I’m supposed to be writing about the Jackie Robinson biography, which I finished weeks ago, but so far I haven’t been motivated to do so. I finished another Wallander mystery — my “in between” book — but the next bio on my list, the new one about Frederick Douglass, hasn’t
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wmtc: a reading plan for 2019: the year of the biography?
A new biography of Frederick Douglass has gotten glowing reviews, and as Douglass is one of my great heroes — one of the greatest Americans — I definitely want to read it. This made me realize how many biographies I’ve been putting on The List and not reading. The one
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: occupy nation by todd gitlin
Occupy Nation: The Roots, the Spirit, and the Promise of Occupy Wall Street is a history and ethnography of Occupy Wall Street, and the Occupy movement. Author, sociologist, and longtime leftist activist Todd Gitlin has written an account of how a social movement was born, grew, and died. After reading
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: hunger by roxane gay
During the Ontario provincial election, after a hack from the Toronto Sun drew attention to an unpopular view that I had expressed some years earlier, I was the object of right-wing attacks by email and on social media. Many of these wingnuts referenced my weight in various disgusting ways. This shocked
Continue readingwmtc: first nations public library week
Yesterday was Orange Shirt Day. October 1 through 7 is First Nations Public Library Week in Canada. I’ll write more about this soon. For now, a book review from a few years back: what i’m reading: indian horse by richard wagamese, a must-read, especially for canadians.
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: collected (and amazing) nonfiction by saul bellow
When the author Saul Bellow died in 2005 at the age of 90, I was saddened and disappointed by the scant attention paid to his passing. Bellow was one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century. His novels are still relevant, in a way that many of past generations
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m re-reading: the ax by donald westlake and other literary thrillers
I’ve just re-read* one of my all-time favourites: The Ax by Donald Westlake. I’m agog with how much I love this book. But first, the requisite blather. * * * * One of my favourite kind of books — although I don’t read them frequently — is a mystery, detective story, crime
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: running the books: the adventures of an accidental prison librarian
I read this book many months ago. I’m still catching up from my involuntary blogging hiatus. Last year I read and wrote about The Maximum Security Book Club: Reading Literature in a Men’s Prison. I found it extremely disappointing; if you read the review, you will catch my understatement. Avi Steinberg’s
Continue readingwmtc: rip philip roth
I was literally reading this article in The New York Times about Philip Roth when I heard he had died. It’s a wonderful story: an 85-year-old celebrated author who has come to the end of his career with no regrets, is grateful to wake up every morning, and is now bingeing
Continue readingwmtc: on poppies, veterans, trolls, and doxing
First of all, I do not apologize. I have nothing to apologize for. No one should apologize for having an unpopular opinion, or an opinion that the majority finds offensive. Second, I said nothing disrespectful to veterans. My utter lack of respect — my undying contempt — is for rulers
Continue readingwmtc: reading can make you a better person. here’s evidence.
Celebrate #EmpathyDay with a good book. Last year, a prosecutor in the US state of Virginia asked a judge to hand down an unusual sentence. Five teens had defaced a historic structure — a Jim Crow- era schoolhouse for African-American children — with swastikas and other racist graffiti. The judge
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: brendan’s way by matthew bin
Brendan’s Way by Matthew Bin is a genre-blending journey story combining adventure, mystery, and conspiracy in a futuristic setting. It’s technically science fiction, as it takes place in the future and features some technology that doesn’t yet exist. But if, like me, you don’t usually read science fiction, don’t let that
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: short reviews of fiction by margaret atwood, madeleine thien, frances itani, elizabeth kostova
I’ve gathered some thoughts about several novels I read but neglected to write about. I enjoyed them all to varying degrees; all are worth reading if you enjoy the type. This is the first of three posts. * * * * The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood is subgenre we
Continue readingwmtc: rip fred bass, who gave nyc a priceless gift
Is there a New Yorker alive who hasn’t spend time in The Strand? A New York City tourist who didn’t thrill to their first visit to The Strand? The man who gave NYC this unique gift died recently at the age of 89. Although his father founded the store, Fred
Continue readingwmtc: required reading for revolutionaries: jane mcalevey and micah white
I’ve wanted to write about these two books for a long time, but adequately summarizing them is a daunting task. I just want to say to every activist and organizer: READ THESE BOOKS. I don’t want to represent the authors’ ideas, I want you to read them yourself. No Shortcuts:
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: what i haven’t read and am not reading
Many of my co-workers keep colourful lists like this,or use Goodreads or Shelfari to track their reading.I prefer plain old text. Like most avid readers, my to-read list contains far more titles than I could ever read in a lifetime, even if I did nothing but read. Although I add
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: rolling blackouts, graphic novel that asks many big questions
I see by the wmtc tag “graphic novels” that I intended to write about graphic books I read and enjoyed…and I see by the scant number of posts with that tag that I have not been doing so! The last wmtc post tagged for graphic novels is from four years
Continue readingwmtc: listening to joni: footnote #2
I decided to solve the problem of over-interpretation of lyrics in Reckless Daughter (described here) by putting down the book. I’ll go back to it in the future. For now the listening project is more interesting and absorbing to me than reading the biography. This means I’ll review the two
Continue readingwmtc: listening to joni: footnote #1
Reading the biography Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell while doing this re-listening project is proving to be an obstacle. In general I’m enjoying the book. I love learning more about the artist who created the most meaningful music in my life, and about the woman I have always considered a
Continue readingwmtc: listening to joni: a new wmtc feature
Two new books about Joni Mitchell have come out, with — strangely — the same title. Reckless Daughter: A Joni Mitchell Anthology, edited by Barney Hoskyns, is a collection of stories about Joni* and reviews of her work. It’s part of an ongoing collection called Rock’s Backpages, which looks at
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