Jack Sprat could eat no fat His wife could eat no lean And so betwixt the two of them They licked the platter clean Jack ate all the lean, Joan ate all the fat. The bone they picked it clean, Then gave it to the cat. Jack Sprat was wheeling, His wife by the ditch.... Continue Reading →
The 100-year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson
This book was recommended to me by a patron but I think I would have grabbed it off the shelf regardless. Everything about it says, happy, happy, happy: the title, the bright orange colour of the cover, and the whacky story itself. All the way through reading it I thought “this would make the perfect... Continue Reading →
Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie
This is no Days of Our Lives, sand through the hourglass, kind of book where you can skip massive chunks and still be ahead of what’s going on. Allow your mind to drift off to contemplate what you’re having for supper or the blue fluff in your belly button, and you’re finished. This is a... Continue Reading →
Cosí fan tutti (People are all the same), by Michael Dibdin
Okay, so I told myself (again) that I wasn’t going to write anymore reviews on Dibdin’s Zen series as I’ve already covered the first four books in two previous postings. The temptation is too great, though, especially when every time I use my coffee machine I can’t help but think about Aurelio Zen, the character... Continue Reading →
Caesar: Life of a Colossus by Adrian Goldsworthy
Rome was crazy. Senators would fight, sometimes literally, for prestige and any chance to prove themselves worthy of being a senator. Some of the top ranks in Roman politics were Consul which would lead to Proconsul - the rank Caesar was when he invaded Gaul and when he first explored Britannia. In Caesar's day, family... Continue Reading →
Dead Lagoon, by Michael Dibdin
I hadn’t intended to write another review on Michael Dibdin’s Aurelio Zen series, but with the news, firstly, that the BBC is running three movie length programs based on the books and, secondly, that Rufus Sewell (swoon) is playing the lead, I couldn’t help myself. Sewell will be perfect for the part - tall, dark... Continue Reading →
Ratking, by Michael Dibdin
I first learned about Michael Dibdin and the Aurelio Zen series whilst perusing Men’s Journal in the library one day. Having just finished the Stieg Larsson trilogy, and thoroughly enjoyed it (mostly), I was excited to read of some Larsson read-a-likes. The fact that Dibdin situates his novels in Italy was also part of the... Continue Reading →
Thunder Bay Public Library's Book Blog 