27.Nov.2009 Witerary Wednesdays: Judge a book by its cover
We all know the saying: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” And in many instances in life I’ve found this to be true. But in its most literal sense? Well, uh, it’s pretty inaccurate.
Book covers are designed to sell a particular message – they’re meant to be judged. They’re meant to scream out “buy [...]
18.Nov.2009 Witerary Wednesdays: History of Love
Nicole Krauss’s novel History of Love is an anatomy of loneliness, and a compendium of hope. Leo Gursky is an invisible man, elderly and despairing. His son, a famous writer, knows nothing of his existence, much to Gursky’s desolation. He has worked out a routine with his neighbour and friend whereby they check that the [...]
11.Nov.2009 Witerary Wednesdays: The Time Traveller’s Wife
There are some books that I just resist reading. No matter how many people tell me, “Oh, you’ll love it, you’ve got to read it!” I always find some excuse. When it comes down to it, I’m probably just being stubborn because I wasn’t the first one to come up with the idea of reading [...]
04.Nov.2009 Witerary Wednesdays: When You Are Engulfed in Flames
The best sort of humour is often the type that provokes a knowing chuckle, an “I’ve been there too!” smile of acknowledgement. It’s relate-able, if a little outrageous.
David Sedaris lives in Paris, makes his living as an author, and has a famous sister. This could be enough to make you think of him as rather [...]
28.Oct.2009 Witerary Wednesdays: The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is a long-form legend that tells of the journey of a shepherd boy who leaves behind his country in search of treasure and the secrets of the universe. Part hero’s journey, part self-help book, the sparse language of the novel evokes images of fire-side storytelling of fables passed down through the [...]
21.Oct.2009 Witerary Wednesdays: Slaughterhouse Five
To review a classic can be presumptuous at best; blasphemous at worst. But I’m not one given to hero-worship; I think it’s necessary to reassess our icons from time to time, to see if the time has come to tear them down. I almost feel as though I should apologise for reviewing this landmark of [...]
14.Oct.2009 Witerary Wednesdays: One Fifth Avenue
Open up Candace Bushnell’s One Fifth Avenue, and on the inside cover you’ll find the following disclaimer: “While there is an apartment building located at One Fifth Avenue in New York City and called One Fifth Avenue, the author has fictionalised all other aspects of her rendition of One Fifth Avenue, including but not limited [...]
07.Oct.2009 Witerary Wednesdays: I Heart New York
Take a girl. Pretty but in an unintimidating way, working in an average job that she’s good at, but doesn’t really love. She’s in a relationship, or dating, but somehow it’s not really working out – she just can’t get this love thing right. Add a gal pal or two, an unbalanced predilection towards shopping, [...]
