Just me, starting another book, with my Lindisfarne (Holy Island) bookmark, whilst looking at *actual* Lindisfarne out of the window.
Looking forward to this book!
I often get inspired to travel to places I read about in novels. When I saw this book in the public library catalogue I thought it would be interesting. And probably inspire me to keep travelling. Books covered include The Odyssey, Frankenstein, Heart of Darkness. Grapes of Wraith, A Suitable Boy, Exit West and The Lincoln Highway and lots more. I‘m looking forward to diving in and seeing where this book takes me!
so-soEven though the story of a family on the run was quite interesting, especially how it influenced the kids. The reason for their escape seemed a bit dubios to me. In the end it is father terrorizing a family. Again the story is interesting, but the writing is a bit boring.
pickI‘ve wanted to read another book by Kirshenbaum since loving Rabbits for Food. This one was lovely in a meandering, melancholy way, true to the title. Reflections on life‘s choices, through stories Sylvia tells Henry on their roadtrip, which is itself a story that you know from the start won‘t have a happy ending. Definitely my kind of book.
#10BeforeTheEnd
so-soIt's quite an authorial feat to write about a visit to the authoritarian dystopia of North Korea and to leave the impression that you, the author, are the most unsavoury element in the book!
I'm overstating it, I guess, but Delisle's graphic bio of his two month sojourn to North Korea overseeing an animation sweatshop (little evidence of his awareness of the exploitative nature of this) is characterised by his sneery arrogance and lack of ⬇️
What a life? Living in Tel Aviv, on Cyprus and in Virginia. But at what cost? All within 3 years.
#TodayILearned that traces of flame retardants were found in Arctic wildlife in the mid-1990‘s. #NFN
so-soAdmittedly this book was written at a sorrowful stressful time in the author‘s life, his wife having just told him she‘s divorcing him. So he‘s very sulky as he travels across Oceania in his portable kayak that he carries with him as he flies from place to place. But that doesn‘t excuse his utter lack of humility, and a serious superiority complex with his smug judgments about 90% of his encounters with folks. He starts by blasting New Zealand ⬇️
