One of my favourite pre-pandemic activities was visiting my local Kitchener Public Library. For the last two years (almost to the day as I pen this blog) while COVID-19 raged on in the world, my library visits were brief, almost non-existent. The rest of my family, also being big readers, switched to using their Kobo…
Tag: novel
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Brontë, Charlotte. (1847, 2009). Jane Eyre. Wilder Publications. Like many other readers, I was young when I first read through Jane Eyre. I recall being, quite possibly, in tenth grade, and was utterly fascinated by the gothic appeal of the novel. A young, brave, and intelligent overcomes an unloving childhood and grows into her own person…
The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinski
Kosinski, Jerzy. (1965). The Painted Bird. Grove Press; New York. Let me begin this review by providing the potential reader with a warning – this book describes incredibly disturbing acts of violence and sexual depravity. The plot follows a young boy, abandoned by his parents during World War II, as he wanders from one village…
Planet of the Apes and its Allegories
Two weeks ago, I went to see the most recent movie in the apes-versus-humans saga, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. I had no background knowledge of this series, but the film piqued my interest in seeing the original Planet of the Apes film from 1968. Let me note, briefly, that the most recent film…
Sea Jade by Phyllis A. Whitney
Whitney, Phyllis Ayame. (1964). Sea Jade. Fawcett Publications Inc.; Connecticut. As mentioned earlier this week, I have a weakness for gothic romances and often yearn for nothing more than to retreat to a quiet place to gorge myself on the world of mystery, suspense, and intrigue that they offer. Phyllis A. Whitney, dubbed “The Queen…
The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
King, Stephen. (1987). The Eyes of the Dragon. Viking Penguin Inc.; New York. This novel was written by Stephen King for his daughter’s benefit, and thus has all the trappings of a typical fairy tale. There’s an evil and malevolent wizard, a young prince fighting for his right to the kingdom, and plenty of potions….
Audiobooks: Hands-Free Entertainment
I don’t mind confessing that I have a life-long love affair with audiobooks. If you’ve never tried ‘reading’ a novel with an audiobook, the experience is somewhat challenging to describe. It’s a visceral, enchanting, and hands-free way of experiencing a story. The performer(s) reading the story will bring the characters to life in ways that…
The Outcasts by Kathleen Kent
Kent, Kathleen. (2013). The Outcasts. Little, Brown and Company; New York. I have not come across many Western novels that I find particularly thought-provoking, but Kathleen Kent’s novel The Outcasts was one of the most moving and thoughtful books I had the pleasure of reading in 2013. Set in Texas in the 1870s, the novel…
How to #Profit from Blogging (And Lose Your Soul in the Process)
I am a humble 15, 488 words into my NaNoWriMo novel on this day in the month of November. Even though I’m probably a little bit behind, and my writing has degenerated into something more non-fiction than fiction, I’m completely and utterly okay with it. The reason for this cool self-assured response? I am writing…
Maria Legault 