Late Fragment

Late Fragment

And did you get what
what you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on this earth.

~Raymond Carver

You hear so much about Carver's short stories (especially lately) but I've always been a big fan of his poetry too. It is so overshadowed by the stories I think it often gets overlooked.

Mrs Palfrey at the Claremount

"Mrs Palfrey first came to the Claremont Hotel on a Sunday afternoon in January." So begins Elizabeth Taylor's enchanting novel Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont. Mrs Palfrey joins a small band of elderly residents living at the Claremont, who are, for the most part, alone in the world and trying to avoid the nursing home. Their days are struggles against boredom with only the daily posting of the menu in the lobby to look forward to. Mrs Palfrey bravely accepts her circumstances, believing life to be all but over for her, when she meets Ludo, a charming young writer and suddenly has things to look forward to again.



This is a wonderful story filled with eccentric characters, witty dialogue and a few surprising plot twists. I love the kind of story for lack of a better word I think of as "bittersweet". The kind of novel that makes me laugh as well as cry. They seem the most like life to me. And though Mrs Palfrey at the Claremount didn't move me to tears, it certainly had sad moments as well as funny ones. Overall, a great read! And I'm looking forward to reading more by Elizabeth Taylor.

Free Canadian magazine subscription

Genuine Canadian Magazines (a not-for-profit organization that promotes Canadian magazines) has a great deal going on. Until March 14 you can subscribe to 3 magazines and only be charged for the price of 2. The lowest priced mag is free!! Good deal huh? Check out the 175 magazines on offer and sign up here.

Latest Additions

Well, the holidays are over and everything is settling back down to normal. Not a bad thing really. My best sale book finds after Xmas were at the University of Toronto bookstore. They had 20% off the entire stock which was wonderful, but I was very restrained and only bought The Poetry of Pablo Neruda. Just as I was silently congratulating myself I happened to notice a few staff members busily setting up a clearance table. Of course, I couldn't resist taking a peek. Within moments I was holding an armful of books and swatting other holiday shoppers out of the way. I may have even growled at a few. If you were among them I sincerely apologize. I walked away with three novels by Elizabeth Taylor ( someone was blogging about her recently and piqued my interest, plus I tend to like things published by Virago), Cold Mountain (yes, I probably am the only person on the planet who hasn't read that yet) , The Night Watch by Sarah Waters (shortlisted for both the Booker and the Orange prize), Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres and Pecked to Death by Ducks by Tim Cahill. Seven books and they only charged me $5.00!!! That is crazy cheap. I was so thrilled I didn't even mind lugging them around with me for the rest of the day while I looked for other bargains.

I had another interesting find the following day at BMV. BMV is a used bookstore in Toronto with three locations. They are quickly becoming my favourite place to shop. Here's why. While at U of T bookstore I had been hemming and hawing over buying When to Walk by Rebecca Gowers. I'd read a review of it a few weeks before in the Globe and Mail and had jotted down the title. Ultimately I didn't buy it, then regretted it, of course. So the next day while at BMV I had a look for it, not expecting anything since it was so new. Well, they did have a copy for $11.99, but even better they had a review copy, plain white and black cover, that was only $3.99! What a deal! I can't wait to read it.

I also swung by the Pages sale (which it on until Jan 13 - 20% off everything) and got a super cute book called Alternation by Shannon Okey and Alexandra Underhill about DIY fashion projects. I've already made myself a cool shrug from a scrap of polar fleece I had in my fabric stash. So if you bump into me anywhere, be sure to mention how cool I am looking.

And after complaining I never get books for Xmas my honey gave me Mary Oliver's New and Selected Poems Volume Two and Veganomicon, the fabulous new vegan cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. He's such a sweetie, and I'm not just saying that because he might read this.

All this means I have even more books overflowing my shelves and for the umpteenth year my New Year's resolution is to give more books away!

Favourite Novels from 2007

Here are my five favourite novels from 2007 in no particular order:

- The Lost Garden by: Helen Humphries

- Rebecca by: Daphne DuMaurier

- The Sea by: John Banville

- The Fountain Overflows by: Rebecca West

- Charming Billy by: Alice McDermott

New Yorker

I may not be a big fan of Xmas, but I do look forward to the New Yorker's fiction issue every December. This year I plan on keeping it close by to dip into during any spare solitary moments I manage to snatch between Xmas and New Year's.

I just finished reading Charming Billy by Alice McDermott and I have to say I was impressed. It was the first thing I've read by her and I'll be (hopefully) picking up more during the Boxing Week sales. (I may not like Xmas, but I do like Boxing Day for the sales!) I'd love to tell you all about Billy and the girl he loved and lost, but I have to get back into the kitchen. I've already baked two batches of cookies and a pie today but I'm not finished yet. I hope everyone has a great holiday and finds something wonderful to read!

Another Book Sale!

For anyone in St. Catharines or within driving distance, just wanted you to know about Book Depot's fabulous Boxing Week sale. Book Depot is a huge warehouse selling remaindered books already deeply discounted, but for a few days after Xmas they slash their already amazing prices a further 50% off! Trust me it's worth the drive!



Book Depot
340 Welland Ave.,
St. Catharines, Ontario
Canada



Hours:

Dec 26 9-9

Dec 27 9-6

Dec 28 9-6

Dec 29 9-5