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I vaguely remember reading Cohen's Beautiful Losers but I didn't remember much about it. So I decided to read it again. It's definitely different, sort of about a failed love triangle.

Carol Shields -- Unless (Her final novel) Leonard Cohen -- Beautiful Losers

Ottawa 55 -- it has just been one of those years...

I really liked The Alexandria Quartet and do mean to reread it one of these days. I haven't gotten terribly far with any other of Durrell's novels, even though many of them are short. I'm nearly done with The Cure for Death by Lightning and am halfway through To Kill a Mockingbird. Both involve small rural communities and the rumors and gossip that can lead to serious consequences. Both could be considered coming of age novels, though Scout is quite a bit younger than Beth Weeks, the narrator of Cure for Death. Both also feature racism quite prominently, either against Blacks or First Nations people. The main difference is that To Kill a Mockingbird is a quasi fairy tale where Atticus is essentially a prince in disguise, whereas Beth's father is the monster that must be slayed.

This does look interesting, but I am wondering if you have any clips on SoundCloud? It doesn't appear that the album is featured on your site (yet?).

Unbelievably dispiriting news. 2016 may well go down as the worst year ever in terms of losing musicians/artists that I cared the most about. I should have made a bigger effort to catch him on his last tour, but I think I was moving between cities at the time. I was hoping he would do a tour, even just a handful of cities, to support his last, dark masterpiece You Want It Darker, but it was not to be. RIP

I finally conquered The Federalist Papers, or they conquered me, not sure which. Quite dense stuff, especially one of the last papers (83) written by Hamilton on why trial by jury wasn't in the Constitution proper (though it was added only 4 years later as part of the Bill of Rights). In a few months, I expect to tackle Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia, but I need some lighter stuff in the meantime. I'm just starting Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, which I never read in high school (unlike so many other Americans). After that, probably Samuel Butler's The Way of All Flesh.

So hard to believe! And so many heart attacks!!! Definitely one for the ages. Both teams played their hearts out, and what more can you ask...

Cheap Novelties arrived, and I am sad to say that it doesn't appear there are any new strips at all. There are a few random fake newspaper advertisements added to the final story, but I do feel ripped off. The slightly larger size of the comics isn't worth it, in my view, for anyone who already owned it. I'm sorry now that I didn't buy directly through Amazon, since I would return this, but it just isn't worth trying to send it back to a reseller. I'm halfway through The Federalist Papers. I found the first 40% to be really quite trying and a bit boring, as the whole point is to explain why the Articles of Confederation were no longer fit for purpose. Some of the arguments are a lot less convincing now, particularly that the national government will not bother itself with local issues. I suspect that if they knew what we know now, they would definitely have changed some aspects of the Constitution and been far more explicit about what was state and national business. On the other hand, Hamilton was always a promoter of a strong national government, so maybe he wouldn't have been bothered. I read recently, however, that he came to want an imperial presidency and actually argued that the President should serve for life! (This didn't actually make it into the Federalist Papers, however.) All things considered, the U.S. probably dodged a bullet when Hamilton didn't... Now that the Papers are actually explaining what went into some of the compromises in the text of the Constitution, it is more rewarding.

Just read Symposium by Muriel Spark on the flight to Minneapolis. I didn't like it at all. I'm definitely not on the same wave length as Spark. There are a few more of her books I probably "ought" to read, but life seems too short right now. I'll probably finish up Graham Swift's Ever After while traveling and on the way back, but so far it isn't doing very much for me. I suppose that's ok. I was pretty sure both of these books were "read once and discard" books...

Oh no! My wife will be so sad and her mother even more so. A true Chicago legend. Almost every time I went over, I would hear him on the radio. I'm glad he was healthy enough to be broadcasting right to the end.

This was overall an enjoyable read, but I am a little less attracted to darkness for its own sake, which sort of seems the main point of this novel. I was a bit less satisfied with overall plot and some plot turns than I was 15 or 20 years ago. Probably more than anything else, it is really hard to read (post 9/11) about a terrorist cell planning on attacking New York City. It was just a dark novel in 1985 when it was published, but now it feels a bit too prophetic. I've actually been meaning to read The Federalist Papers for some time now, and decided that rather than spend any more time thinking about the election, I would tackle them now. It is somewhat interesting and more than a little depressing that the introduction by Garry Wills (written in 1982) is just so optimistic and even a bit proud about how much compromise there was between the parties. (Even then that was clearly a bit of a rosy view...)

Just saw a very powerful production of Fugard's Master Harold and the Boys. This play is of course not nearly as topical since the demise of apartheid, but there is still plenty of privilege in the world and helping people think about how power/privilege is perpetuated is still relevant.

Someone tweeted "Welcome to peak-Boomer," which seems about right. I agree writing lyrics is writing, but I guess I am a hopeless snob and don't feel that writing lyrics measures up to writing poetry and certainly not writing novels or plays. So I am not in favor of Dylan's winning the prize and won't be celebrating it.

The first 20 pages or so of Waiting for the End of the World seem quite promising. It seems like it will live up to my memory of it, which is a good sign. Fingers crossed anyway. I just learned that Ben Katchor's Cheap Novelties is being reprinted in hard cover, and apparently there is some new material in this edition (or rather classic strips from that era that weren't included at that time). I'm never a fan of double-dipping, but it has been OOP for quite some time, and the new edition is reasonably priced. I'm planning on picking up a copy. I will be upset if they just added some material from Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer, but I am assuming that is not the case.

I generally wasn't that impressed with Floating City, as I didn't think the underlying concepts were all that insightful. He also seems to be having a nervous breakdown all through the second half of the book (which is really more of a memoir than any sociological research). I liked several aspects of Kay's Lucky Coin Variety, though there were some frankly unbelievable plot twists towards the end. Though if one is interested in the younger generation of Koreans living in Canada then it is a good starting point. I'm going to read Deyan Sudjic's The 100 Mile City, which should be somewhat more intellectually rewarding (than Floating City) and Madison Smartt Bell's Waiting for the End of the World. I read this years ago and really liked the book. I am a bit nervous I will have changed in the meantime and not like it as much any longer. I guess I'll know soon.

It does look fairly interesting. I'll see if I can move it up a bit on the list...

I just wrapped up Lethem's Chronic City. I'd have to say it has become my favorite Lethem novel, edging out Motherless Brooklyn. I have not read Fortress of Solitude (probably will in 2018!) but I suspect Chronic City will still be number one. As I said, it definitely feels a bit like a lost DeLillo novel with a preoccupation on what is real and what is simulation. (If you do read Chronic City, it is best to have read Dr. Bloodmoney beforehand.) I'm starting Kay's Lucky Coin Variety now, then I'll probably tackle a pop-sociology book called Floating City.

I'm about a quarter into Lethem's Chronic City. Still finding it interesting. It almost strikes me as a lost novel by Don DeLillo, though it is interesting that there is a subplot involving an astronaut (and 4 cosmonauts) stuck in a space station, probably never to return. I wonder if this is a shout-out of sorts to PKD's Dr. Bloodmoney. I would be a bit surprised if Lethem had not read Dr. Bloodmoney. (Actually, I did a quick search and Lethem is a huge fan of PKD and has read essentially all of his work.)

While Christodora relies a bit too much on coincidence and I have a few reservations relating to how most of the characters do drugs, but the non-white characters get more hooked than the white characters. Still, I thought the ending was pretty good (some might think it too sappy). So on the whole it was worth reading. I've just started Lethem's Chronic City. I'm liking it so far. I am just back from an author's reading (which I haven't done in ages). This was Canadian-Korean author, Ann Choi, reading from Kay's Lucky Coin Variety. It is one of the finalists for the Toronto Book Award 2016. I'm sort of fortunate that I put my reserve request in way back before it got hot, so I now have the book waiting for me at the library (and there are still 170 people in queue!). I should be able to pick it up in a few more days.

yes, this is big news indeed, though it will be painful to wait for the collection to be released in drips and drabs. I'll hold off for a while to see if they partner with other digital download companies or if I have to reinstate my iTunes account.

Still my favorite Roth work to date. I liked it a lot at the time. It's on my list to read again, though that probably means a year or two away! Have you read Exit Ghost, which is the sequel to The Prague Orgy? I have not, but I will when I reread Zuckerman Bound. Still my favorite Roth work to date. I liked it a lot at the time. It's on my list to read again, though that probably means a year or two away! Have you read Exit Ghost, which is the sequel to The Prague Orgy? I have not, but I will when I reread Zuckerman Bound.

Christodora does have quite a large cast of characters, and seems to be at least sort of influenced by Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities in how they are juggled. What is different, and actually more than a little annoying, is that Murphy insists on moving the chronology all over the place. So chapter 1 is 2001, chapter 2 is 2009, chapter 3 is 1981, etc. I guess it is sort of to draw attention to little continuities that might otherwise escape the reader if the story was largely chronological with just a flashback or two. For instance, the parents fairly casual drug use has escalated in their adopted son to the point he looks well on the way to becoming a junky at 17, etc. Still, if a writer needs to rely on these gimmicks throughout a fairly long book, that is not a good sign in my mind. I've also dipped a bit into Sciascia's Open Doors, which is a collection of 4 novellas. They don't really function that well as mysteries, but they do show just how much contempt Sciascia had for Sicilian society or at least its upper rungs, particularly the convergence/conspiracies between the Catholic Church, the police and other government bureaucrats and the Mafia.

I saw 3 plays this week. A solid production of Harold Pinter's Old Times, and a very good production of Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars. This is actually the Abbey Theatre Company on an North American tour, and they have a few weeks left of the tour, though it is mostly in college towns and not major cities (Toronto being the main exception). Last night I saw a middling production of Wallace Shawn's Aunt Dan and Lemon. I knew it was a "challenging" play. I didn't realize it had so many gaping structural holes that completely undermined the thrust of Shawn's arguments. I honestly don't know why anyone thinks this is a prize-worthy play (it won an Obie). It wasn't worth my time, at least.

He certainly slowed down around 2005, when his long-time partner died. He did complete Me, Myself and I in 2007, and he wrote an expanded version of The Zoo Story around that time as well. That seems to be his last completed work, though we may find he had some unfinished scripts that will be published down the road. Still, reasonably active for someone who would have been close to 80 at that time.