In the thick of my Nanowrimo drive for 2021 (target: 10,000 words). But I’m still getting some reading done. Here are my favourites of the last two months. FICTION The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Nghi Vo. Absolutely loved this novella about empires, hidden magic, and power in unexpected places. Bonus: Mastadon cavalries. Black Water […]

[Read more →]

It was almost like “the before times”, but with added masks and vaccine passports. A planned family reunion in Picton, Ontario was cancelled but, as we have friends there, we kept our hotel reservation and went to “the county” for a few days. Observations: Clearly, a large number of Ontarians had decided to do the […]

[Read more →]

Sadly, there was no pretty picture this year, though I did read a few physical books. But here’s what I read and enjoyed on my vacation. FIction: The Last True Gentleman on the Planet Earth by David Keyes. I’m not objective about this one, as David is a dear friend. But this is a wonderful […]

[Read more →]

The heat continues and it has managed to sap a good deal of my motivation to do much more than read, lie under the fan, and watch Youtube videos. On the positive side: wrote 5,000 words in July. went to the museum for a safely-masked visit of two excellent new exhibits. had lunch on a […]

[Read more →]

“What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a constant state of inelegance.” Jane Austen called it. I hate the heat and humidity of Toronto summer weather. I’m only grateful I’m not in B.C., where heat records are falling like nine pins. It’s not the time to be reading a book about climate […]

[Read more →]

I managed a lot of reading over the last three months, some of it frothy, some of it scientific, some of it unexpected. I know, I should have been writing, but c’est la vie. Here are some of the memorable ones. A fine selection of rock memoirs, including LAST CHANCE TEXACO by Rickie Lee Jones […]

[Read more →]

I’ve gone on a lot of walks over the last year. I’ve got several regular routes, some of which involve the alleyways of garages that are common in my area. In my perambulations, I’ve discovered that there’s lots of interesting art on garage doors and back fences. I decided to assemble some of my favourite […]

[Read more →]

If 2019 was the year of the sore hip (arthitic degeneration, muscle tear, cortisone shots, PRP treatment), then 2021 is shaping up as the year of the sore shoulder. A few months ago, I was out for my regular walk when my left shoulder, upper arm, and pectoral muscles started to hurt. I thought this […]

[Read more →]

The French production of LUPIN on Netflix puts a fresh spin on an old story. If watching gentleman thief Assane Diop’s adventures have whet your appetite for the original, might I recommend the gorgeous new edition just released by my good friends at The House Of Pomegranates Press. As you can see, the cover has […]

[Read more →]

In the absence of anything exciting to write about (yes, I’m writing, no, it’s not going well), here are some of the things I read and enjoyed over the last two months. Plain Bad Heroines by Emily Danforth. A cursed book (maybe), a haunted school (maybe), three young women trying to get ahead, a movie […]

[Read more →]