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miramichijim's reviews
785 reviews
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H.P. Lovecraft
5.0
I rarely give 5-stars, but this work of fantasy-horror is fantastic. Like a dream, you don't want it to end. Lovecraft wisely choose to write it as one continuous, uninterrupted work. There are no chapters or parts. It makes the book even harder to put down. The end of Randolph Carter's quest was interesting and enlightening. The descriptions of the various cities and landscapes reminded me of the artwork of www.rogerdean.com. Also, you'll find out that Ghouls are not so bad, and you had better be nice to cats!
Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington by Terry Teachout
4.0
I first discovered the existence of this book on the WBGO jazz website (http://www.wbgo.org/) and I am glad I did.
I had always wanted to read Ellington's autobiography "Music is My Mistress" but never got a copy of it (yet). Just as well, for Mr. Teachout claims that Duke held back on a lot of things that make an autobiography a "must read": personal insights, thoughts of his fellow musicians, family, etc. He wanted to maintain his public persona right until the end, it appears.
I am not a musician, but I love all genres, but especially Jazz. This book never gets bogged down in music theory, and is very readable for the armchair jazz aficionado. In fact, I enjoyed listening to the Duke's music even more after reading "Duke". I read the ebook version, but I would like to get a hard copy to add to music shelf to refer to from time to time.
There are plenty of quotes from other sources: interviews, other biographies/autobiographies, reviews and such. Highly recommended!
I had always wanted to read Ellington's autobiography "Music is My Mistress" but never got a copy of it (yet). Just as well, for Mr. Teachout claims that Duke held back on a lot of things that make an autobiography a "must read": personal insights, thoughts of his fellow musicians, family, etc. He wanted to maintain his public persona right until the end, it appears.
I am not a musician, but I love all genres, but especially Jazz. This book never gets bogged down in music theory, and is very readable for the armchair jazz aficionado. In fact, I enjoyed listening to the Duke's music even more after reading "Duke". I read the ebook version, but I would like to get a hard copy to add to music shelf to refer to from time to time.
There are plenty of quotes from other sources: interviews, other biographies/autobiographies, reviews and such. Highly recommended!
Watership Down by Richard Adams
4.0
Amazing read. I had started to read this book back when it came out in my high school years, but i dismissed it as a children's story (which, on the surface it is) and didn't really care to read about talking rabbits. ([b:Animal Farm|7613|Animal Farm|George Orwell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424037542s/7613.jpg|2207778]is another matter; I enjoyed it.)
This is an adventure story that makes it hard to put down, and when you do, you look forward to picking it up again. I especially liked the rabbit folklore storytelling about the legendary El-ahrairah rabbit and his tricks. It is a rather long book, but so is the rabbits journey from their home warren to 'the promised land' where there is peace & security and room to prosper. There are a few allegories throughout the book; various rabbit 'governments' that they encounter on the journey(some semi-good, some oppressive/aggressive) and their religion (so to speak) of Frith, Prince Rainbow and El-ahrairah.
My favourite characters are other animals: mice, a wounded gull, dogs and cats and how the rabbits interact with them as well as a few humans.
If you haven't read this book, I recommend it for readers of all ages.
This is an adventure story that makes it hard to put down, and when you do, you look forward to picking it up again. I especially liked the rabbit folklore storytelling about the legendary El-ahrairah rabbit and his tricks. It is a rather long book, but so is the rabbits journey from their home warren to 'the promised land' where there is peace & security and room to prosper. There are a few allegories throughout the book; various rabbit 'governments' that they encounter on the journey(some semi-good, some oppressive/aggressive) and their religion (so to speak) of Frith, Prince Rainbow and El-ahrairah.
My favourite characters are other animals: mice, a wounded gull, dogs and cats and how the rabbits interact with them as well as a few humans.
If you haven't read this book, I recommend it for readers of all ages.
Those Splendid Girls by Katherine Dewar
3.0
At first I wasn't that interested in reading about PEI nurses in WWI, but the book is well-researched and contains excerpts from some of the nurses' private diaries. There are many photos as well and is a good read for anyone interested in the medical aspects of war, and Canada's involvement in treating soldiers in various hospitals in the field or back in England.
Bliss and other stories by Raymond Fraser
4.0
"Bliss" is Raymond Fraser's twelfth work of fiction and is not a disappointment for his long-time readers. Released back in 2013, I first tore through this book so fast that I decided to revisit it again since Mr. Fraser has a new book coming in April 2015.
"Bliss" contains 26 short stories, some of them barely a page long, but all are gems in their own way. I will highlight just a few of them below.
Most of the stories, and indeed, most of Mr. Fraser's novels are written in an informal, first-person point of view. Typically, they are incidents and or adventures of the author himself (AKA Walt MacBride) that happened to the author in New Brunswick, or in his travels to larger centers such as Montreal or Toronto.
Read more here: http://miramichireader.blogspot.ca/2015/03/bliss-and-other-stories-by-raymond.html
"Bliss" contains 26 short stories, some of them barely a page long, but all are gems in their own way. I will highlight just a few of them below.
Most of the stories, and indeed, most of Mr. Fraser's novels are written in an informal, first-person point of view. Typically, they are incidents and or adventures of the author himself (AKA Walt MacBride) that happened to the author in New Brunswick, or in his travels to larger centers such as Montreal or Toronto.
Read more here: http://miramichireader.blogspot.ca/2015/03/bliss-and-other-stories-by-raymond.html
A Civil War: Army vs. Navy - A Year Inside College Football's Purest Rivalry by John Feinstein
3.0
Man, I was happy to finish this book. It just seemed to drag on to the conclusion, and when you know the final score of the Army-Navy game that year, it takes a little of the anticipation out of it (if you are a Navy fan, anyway).
I got pretty tired of the rah-rah sports cliches expounded by both players and coaches over the course of the season, but getting some behind the scenes glimpses into service academy football was insightful.
I would have liked to have read a history of the rivalry, which players and coaches went on to play in the NFL, distinguished themselves in battle, etc.
I got pretty tired of the rah-rah sports cliches expounded by both players and coaches over the course of the season, but getting some behind the scenes glimpses into service academy football was insightful.
I would have liked to have read a history of the rivalry, which players and coaches went on to play in the NFL, distinguished themselves in battle, etc.
The Arrow of Gold by Joseph Conrad
4.0
It's hard not to give a Conrad novel 5 stars; he's my favourite author. Arrow of Gold loses a star for me because I found I was getting bogged down in the intricacies of the relationship between Monsieur George and Dona Rita. Sometimes the emotions of love is a difficult thing to explain, and the feelings of both characters must be taken into account.
Set against the background of the third Carlist war, our man 'Monsieur George'(Joseph Conrad; this is based on a true story) is a sea-faring adventurer who takes on the risky business of running guns from France into Spain. One of the supporters of the Carlist cause is Dona Rita, a beautiful woman with a sketchy past and a large inherited fortune. Our man falls in love with her but there is another suitor (Captain Blunt) which causes some conflict. Then there are the men from her past....
The book has a very well-written fast-paced climax, totally unforeseen (by me) and well worth the perseverance needed to get through some of the preceding text (although those familiar with Conrad's style will have no problem).
For more information on this period in Conrad's life see: [b:The Mirror of the Sea|441880|The Mirror of the Sea|Joseph Conrad|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348334097s/441880.jpg|2423583] and [b:The Sea Years of Joseph Conrad|25164448|The Sea Years of Joseph Conrad|Jerry Allen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1426634490s/25164448.jpg|44868426] for an in-depth look at the main characters and their true identities and backgrounds.
Set against the background of the third Carlist war, our man 'Monsieur George'(Joseph Conrad; this is based on a true story) is a sea-faring adventurer who takes on the risky business of running guns from France into Spain. One of the supporters of the Carlist cause is Dona Rita, a beautiful woman with a sketchy past and a large inherited fortune. Our man falls in love with her but there is another suitor (Captain Blunt) which causes some conflict. Then there are the men from her past....
The book has a very well-written fast-paced climax, totally unforeseen (by me) and well worth the perseverance needed to get through some of the preceding text (although those familiar with Conrad's style will have no problem).
For more information on this period in Conrad's life see: [b:The Mirror of the Sea|441880|The Mirror of the Sea|Joseph Conrad|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348334097s/441880.jpg|2423583] and [b:The Sea Years of Joseph Conrad|25164448|The Sea Years of Joseph Conrad|Jerry Allen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1426634490s/25164448.jpg|44868426] for an in-depth look at the main characters and their true identities and backgrounds.
New Brunswick: An Illustrated History by Ronald Rees
4.0
Being fairly new to New Brunswick (I moved here in 2008), I really didn't know much about its history despite growing up only one province away in Ontario. I had visited here once before in the 80's on a camping trip to the east coast, but other than that, NB was virtually unknown to me. Hence, I was on the lookout for a book on it's past.
"New Brunswick: An Illustrated History" by Ronald Rees was released in 2014 and as the author states in the preface:
"...this book is for general readers interested in the development of the province, not scholars and academics."
Perfect! Just what I was looking for. (To the author's credit, he does direct the reader's attention to more in-depth works.)
This book is just over 220 pages, and contains many B & W photographs and illustrations. The author is a former professor of historical geography at the University of Saskatchewan as well as being an adjunct professor at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick.
For more, see the full review at: http://miramichireader.blogspot.ca/2015/03/new-brunswick-illustrated-history.html
"New Brunswick: An Illustrated History" by Ronald Rees was released in 2014 and as the author states in the preface:
"...this book is for general readers interested in the development of the province, not scholars and academics."
Perfect! Just what I was looking for. (To the author's credit, he does direct the reader's attention to more in-depth works.)
This book is just over 220 pages, and contains many B & W photographs and illustrations. The author is a former professor of historical geography at the University of Saskatchewan as well as being an adjunct professor at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick.
For more, see the full review at: http://miramichireader.blogspot.ca/2015/03/new-brunswick-illustrated-history.html