I just read Sidetracked, one of Henning Mankell’s Wallander mysteries. At the same time, we’re watching some of the BBC productions of Mankell’s books starring Kenneth Branagh. Wallander is a frustrating character, stumbling through his messed up personal life, obsessed with the murder he’s trying… Read More
I’ve recently joined Goodreads (thanks David) and I’ve been having fun recalling and rating books I’ve read over the years. I know I’ve listed only a chunk of what I’ve read, but starting with the ones that are front of mind seems to make sense.I’ve… Read More
I just read Miss O’Dell – My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and the Women They Loved. For a music-lover of my generation, it’s a page turner, or at least it was for me, because I… Read More
I’ve just finished reading True Grit, the 1968 novel by Charles Portis. Last year I read for the first time two of Portis’ books, Norwood and Dog of the South. I was really caught up in his writing during that time, but I avoided reading… Read More
I read a review of Just Kids by Patti Smith over at my friend Bad Tempered Zombie’s place. Barbara writes about music all the time and when she recommended this book, I told Tuffy P about it right away. Tuffy came home with a copy… Read More
I just finished reading the rollercoaster ride that is Life, the autobiography of Keith Richards, written with James Fox. I’ve never been a big Rolling Stones fan. I like their catchy melodies and they used to do a good job covering Chicago blues, but really… Read More
I just finished reading Solomon Gursky was Here by Mordecai Richler. I didn’t read it when it was first published. In fact, this is the first of Richler’s books I’ve read. How is it I bypassed every novel by one of Canada’s best writers? I… Read More
This week I read Norwood, the first novel by Charles Portis. It was made into a film in 1970 starring Glen Campbell and Kim Darby. I haven’t seen the film. The novel, like Dog of the South, which I wrote about last week, is a… Read More
The Dog of the South by Charles Portis (1979) is a quest novel. Ray Midge’s wife Norma has run off with her ex-husband Dupree. They’ve taken Ray’s credit cards and his Grand Torino and they’ve headed south from Arkansas to Mexico and finally to Belize. … Read More
I haven’t been reading much fiction lately, but I was in a bookstore a couple weeks ago and on impulse bought a copy of Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay. It’s a Giller Prize winner, and I thought it had a lot going for… Read More
27th Street 