Books

Amsterdam by Ian McEwan: A book review

2013-05-24T07:00:27Z

- Vancouver, British Columbia - Ian McEwan’s novel is a curious oddity amongst his library of works. It’s sandwiched between Enduring Love and Atonement, which were both adapted into full-length feature films, and were exceptionally popular. Amsterdam has not been popular among readers, but was a critical smash and even won the Man Booker prize for fiction that year. Not even Atonement managed to get the Booker, although it was short-listed (and scooped up a plethora of other awards). So what was it about this book? Was it simply too intelligent for the common reader? Or perhaps there was something a little more?

Star Trek: Inception By S.D. Perry & Britta Dennison: A book review

2013-03-15T07:00:21Z

- Vancouver, British Columbia - Star Trek: Inception caught my eye last summer because it seemed to have a fair bit of promise to it. Featured on the cover is a young Carol Marcus, a pivotal character in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, who was the mother to Captain James T. Kirk’s son but was not a part of his life anymore. The movie had a significant theme regarding aging and rebirth, and the barest hints we had at Marcus’ and Kirk’s past relationship were tantalizing and important for development. In the film, Marcus was lead researcher on Project Genesis, a device that could terraform a dead planet into one that could support life. Her son with Kirk was named David, an angry but brilliant young man with an inherent distrust of Starfleet. Kirk clearly desired a relationship with him, but was forbidden contact with him by Marcus, who had clearly made the difficult choice years prior. Confronted by an adult son and hurt feelings regarding how his relationship with Marcus ended, Kirk is thrown into turmoil in the film regarding his usefulness and allotment in life. For years, decades even, much mystery has surrounded how all of this transpired and at last in 2010, a novel was written, giving us a rare glimpse.

Wake by Robert J. Sawyer: A book review

2013-01-25T08:00:00Z

- Vancouver, British Columbia - A quick bit of backstory: in 1887 a woman named Anne Sullivan was contacted to see if some help could be given to young Helen Keller, a girl who was both blind and deaf. Keller was trapped in a world inside her head, unable to demonstrate communicative skills. After weeks of constant work using a form of sign language expressed through hand-to-hand contact, Keller finally grasped the idea of labeling and basic language structure. From there, she was able to finally to express ideas and establish relationships. Why I mention this is because upon reflection, Keller felt that her time before learning sign language was almost as if she was unable to think, and merely existed in a timeless state. It was only through learning to communicate did she feel she achieved sentience. Before, she was little more than a creature reacting to what little stimulation she was receiving, and after she felt as if a mind had awoken inside her.

The Pillars of Society by Henrik Ibsen: A book review

2013-01-18T08:00:00Z

- Vancouver, British Columbia - I’ve covered Henrik Ibsen’s work once before, with his renowned play A Doll’s House, but I felt it was time to look at an earlier work. This play was written over several years, with Ibsen being dissatisfied with it many times over – apparently there were at least five drafts. It’s been rarely performed in the last century, but contains many themes that are relevant even in today’s society: greed, perception, women’s role in society and corruption are but a few.

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union By Michael Chabon: A book review

2013-01-04T22:31:04Z

- Vancouver, British Columbia - I scooped up this novel from my local bookstore’s shelf simply because of the author, Michael Chabon. I enjoyed Wonder Boys quite a bit, and found it immensely relatable, so when I saw that this new novel had won quite a few praises and awards (including a Hugo) I figured I would give it a read and would probably enjoy it. That was back in the summer. I have just finished it. To say that I didn’t like the book would be an oversimplification that I’m not willing to commit to, but I do have some serious issues with the book. And I acknowledge I’m in the minority here, but I also think I know why.

On The Road by Jack Kerouac: A book review

2012-08-03T07:00:18Z

- Vancouver, British Columbia - In the years after World War II, the generation of young adults in the US were listless and without identity. Technology had advanced so rapidly, and with it, culture. Devastation and death never before seen had scarred the world, and there was unease about returning to life before the war. What did it mean to be a young person in those days? Jack Kerouac sought those answers, and spent years travelling to find himself in each corner of the country he could. With little money and even less direction, he would find himself drifting from place to place to meet up with friends and search for the intangible IT…that thing that would define his life. Along the way, Neal Cassady ingrained himself in Jack’s life and his selfish, shallow, womanizing, philosophic musings provided a contrast to Jack’s own observations about life on the road. The friendship was strange, but the two had an immense fascination with each other, and their adventures wound up defining them more than any single destination they arrived at.

Buster Keaton Remembered by Eleanor Keaton and Jeffrey Vance: A book review

2012-07-27T07:00:24Z

- Vancouver, British Columbia - With an ambitious film project coming up, my brothers and I trudged to the library a month back to get the scoop on some background info regarding our film’s subject material. Although not the principle focus of our project, there will be allusions to Buster Keaton, but we had to admit that there was very little we knew about the life of one of the silent era’s best known comic stars. It can be an intimidating prospect to go from almost complete ignorance to being well-versed in someone’s life, but finding this book proved to be exceptionally helpful.

Doctor Who: Superior Beings by Nick Walters: A book review

2012-06-15T07:00:20Z

- Vancouver, British Columbia - If there’s a science fiction series out there, odds are that there’s a collection of spin off novels. They range from the Star Wars series, which at times are far better than the movies, through Star Trek to even Halo and StarCraft. Doctor Who is no exception, but the real kicker is that the novels form part of a collection that is housed in the Guinness Book of World Records – most spin-off material centered on a single fictional character.

Chuck Jones: The Dream That Never Was by Dean Mullaney and Kurtis Findlay: A book review

2012-05-11T07:00:57Z

- Vancouver, British Columbia - There is much to write about Chuck Jones, and anything I put in here would simply not do him, or his work, any justice. But needless to say that if you’ve had any exposure to classic animation, whether through Looney Toons, Tom & Jerry, How The Grinch Stole Christmas et al, you should know that you owe Chuck Jones a debt of gratitude. The man won countless awards and became a legend. There are countless biographies and examinations into his life, but there was a glaring omission in most of them. Co-author/editor Kurtis Findlay had spent much time researching the man and his work, and found a small reference to a comic strip for newspapers Chuck Jones dabbled in revolving a child character named Crawford. But there wasn’t much more than that, and the more digging Findlay did, the more disappointed he was to find that there was simply no information.

David Suzuki: The Autobiography by David Suzuki: A book review

2012-05-04T17:57:07Z

- Vancouver, British Columbia - I find autobiographies to be exceptionally appealing, even when written by a ghostwriter. This is a person’s life laid out, but with their permission. Listening to a person tell anecdotes is refreshing and immediately relatable. Being able to read it in printed form is a little better, as they have an easier time choosing how to tell the story. Self-editing may be a little less spontaneous, and possibly less honest, but memory is such a fickle thing anyway.