(from most recent)

• How to Read the Bible by Richard Holloway — I heard about this thanks to an Ideas program on CBC Radio (actually, the podcast). A short book with some very interesting thoughts on the Bible, some of which were new to me. Although he was the Bishop of Edinburgh, Holloway takes a fairly agnostic view, looking at the Bible as a literary text of great human and moral value, not adopting a “believer’s” point of view, or trying to convert. He focuses more on the moral truth of the stories presented therein than on the historical truth. To claim that the factual truth does not necessarily matter is surely a shocking viewpoint for many Christians, but it is a refreshing one. I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, but am glad to have discovered this book. (Nov. 28, 2007)
• The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx — some great writing in here. Funny, sad, perfectly paced. And fun to read about Newfoundland, which I visited a couple of years ago. This is a literary novel that reads like a bestseller. And that’s supposed to be a compliment. (-; (Nov. 11, 2007)
• (various plays) by William Shakespeare — I came across a book titled “Shakespeare Complete” (published 1927, and reeking of mould and mothballs) at a yard sale in Victora, so I picked it up for a loonie (not bad for the greatest English writer ever?). I (more or less at random) picked Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will to start with (Oct. 12, 2007). I plan to read a few more — perhaps not all his works! A smattering of reads and re-reads on my todo list: Othello, Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Love’s Labour’s Lost, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream… Guess I’ll be busy with this book for a while!
• Bliss & Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield — wow, I had no idea. I really enjoyed these (sometimes bleak) stories, they seem so “modern” in their language and style, not the way I’d have imagined stories written at the start of the last century would be! Mansfield was truly ahead of her time. Very glad I discovered this, in a little Victoria bookstore that was going out of business. (Oct. 5, 2007)
• Mr. Palomar by Italo Calvino — a great little book, kind of an intellectual version of Mr. Bean. Mr. Palomar has little “incidents” (buying cheese, looking at a topless woman on the beach, seeing Copito de Nieve at the Barcelona zoo) and he over-thinks them. A great book if you’re the right kind of person to appreciate it. That is, if you can find something familiar in his processing. (Sep. 15, 2007)
• On The Road by Jack Kerouac — another classic from my huge must-read list. I want to be “on the road” (to Spain) soon enough, so perhaps reading this will be a good vibe to help the visa-approval process. (Sep. 4, 2007)
• For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway — after “The General,” I found Hemingway’s strong prose refreshing and direct. Fantastic writing, a captivating and painful look at war…although I had to wonder at the apparent importance of “rope-soled shoes,” and expression that seems to recur many times. (-; Of course, I loved reading more about the Spanish Civil War and the absolute horrors on both sides, something which is universal in all wars. As Hemingway would say: I obscenity in the milk of your war. (Jul. 26, 2007)
• The General in His Labyrinth by Gabriel García Márquez (original Spanish title El general en su laberinto) — I’ve read his most famous books (”Cholera” and “Solitude”, for example), so it was time to try something a little less common. It follows the last months in the life of Simón Bolívar, the Liberator of much of South America from the Spanish. I have to admit it didn’t capture me in the same way those others did, though. (Jun. 15, 2007)
• Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Secret Past by Giles Tremlett — what’s up with all the non-fiction I’m reading these days? Anyhow, this is a fascinating book about Spain, from the POV of an outsider (British) who has lived in the country for twenty-odd years. He is critical (perhaps thoughtful would be more accurate), yet he also loves the country and its people (which is why he chooses to live there and raise his family there). Tremlett is a reporter for the Guardian, writing their special reports on Spain. I learned a great deal reading this book. The person who gave it to me (thanks!) was afraid it might scare me off Spain, but not at all…I feel a richer understanding. Also, this is one man’s view — I’m entitled to have a differing opinion at times! (May 11, 2007)
• What Is the What by Dave Eggers — was given this for Christmas (thanks, nice Scottish man!). Eggers’ latest is touted as an “autobiography” (let’s not split hairs, but I’d call it a biography) of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the “Lost Boys” in war-ravaged Sudan, who eventually makes it to the States. The choice of following Lolita with this book is not totally random… I think they may have something in common (we’ll see) — the notion of being pleasurable reading experiences, while at the same time treating very difficult and disturbing topics. It is a strange experience to delight in wonderful writing about terrible things, another of the gifts literature offers us. I noted a few of my comments on the book here. (Mar. 10, 2007)
• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov — I’ve wanted to read this classic for ages, but never found it at a good price in the used bookstores (yes, I know libraries exist). For Christmas I was given some online bookstore certificates (thanks!), so I finally went ahead and bought a new copy of this controversial (for some) and much-loved (for others) book. Amazing writing, and I loved all the wordplay. Disturbingly enjoyable — enjoyably disturbing — to find yourself so “in the head” of, and so empathizing so much with, someone doing things you find…just plain creepy. (Feb. 6, 2007)
• Relato de un náufrago by Gabriel García Márquez — based on some early journalistic work by Márquez, this serialization of a true survival-at-sea story was a short and relatively easy (and captivating) Spanish read. Reminded me of Life of Pi, Robinson Crusoe, and the film Cast Away…except this was a true story! Interestingly, the fallout from this book (not addressed in the book, as it was not anticipated by the shipwrecked guy or Márquez) essentially left Márquez in self-imposed exile from his homeland of Columbia. (Jan. 21, 2007)
• Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie — I’ve been a fan of Rushdie for a long time, so it was time to dive into this Booker-of-Bookers-winning tome and see what all the fuss was about. I know several people who consider this his best book. Well, I really loved it, couldn’t put it down. I got caught up in the story, the musical language, and enjoyed the playful back-and-forth with his “audience” (Padma). Besides, I learned a lot about Indian and Pakistani history (or did I really? — Can I trust Saleem Snotnose?). (Jan. 17, 2007)