Category Archives: Writing

Book Review: Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Fleishman Is in Trouble

Posted on 27 October 2019 by andyq

Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner My rating: 5 of 5 stars Aware that Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s interviews with the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Jonathan Franzen are so incisive, well-written and engaging that they’ve become famous in themselves, and … Continue reading →

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Book review: David Foenkinos’s Delicacy

Posted on 11 October 2019 by andyq

Delicacy by David Foenkinos My rating: 1 of 5 stars I should have guessed from the cover. ‘Like an Amélie for grown-ups’, said the blurb. But I thought that Amélie was for grown-ups. So, I could gather from the back … Continue reading →

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Is the United World Colleges worth it?

Posted on 14 April 2019 by andyq

A friend from university wrote and said: “My daughter just got into UWC. Please tell me that UWC is worth it.” So, having attended Pearson College from 1986 to 1988, I can answer the question, at least from my perspective, … Continue reading →

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Ramon’s Books

Posted on 10 October 2018 by andyq

After the memorial for Ramon, I was about to leave when I heard his sister asking a small group of people, ‘What shall we do with his books? They were his most prized possessions. We don’t know what to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Books, Creative Non-Fiction | 1 Comment

I was a member of a teenage cult

Posted on 24 August 2018 by andyq

When I was fifteen years old, I entered a program at my high school in Vancouver called B.C. Quest. It was touted as an outdoors education program, and become infamous in 2006 when one of our teachers was involved in … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Creative Non-Fiction | 2 Comments

Book Review: Seth Stephens-Davidowitz’s Everybody Lies

Posted on 19 August 2018 by andyq

Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz My rating: 4 of 5 stars I don’t think that big data in itself is fascinating, but with the … Continue reading →

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Book Review: John Irving’s In One Person

Posted on 17 August 2018 by andyq

In One Person by John Irving My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was eleven years old when the World According to Garp was published, and I don’t know how much longer after it was published that I read it. … Continue reading →

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The Christmas Booze Delivery Run

Posted on 4 August 2018 by andyq

I’ve had a series of bad events for the apartment I rent out, so I felt that I wanted to show some appreciation for my property manager, who has had to do a LOT more work than usual, and send … Continue reading →

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Witches

Posted on 7 June 2018 by andyq

I remember being in the car, one of the series of station wagons my father loved, on a family trip. I believe it was somewhere in the USA, to Seattle or maybe Spokane for the World Expo. I would have … Continue reading →

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Buttercups

Posted on 15 May 2018 by andyq

Walking to the hospital, I am noticing the plain, boxy apartment buildings of Vancouver of the 40s and 50s, none renovated, in colours of pastel and forest. I can hear the voice of a friend Bert who left the city … Continue reading →

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