Welcome 2024!

Another year has come and gone! I notice that last year I only put up one post on this blog. That’s pretty sad, considering I used to post fairly regularly. If I don’t do better this year I may just have to retire this blog altogether.

I managed to keep up with my reading list all year, but didn’t always remember to update the movies I watched. I’ve already started recording my books read for 2024, but haven’t decide on the movies yet. I’ve also added a page for my 2024 reading challenges.

I don’t want to have posting here become a drag or a chore, but I hope to post on a semi-regular basis when I can. In the meantime, Happy New Year!

TBR 23 in ‘23 Reading Challenge Update #1 – Books 1-5 (July 9, 2023)

I haven’t done much updating here lately. In fact it’s almost a year since I posted anything here. however, I thought it was about time that I updated my (slow) progress on the TBR 23 in ’23 challenge that I signed up for.

At just over the halfway mark, I have only finished 5 of the 23 books from my TBR pile to be read for this challenge. I’m hoping that I’ll pick things up for the second half of the year and complete the challenge, especially keeping in mind that I didn’t manage to complete last year’s challenge.

The five books I have read for the challenge so far this year are pictured above and are as follows:

1. In the Wild Light – Jeff Zentner. This was a review copy I received from LibraryThing. It’s a YA book about two friends growing up in a small Appalachian town given the opportunity to move away from their hard life. It’s a gritty, realistic story, at times uplifting, at others heartbreaking. I gave it 5/5 stars on Goodreads (finished January 17).
2. Once Upon a Wardrobe – Patti Callahan. This is a novel that weaves in the story of the real life of C.S. Lewis in a very believable and enjoyable way. The main character, Meg, is a student at Oxford, who seeks out C.S. Lewis to ask him where Narnia came from. She is asking this on behalf of her younger brother, who is very sick and dying. She doesn’t really get a straight answer, but instead receives much more, as Lewis shares his life story with her over a number of visits. It was a fairly enjoyable read, to which I gave 4/5 stars on Goodreads (finished April 30).
3. Me Talk Pretty One Day – David Sedaris. Davis Sedaris collections are always enjoyable, and this was no exception. This is not the best collection of his I’ve read, but there was still little to disappoint. The first half of the book was stories about the author’s life before he moves to France; the second half was after he had moved to France with his partner, Hugh. A couple of standouts, for me, were Giant Dreams, Midget Abilities and Picka Pocketoni. I gave it 4/5 stars on Goodreads (finished June 1).
4. When We Were Orphans – Kazuo Ishiguro. This is a novel, set over the period of 50 years in the first half of the 20th century, which centres around the life of an English boy, Christopher Banks, born in Shanghai in the early part of the century. He is orphaned at the age of 9, due to the disappearance of both his parents. This results in him being sent back to England, where he grows up to be a relatively famous detective. He decides to return to China to try to solve the mystery of his parents’ disappearance. In the style of Ishiguro, the story develops slowly and is very dense. It wasn’t a quick read, but was still very enjoyable. I gave it 4/5 stars on Goodreads (finished June 17).
5. The Man Who Created Narnia: The Story of C.S. Lewis – Michael Coren. This is a short and concise biography of the life of C.S. Lewis. I didn’t learn very much that I didn’t already know about Lewis, but he is my favourite author, and I have read number of books about his life before. Having said this, it was an excellent read, which I would recommend as a good introduction to the life of C.S. Lewis for anyone who was unfamiliar with his life. Because of this, I gave it 5/5 stars on Goodreads (finished June 19).

Sio, that’s the challenge so far, and it’s obvious that I will have to step things up a bit if I want to complete it this year. I will be off work for about a month in August, recovering from some planned surgery, so hopefully I’ll be able to get through a good number of the remaining books then. I have read 34 books so far this year, so if I concentrate more on the remaining 18 books then it should be achievable.

TBR 22 in ‘22 – #12 (Aug 1, 22)

I’m not sure what happened, but this book should have been #11, with the Bryan Cranston book being #12. I finished this one on May 27, almost a couple of weeks before the Cranston one. Anyway, I have completed 12 of the 22 books from my TBR 22 in 22 pile.

The Toynbee Convector, by Ray Bradbury, is a collection of 23 short stories. I was not familiar with any of the stories in this collection. As is often the case, I enjoyed some more than others. My favourites were probably the title story and By the Numbers, which may have been the darkest one in this collection. I wouldn’t say that there were any bad stories in this collection, but it’s not the best volume of Bradbury stories either.

Having said all this, it’s still a collection that is worth picking up. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads.

TBR 22 in ’22 – #11 (June 10, 22)

I have reached the halfway point of books read for the TBR 22 in ’22 Challenge. This is the 11th red from my chosen list of 22. The other 11 will have to wait until after we’ve moved, as they are now sitting in packing boxes waiting to be picked up on June 21. With it being only halfway through the year, I should have no problem getting the other half read before the end of the year.

Book #11 was A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston. It was an interesting autobiography by one of my favourite actors of today. His most famous character is, of course, Walter White from Breaking Bad. I was late getting into Breaking Bad. At the time when it was originally broadcast we were going through a time when we chose not to have access to any TV channels. When it came out on NetFlix I started watching it and I was hooked! Since then I have watched it through a couple of times. The writing is excellent, the stories are well constructed, and the acting is superb.

This book is a decent read and gives a picture of the person that Cranston is, which is basically the complete opposite of Walter White. What I also got from this was how seriously he takes his craft and how he had to get to where he is today.

I gave it 5/5 on Goodreads.

TBR 22 in ’22 – #2-10 (May 2, 2022)

When I started the TBR 22 in ’22 Reading Challenge, my intention was to write a short review post for every book I completed. Unfortunately, that fell by he wayside after my first read. So, this post is a 9 book review update. The challenge is going well, as after 4 months I have read 10 of the 22 books I put on my list for this challenge. So, here goes:

How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People – Pete Greig (January 31) – I got this book a couple of years ago for a reading club, but I never got through much of it at the time. I don’t think the time was right for me then. This time I pretty much breezed through it and found it very helpful. Thankfully, it wasn’t a formulaic book, but rather the author shared a lot of personal stories of how different types of prayer had helped him, while at the same time stressing that not everything works in the same way for everyone. He shared lots of good resources and it’s definitely a book I’ll be able to go back to from time to time. (my rating – 5/5 on Goodreads)

The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories – Marina Keegan (February 11) – I can’t remember where I first heard about this book, but it intrigued me enough to pick it up for myself. The author was a promising young writer, who had just graduated from Yale, about to set out on her career, when she tragically died in a car crash. This collection of essays and stories was put together posthumously, as those who had known and been close to her wanted the world to share the gift that she had left behind. On the whole, I mostly enjoyed this collection. I can see why people predicted that she was destined for a bright future. I think that I enjoyed her non-fiction pieces more than her fiction, but there were none that I didn’t enjoy. (my rating – 4/5 on Goodreads)

A Promised Land – Barack Obama (February 25) – This was an interesting read for the most part, but it was one I had to read in stages. It’s a long book and it’s pretty obvious that the former President likes words – this is the first part of three memoirs. It gave a lot of insight into the day to day life of the sitting US President and is worth the read if you take the time to do so. It was a good mixture of honesty, humour, and seriousness, which gave good insight into who Obama really is as a person. (my rating – 4/5 on Goodreads)

Home Tonight: Further Reflections on the Parable of the Prodigal Son – Henri J.M. Nouwen (February 27) – This is the second book on the Parable of the Prodigal Son written by Nouwen, although I still haven’t read the first. This one was based on a workshop he led on the parable and was published posthumously. The book centres around his experience of spending much time with Rembrandt’s famous painting depicting the return of the prodigal son to his father. This is a book I will need to return to, so that I can take time with the spiritual exercises included at the end of each chapter. This book helped me to see a very familiar story in a different light. It’s well worth the read. (my rating – 5/5 on Goodreads).

The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred-Year-Old Man – Jonas Jonasson (March 13) – This is a fun read, every bit as good as the first book Jonasson wrote about the 100-year-old man. The way that he writes world leaders into the story in believable ways, that also seems almost absurd, always make Jonasson’s books worth reading. (my rating – 5/5 on Goodreads)

Out of Sorts – Sarah Bessey (March 21) – This is a very honest memoir, where Bessey takes us on the journey of her faith so far. It is filled with much critical thought and honesty, as she takes us on a journey of deconstruction and reconstruction, as she searches for an authentic Christian faith. I found myself challenged to look at my own faith journey in ways that perhaps I had been avoiding because I didn’t want to look at what I might find there. I also liked the fact that her story was told from a Canadian perspective. (my rating – 5/5 on Goodreads)

French Exit – Patrick deWitt (April 16) – This novel took me a little while to get into, but in the end I was glad that I persevered. I didn’t enjoy it as much as his other novels, but it is worth the read. The story centres around a widowed socialite, who is running out of her fortune, and her relationship with her adult son. It’s a funny and tragic kind of tale, which also sends up high society. Lots of interesting characters come and go. I have to admit that I didn’t see the ending coming, but as I reflected on it, it made sense to end in the way it did. (my rating – 4/5 on Goodreads)

The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our ”Correct” Beliefs – Peter Enns (April 24) – This is another sharing of a faith journey of deconstruction and reconstruction of sorts. The main thing the author wanted to share was that faith and trust in God is more important than believing the right things about God. He encourages his readers to have no fear of a questioning faith and that doubts are not a wrong thing to have as part of one’s faith journey. This was a refreshing, honest and candid book. I look forward to reading more of his stuff and I plan to listen to more of his The Bible for Normal People, which he co-hosts with Jared Byas. (my rating 5/5 on Goodreads)

Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall – Kazuo Ishiguro (April 30) – This was a fairly enjoyable collection of short stories from one of my favourite writers. It is a diverse collection, although each story is connected by characters with a love of music. What I liked most about the stories is the ambiguous endings, leaving the reader to think and ponder on what may have become of each of the characters. Not as enjoyable as some of the other Ishiguro books I have read, but still worth checking out. (my rating – 4/5 on Goodreads)

That’s a quick recap to catch up on my attempt to complete the TBR 22 in ’22 Reading Challenge. Moving forward I will hopefully keep up with posting about each book as I complete it. I have almost completed half of the challenge and we’re only a third of the way through the year, so I would have to say that this challenge is going well for me so far.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books On My Spring TBR (March 15, 22)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week a different topic is posted inviting the participants to come up with a list of ten things to do with the topic.

This week’s topic is ’Books On My Spring 2020 TBR.’ I have a habit of putting together TBR lists and never following through on them. This year I am making the effort to change that. So far it is going well and I actually read all the books on both my January and February TBR lists. Long may it continue. All the books on the following list are ones that have been on my shelf unread for far too long.

1. What Is the Bible – Rob Bell
2. Moominvalley in November – Tove Jansson
3. French Exit – Patrick deWitt
4. Mere Christians – edited by Mary Anne Phemister and Andrew Lazo
5. Sabbath – Dan B. Allender
6. A Life in Parts – Brian Cranston
7. Calypso – David Sedaris
8. Nocturnes – Kazuo Ishiguro
9. Just After Sunset – Stephen King
10. The Sin of Certainty – Peter Enns

TBR 22 in ’22 – 1/22 (Jan 22, 2022)

I decided to participate in the TBR 22 in ’22 reading challenge for this year, hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. This challenge is one that will help me to read 22 books that have been on my TBR piles for far too long. My list can be found HERE.

I finished my first book for this challenge today – Daddy Lenin and Other Stories by Guy Vanderhaeghe. I got this book for Christmas about 5 years ago, but only read the first story of nine at that time. i’m glad I finally got around to reading it now, as it is a great collection of stories from one of Canada’s great storytellers.

As is often the case with Vanderhaeghe, the stories were mainly set in his home province of Saskatchewan, covering a variety of themes. My favourites were probably The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Anything, although they were all worth reading. I gave the book 4/5 on Goodreads, but it was probably a 4.5. Now I need to work out what my second book will be for this challenge.

Welcome 2022!

Happy New Year!

I only posted here four times in 2021, so I was beginning to wonder whether it was worth keeping this blog going or not. I do use it to keep track of my reading and movie watching, but is it worth keeping it for that alone? I’m not big on resolutions, but I always use the New Year to think about things I’d like to accomplish in the coming year. One of the things for this year is that I would like to post here at least once a week, whether it be an update of what’s going on in my life, a book meme or review, or even maybe a comment on what is happening in the world. I used to really enjoy blogging, but somewhere along the way I drifted away from it. I’ve signed up for some reading challenges this year, so that might encourage me to come back here more often.

One thing I aim to follow through on for this year is getting my weight down to close to 180lbs. Before the pandemic broke out in 2020 I was just under 190lbs (down from 230lbs in the previous Fall), but in the following months I let things go again and was back to 220lbs by the end of summer this year. Even being a vegan doesn’t guarantee that the weight will stay off. In September I started exercising on a daily basis again, as well as eating a healthier vegan diet (it is possible to eat an unhealthy vegan diet), and when I weighed myself a week before Christmas I found out that I am down to 203lbs. Hopefully by Easter I’ll be getting closer to my goal of 180lbs. I’ll see how it goes. It’s been hard to get out for walks with the recent cold snap – most days recently the temperature has not been more that -20C – but I have been doing free step on the WiiFit board for an hour each day and that has been helpful.

What about you? Are you into resolutions or do you see no point in making them if you feel that you’ll break them too easily? This year I’m going to work on some of the things I mentioned already and will try to enjoy these things and not get too worried if things don’t work out as I hoped. Who knows what the year ahead will bring, but hopefully we may find light at the end of the tunnel as far as COVID-19 goes. I hope you have a great 2022! Stay safe and stay healthy.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books on My Fall 2021 To-Read List (21 Sept, 2021)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week a different topic is posted inviting the participants to come up with a list of ten things to do with the topic.

This week’s topic is .Books on My Fall 2021 To-read List.’ These are all books I haven’t read yet. I have started some of them, but really need to concentrate on getting them read. I’ll see how I get on anyway.

• The Island of the Women – George Mackay Brown. This collection of stories looks like one that I’ll be able to get through quite easily. I always enjoy his stories anyway.
• Moominpappa at Sea – Tove Jansson. I’ve been slowly working my way through all the Moomin books. There’s only one more to go after this one. I read some of these over 40 years ago and it’s been good to revisit them.
• The Bookshop at Water’s End – Patti Callahan Henry. I don’t know much about this one, but it’s been unread on my shelf for too long. It looks interesting, so hopefully I’ll enjoy it.
• French Exit – Patrick deWitt. I’ve really enjoyed his other books, so I’m looking forward to this one.
• Practicing the Way of Jesus – Mark Scandrette. I got this as a book club read a few years ago, but I had to drop out at the time and never got it read. I think it’ll be a decent read and hopefully will be challenging too.
• Mere Christians: Inspiring Stories of Encounters with C.S. Lewis – edited by Mary Anne Phemister and Andrew Lazo. I started this book in the early summer. It’s one of those books that you can dip in and out of from time to time, so I’ll just keep chipping away at it.
• Nocturnes – Kazuo Ishiguro. I always enjoy reading Ishiguro, so I’m hoping this collection of stories will be enjoyable too.
• Calypso – David Sedaris. I just got this collection of Sedaris stories a couple of weeks ago, but I want to get it started soon.
• How the Bible Actually Works – Peter Enns. I always enjoy listening to Enns on The Bible for Normal People podcast, so I’m looking forward to reading this. Hopefully it’s quite thought provoking.
• A Promised Land – Barack Obama. I read about a third of this before the summer, so it’s time to get back to it. It’s been a fairly fascinating read so far.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books Written Before I Was Born (Feb 2, 2021)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week a different topic is posted inviting the participants to come up with a list of ten things to do with the topic.

This week’s topic is ‘Books Written Before I Was Born.’ These are all books I have read and include two of my all-time favourites. Those who know me will probably know what those are, otherwise you’ll just have to guess!

1. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve read The Hobbit. It’s one of the books that sparkled my early love of reading.
2. Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury. A classic that’s always worth a reread.
3. Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson. This is also one that I read when I was young. If I remember correctly I read it after watching the Disney version from the 50s. Although the movie was enjoyable and was the impetus for me wanting to read it, the book was far superior.
4. The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway. I first had to read this for high school English and somehow it just stuck with me.
5. Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell. This is another one I had to read at school. The year I first read it was 1982. It’s one I’ve returned to a few times since.
6. Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky. This is probably my second-favourite book by a Russian author. It’s probably due a reread.
7. The Man Who Was Thursday – G.K. Chesterton. This one is good on so many different levels.
8. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich – Alexander Solzhenitsyn. This is my favourite book by a Russian author. It’s not a long read, but it is one to savour. There’s a certain bleakness to it, but the reality of one day in the title character’s life in a Siberian labour camp is worth checking out. I’ve probably read it at least half a dozen times and I never grow tired of it.
9. The Stranger – Albert Camus. I read this in one sitting, as it was hard to put down.
10. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis. If I remember correctly my parents first read this one to me and I’ve loved it ever since. Although this is not my favourite book, C.S. Lewis is my favourite writer.

I was born in the 60s, so there are lots of great books that were written after I was born. However, these ten are ones that are probably all in my top 100. Having said that, I haven’t come up with a top 100, so maybe that’s a project for the near future.