Eric Idle lives and writes on the bright side of life

Lynda Davis
July 30, 2019
0 Comments

Several years ago I reviewed Monty Python alumnus John Cleese's autobiography So, Anyway (This Parrot is Definitely Not Dead). Another Python'er, Eric Idle has now come out with his version of their epic story and as a fan of their silly, British humour, I couldn't wait to read it. Always Look On The Bright Side of Life, A Sortabiography by Eric Idle is not only the title of his autobiographical book but the final chorus written originally by Idle for their famous movie Monty Python's Life of Brian. The song Always…

Disappearing Earth offers a peek into everyday life in a remote Russian community

Lynda Davis
July 18, 2019
0 Comments

Certain books appeal to me for their ability to transport me to another place, another culture or another time that I would never otherwise have the opportunity to experience. That's what appealed to me about Disappearing Earth, a novel by Julia Phillips. It's set in Kamchatka, a remote peninsula extending south from the eastern coast of Siberia in Russia. It's a contemporary story about the abduction of two young sisters, 8-year-old Sophia and 12-year-old Alyona on a warm August day. This crime is the unifying thread that ties a wide variety…

Japanese occupation of Singapore still resonates today

Lynda Davis
July 11, 2019
0 Comments

Every so often we read a book that gives us a renewed appreciation for when and where we were born. That's what struck me the most after reading How We Disappeared, a novel by Jing-Jing Lee. I've always felt I won the lottery being born in Canada as a baby boomer after the end of the Second World War. Growing up in a free country that offers so many opportunities and privileges as well as a comfortable standard of living is truly a gift.The main character of this book, Wang Di…

Cathy Guisewite is back with the opposite of a graphic novel . . . a narrative cartoon

Lynda Davis
July 1, 2019
0 Comments

There isn't a boomer gal alive who hasn't at one time clipped a Cathy cartoon out of the daily newspaper and attached it to her fridge, tacked it to her bulletin board at work, or sent it to a friend. We were devastated when she 'retired' from her daily comic strip a few years ago but she's back in the saddle with a new book that picks up where she left off. Fifty Things That Aren't My Fault by Cathy Guisewite is like reading her famous comic strip in narrative style—fifty…

Kudos to Chatelaine and Dove soap for recognizing that all women are beautiful

Lynda Davis
June 7, 2019
1 Comment

When I received the June/July 2019 issue of Chatelaine magazine in my mailbox this week I was a little taken aback—at first. Featured on the cover of the annual swimsuit issue (a cliché if there ever was one) is a full-bodied woman of indeterminate age wearing a coral-coloured swimsuit, a straw sunhat, and a huge smile. The more I thought about it and went through its pages, the bigger the smile grew on my own face. It takes courage for a major magazine to turn the tables on the media's…

Different covers were released in different areas.

Canadian author Yasuko Thanh’s personal journey is a contemporary tragedy

Lynda Davis
May 31, 2019
0 Comments

Despite the proliferation of helicopter parenting these days, there are still far too many children who are unloved, unwanted, mistreated, and, tragically, abused. Mental illness often plays a major role in the lives of many parents and children who through no fault of their own are unable to negotiate a happy, fulfilling life. Canadian author Yasuko Thanh's Mistakes to Run With: A Memoir is such a story. I wasn't sure what to expect when I began reading her memoir but as the story unfolded I was alternately appalled and transfixed.…