Genre – Page 48 – What David Read

The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction by Neil Gaiman

24331386 This is a mixed-bag collection of Gaiman’s non-fiction writings: transcripts of speeches and addresses, introductions to books by favourite authors, newspaper reviews, and other articles on diverse subjects. Not surprisingly, he offers a passionate argument for the value of reading and the importance of libraries and bookshops. He was a precocious reader as a child, reading and then re-reading authors like CS Lewis. He also describes how reading some of the same books to his children has changed his perceptions. He also writes extensively about comics, aka graphic novels, which is a form of writing that has distinct and unique features compared to novels. So, there are some redundancies but overall this is a very good read with lots of favourite author recommendations.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24331386-the-view-from-the-cheap-seats?from_search=true&search_version=service

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson

25776122 Simonson wrote the delightful “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand“, and this book, only her second, is even better. The story takes place in an English village (Rye, in Sussex) before WWI, with all the snobbery and vicious gossip that characterized Downton Abbey. The description of the limited role of women is particularly well-told in this pre-suffragette era. The book ends with a graphic description of the horrors of trench warfare; belligerent and ignorant troop commanders are particularly odious. This is an excellent read.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25776122-the-summer-before-the-war?from_search=true&search_version=service

The Excellent Lombards by Jane Hamilton

26031214 Hamilton is a great writer (A Map Of The World, The Book Of Ruth, etc.). This new book is a very fine addition to her list of novels, a book about complex family relationships but mainly a coming-of-age story about a young girl who doesn’t want to grow up. Consequently, at times her behaviour is wildly erratic, both frustrating and endearing. Highly recommended.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26031214-the-excellent-lombards

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

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Butler’s imaginative novel, written in 1979, uses time travel to explore two very different times and places: 1976 LA and Maryland in the early 1800s. Specifically, an African-American woman is transported multiple times to a time and place of slavery. The book explores how behaviour is influenced by context, of how a modern woman is required (or coerced) to take actions that enable slavery because of complex relationships and situations. This book has strong and compelling story-telling.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60931.Kindred

Born On A Blue Day by Daniel Tammet

74812 Sarah and I were introduced to Tammet as an interviewed author at the Blue Metropolis Literary Festival. Tammet is an autistic savant with incredible mathematical and linguistic skills. For example, he memorized the value of Pi (3.14 ….) to 22,514 decimal places and recited this in Oxford in a performance that was >5 hours. He also learned the Icelandic language in 7 days. He also has another rare characteristic: synesthesia, the ability to visualize numbers as colours, shapes and texture. In this book, Tammet describes his childhood as an “odd kid”, and his evolution to become an independent living fully functioning person who has a loving relationship with his partner Neil. This is a remarkable story.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74812.Born_on_a_Blue_Day

Editors Note: Also of interest might be Daniel Tammet Ted talk “Different ways of knowing”

The Confessions Of Frances Godwin by Robert Hellenga

Confessions of Frances After the death of her husband, Frances begins to chronicle her life, her confessions, from marriage in the 1960s to 2006. She has been a Latin teacher so there are lovely passages about learning Latin in Italy. Her spiritual conversations (NOT confessions) with a Catholic priest provide a surprising element, along with some dialog with God. This is a very good read.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18594395-the-confessions-of-frances-godwin

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn This is a fabulously imaginative book that has the following sub-title: “A progressively lipogrammatic epistolary fable”, so consult your dictionaries to also learn about panagrams. At its core, this is a cautionary tale about the evolution of institutional madness which is pertinent in this Trump world.

Fishbowl by Bradley Somer

A surprisingly pleasant read about the intersecting story lines of occupants in a high-rise apartment. And one of the story lines involves Ian, a goldfish! Somer is a Calgary author, a new find.

Wild Rose by Sharon Butala

Butala Wild Rose by Sharon Butala writes wonderfully about the beauty of Saskatchewan, especially her descriptions of the grasslands flowing in the wind (e.g. Perfection of the Morning). This book describes the adventures of a French-Canadian newly-wed couple as they travel west from Quebec to homestead in Saskatchewan in the early 1880s. Butala’s description of the isolation and hardship of homesteading is beautifully written and compelling; the bitter cold of winter is especially evocative. The core of the book is a story of resilience for a headstrong young woman, Sophie. This is a great read. (As an aside, Butala has recently relocated to Calgary).

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25842762-wild-rose