The Buzz...About Books

Remembering Chinua Achebe 1930 - 2013

  

Chinua Achebe, the father of modern African literature, has died at the age of 82 in Boston.  Born in Nigeria in 1930, Achebe's first novel, Things Fall Apart (1958) took the world by storm and set the stage for Africa to reclaim the literary voice usurped by her colonizers.  Novelist, critic, political activist, professor, and poet - the power and influence of Achebe's work and legacy is staggering.

Read about it here: CBC, Globe, Toronto Star, Guardian,  BBC, Times Nigeria, The New York Times, Ottawa Citizen, Washington Post, and in the AllAfrica Times.

Read (or re-read) Achebe's works.  Here is a selection available at the Toronto Public Library:  

 

Things Fall Apart is also available on Audiobook.

Check out the Guardian's photo gallery.  Toronto's 680 News has posted selected quotes.

Read what the Guardian had to say when Achebe was awarded the International Man Booker Prize in 2007.

 Watch the 2008 PBS Interview: Achebe Discusses Africa 50 Years After Things Fall Apart:

 

 

Achebe, aged 26

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a new novel by an Irish author

 

After imbibing too much green beer this St. Patrick's Day,  get a nice big glass of water and relax with one of this selection of recently published books by one of Ireland's many talented authors:

One Hundred Names by Cecilia Ahern.  Not only has journalist Kitty Logan’s career has been destroyed by scandal, but she now faces losing the woman who guided her and taught her everything she knows.  Sitting at her mentor’s bedside, Kitty asks if there was one story she has always wanted to write.  The answer sets Kitty off on a journey that will change her life.  Also available in eBook.

Ancient Light by John Banville. An actor in the twilight of his career reflects on a poignant first love affair at the age of fifteen.  At the same time, he lands a role opposite a famous actress who helps him come to an astonishing realization. Also available in Audiobook, eBook, eAudiobook, and Talking Book (restricted to print disabled patrons).

A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy is the story of the owners and guests of Stone House Inn during its first week of operation. This last book by Maeve Binchy was completed just before her unexpected death in 2012. Also available in Audiobook and Talking Book (Restricted to Print Disabled Patrons).

The Absolutist by John Boyne.  In 1917, Will Bancroft laid down his gun on the battlefield, declared himself a conscientious objector and was shot as a traitor.   Two years later, Tristan Sadler, who fought alongside Will in the Great War, sets off to deliver some letters to Will's sister Marian.  Yet, the letters are not the real reason for Tristan's visit. He holds a secret that he is desperate to tell to her, if he can only find the courage.  Also available in eBook.

Two Pints by Roddy Doyle. The humourous, plain-spoken conversation between two friends who meet regularly for a pint in a Dublin pub and discuss the Irish and International news, and the daily events of their own lives.   Also available in eBook.

 

The Last Storyteller by Frank Delaney.  Ben unknowingly falls in with an IRA sympathizer and is compromised into running guns for the rebellion. Yet despite his perilous circumstances, all he can think about is finding his former wife and true love. Also available in eBook.

Broken Harbour by Tana French. In Broken Harbour, a ghost estate outside Dublin, two children and their father are dead and the mother is on her way to intensive care. Scorcher Kennedy is given the case because he is the Murder squad's star detective. At first he and his rookie partner think this is a simple case, but the evidence is pointing in two directions at once. Also available in eAudiobook.

The House on Willow Street by Cathy Kelly is the story of four women.  Tess was happy living in the idyllic Irish coastal village of Avalon with husband and children until her marriage falls apart and her first love returns home. Suki, Tess's sister, fled Ireland years ago but returns to the one place she can make sure that her secrets stay hidden. Danae, the Avalon postmistress, has worked very hard to keep her past a secret and intends to keep it that way. In Galway, Mara needs to put her past behind her, so she packs up her life and gets ready for a fresh start.  Also available in Large Print, Audiobook, eBook.

Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes.  Helen Walsh's work as a Private Investigator has dried up and her flat has been repossessed, so when her charming but dodgy ex-boyfriend, Jay Parker, shows up with a missing persons case Helen is forced to take on the task of finding Wayne Diffney, the 'Wacky One' from boyband Laddz.  Even though she has a new boyfriend, the sexy detective Artie Devlin, Jay's reappearance is stirring up all kinds of stuff and Helen is drawn into a dark and glamorous world, where her worst enemy is her own head and where the only person she feels connected to is the missing Wayne.

Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín. In the ancient town of Ephesus, Mary lives alone, years after her son's crucifixion. She has no interest in collaborating with the authors of the Gospel and she does not agree that her son is the Son of God or that his death was "worth it."  Mary judges herself ruthlessly and is equally harsh on her judgement of others.  Also available in eBook

It's Australia Day!

January 26th  is Australia Day, which commemorates the arrival of the Britain’s First Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788.  While Australians often celebrate with an outdoor barbeque with friends and family,  it is too cold here in Canada for that kind of fun. 

Let's celebrate Australia Day by reading a book by one of Australia's many excellent authors.

 

All The I Am, the debut novel by Anna Funder,  was the 2012 winner of Australia's most prestigious literary award, the Miles Franklin Literary Award. Set in 1930's Europe and based on a true story, it is the story of a group of young German exiles who risk their lives to awaken the world to the terrifying threat of Hitler and Nazi Germany. Also available in eBook.

Prodigal Son is the latest novel in Colleen McCullough's Carmine Delmonica mystery series, which started with On, Off.    When a lethal toxin is stolen from a university lab,  Dr. Millie Hunter reports the theft to Medical Examiner Dr. O'Donnell, who also happens to be her father.   It is currently on order, so place your hold today!

 

The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey.  Catherine Gehrig is a museum conservator and clock expert who is struggling to cope with grief.  To distract her, Catherine's boss gives her a project that will demand all of her attention - the reconstruction of an elaborate nineteenth-century automaton.  During the project, discovers notebooks written by Henry Brandling, who originally commissioned the eerie mechanical creature, which bring her unexpected comfort.  However, it is the automaton itself that links Henry's life to Catherine's, as they are confronted with the miracle and catastrophe of human invention.  Also available in eBook and eAudiobook.

 

Truth is the most recent novel by Australia's famous crime writer Peter Temple and the the sequel to The Broken Shore.  At the close of a long day, Inspector Stephen Villani stands in the bathroom of a luxury apartment where a young woman lies dead, a panic button within reach.   Villani's work is his life and his identity, but he now finds all the certainties of his life are crumbling.  Also available in Audiobook, eBook, and Talking Book (Restricted to print disabled patrons).

 

Caleb's Crossing is Australian-American Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks most recent novel of historical fiction.  The story starts on Martha's Vineyard in the 17th century, when Bertha Mayfield meets a  young Wampanoag named Caleb, the son of a chieftain.  Bertha tells this story of their lives and friendship, as Caleb is educated by her father and later proceeds to Harvard where he becomes the first Native American to graduate. Also available in Large Print, Audiobook, eBook, and eAudiobook.

 

Kate Grenville latest, Sarah Thornhill, is the final book in her Early Australia trilogy which began with The Secret River.  Sarah is the daughter of William Thornhill, the pioneer at the center of the previous books.  Sarah has grown up learning not to ask about the past and does not know that her father's fortune was built on the blood of Aboriginal people.  Her focus is on handsome Jack Langland, whom she has loved since she was a child. Their romance seems destined, but the ugly secret in Sarah's family is poised to tear them apart. Also available in eBook.

 

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas.  At a suburban barbecue, a man slaps a child who is not his own.  Told from the points of view of eight people who were present at the barbecue,  the slap and its consequences force them all to question their own families and the way they live, their expectations, beliefs and desires.
Winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Best Book) in 2009. Also available in eBook.

Related post: Celebrate Australia Day with Books!

 

Feeling Misérables?

Victor Hugo has a lot to answer for. His 1862 novel, Les Misérables, has been adapted for stage, screen, and radio, inspired music and art, and infiltrated popular culture with Susan Boyle, Sideshow Bob, Glee, and countless internet memes. Tom Hooper's recently-released film based on Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's musical has readers storming the barricades to check out this 19th century classic.  

Les Misérables isn't just a good read - it's a magnificent read.

Readers can be intimidated by the historical breadth of Hugo's novel. Prisoner 2-4-6-0-1 doesn't appear immediately - you must be patient. This is a book for a cold, dark night, to be read by candlelight with a glass of Bordeaux.  Hugo is a poet - his masterpiece on social injustice, love, and redemption is as beautiful as it is brutal. 

Would the lovely Anne Hathaway be as ready for her close-up if she appeared the way Hugo dreamed the tragic Fantine  - with her two front teeth knocked out? 

Reserve a copy of Les Misérables in French or English. The eBook is available in English and on audiobook in French in five volumes: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. 

Watch Les Misérables in Concert: the 25th Anniversary Live on DVD. Listen to the original 1985 London cast on CD with Colm Wilkinson, Patti LuPone and Roger Allam.

On the right: the elegant "Javert in 12 Panels by the artist, ~hun-tun.

Further Reading:

The Reinvention of Love by Helen Humphreys. Toronto's award-winning novelist imagines Victor Hugo and his wife, Adèle, in a love triangle.

Cosette: a Sequel by Laura Kalpakian.  At least there are no zombies.

The Temptation of the Impossible: Victor Hugo and Les Misérables by Mario Vargas Llosa. Llosa, the 2010 Nobel Prize winner for literature, offers a passionate reading of Hugo's novel.

Victor Hugo: A Biography by Graham Robb

Related Posts: Red Carpet Reads

   

Hugo was no stranger to misery: his son Léopold died in infancy, his daughter Léopoldine drowned, and his youngest daughter, Adèle suffered from mental illness (the basis for François Truffaut's film, L'histoire d'Adèle H which is, sadly, unavailable at present).    

Victor Hugo circa 1853 photographed by his son, Charles Hugo

 Internet cats and Les Misérables?  Mais bien sûr.  Look down, look down . . .

 
The legendary Grumpy Cat.

The Cats of Japan

I love travel almost as much as I love cats and I often spend my vacations looking for cats, missing my own cats or generally checking out how other countries treat all their animals (sadly, not well – companion animals, like other animals, are mistreated, abused or ignored in every country on the planet if my forays to five continents so far are any indication).

The logo for a major delivery company in Japan.

My recent trip to Japan was a surprise in that I had no idea that Japan was so cat-crazy (in retrospect, Hello Kitty and the number of cats in anime and manga should’ve been a clue). Cats on clothing (don’t ask how many items I bought), in advertising, in books and magazines, in logos (even companies which have nothing to do with cats like one of Japan’s major delivery services) -– cat images are everywhere. I did not see a lot of stray cats in Japan, and almost all that I did see sported that telltale ear notch indicating that they’d been TNRed (trapped, neutered and released, a world-wide volunteer program to sterilize the local stray and feral cat population) much to my relief. No need to carry cat food and fresh water around in this country.

People who can't have their own cats because of financial or space considerations can pay to play with resident cats in 'cat cafes'.

Now back in cold, cold Canada, I continue to explore the theme of cats in Japan -– the library catalogue has tonnes! One doesn’t have to read Japanese thankfully; books including Days of Cats in Tokyo aka Tokyo  – neko moyo have lots of beautiful photos (dare I say kitty porn?) to enjoy. (And given all the clicks and comments on my last blog post, “Let’s Make Every Day Black Cat Appreciation Day”, clearly I’m not the only ailurophile using the library website.)

There are lots of choices for young people –- cats are the main characters in many Japanese folktales including Two Foolish Cats, a story about greed and cooperation  and Three Samurai Cats, a tale of patience, surprise and using time to allow one’s opponent to defeat himself. The Beckoning Cat recounts how the ubiquitous Maneki Neko also known as Welcoming Cat, Lucky Cat, or Money Cat became such a common Japanese figurine in local stores and restaurants. The Boy Who Drew Cats  recreates another centuries-old Japanese legend on the beauty and power of art.

Poster advising of TNR program and the significance of ear notch.

For young adults, there’s Mysterious Tales of Japan which offers another interpretation of “The Boy Who Drew Cats.” And of course there’s lots of manga and anime. Baron the Cat Returns will entertain young teens and older teens and adults will enjoy Tekkonkinkreet, the book. Tekkonkinkreet collects the stories of Black and White, two orphan vigilantes who roam their fictional city in Japan righting wrongs while still having fun. While the human characters Black and White are known as the Cats, the stories also feature the four-legged variety of cats who stroll the alleys or take a more active role in the skirmishes. Compare the book to the anime/DVD version made a few years later. You can even learn how to draw your own cool cat-girls with Manga Mania Chibi and Furry Characters.

Not a fan of manga but still looking for your Japanese fix? No worries -- even the set-in-Iowa book, Dewey, the Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World includes a chapter where Japanese Public Television makes a visit to film this real-life world-famous cat for a documentary on cats. If you’re more into science fiction/fantasy, check out Fudoki, the story of a woman who takes the form of a small tortoiseshell cat (torties being a personal favourite) on a kami, or spirit road. Her family has been destroyed and this loss renders her taleless, but the only one left alive to pass on stories of her clan.

Lots to choose from at a Japanese bookstore.

And now for something completely different, of course look no further than your library. Only from Japan would one find a book called Crafting with Cat Hair; Cute Handicrafts to Make with Your Cat. “A handful of your cat’s hair and a few simple supplies are all you need to make and decorate finger puppets, change purses, knickknack boxes, badges, kitty portraits and more.” Complete with detailed instructions, a list of resources and more kitty porn, you and your sweetie can craft away. Fur balls anyone?

 

 

 

Reading Gangnam Style (강남스타일): South Korean Fiction in Translation

South Korean rapper Psy's music video Gangnam Style went viral last August with now over 7 million hits on YouTube. It has spawned hundreds of parodies and tributes and has brought Korean pop culture galloping (literally) front and center to a Western audience.

Of course, this is old news to the legions of North American K-Pop fans who have been dancing to South Korean groups for years. News to you? Here's a selection available from the library: First Album by Girls' Generation,  The First Album to Anyone by 2NE1, Mini4 by Bigbang, Wonder World by the Wonder Girls, Red: The 4th Single Album by After School, So Cool by Sistar and The Shinee World by Shinee (South Korea's One Direction). 

However, if your speed is more book club than night club, here's another great, if somewhat less bouncy, import worth checking out: recent South Korean fiction in translation. 

Please Look After Mom by Kyung Sook Shin.   A rural woman goes missing at a busy subway station in Seoul. Her children, all successful adults, and her husband frantically search for her while each is wracked with guilt about their relationships with the missing woman. Shin is a best-selling author in South Korea - and her book is getting great reviews in North America. This was our online book club's choice in May.

Black Flower by Young-Ha Kim.  Chronicles the hardships suffered by hundreds of Koreans who went to Mexico in 1905 to escape the impending invasion from Japan. Instead of finding a better life, they found a life of indentured servitude working in terrible conditions for wealthy landowners.

Tongue by Kyung Ran Jo. A cooking school teacher is devastated when her partner leaves her for an ex-model. The relationship between food and sex is explored in this psychological tale of infidelity and revenge.

The Old Garden by Hwang Sok-Yong.  A political prisoner is freed after 18 years in jail to find that the love of his life has died. He discovers her letters and journals and re-traces their life together.  Sok-Yong, a longtime dissident of the South Korean government, has himself been jailed as a political prisoner. 

Like your reads a little more graphic?  South Korean manhwa is challenging the dominance of Japanese manga. Here are some popular series available from the library.

 
   

• Lizzie Newton: Victorian Mysteries by Hey-Jin Jeon
• Goong by Soohee Park
• Angel Diary by Yun Hee-Lee
• Banya by Kim Young-Oh

Finally - Gangnam Style comes to Canada - watch Stratford Festival cast members participate in a parody with the CBC's Peter Mansbridge. Enjoy!

Pemberley Revisited

Sequels to Jane Austen's novels are often greeted by fans of Austen's works with a variety of reactions, which can range anywhere from curiousity and enthusiasm through distain and resentment.  

P.D. James (or Baroness James of Holland Park, to use her official title) is one of a few well-known authors to publish a sequel of one of Jane Austen's books.  P.D. James is one of Britain's best known detective fiction authors.  She has published 19 novels, most of which feature policeman Adam Dalgliesh. 

In Death Comes to Pemberley, she continues the story of  Pride and Prejudice, revealing the six years between the end of that book and the beginning of this story in the Prologue.   I think Austen fans will particulary enjoy this part of the book, as it is quite "Austen-esque".

The story itself begins on the eve of Lady Anne's Ball, with Jane and Bingley, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Georgiana and the Bingleys' friend Henry Alveston all visiting Pemberley.  Just as they are about to retire for the night, a chaise arrives driven quite unexpectedly.   As the galloping horses come to a stop, a hysterical Lydia Wickham throws herself out of the carriage and screams that her husband Wickham has been murdered in the Pemberley woods.   Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Alveston soon set off, only to discover  Wickham over the body of Captain Denny crying "He's dead! Oh God, Denny's dead! He was my friend, my only friend, and I've killed him! I've killed him! It's my fault".  Has Wickham really killed Denny?

Publishing a sequel to such a enduring classic is not done lightly, paricularly by a well-respected author.  P.D. James discusses her motivation for writing this story in a interview with the Telegraph and in this video interview, which took place in her home in October 2011.

 

 

Quite a number of reviews of this book have been written, including in the New York Times and Globe and Mail.  The Toronto Public Library also has it available in audiobook format.

 

Related Posts:

• Spinning Austen or Jane has the last laugh
• Jane Austen Ruined My Life
• Mashed up Fiction and the "ick" factor

Man Booker Longlist Announced

Three Canadian writers are on the longlist for this year's Man Booker Prize.  Alison Pick's second novel Far to Go tells the story of an affluent Jewish Czech family during the Nazi takeover of Czechoslovakia.  Patrick deWitt is nominated for The Sisters Brothers, a humorous Western set during the California Gold Rush.  Esi Edugyan's Half Blood Blues examines the life of a brilliant jazz musician and the racial barriers he faces in 1940s Paris.  Half Blood Blues is scheduled to be released in Canada in the fall.  

Man Booker Longlist

A Cupboard Full of Coats by Yvette Edwards

Derby Day by DJ Taylor

Far to Go by Alison Pick

Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan

Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch

The Last Hundred Days by Patrick McGuinness

On Caanan's Side by Sebastian Barry

Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

Snowdrops by AD Miller

The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst

The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers

The shortlist will be announced in September and the winner will be presented on October 18.

Bi Feiyu wins Man Asian Prize

The 2011 Man Asian Prize has been awarded to China's Bi Feiyu for his novel Three Sisters.  Set during the Cultural Revolution, the novel tells the story of three women from a peasant family who struggle to survive and to thrive in an environment where the options for women are limited. 

This year 54 novels from 14 countries were considered for the award, the most lucrative literary prize in Asia.

Related stories:

Man Asian Shortlist Announced

Man Asian Literary Prize Longlist Revealed

 

Man Asian Shortlist Announced

Five novels reflecting the diversity of Asian literature have been selected as finalists for the 2010 Man Asian Literary Prize.  First awarded in 2007, the award is presented to the best novel by an Asian writer that was either written in or translated into English. 

2010 Shortlist:
The Changeling by Kenzaburo Oe

Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa

Serious Men by Manu Joseph

Three Sisters by Bi Feiyu

The Thing About Thugs by Tabish Khair

Past winners:
2009: The Boat to Redemption by Su Tong
2008: Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco
2007: Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong