Now reading: law books From Crime to Punishment: Third Edition.Joel E. Pink & David C. Perrier. eds. Criminal Law: Second Edition (Essentials of Canadian Law series)Kent Roach I’m researching courtroom procedure for that big climax to my YA novel. I’m a little torn between using Canadian law and procedures or something more generic. It is […]
From Crime to Punishment & M.G. Vassanji Read More »
I’m a fan of the The Naked Scientists podcast with Chris Smith. This is a fun, English podcast with features such as ‘kitchen science’ experiments for kids to try at home and quizzes for listeners. For weekly podcasts on Science with a more serious tone, my new favorite is Chris Smith’s Nature podcast. Many of
My friend Kristine has a new Toronto-based review blog. She intends to review many free events this summer. Kristine’s much more political than I am so you may find the perspective refreshing. greenpearreview Happy reading.
Today’s Globe reports that Chinese citizens are dying due to toxic contaminants in their food and medicines and that Chinese authorities are unwilling to make companies pay for their infractions. Guo Ping, whose young daughter Liu Sichen was killed by contaminated antibiotics, complained that the authorities “don’t think that ordinary people are important.” No investigation
The Globe and Mail — “The Face of Chinese Cost-Cutting” Read More »
The good news is I finished reading Frida. The bad news is my computer is kaput. Once again I’m posting from the library in timed sessions. The quick review, then, is this is a very good book. It seems even-handed and fills in a lot of the gaps left by the movie. More than before
Frida Finished – so’s my computer Read More »
I have just returned from a five-week visit to France with my son. While staying in Bayonne, a dear friend and avid reader gave me a book which made me want to see the movie Frida a second time. Frida: Biographie de Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera is actually translated from the English original. What
I took a quick clip of this baby opossum, found in the flower beds beside the beach side Holiday Inn at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. I was most impressed with the fauna there. I saw crows, pelicans, gulls, snake birds, turtles, alligators, a snake over a metre long, cardinals and woodpeckers who seemed quite
Over dinner, a friend who knows I’m going to South Carolina, compared me to a Southern Belle. Not sure what this meant, I guessed he was referring to my tendency to be “slightly evil,” that is to say, not bland. Canadians are known for blandness in conversation. As a child I was taught to avoid
I hope to return with a story to tell Read More »
There’s been a pattern to my recent reviews. The books are tending to be YA more than adult. That’s because I’m starting to think about fall. I’ve just been notified that I’ll have an Intermediate class next year. In the special program where I teach, many of my students will be reading at the high
Clockwork by Philip Pullman Read More »
I recently watched the musical We Will Rock You, and the opera Elektra. I know I won’t be getting any Brownie points for excellent taste when I tell you I loved the first and didn’t care much for the second. To be fair, I knew every song used in the Queen musical, right down to