July 6, 2006

Put Your Boots On

This review delves into the short story. And I’ve been wanting to read This Friend Who Got Away for a while now, and ordered it from the public library (!) after finding this old article on it. And I love Heather Mallick. As always.

I also love Franz Ferdinand’s Eleanor, Put Your Boots On.

And Pickle Me This Press will be publishing a new book by summer’s end! How positively exciting.

July 5, 2006

My New Library Card

Today was exciting because I joined the Toronto Public Library! One might wonder why I’d never done so before, but you see, I’ve always had the EJ Pratt Library at my disposal before. Pratt, however, does not contain such treasures as Let’s Knot: A Macrame Book, and so to Lillian H. Smith I went. I am learning macrame for research purposes, as any story about a 1970s housewife must inevitably include such crafting. So that was that. Any day in which I obtain a new library card is a fine day.

Also notable, books in the post! Jpod by Douglas Coupland and Every Day is Mother’s Day by Hilary Mantel were delivered, both thanks to birthday gift vouchers. I am too spoiled.

In Corporate Governance news, Ken Lay’s convenient death. Elsewhere, Canada Books. Like many of us, Zoe Williams has, and is not ashamed. Here on book trailers; incidentally this trailer is appalling. And an article on deciphering blurbs.

July 3, 2006

Even my toenails love long weekends

This weekend was out to Erin’s on Friday night to see her beautiful apartment at Chester and Danforth, and to eat homemade sherbet. She also gave me by birthday present, which was one of her Blythe photos against a streetcar background and it’s amazing. Saturday morning was spent reading, and then watching World Cup. We don’t have cable and our game (with Chinese commentary and the volume down low) was a few seconds ahead of everyone else’s we think, and upon each goal scored on England, the world outside was silent for a brief eternity, and then all at once, I felt like we were in the middle of a stadium. At the Portugal victory, we jumped on our bikes to get out of the neighbourhood (and the horns were blasting well into the night) and cycled to High Park, which was sort of like cycling into a magical world and we had enormous fun. Cycled home in time to get dinner ready, for Katie and Alan were coming over. A fantastic night with them, and we had an excuse to use the cake stand Jennie gave me for my birthday and it was wonderful. On Sunday morning, Stuart cooked the closest thing to a full English we could manage in our meat-free kitchen (eggs, beans and toast) and it was delicious, and we read the paper and hung about until hopped on our bikes again (I feel like a character from ET except we do not have BMXs) and sailed through Trinity Bellwoods Park down to Queen Street, Type Books specifically, where I spent my birthday gift certificiates.
I got Cathedral by Raymond Carver, Angel by Elizabeth Taylor (as recommended by Hilary Mantel), and When I Was Young and in My Prime by Alayna Munce. I was happy with my selections. It was very fair, I think. A Canadian, American and a Brit. Two novels and a short story collection. And I was good enough to support a male author, as well as the two women. They’re on my shelf now, just waiting to be read.
After that we went to Caban. Now I HATE Caban, except that the last time I was there (which was actually the first time), it seemed to be full of treasures and also it is going out of business, so everything was on sale. I thought I would come home with discounted treasures. Was not to be. I have never been in a store in which I wanted so few things. Everything was ugly, cheap or both. And what wasn’t was always over forty dollars. I wanted stainless steel measuring spoons but felt forty dollars was a bit much. Similarly for the Nigella Lawson garlic grater. Or the 80 dollar teapot. Or the hideous overpriced vases. We did find a book of six glasses marked at $5 however, which seemed reasonable. And we needed some glasses. And we were so desparate to make our trek to Caban somewhat worthwhile, we decided to brave the queue. Twenty minutes later, at the check out. Cashier rings them up, and oh yes, they’re five dollars per glass, which comes to $30, which I guess I should have known, but I am just way too accustomed to Wal Mart. Needless to say, we left.
And thereafter was Scrabble and Wine on the porch, reading, dinner and watching About a Boy, which we love. And today I have to do some work, but we have a rooftop dinner scheduled tonight at the home of the marvelous Carolyn.
All in all, it has been a very good weekend.

June 30, 2006

Congratulations to Stuart!

Congratulations to my brilliant husband Stuart, who, as of June 30th, has lived in Canada for one year. And who, thanks to bureaucratic inefficiency, is still on a tourist visa. Here is photographic evidence, however, that he has used the past year to become well initiated with our nation’s ways.

*UPDATE: In honour of Stuart’s anniversary and the fact of Canada Day tomorrow, let’s link to this article in The Globe today by a Canadian-via-New Zealand. I am a fervid anti-nationalist, so not down with patriotism and you’ll rarely catch me waving a flag, but I must admit to getting quite emotional at displays of national pride by those who have chosen to live here. As opposed to the rest of us, of course, who were just really lucky, and should be grateful more than proud of anything.

June 29, 2006

Picador Shots

Remember Picador Shots, the small, inexpensive books meant to bring the short story to the masses? There was an an article on them in The Observer recently. Oh, such a wonderful idea and particularly appealing due to my newfound love of the short story.* And what do we have in the post today? Well, books of course, which is starting to become a habit for me (which is heavenly, combining my two greatest loves, books and post). Five books, actually; today I received five Picador Shots in the mail from Bronwyn! I got “Sonata” by Jackie Kay, “Small Mercies” by Tim Winton, “My Lord You” and “Palm Court” by James Salter, “Water from the Sun” and “Discovering Japan” by Bret Easton Ellis, and “Powder” by Matthew Kneale. Oh, UK Book Culture, I miss you to the depths of my deep deep soul. What a thrilling surprise.

*Regarding the short story, you know, I didn’t really used to love them. I had read Alice Munro and Margaret Atwood’s short stories, but only because you sort of had to if you liked those authors. They were the poor man’s novel, in my mind. I had no respect for the form itself, only because I was judging it against the novel and it came up short. I didn’t realize that short stories are supposed to do something altogether different. And of course it took Grace Paley to show me what short stories were all about. I am now a convert. Yea yea for Picador Shots!

June 28, 2006

Spell Angel

Here for news on the Harper Lee piece, soon to be published in Oprah’s magazine. Twoarticles on a recent Jamesian preoccupation. John Updike on the end of authorship. But most importantly- play with the online Speak N Spell emulator!

June 28, 2006

Eighty One Books

As the end of June is nigh, I am halfway through my annual reading challenge, and as I don’t foresee finishing The Master and Margarita by Friday night, I’ll finish the month with 81 books read this year. Originally, my plan was to read 200 books in 2006, but full time work is a huge time waster, and therefore I have amended my goal to 175 books. I will be happy, however, if I manage 160. But we shall see. I’ve really enjoyed keeping track of my reading, and the funny relationships I’ve noticed because of the order in which I’ve happened to read books (the connection between Jane Jacobs and Grace Paley, that both Calvin O’Keefe and Jay Gatsby call people “Old Sport” [in A Wrinkle in Time and The Great Gatsby, respectively]). The holes in my reading too (those poor neglected male novelists). I think there is nothing wrong with reading being more systematic. I would also like to stand as living proof that people who have “no time to read” are lying!

June 26, 2006

The Octopus

Last night’s insomnia was brought to you by Jennica Harper’s The Octopus and Other Poems, which was the most compelling collection of poetry I’ve ever encountered. Now, seeing as I have never read this book, it was technically illegal under the rules of The Great Summer Rereading Project, but I thought I could do with a poem or two before bed. Was not meant to go to plan. It was a poem or ten, and then they swam around in my head after that, well into early morn. I would recommend this book to anyone. In fact, I would encourage you to buy it. From “Favourite” she writes: Your mother sits with you/ on a piano bench. You are five;/ you would rather be writing/ words in the evening/ air with a sparkler. Could you imagine line breaks more perfectly? The long poem “The Octopus” is itself particularly exquisite and you can read an excerpt at the first link.

Further, rereading The Book of Laughter and Forgetting has become particularly enjoyable. It’s one of those books, like Carol Shields’ Unless, that I approach years later, more focussed and serious about writing than I ever was before, and it becomes clear that the book was all about writing anyway. The book is far too reaching to be summed up at all; somehow one revelation just leads to another. But it’s so rich and steeped in truth, and I am very glad to know it again.

June 26, 2006

Happy Birthday to a Beloved Friend.

My friend and I.

Have a Happy Birthday!

*Update: Check out the CBC’s archival television footage of the construction and opening of the CN Tower.

June 25, 2006

My Island Birthday Party

This was what the ninety minutes wait for the ferry looked like!

My wonderful friends, who braved a ninety minute wait for the ferry!

This is the cake that Stu built. From scratch!

Stu and I on the boat home.