-
Roger Ebert, book body parts, and art speak: Bookishness for Apr. 8, 2013
A speculatively ruptured transversal Your guide to International Art English. The Toronto Public Library and the Case of the Missing Money “In classic murder mysteries, the detective looks for motive, method and opportunity. Councillors have the opportunity and the method to cut back on the library but what could possibly be their motive?” Asking “Why does…
-
The philosophical thriller: A review of Simon Heath’s Doppelganger
Reviewed in this essay: Doppelganger, by Simon Heath. Self-published, 2012. Doppelganger will be of special interest to Toronto readers. Although our city is never expressly mentioned named as the setting, locals will recognize several distinctive details. Unmistakeable King Street office blocks, Rosedale doctor’s offices, packed Tim Horton’s and Timothy’s coffee shops, summertime escapes to the…
-
CanLit Canon Review #13: Farley Mowat’s People of the Deer
In an attempt to make himself a better Canadian, Craig MacBride is reading and reviewing the books that shaped this country. People of the Deer, Farley Mowat’s first book, was published in 1952. At the time, the story was already old, but the way in which Mowat told it was new. It’s the story of white…
-
Vendors in the hot sun: Selling books in Nairobi’s shadow economy
The lookout point in Nairobi’s smart Upperhill district provides an admirable city vista where glistening new buildings pop against faded infrastructure—all evidence of Kenya’s stuttering but undeniable emergence from poverty. But from the bustling boulevard where Joe carefully lays out his books every morning, the view is much different. As a second-hand book seller, he is a…
-
Sheet music, Sriracha, and the Harry Potter Alliance: Bookishness for Feb. 25, 2013
Pencils, penises, pigeons, goblins, Hitler, and tea cosies What will be the oddest book title of the year? An army of fans, activists, nerdfighters, teenagers, wizards and muggles: fighting with love “Did you ever wish Harry Potter was real? Well it kind of is.” Join the Harry Potter Alliance and fight for social justice. Soooooo…
-
Hatchet jobs, Toronto Talks, and authors becoming subjects: Bookishness for Feb. 19, 2013
The Subjects Take four artists, add four scientists, subtract a bunch of sleep = this. “The prize is a year’s supply of potted shrimp” 2013’s Hatchet Job of the Year awarded to Camilla Long for her review of Aftermath, by Rachel Cusk. “Ambitious participatory event” alert “On Wednesday, February 20, Authors at Harbourfront Centre will…
-
Canada Reads 2013: And the winner is…
It was the last day of Canada Reads 2013, the last chance for actor Jay Baruchel and comedian Trent McLellan to pitch their chosen books as the one all Canadians should have on their nightstands. And at 10:53 am, after a lively and sometimes venomous debate, the winner was declared: February, by Lisa Moore. “I…
-
Canada Reads 2013: Debate Day 3
And we’re down to the last pair! After the third day of Canada Reads 2013, only Two Solitudes and February remain in contention for the big prize. Indian Horse, an audience darling and the early favourite to win, was voted out today, leaving Jay Baruchel and Trent McLellan to duke it out tomorrow in this…
-
Canada Reads 2013: Debate Day 2
On Day 2 of the Canada Reads debates, Jane Urquart’s Away was banished to the dustbin of unsuccessful entrants, Indian Horse maintained its dominance in the public polls, and February began to look like the panelists’ favourite book. After a relatively staid first day of debates yesterday, the contest heated up today as panelists were…
-
Public books: What Torontonians are reading at the Gladstone Hotel
Welcome to the Gladstone Hotel, where you can check in when you arrive, but you don’t have to leave when you check out. With such a philosophy it’s no surprise that the Victorian-era, Richardsonian Romanesque railroad stopover turned premier Art Hotel manifests Toronto’s eclectic personage. What is surprising is the natural serendipity of this Parkdale…
-
Goldstein’s Novels of Ideas: Saul Bellow’s Herzog
This piece completes a series of reviews highlighting philosopher-novelist Rebecca Newberger Goldstein’s list of the best “novels of ideas”. Saul Bellow’s Herzog (1964) was ranked first on her list. Herzog is an excellent contender for the top position on a list of novels of ideas. It was instantly heralded as a literary “masterpiece” when it…
-
Reading for mental wealth: Second-hand books a source of business and pleasure in Nairobi streets
Three-year-old Maxwell Gitau has a lot to live up to. He is named for his father’s hero: John C. Maxwell the self-styled leadership guru and motivational speaker from Garden City, Michigan, whose books have sold over 19 million copies and hit the New York Times bestseller list. Maxwell’s father, David Gitau, makes his living selling…