Category Archives: Writing

Book Review: Paul Kane’s Work Life: New Poems

Posted on 1 October 2012 by andyq

Work Life: New Poems by Paul Kane My rating: 4 of 5 stars Poetry is mostly undercover these days, so I think it’s interesting how you stumble across a book. I happened to be at a reading in Glebe in … Continue reading →

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Books I read in 2011

Posted on 12 January 2012 by andyq

With a comment or two, if I felt so inclined. Mary Oliver’s New and Selected Poems Volume 2 (Poetry) – some gems, and better in small doses, I was surprised that I wasn’t taken by the work of this celebrated … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Books | 2 Comments

Book Review: Anne Tyler’s Back When We Were Grown Ups

Posted on 26 November 2011 by andyq

Back When We Were Grown Ups by Anne Tyler My rating: 2 of 5 stars I’ve read a few Anne Tyler novels, way back when, and obviously liked them enough to keep returning to them. She creates memorable, fully-dimensional characters … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Anita Desai’s The Zigzag Way

Posted on 21 November 2011 by andyq

The Zigzag Way by Anita Desai My rating: 3 of 5 stars At university, with the incomparable Geoffrey Eathorne as our professor for our Commonwealth Literature course at Trent University in Canada, I read Anita Desai’s Clear Light of Day. … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Michael Chabon’s Gentlemen of the Road

Posted on 23 October 2011 by andyq

Michael Chabon is one of those names that I scan bookshelves for, all on the basis of one book: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. It was a big, substantial novel with ideas and history, whimsy and sadness, and … Continue reading →

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R.I.P. Visual Library, hello Goodreads?

Posted on 20 October 2011 by andyq

Through facebook I discovered the application ‘Visual Library’ and I really did like it. You typed in a book name, and it showed up on your screen where you could not only click that you’ve read it, or owned it, … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr

Posted on 11 October 2011 by andyq

A while back, I read an article in The Guardian about two perfume experts who fell in love and wrote a guide called ‘Perfumes: A-Z’. I made a mental note to buy the book sometime. I’m not passionate or well-versed … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Books | 4 Comments

Farewell, goofball.

Posted on 16 September 2011 by andyq

I remember the same instinct from when J— died: if I could write it all down —the connections between the present and past, the mundane and grand, the private and public— maybe it would somehow make some sense. We knew … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Writing | 1 Comment

A few writer friends

Posted on 13 August 2011 by andyq

On my old website, I had a little list up of some writers that I was friends with at the time…Nice to see that most of the websites still live. In the meantime, I’ve made friends with many more writers … Continue reading →

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Book Review: My Stroke of Insight

Posted on 13 July 2011 by andyq

Many people are familiar with the TED (Technology Entertainment Design) talk given my Jill Bolte Taylor – a brain scientist who experienced a massive stroke in 1996. What made her experience unique was not only that she was experiencing what … Continue reading →

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