November 8, 2006
Kicking legs and stop the presses!
I have developed an uncontrollable urge to go see The Radio City Christmas Spectacular at The Hummingbird Centre. To be confirmed, but still, how exciting! I haven’t seen a Christmas show since the Nottingham Panto in 2003 (starring Leslie Grantham, but I didn’t know who he was then).
The Gillers tonight! I still think I have a chance of winning this year. Controversy surrounding proofreading has been interesting. The Digested Read of Posh Spice’s latest book is funny. A new publisher at Walrus.
And Holy Shit! Stop the presses because Britney has filed for divorce!
November 5, 2006
StuffRead
I loved Camilla Gibb’s piece in The Globe today, weaving together Borat, Peter McKay’s alleged dog slur, Anna Politkovskaya, and freedom of speech to say something good and profound. I also enjoyed Doug Saunders’ piece The Blueprints of Human Unrest, about the relationship between architecture and the social problems. The Giller Debate was all right, and I also appreciated Warren Clements’ attempts to understand why Fergie-Ferg is a “dutchess” instead of a “duchess”. And lovely! Something nice to say about those of us who aspire to bookwrite. Paul Auster on fiction.
November 1, 2006
Books in the News
Okay, I admit I like the Guardian Books Blog. I just hope the bloggish articles don’t come to take the place of their regular books articles. On writing that first novel: “For years I was bogged down in the paraphernalia surrounding the writing of a novel–the specially sharpened pencil, the new notebook, just the right word processor. I eagerly hovered up snippets of information about how other people wrote their books as if hoping to discover a special secret that would enable me to write mine. With hindsight it is now clear that this hopelessly naive behaviour was a form of decades-long displacement activity that was actually preventing me from writing a novel, and that the only way to write a novel is indeed to write it, one painful word after another.” On giving children books for Christmas. On what reviewers should think according to publishers. Outside of the blog, on Penguins: you know, I don’t know if I like Penguin books because I like penguins, or if I like penguins because of the books. Alice Munro in The Guardian and in The Globe. Plath sonnet discovered.
Am devastated about Reese and Ryan.
October 29, 2006
Wedding news…
Susannah, my dearest cousin/friend, is getting married! And to a boy who is wonderful no less! They announced it yesterday over deep-friend clam strips. In further nuptials news, plans for Bronwyn’s wedding on the moors are well underway. Further, tomorrow I am picking up my altered bridesmaid dress for Katie’s, and hopefully it will fit.
October 26, 2006
Stranger than Fiction
The Guardian has a books blog, which might turn out to be good. Or not. The movie Stranger than Fiction looks quite bookish, and I think I want to go see it. And I quite enjoyed the Guardian’s podcast on creative writing programs. No definitive answers, which is best really, but the exchange of some good ideas.
I’m now rereading The Diviners, one of “those” books. I will return to it again and again, and find something new every time. I am finding present-day Morag resonates with me if a way she never did when I read this book before. Pioneers, oh pioneers.
October 25, 2006
A great modifier
I’m sort of in love with the idea of a hyperbolic thesaurus. I don’t know if one exists, or what good it would really be if one did, but I want one all the same. “cold: freezing, burrr-y, 50 below zero, the North Pole, arctic, glacial, polar, Siberian; and if still at a loss, of course “fcking” always makes a great modifier. I think I would be well-qualified to write a hyperbolic thesaurus, if such a position ever became available.
In exciting news (and speaking of cold),Laura has arrived at the South Pole and her first blog entry about it is fascinating. Guardian Podcast: can creative writing be taught (blah blah blah)? I’ll give it a listen tonight o’er my knitting.
Back to work you.
October 24, 2006
Board Games
Diane Setterfield is in The Globe today. Also, The Report on Business’s Board Games is out, which is particularly exciting as some of the research from the project I worked on this summer went toward it. Remember my corporate governance warrior alter-ego?
October 22, 2006
Mochi sick
I thought Leah McLaren used her platform for good this week. On orgies of prizes. And the Hungarian Revolution is all over the news.
This weekend has been quiet and rainy, and I’ve been working all day since I woke up this morn. None of this bodes well for an interesting summation, but we did have sushi yesterday and it was delicious. Afterwards, we went to the Korean grocery store and got meron pan, Japanese curry and so much mochi we made ourselves sick. Friday night our basement neighbour woke us up at 4:30 screaming and crying. I could tell you more, but it only gets duller. Such is life, at the mo.
October 16, 2006
Homesick
bMay I introduce the incredible Laura Conchelos, who has become blogolicious of late. Mainly just cuz she’s moving to the South Pole this week. If you know Laura Conchelos, you are probably not altogether surprised to hear that, and if you don’t know Laura Conchelos, you should. Sometimes she comes to my house bearing organic non-perishable goods she canned herself. I adore her. In addition, the ever-brilliant Erin has moved blogs, so update all links accordingly!
André Alexiswrites that the best English book in Canada probably shouldn’t be French, and that translators are getting shafted. India Knight has edited an anthology called The Dirty Bits for Girls: “And of course one of the marvellous things about finding out about sex through books was that it instilled a love of reading”. On growing up on MOR radio. The Governor General’s shortlist– and no women! oh my. Now reading Barometer Rising and Nixon in China: The Week that Changed the World.
October 10, 2006
Shore Tweak
Now rereading Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (for school), and enjoying it as I always enjoy meeting Atwood’s work again. It changes just as I do. Coming up is Blue Angel by Francine Prose, because I am fond of fictional creative writing workshops (as in Mean Boy and Finishing School).
Fabulous pieces by writers I admire: Lionel Shriver on on the weirdness of Christ-loving teens; Heather Mallick from an atheist’s point of view; and Ms. Mallick again with a kick in the pants for women, feminist and otherwise. Lynn Crosbie on a certain lack of puissance in the pro-choice movement. The Booker Prize is awarded to Kiran Desai. All the nominees digested. On Hungarian cinema. Penelope Lively likes the new Mary Lawson in The Guardian. Jenny Diski has a blog. Apparently, only one of the ten best British novels of the past 25 years were written by women.
