American writer Ken Kesey was a hugely popular writer and had the world at his feet when he became the first to test LSD for the American government. He snuck some home and shared it with his literary friends and wrote, Sometimes a Great Notion. Being the literary elite was not enough. He bought a bus,Continue reading “Electric Kool Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe”
Genre Archives
The Language of Butterflies by Wendy Williams
How Thieves, Hoarders, Scientists, and Other Obsessives Unlocked the Secrets of the World’s Favourite Insect Guest Book Review by Ruby Rosenfield This book is a riveting read in which the reader, if not already a butterfly enthusiast, will surely become entranced by the wonderful world of Lepidoptera. The author Wendy Williams is an American ScienceContinue reading “The Language of Butterflies by Wendy Williams”
The IT Girl by Ann Moffatt.
The author of this novel lives on the Fraser Coast. Her story is one of triumph over injury, domestic violence, and bias within the male-dominated IT industry. In this industry her treatment varied. She received compassion and protection in reaction to domestic violence from the AMP Society. She worked there between 1975 and 1986 “theyContinue reading “The IT Girl by Ann Moffatt.”
Mishima’s Sword by Christopher Ross
Travels in Search of a Samurai Legend Yukio Mishima is one of the Japanese’s most sublime writers. He is sadly most remembered for cutting open his stomach and instructing assistants to behead him with his antique sword “Mishimi, who was fastidious with language, preferred the term hara-kiri over seppuku despite its perceived vulgarity.” Ross travelsContinue reading “Mishima’s Sword by Christopher Ross”
Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
Wohlleben claims trees have personalities, feelings and thrive as families. He also suggests fungi operate as fibre optic internet cables, transmitting signals from one tree to another exchanging news about drought, insects and other things. The term coined for this is ‘wood wide web.’ There are loner trees such as willows and the fungi areContinue reading “Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben”
The Conspiracy against the Human Race by Thomas Ligotti
Ligotti eloquently clarifies the existential dilemma of being human. Although the philosophy he explores is not revolutionary, he discusses the points with clarity and relates them to horror fiction. He reframes philosophy, literature and neuroscience and presents it from the point of view of a horror writer. In the chapter ‘The Cult of Grinning Martyrs’Continue reading “The Conspiracy against the Human Race by Thomas Ligotti”
The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly by Jean Dominique Bauby.
Bauby, experiences a stroke at the age of 43. He is in the prime of his life, on the editorial staff at Elle and has two small children. After waking 20 days later, he could only blink his left eyelid. Suffering what is called locked-in-syndrome he dictates this novel through blinking this eye. The beautyContinue reading “The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly by Jean Dominique Bauby.”
Priest Daddy by Patricia Lockwood
Patricia Lockwood shares her memories of life growing up in the Midwest of America with her father who underwent “the deepest conversion on record”. His change from atheist to a catholic priest occurred after being locked in a submarine watching the exorcist while serving in the navy. The memoir tracks her return to her family’sContinue reading “Priest Daddy by Patricia Lockwood”
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