We’ve settled into late spring, early summer without any of the in-between gradual changes. This is the kind of year that I think of as distinctly Canadian. This a review of Timothy Findley’s The Wars.
Jabberwocky
Jabberwocky is a little monster of a calico tabby. A very active cat, she is Hargrave’s little snicker-snack. She’s the third youngest kitten and has a very silky coat.
Hargrave adopted Jabberwocky from a shelter as a kitten. She was playful, adorable, and had big green eyes. She also didn’t sleep. After several 4AM wake-ups, Jabbers had to be trained to go to bed at a certain time. Even as an adult, she still goes to bed every night.
A valued member of the thieves guild, Jabberwocky will steal anything not nailed down. Her sister’s kibbles? Stolen. Pen on the table? Knocked off. Chair you wanted to sit in? Taken.
Despite being very hyper and never sleeping, Jabbers is also rather lazy. She loves to run after a toy as much as she loves to stuff herself and fall asleep on someone’s lap. It’s a contradiction she’ll never resolve.
Doctor Faustus
I’m going to admit it right off the bat, Doctor Faustus is not an easy read. For the first three hundred pages it is a difficult slog up an impossible mountain that one cannot see the peak of. This a review of Thomas Mann’s magnum opus.
The Plays of Eugene O’Neill
We live in a small theatre town and we’ve learned a new way of looking at the calendar year. But in this changing, uncertain, and often frightening time, the theatre has shut down and the town is quieter than I’ve ever seen it. This is a review of The Plays of Eugene O’Neill.
Star
I was in high school and The Ring was a horror movie like none that I had ever seen before. From that moment to this, I’ve actively studied literature and film from Japan – with a particular emphasis on horror or psychological thriller. This is a review of Yukio Mishima’s Star.
Three Short Novels
After three years I’ve learned that March can be a weird month in the snow belt. This is a review of three short novels from Turgenev.
Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship
One of the first things you should know about the wide world of antiquarian and rare books is that, though they may be used, they will not necessarily be cheap. This is a review of Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship.
Five Noir Novels of the 1940s & 1950s
I found noir as a genre relatively late. I’ve always been interested in true crime, but for some reason, my younger self just wasn’t drawn to the black and white grit of classic movies until it was included in our cable package. This is a review of five collected noir novels by David Goodis.
The Manuscript Found in Saragossa
There are some problems that only happen with antiquarian books. Namely, that sometimes you can collect a single work in bits and pieces. This is a review of Jan Potocki’s The Manuscript Found in Saragossa.
The Tin Drum
December was busy. Far, far busier than even the holiday season had a right to be and more disturbingly, there was the feeling of endings in the air. This is a review of Günter Grass’ The Tin Drum.