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Books Read in 2007
= Canadian
by Jane Austen*
by Jane Austen*
by Margery Allingham
by Margery Allingham*
by Jane Austen*
by Margery Allingham*
by Cervantes
by Zadie Smith
by P.G. Wodehouse
by Margaret Atwood 
by Edward Willett 
by J. K. Rowling
by Philip Pullman
by Philip Pullman
by Philip Pullman
by Agatha Christie*
by Don Kerr (poetry) 
by Dave Margoshes (poetry) 
by Eric Wright 
by Robert Currie (poetry) 
by Bonnie Burnard 
by Maeve Binchy*
by Confucius 
by Edith Wharton
by Jeanette Lynes (poetry) 
by Fannie Flagg *
by Maurice Sendak
by Robert B. Parker*
by Robert B. Parker*
by Gwendoline Butler*
by A. A. Fair
by Judith Krause (poetry) 
by Sylvia Legris (poetry) 
by Sylvia Legris (poetry) 
by Ray Bradbury
by Ray Bradbury
by A. S. Byatt
by Glen Sorestad* (poetry) 
by Agatha Christie*
by Laura Ingalls Wilder*
by Laura Ingalls Wilder*
by Laura Ingalls Wilder*
by Terry Jordan 
by Guy Gavriel Kay 
by Guy Gavriel Kay 
by Laura Ingalls Wilder*
by Laura Ingalls Wilder*
by Katherine Paterson
by Guy Gavriel Kay 
by Roger Moore (poetry) 
by Agatha Christie*
by Roald Dahl
by Maya Angelou
by Judy Blume
by Martha Grimes
by Shel Silverstein
by Naguib Mahfouz
by Judy Blume
by Margery Allingham
by Maeve Binchy
by Henry James
by Nikolai Gogol
by Laura Burkhart (poetry) 
by Maeve Binchy*
by Naguib Mahfouz
by Dick Francis*
by Ben Jonson
by Austin Clarke 
by Gail Bowen 
by Agatha Christie*
by Neil Gaiman
by Robert B. Parker
by Douglas Glover 
by Orson Scott Card
by Dick Francis*
by Jane Austen*
by Ben Jonson
by Terry Pratchett
by Alice Walker
by Alexander McCall Smith
by Neil Gaiman
Books Read in 2006
* = reread
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2007 is the 800th anniversary of the birth of Rumi, the Persian poet and theologian whose followers later became known as Whirling Dervishes.
Accordingly, UNESCO has designated 2007 as The International Year of Rumi.
If you’d like to read more about Rumi, check out the Rumi Network; there’s lots of information here on him and his poetry.
Via Mata-H.
Posted by Amy as Poetry, Special Days/Weeks at 1:49 AM EST
I’m a little late coming to this, but 27 January (this past Saturday) was Family Literacy Day in Canada.
The day was established by the ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation in 1999. The site defines Family Literacy as follows:
Family Literacy refers to the many ways families develop and use literacy skills, from enjoying a storybook together at bedtime and during the day, to playing with word games, singing, writing to a relative or friend, sharing day-to-day tasks such as making a shopping list or using a recipe, and surfing the Internet for fun and interesting sites.
This has apparently grown into a major celebration; a variety of events take place across the country:
This initiative is now celebrated at hundreds of literacy-themed events, coordinated at home and by literacy organizations, schools and libraries. These events include story-writing contests, public story readings, read-a-thons, book drives, reading circles and family literacy workshops and seminars offered by literacy professionals. Every year, media coverage of ABC CANADA Family Literacy Day® events includes over 500 articles in magazines and newspapers across the country.
The website provides ideas to celebrate family literacy, materials to order (such as posters and book bags), and much more.
Robert Munsch was the Honourary Chair (who better?!).
Via Sassy Monkey.
Posted by Amy as Special Days/Weeks, Literacy at 1:07 AM EST
Tomorrow is the last day of the From The Stacks reading challenge.
According to this challenge, we were to read five books between 01 November 2006 and 30 January 2007. I managed the five (and reviewed them here) but decided that, seeing as my “to read” list was still overwhelming, I was going to read another five.
Here are my very brief reviews on the final five for this challenge:
• Ven Begamudré’s Laterna Magika (full disclosure: I know Ven): this book of short stories has a great variety, both in topic and point of view. The stories move easily between interracial relationships in small-town Saskatchewan; the unexpected end of a marriage in India; narratives involving gods or aliens; and much more. I think my favourite story is “Indian Cookery” but this was a collection in which I enjoyed reading every piece.
• Austin Clarke’s The Polished Hoe: this book won numerous prizes, including the prestigious Giller Prize, and now I can see why. It was breathtaking—sensual and textured. The novel is a hymn to the West Indies (language, history, and culture). Clarke’s love of language and jazz are evident. Although the action in the story takes place over less than 24 hours, through the digressions and memories we see much of the history of the West Indies. It’s a book that cannot be read quickly, but it’s a pleasure to meander through it—and re-reading will be equally rewarding.
• Dave Margoshes’ I’m Frankie Sterne (full disclosure: I know Dave): this novel follows the life of Frankie Sterne from the time he was pre-adolescent to shortly before his death. Frankie’s life is played out against the music and the political events of the 1960s, from the Cuban revolution to picketing against racial discrimination to the assassination of JFK to Vietnam. The point of view changes near the end and this is a surprise, but an interesting one.
• Toni Morrison’s Jazz: I wound up enthralled by this book. The multiple perspectives and the method of narration itself are indeed jazzlike, as no doubt numerous critics have mentioned. Morrison’s perceptive comments about life and relationships are dropped casually in for the reader to discover while following the threads that connect the lives of Joe, Violet, Dorcas, True Belle, and many more.
• Alice Walker’s The Temple of My Familiar: I was surprised to find that I wasn’t impressed with this book. After I read The Color Purple, I thought that the rest of her work would be at least as enjoyable. But this is not the case here—if I had to describe it in one short sentence, I would say that it drones on. Walker does an awful lot of telling rather than showing, and as a result, I felt as though I were being preached at through much of the book. I also couldn’t work up an interest in any of the characters. It’s going to be a long time before I try any more of her books.
Reading challenges seem to spur me to pick up the books I have rather than just reading more from the library, so that can only be a good thing. By the end of this year I’m hoping to significantly reduce the number of unread books I have in my library, and the other reading challenges that I’m currently participating in (see left sidebar) should certainly help.
Posted by Amy as Readers & Reading at 1:18 AM EST
If you like tongue twisters, check out The Tongue Twister Database.
There are lots here that I haven’t seen before, such as the following:
• A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.
• Unique New York.
• Mrs. Smith’s Fish Sauce Shop.
• Greek grapes.
Some of these look easy to do, but they’re surprisingly difficult.
Via Weblog V2.
Posted by Amy as Language at 8:38 AM EST
Jim Kalb’s Palindrome Connection is a fun site for word lovers.
It has a few more complicated palindromes than the simple “Madam, I’m Adam.”
Here are a couple of them:
• A new order began, a more Roman age bred Rowena.
• Deer flee freedom in Oregon? No, Geronimo — deer feel freed.
• I maim nine more hero-men in Saginaw, sanitary sword a-tuck, Carol, I — lo! — rack, cut a drowsy rat in Aswan. I gas nine more hero-men in Miami.
• T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad. I’d assign it a name: gnat dirt upset on drab pot-toilet.
There’s even the script for a short film where all the dialogue is in palindromes.
Via The Millions.
Posted by Amy as Words at 9:52 AM EST
Mike Lomonico, in The Shakespeare Book of Lists
This page lists all the plants that have appeared in Shakespeare’s works, from aconite to yew.
I was interested to see that rhubarb was listed there; I’ve always thought of it as a North American plant.
This list first appeared in the Henry N. Ellacombe’s 1884 publication The Plant-Lore and Garden-Craft of Shakespeare.
Posted by Amy as Science & Nature at 5:22 AM EST
|
Your Slanguage Profile |
 Canadian Slang: 75% Aussie Slang: 25% British Slang: 25% Prison Slang: 25% Southern Slang: 25% Victorian Slang: 25% |
I actually guessed at most of these, because there were many questions where I’d never even heard of the phrase, much less any of the possible definitions. But I am Canadian, so it all turned out in the end somehow.
Via Scribbling Woman.
Posted by Amy as Fun Stuff at 1:31 AM EST
If you’re interested in almost any aspect of Buddhism, check out BuddhaNet’s eBook Library.
The library is extensive and contains books under the following headings:
• general Buddhism
• Buddhist meditation
• text and teachings (Theravadin)
• text and teachings (Mahayana)
• Buddhist history and art
• children’s books
You can read about topics as diverse as iconography in Nepalese Buddhist art, meditation practices, Ananda, or Sir Edwin Arnold’s The Light of Asia.
The books are all in PDF files.
Posted by Amy as Books Online, Religion & Spirituality at 1:38 AM EST
C. J. Cherryh has 12 good tips for beginning writers: Writerisms And Other Sins.
They’re all easy mistakes to make, but fortunately they’re all easy to correct as well (with a little thought.
Here are a few of them:
• dead verbs
• florid verbs
• using the passive voice inappropriately
• descriptive writerisms
I like her sub-list of descriptive writerisms, such as the following no-no:
Avoid mirrors, as a basic rule of your life. You get to use them once during your writing career. Save them for more experience. But it doesn’t count if they don’t reflect …. If you haven’t read enough unpublished fiction to have met the infamous mirror scenes in which Our Hero admires his steely blue eyes and manly chin, you can scarcely imagine how bad they can get.
This is also a good refresher for writers who are past the beginner stage.
Posted by Amy as Writing at 1:05 AM EST
Scott Stein has a new book coming out in February. It’s called Mean Martin Manning, and he’s found an imaginative way to promote it—he’s created websites and/or blogs for some of the characters. He then writes in that character’s voice on the site or in the blog.
Check out his main blog post where he lists the links, and then have a little fun–go to the different sites and leave comments. The characters just might come to your blog and leave a comment.
Posted by Amy as Blogs and Bloggers, Books at 1:31 AM EST
I’ve recently discovered a great new site for readers: Kimbooktu.
Kim features products connected to books and reading such as the following:
• bookish postcards
• bookends
• book storage
• the slanket (which looks like something I’d like to have)
• reading art
She’s only been blogging a month and already has had over 15,000 visitors. Definitely go see what all the interest is about.
Posted by Amy as Blogs and Bloggers, Readers & Reading at 1:44 AM EST
If you like reading fantasy, or if you don’t know anything about it and would like to read something in the genre without commiting yourself to a whole book, reading a short story is a good start. One place to do this is at Fantasy Magazine: From Magical Surrealism to Modern Mythcraft.
You can subscribe to the magazine, and occasionally you can read stories for free online (such as ”The Dead Girl’s Wedding March”).
They are looking for writers as well, so check out their submission guidelines.
Via SF Signal.
Posted by Amy as Speculative Fiction at 10:08 AM EST
I know very little about Czech writers and even less about Czech book design. In fact, I have to admit that I didn’t know there was a lot to know about Czech book design.
Clearly, I was very wrong, and the site Czech Book Covers of the 1920’s and 1930’s explains why:
During the period between the two World Wars, the Czechoslovak Republic was an important and prolific center for avant-garde book design. Signed, limited editions showcased experimental design techniques, high-quality materials, and specially commissioned graphics. Book design for the general public, although mass-produced and much more affordable, was similarly innovative and attentive to questions of design.
The introduction explains the differences between the four main schools of design (constructivism, poetism, surrealism, and socialist realism).
You can browse by design style, author, date of publication, or designer/typographer/illustrator.
There’s lots of interesting material here.
Via Plep.
Posted by Amy as Design/Illustrations at 9:34 AM EST
Zadie Smith has written an interesting article in the Guardian called ”Fail Better”.
In it, she ponders the following questions:
What makes a good writer? Is writing an expression of self, or, as TS Eliot argued, ‘an escape from personality’? Do novelists have a duty? Do readers? Why are there so few truly great novels?
It’s a thought-provoking read.
Via SF Signal.
Posted by Amy as Readers & Reading, Writing at 1:49 AM EST
 |
I am:Hal Clement (Harry C. Stubbs) A quiet and underrated master of “hard science” fiction who, among other things, foresaw integrated circuits back in the 1940s. |
Via Hassenpfeffer.
Posted by Amy as Fun Stuff at 1:26 AM EST
Library Designs: Custom Home Libraries is a wonderful site for book lovers.
Here’s how the owners of the site describe its purpose:
Library Designs was created for people like you who love home libraries or just want one, so you can find anything you would need or want to personalize yours. A home library is a part of the person who built and furnished it - walk into anyone’s library and you will learn more about them just by looking around. It is not just a place to put books or do business, but a place for you.
I’m especially interested in the section that provides information about building libraries:
Our Home Libraries section contains examples of home libraries, before and after pictures, detailed descriptions of the construction methods and materials, and budgeting information. Our Library Furnishings section contains the types of treasures you would expect to find in an incredible home library or have dreamed about having in yours. Library Contractors list contractors and craftsmen that may be just around the corner from you or on the other side of the world.
There are also sections on the history of libraries and famous libraries as well as sections on books (e.g. rare books, book care).
Via Kimbooktu.
Posted by Amy as Libraries at 1:03 AM EST
Here’s a slightly offbeat poetry site: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Poetry Corner.
My favourite feature is the Vogon poetry generator—you provide them with a few words and they create a Vogon poem for you. Here’s mine:
See, see the hard-working sky
Marvel at its big lime green depths.
Tell me, Janice do you
Wonder why the wildebeest ignores you?
Why its foobly stare
makes you feel confused.
I can tell you, it is
Worried by your snizglet facial growth
That looks like
A tofu.
What’s more, it knows
Your bart potting shed
Smells of lime.
Everything under the big hard-working sky
Asks why, why do you even bother?
You only charm rotten fruits.
In case you haven’t read the Hitchhiker’s Guide, the Vogons write the third worst poetry in the universe. Now you see it for yourself.
Posted by Amy as Fun Stuff at 1:44 AM EST
I always avoid watching television or film adaptations of books I love, but I know there are many people who find enjoyment in both. (Don’t get me started on the ones who say, “I don’t need to read it—I’ve seen the film.”)
Now there’s an animated discussion going on about The Unfilmables: A List of the Hardest Novels To Film.
Some of the books that are listed include the following:
• Ulysses
• Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnameable
• Any book by Thomas Pynchon
• One Hundred Years of Solitude
I agree that I really can’t imagine any of Beckett, or the Marquez, on film. I haven’t read the others, but I’ve heard enough about them to imagine that they’d be difficult to do justice to.
Via The Presurfer.
Posted by Amy as Adaptations at 6:49 AM EST
If you like reading old cookbooks, here’s one from the 16th century: A Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye.
The sub-title reads “declarynge what maner of meates be beste in season, for al times in the yere, and how they ought to be dressed, and serued at the table, bothe for fleshe dayes, and fyshe dayes.”
There’s a charming note telling us that there is “a newe addition, verye necessarye for all them that delyghteth in Cokerye.”
The instructions are a little vague and certainly assume a knowledge of cooking. Here’s one recipe for chickens on sops:
Chekins upon Soppes.Take sorel sauce a good quantite and put in Cinomone and Suger, and let it boyle and powre it upon the soppes, and then laye on the chekins.
The cookbook begins with a list of what must be served at each course—a bewildering amount of food.
In addition to the text of the cookbook, there are also notes on the recipes, an introduction, a glossary, and some background—both on the time period and on the original owner of the book (Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury).
Via Weblog V2.
New Scientist ran a New Year’s competition in which they asked readers to “compose a text message of no more than 160 characters, sent home by an alien who has just arrived on our planet.”
Now they’re featuring the winners. Here are a few of my favourites:
• Arr. Earth. Dominant species “car”. Colourful exoskeleton and bizarre reproduction via slave biped species. Aggressive but predictable. Intelligence uncertain. (David Armstrong, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK)
• We followed the wormhole, and have now discovered the source of the wet socks (of the singular kind) which are spontaneously materialising on our planet. (Peter Hicks, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK)
• Parallel evolution of intelligent life. One carbon based, one silicon based. Carbon form domesticated by silicon form to feed it with all its needs. (Dennis Fox, Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK)
Because they were sent so many great entries, next week they’ll publish 10 of the runners-up.
Via Bourgeois Nerd.
Posted by Amy as Humour at 2:31 AM EST
Things Girls Like To Do is an online version of a book that was published in 1912.
Here are a few of the items in the table of contents:
• dining room and pantry work
• menus and marketing
• washing and ironing
• the cellar, fires, plumbing, etc.
I have a domestic streak, but I would never dream of having my list of things I like to do limited to housework or (shudder) needlecraft.
Via Rebecca’s Pocket.
Posted by Amy as History at 1:08 AM EST
I’m coming a little late to this, but I still want to highlight Kate’s great meme: the Italo Calvino Meme.
Come back here. Just because you could never get through a book by Calvino doesn’t mean you can’t do this meme. Kate has taken the list of book types that Calvino itemises in If on a winter’s night a traveler and has used those types as the questions for the meme.
Here are my answers.
Books You’ve Been Planning To Read For Ages
A lot more science fiction/fantasy authors (e.g. Guy Gavriel Kay, Isaac Asimov, Robert Sawyer, Frederick Pohl), all the books listed in my lists for the book challenges (see left sidebar), lots more Trollope, lots more Shakespeare—I’ve only read maybe a dozen plays and a pitifully few number of poems.
Stay tuned to my “Books Read in 2007” section of the left sidebar to see how I do.
Books You’ve Been Hunting For Years Without Success
I can’t think of any, now that there’s the Internet.
Books Dealing With Something You’re Working On At The Moment
Anything to do with writing literary essays—either collections of them or suggestions for improving your own attempts.
Books You Want To Own So They’ll Be Handy Just In Case
Anything to do with words and writing; biographies of my favourite authors; more vegan cookbooks.
Books You Could Put Aside Maybe To Read This Summer
All of the above-mentioned books.
Books You Need To Go With Other Books On Your Shelves
The rest of the “Best of American Essays” series, the rest of Trollope, the rest of the Russell Quant series by Anthony Bidulka, the last Harry Potter novel, complete sets of all the authors I love.
Books That Fill You With Sudden, Inexplicable Curiosity, Not Easily Justified
Books to do with food, especially Thai and East India cooking (e.g. books about curry and rice).
Books You Needn’t Read
Anything to do with sodoku and similar puzzles. Physics textbooks.
Books Made For Purposes Other Than Reading
Coffee table books.
Books Read Even Before You Open Them Since They Belong To The Category Of Books Read Before Being Written
Hmm. I don’t know!
Books That If You Had More Than One Life You Would Certainly Also Read But Unfortunately Your Days Are Numbered
Post-modern literature.
Books You Mean To Read But There Are Others You Must Read First
More American fiction—I’m more interested in Canadian, British, and international fiction.
Books Too Expensive Now And You’ll Wait Till They Come Out In Paperback
The Library At Night.
Books You Can Borrow From Somebody
All the books listed above! Let’s hear it for libraries.
Books That Everybody’s Read So It’s As If You Had Read Them, Too
The ones that get exhaustively reviewed online and in print, picked for book club choices, and get talked about because they’ve been nominated for a ton of prizes.
Posted by Amy as Memes at 3:53 AM EST
The deadline is rapidly approaching to nominate your favourite blogs for the 7th Annual Bloggies–you have to get your nominations in by 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5) on Wednesday, 10 January 2007.
The blogs in each category that receive the most nominations go on to a panel of judges. These judges vote on their favourites, and the top five become the finalists.
The finalists will be announced on Monday, 22 January, and you can vote from then until 31 January. The winners will be announced in mid-March.
I see there is no category for literary blogs, so I’ve tried to get around that by nominating some of my favourite litblogs in other categories (e.g. Books, Inq. in Best American Blog, Petrona and Grumpy Old Bookman in Best British or Irish Weblog).
There are lots of other categories; here are a few:
• Best Food Weblog
• Best Music Weblog
• Best New Weblog in 2006
• Most Humourous Weblog
• Best-Kept Secret Weblog
Spread the word!
Posted by Amy as Blogs and Bloggers at 7:44 PM EST
If you’re looking to increase your knowledge of comics, check out
