Booktalk

[listersgirl]

Brian Busby Character Parts: Who's Really Who in Canlit

This was totally not what I thought - I had it in my head that it was about famous characters in Canlit, but it was even better - it was a listing of which real-life people inspired characters in Canlit. Irving Layton sure has shown up in a lot of books. Fascinating reading.

Naomi Klein No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies

Yes, I realize that I'm a little behind the times here. And I do wish I'd read this 10 years ago, when sweatshops and brand amalgamation were the top issue of the day. But, sadly, it's still incredibly relevant today, and a very interesting read.

Terry Pratchett Only You Can Save Mankind

I like to put books on hold from the library's new releases page, but occasionally that means I end up with books like this, because I didn't realize that it was kidlit and 10 years old. But I read it anyway, because it was there, and it was cute. Whatever.

Amanda Quick Second Sight

It's like Jayne Ann Krentz's futuristic Jayne Castle romances are bleeding over into her Amanda Quick historical romances! Despite the fact that these books are pretty formulaic, they entertain me.

David Rakoff Don't Get Too Comfortable

This? Awesome. Very droll and funny essays by a Canadian transplanted to New York. Totally excellent. Plus, he hangs out with other droll and funny writers. Bonus!

Sarah Waters The Night Watch

I love Sarah Waters. Oh yes. This book is set after and during the Second World War in England, and follows 4 people whose lives combine in ways that affect them deeply. I quite liked the storytelling device she used, too, despite having seen it used before to fairly disastrous results.

Naomi Wolf Promiscuities: A Secret History of Female Desire

Another moment of me being behind the times, and another book whose impact hasn't lessened. Naomi Wolf looks at the sexual coming of age experienced by her and her friends in San Francisco in the 70s, and then broadens that to look at what society thinks about women and sex, and what it lets women think about sex. The personal sections were the most powerful part. I was pretty deeply affected by sections of this book, I think in opposite ways that would necessarily be expected.

Comments

hello from your recently-illiterate friend

[sarcasma.livejournal.com]

OMG, I'm going to need to read that Sarah Waters. And I have an Amanda Quick sitting around somewhere that I should read, because maybe reading something incredibly light and simplistic is what will get me reading again. And now I also want to read the Rakoff and the Wolf. Gah!

Re: hello from your recently-illiterate friend

[listersgirl]

The Wolf I can give you - it was something I picked up at the bookswap I think - but the others are still all hardcover, so not purchased by me. Yet. I'm sure I'll buy the Sarah Waters as soon as it comes out. :)

Re: hello from your recently-illiterate friend

[sarcasma.livejournal.com]

Cool! Even though it may not be playing intellectual hardball it sounds like an interesting read. Let me try my hand at my Amanda Quick first, if you don't mind. ;)

Actually, I read most of The Bride of Lammermoor on the plane (an ancient leatherbound miniature edition which probably looked like a Bible now that I think about it) so maybe I'm back in the saddle already.

Re: hello from your recently-illiterate friend

[tangledstories.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I really liked the new Sarah Waters. It was interesting reading her love of details and people's ordinary lives in such a different setting but it worked for her.

[globetrotter1.livejournal.com]

Oooh! I want to read Who's Really Who in Canlit now!

Like I need to buy more books...

[listersgirl]

It's fun! You should!

[globetrotter1.livejournal.com]

Oh you enabler you!

[listersgirl]

Boooooks. You know you want them.

[globetrotter1.livejournal.com]

*tries to resist*

*puts book on Wishlist for now*

Whew!

[iseult-variante.livejournal.com]

The Busby sounds really interesting, until I think about my lack of knowledge of CanLit and CanHist. ;)

And I've been enjoying Amanda Quick's recent books - the "Victorian psychical research" stuff is fun! :)

[pescana.livejournal.com]

I loved Night Watch in a totally different way from how I loved her other books. It's good, isn't it? I love how she makes the lives of these ordinary people so interesting.

The only other one of those I've read is Promiscuities, which I read when it came out. Very curious to know what affected you, and why and how. I found it very interesting, but as I read it when it first came out I can't exactly remember why anymore.

[dramaqueen-23.livejournal.com]

I read Promiscuities a few weeks ago (DK is reading it now). Like you, I was impacted by her observations, so much so that I immediately went out and read Misconceptions and I'm in queue to receive The Beauty Myth from the library. It's been a Wolf-fest around here lately.

[listersgirl]

I haven't read Misconceptions yet, but was thoroughly drawn in by The Beauty Myth.

[eanja]

I gave my son the Johnny Maxwell trilogy for Christmas last year. Since he's 11, and the age it was meant for, he loved it. From an adult perspective, I found the second two books better than the first, simply because ghosts and time travel interest me more than video games, and it seems as if the characters get a bit more grown up in them, or at least have to deal with actual local, real world issues, albeit in slightly fantastic ways.

I so need to catch up on Sarah Waters. I'm so behind on my reading.

[listersgirl]

Yeah, I can see that they would be great for the age group that they were intended. Plus, you're building a Terry Pratchett fan! :D

[eanja]

No need to build. Beside those, he adored Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky (if you haven't read those, they are childrens' books, but much less juvenile than the Johnny Maxwell books), and took Maurice and His Amazing Rodents (or whatever exactly it's called) back with him. The problem is more that a lot of Pratchett's books have stuff he isn't quite old enough to really follow, and I need to persuade him to stay away for another year or two.