What David Read

Mexican Hooker #1: And My Other Roles Since the Revolution by Carmen Aguirre

26067164 Aguirre previously wrote “Something Fierce“, about her revolutionary life in South America after the Chilean coup that killed Allende’s socialist revolution. Something Fierce won the CBC Canada Reads competition in 2012. This new book travels back and forth in time between South America and Vancouver, so both before and after her first book. But the central focus of this book is on the aftermath of a brutal and horrific sexual assault in Vancouver when she was 13 years-old. Her rape was a violent and degrading act of power and aggression, not a sexual act per se. I had the privilege of seeing Aguirre act in an ATP play in September 2013. What I learned from this book is that she had attended a parole hearing for her rapist during the run of this play (he was being held in Bowden Prison). This is an extremely powerful and at times profoundly disturbing book and is not for the faint-hearted, but Aguirre eloquently outlines her path to forgiveness (of herself) and reconciliation.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26067164-mexican-hooker-1

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

kindred-25th

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”

Who By Fire by Fred Stenson

who_by_fire_220 This is a very fine book by one of Alberta’s best writers. First the settings of a 1960s farming family next to a sour gas plant in Southern Alberta and contemporary Fort MacMurray are described perfectly, especially the farming story. And second, the complex relationships are rich with nuance: husband-wife, parents-children, siblings, and so forth. This is excellent story telling on an increasingly relevant topic.

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

A Pale View Of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro

pale view of hills This is Ishiguro’s first novel (published in 1982) and has the features that characterize some of his later books: a curious early fact (in this book, on page 17) that is just odd, and that is explained much later. This story switches between post-WWII Nagasaki and later England. Enigmatic relationships between characters abound, and MUCH is left unsaid in this short novel. If you like/love Ishiguro’s later classics (Never Let Me Go, Buried Giant), this is a very worthwhile read.