Do I need to intro this post with an exposition on just how strange this year has been? Although 2020 has brought an array of very personal challenges our way, 2020 has, for many of us, been the first time that we've experienced a truly global event. In that sense, it's needless to put words … Continue reading My Favourite Reads of 2020
"Angel's Laundromat is in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fourth Street. Shabby shops and junkyards, secondhand stores with army cots, boxes of one-socks, 1940 edition of Good Hygiene. Grain stores and motels for lovers and old women with hennaed hair who do their laundry at Angel's. Teenage Chicana brides go to Angel's. Towels, pink shortie nighties, bikini underpants … Continue reading Review: A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
"The child is dead. There is nothing left to know. I hear there is a queen in the south who kills men who bring her bad news. So when I give word of the boy's death, do I write my own death with it? Truth eats lies just as the crocodile eats the moon, and … Continue reading Review: Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Whether you face Feb 14th with feelings of horror, boredom, or excitement, Valentine's Day is one of those events that cannot be avoided. As soon as the Christmas lights are taken down, we're confronted with visions of stocky cherubs and uncomfortably artificial advertisements at almost every turn of the head. Since meeting my husband, I've … Continue reading 10 Unconventional Reads To Enjoy This Valentine’s Day (Whatever Your Relationship Status)
"Oh, how different the world did look from that height. Imagine it: my whole life I had lived on that brutish island and never had I seen its edges, never had I seen the ocean in its vastness, the white breakers rolling in upon the beaches. Never had I seen the roads, with their tiny … Continue reading Review: Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
"An occasional student who comes upon the name may wonder idly who William Stoner was, but he seldom pursues his curiosity beyond a casual question. Stoner's colleagues, who held him in no particular esteem when he was alive, speak of him rarely now; to the older ones, his name is a reminder of the end … Continue reading Review: Stoner by John Williams
"The Greeks had a word, xenia - guest friendship - a command to take care of traveling strangers, to open your door to whoever is out there, because anyone passing by, far from home, might be God. Ovid tells the story of two immortals who came to Earth in disguise to cleanse the sickened world. … Continue reading Review: The Overstory by Richard Powers
"What I mean to say is, we had been considerable. Had been loved. Not lonely, not lost, not freakish, but wise, each in his or her own way. Our departures caused pain. Those who had loved us sat upon their beds, heads in hand; lowered their faces to tabletops, making animal noises. We had been … Continue reading Review: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
For years now, I've been absolutely fascinated with the concept of bibliotherapy. I discovered it almost by accident when I came across the book The Novel Cure: An A-Z of Literary Remedies by Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin. The book delineates various ailments and the works of fiction that may serve as a cure, or a … Continue reading 10 Classic Novels Everyone Should Read In Their Twenties (Part One)
"The place I like best in this world is the kitchen. No matter where it is, no matter what kind, if it's a kitchen, if it's a place where they make food, it's fine with me. Ideally it should be well broken in. Lots of tea towels, dry and immaculate. White tile catching the light … Continue reading Review: Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
