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Literature

Canada & Mr. Diefenbaker

[The Liberals]1 bit the dust because they treated Parliament with contempt.2 BT Richardson’s Canada & Mr. Diefenbaker is a book which isn’t so much about the then-Prime Minister, but is more about Canada in 1962. I thought it was really ambitious to write a biography of a sitting Prime Minister, but I was mistaken, Richardson wasn’t talking about Diefenbaker’s childhood and early years, he was talking about Canada. Even in the few chapters that did discuss Diefenbaker was more interested in painting the picture of a family living in rural Ontario3 and moving out to Saskatchewan to start a new life with free land and the great opportunities of this… Read More »Canada & Mr. Diefenbaker

The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee by Sarah Silverman

Judging by the time, I’m going to guess that I’m somewhere over Saskatchewan12, and so far I’ve read more than half of Sarah Silverman’s debut book The Bedwetter. Last night3, I took a walk along the Danforth in Toronto to visit the bank, and on my way back, I popped into Book City. I had two books to take with me on my trip, and though my trip is only five days, I tend to pound through the reading while on vacation, and if I’m going to attempt to visit a beach, I’ll need to find a way to not get bored, because beaches are boring. So here, I sit,… Read More »The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee by Sarah Silverman

April 2010, in review

In December, I set goals for myself, how many films to see this year, how many shows to attend, how many records to purchase, and how many books to read. This is the standings, as of the end of February… Books I read (6/10) – 60%: Nothing this month. Films I saw (32/52) – 61%: The Sweet Hereafter | Originally released 1997    Nine | Originally released 2009 The Runaways Sleeper | Originally released 1973 Albums I bought (24/52) – 46%: “My Father’s House” b/w “The Digger” (Regional 7″ Volume 2) by $100    What The Boat Gave The River by Mark Berube & The Patriotic Few    new EP by… Read More »April 2010, in review

March 2010, in review

Books I read (6/10) – 60%: Overqualified by Joey Comeau | Originally published 2009   Fear of Fighting by Stacey May Fowles & Marlena Zuber | Originally published 2008   Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 4 Time Of Your Life by Jeph Loeb & Joss Whedon | Originally published 2009 Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby  | Originally released 2009 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 5 Predators & Prey by Joss Whedon, Jane Espenson, Steven S. DeKnight, Drew Z Geenberg, Jim Krueger, Doug Petrie & Georges Jeanty | Originally published 2009 Films I saw (28/52) – 54%: In The Loop | Originally released 2009 Inglourious Basterds | Originally released… Read More »March 2010, in review

Juliet, Naked

Duncan is a fan of Tucker Crowe, a singer-songwriter from the ’80s who’s last record Juliette was critically acclaimed. Out of the blue, Crowe abandoned his career. Duncan, and Annie are touring the United States on a pilgrimage to the homeland of his beloved1. Duncan spends much his time evaluating, critiquing, and discussing Crowe’s brief artistic output along with a small fanbase on the internet. I am a fan, or at least was, and have spent way too much time on an internet message board dedicated to this band. The fictional message board in Hornby’s novel is filled with middle-aged men who are constantly discussing the work of a long… Read More »Juliet, Naked

Fear of Fighting

I used to work at a computer store. It wasn’t a great job. I worked in corporate sales. My then-coworker Vince1 used to befriend his clients, he really liked them. I didn’t get it. Customers were the bane of my existence, they came in, asked stupid questions, wanted better pricing, took up time that could be better used drinking, or reading, or what-have-you. Maybe this is why I wasn’t a very good salesman, I never understood the joy of sales, to me, the job was a means to an end, not a career, but a stop-gap until I figured out what the hell I wanted to do with my life.… Read More »Fear of Fighting

Overqualified

Overqualified tells the story of a troubled soul. The protagonist loses his brother in an accident with a drunk driver. Then the remaining parts of his life seem to crumble around him. The narrative is told through over-informative and awkward cover letters. The author, Joey Comeau, might be known to you as the man behind the words of A Softer World, an online comic known for its strangely depressing sense of humour. Though the novel is short and only took me a couple hours to read, it’s wonderful. The dark humour is a great way to spend a sick day in bed. I’ll leave you with another strip from A… Read More »Overqualified

Gordon’s dead

I recently finished reading a book which I bought for my mother’s birthday in August. When I gave it to her, I told her that I’d have to borrow it when she was done. My mother, a former English teacher, is one of those people with a list of books to read as long as her arm, so it did take some time to get to it. The book, Heaven is Small by Emily Schultz, begins with: Moments after his death, an event he had failed to notice, Gordon Small sought new employment. That first sentence immediately captures the audience, and the story of Gordon, a recently deceased writer whospent… Read More »Gordon’s dead

February 2010, in review

In December, I set goals for myself, how many films to see this year, how many shows to attend, how many records to purchase, and how many books to read. This is the standings, as of the end of February… Books I read (2/10 – 20%): Heaven Is Small by Emily Schultz | Originally published 2009 Films I saw (19/52 – 36.5%): Whip It | Originally released 2009 24 Hours On Craigslist | Originally released 2005 The Princess And The Frog | Originally released 2009 The Secret of Kells | Originally released 2009 An Education |  Originally released 2009 Invictus | Originally released 2009 The Blind Side | Originally released… Read More »February 2010, in review