When I began to read this series, I worried - needlessly - about keeping the characters straight: actually, the main character is Jalna itself. "Everything about the house had been put in perfect order. Workmen had been there to mend the roof, tighten the supports of the shutters, and give
In which I discuss the skinny volumes which accompany me on my travels, while the heavier volumes (like John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany and Callum Roberts' The Ocean of Life) remain at home. Juliane Okot Bitek was inspired to engage with the Rwanda Genocide in response to Kenyan-American artist
Of all the Mavis Gallant stories which I've read this year, this one I yearn to discuss. With many of the others, company would be nice, not only to see what other readers might unearth in the layers, but simply for the company because the characters' loneliness and sadness is
It occurs to me that I should have a series of posts titled "I Forgot My Key". Because what that inevitably means is that I must find a warm or cool place to wait until Mister BIP is due home. Which translates into an impromptu library visit. For the past
This summer has been a delightful mix of backlisted books and new titles, readng projects and whimsical choices. The book I've been reading the longest in this stack is actually the shortest, Lorna Crozier's What the Soul Doesn't Want (2017). I haven't been using a bookmark in it because I've
