Canada: Ru and Unearthing Diplomatica’s ‘Great Reads from Around the World’ #1 Full details about my Diplomatica ‘Great Reads from Around the World’ project are here. Hello! Welcome to my first, hopefully monthly, installment of my Great Reads from Around the World project AND my Top 100 Canadian Books of All Time project. My goal here is…
Ancient Egyptian: The Egyptian Book of the Dead The Book of the Dead I talked briefly about Ancient Egypt’s The Book of the Dead in my post about Ancient Egyptian language and literature a couple months back, but today I’ll take a more in-depth look at this most famous work of Ancient Egyptian literature. The Book of…
Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated, by James Goodhand: REVIEW Synopsis Ray Thorns is a lifelong bachelor who has always lived a quiet life of minding his own business, until his neighbour collapses and dies alone in Ray’s house. Everyone thinks the dead man is Ray, and before Ray realizes the mistake, his…
William by Mason Coile: REVIEW Synopsis Henry has a brilliant mind, a smart house, a pregnant semi-estranged wife, severe agoraphobia, and a secret AI robot in the attic. And now he has decided to introduce his robot, William, to his wife and her friends. What could possibly go wrong? My Review This is one of…
Hidden Treasure by Jessie Burton: REVIEW Synopsis While young Bo Delafort is mudlarking on the banks of the Thames one day in 1918, she finds a jewel-studded silver disk and believes she hears the river speaking to her through it. This treasure could be the answer to her family’s prayers! But someone else has been…
The Story of ABBA: Melancholy Undercover by Jan Gradvall: REVIEW Synopsis Music critic Jan Gradvall dives deep into music history, Swedish politics and culture, and the band members’ backstories to explain the enduring appeal of this Swedish pop band and to tell The Story of ABBA. My Review I grew up on the music of…
The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue: REVIEW Synopsis On October 22, 1895, a train burst through the wall of the Montparnasse terminus in Paris and landed nose-down on the street. A very famous photo was taken in the aftermath. The Paris Express is a mostly-fictionalized account of the train ride leading up to this incident. My…