For the last few years I have been boring my friends to death with long diatribes about how books are superior to all the personal technology doo-dads that didn’t exist five years ago but which many now can’t seem to live without. Leave it to Lane Smith to succinctly sum up my feelings in a 32 page children’s book.

Plot summary: Monkey is reading a book- an act that completely baffles his friend Jackass, who can not understand anything that isn’t high tech. Monkey tries to explain, repeatedly, that it’s a book.

I went on the internet (yes, ironic, I know) and found that there is a fair bit controversy around this book, which has to do with Smith’s choice of naming the male donkey character Jackass. I’m a little surprised to see so many parents are afraid of their children learning such a word or, heaven-forbid, repeating it. I personally applaud Smith for having the audacity to call a male donkey Jackass. In a book that teaches us to see things for what they are, to do anything else would have been hypocritical. 

Reviewed by Tyler; August, 2010

Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life
Steve Almond
Hardcover, Entertainment, $26.95

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to listen to "Commie Drives a Nova" ten times in a row

Reviewed by Tyler, June, 2010

I will admit right away that this is not an objective book review. I had met up with Paul maybe six or seven times in the last ten years, but on each of those occasions Paul made me feel as though we were close pals. If you know me, you know I am a rather closed and private person, but Paul Quarrington had a gift for making people want to lower their walls. As Roddy Doyle writes in his foreword to Cigar Box Banjo; "Ten minutes in the company of Paul Quarrington, and you're instantly an old friend. It feels like that and - I don't know how - it is like that." Roddy is absolutely right.. 

To me the death of Paul Quarrington is so incredibly wrong that I still have a very hard time believing it. Paul? Was there anyone who was more alive than Paul Quarrington?

I am so grateful Paul chose to spend some of the last of his time writing this book. For a weekend I was allowed to visit an old friend one more time.

One of the great things about Paul, was that he wrote without pretension. If you have never met the man, you can pick up Cigar Box Banjo and the words you read will be pretty much the same ones Paul would have spoken to you over a beer (or five) and by the end of the book you will feel like - no you will be - an old friend.

Reviewed by Tyler; May, 2010

The Magician's Elephant
Kate DiCamillo
Hardcover, YA, $20.00

This is a terrific and inspirational little book.

Peter is an orphan boy being raised by a crotchety old soldier. He cannot completely accept the story that his younger sister, Adele, died at birth, so when a fortuneteller tells him that she lives, and that an Elephant will lead him to her, Peter is not sure if he should dare to hope it is true. But when a second-rate magician accidentally conjures an elephant instead of a bouquet of flowers (and crushes a noble woman's legs in the process) it appears that the fortuneteller may have been right. As much as the story that unfolds is about Peter following his heart, it is just as much about the dreams, memories and hopes of the rest of a large cast of characters. In fact one of the things that makes this book so charming is the message that personal dreams are connected to the dreams of those around us - and that by helping others we help ourselves.

It is not just a great story, it is a story that is beautifully told. DiCamillo employs striking imagery and wonderful dialogue to create a magical tone that perfectly fits the story. There seems to be such a reverence for language here that I can easily imagine several precocious young readers being inspired to become writers themselves.  

While it is common to say of books such as this that it is "a story for children that adults will enjoy as well", I can honestly say that as much as I liked it, I wish I could have read it when I was twelve. I think of all the young people who will read this book and will always cite it as a book that changed their lives and I envy them.

Reviewed by Tyler, October, 2009

Nobody Move is the Denis Johnson novel I have been waiting for since The Name of the World came out nearly ten years ago. For most of the intervening decade Johnson toiled away to produce Tree of Smoke, a long-winded and often directionless novel. Enough people confused its massiveness for merit to earn Tree of Smoke the National Book Award - an honor that might have had more to do with finally giving Johnson the credit for earlier (and better) works like Resuscitation of a Hanged Man or his brilliant first novel Angels. 

It is good to see that Johnson is not letting the National Book Award go to his head. Only a mature writer who is confident in his own talent would follow up a critical triumph with a work that could easily be written off as fluff-fiction. Nobody Move is Johnson's version of the noir novel, complete with rabbit-punch prose, morally ambigous characters and violence in abundance. Johnson has always had a knack with characters who live outside "normal" America, so the underbelly of the crime world seems a natural fit. Similarly, the tight no-word-wasted style of noir fiction is perfectly suited to Johnson's tight prose. The noir novels' jaded world view wherein virtue and reward have no relationship is also a natural environment for Johnson, whose protagonists have never bought into the American myth of meritocracy.

Nobody Move is smart, funny and compelling. It might be too entertaining to be considered a work of literature. Who cares? Give me more

Reviewed by Tyler; June, 2009

The 13 Clocks
James Thurber
Hardcover, Children's, $16.95

Written nearly sixty years ago, James Thurber's children's book The 13 Clocks seems remarkably modern even by today's standards. It has a dark edge (Hence the Niel Gaiman introduction to this recent edition) that reminds one of both Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket - and like both these authors Thurber does not dumb down his prose. There is a kind of sophisticated sub-text running below the tale, making it the kind of book even more likely to appeal to adults than kids.

Every great fairy-tale needs a villain and The Thirteen clocks boasts one themost dastardly- The evil cold Duke. As a youngster he spent so much time place-kicking pups and punting kittens that his legs grew to different lengths. His heart is so cold that he himself has grown cold and he has taken to permanently wearing jewel-encrusted gloves.  "His nights were spent in evil dreams, and his days were given to wicked schemes", and the wicked schemes the Duke most favours are those that foil any attempts a foolish suitor might make to marry his niece, the beautiful Saralinda. The Duke delights in setting impossible tasks for such suitors and when the suitor inevitably fails...well, let's just say the Duke's geese have a protein rich diet. As the story progresses we find that the Duke has an even darker past that at first revealed and yet their is a certain charm to his unrepentantly self-aware brand of evil.

That a strange, handsome young man should show up to try to win the hand of Saralinda is not uncommon- but there seems to be something...princely?...about the poor minstrel who has the gall to sing songs insulting to the Duke. Could this be the suitor who will finally succeed where so many have failed?

It is a tale populated with fantastic characters and creatures. Stories within stories, parables, tales both tall and somehow true. The brilliantly whimsical word-play used in this short tale rivals that found in The Phantom Tollbooth or Haroun and the Sea of Stories. In short it is a book that appeals not only to children but to adults who seek the fantastically original in style and story.

Reviewed by Tyler, March, 2009

With the recent translation of The Howling Miller, the English speaking world at last can read the work of Finland's most important novelist, Arto Paasilinna.  Although one other book, The Year of the Hare, had previously been translated, only The Howling Miller is easily available to any North American.

Gunnar Huttunen, ex-Finnish soldier of the recent Second World War, wants nothing more than to establish himself once again as a miller in northern part of the country. Buying a dilapidated old mill, Huttunen works hard to restore it to working condition again.

But there is something different about Huttunen- his brain works a little strangely. He is prone to long periods of sullenness punctuated by periods of impulsive behavior. He imitates the beasts of the forest and some nights he can not help but howl with all his might. Huttunen's behavior upsets and worries the citizens of his provincial town and soon several prominent and respectable townsfolk set out to have the Miller institutionalized. But is Huttunen really crazy? Is he really a threat?

The themes addressed in The Howling Miller are common. What is not common (at least in the English Novel tradition) is the style and structure with which the story is told. The plot is tight and compulsive. The tone is naive, resembling a folktale, yet it is undeniably modern - particularly in the ending that soars off into fabulism.

Perhaps in such cynical times as those we live in, it is important for us to read such an unapologetically sincere stories such as this - Stories that do not promote any particular ideology other than that of caring about an individuals who do not conform into our comfortable notions of civility.

 Reviewed by Tyler; January, 2009

With or Without God
Gretta Vosper
Hardcover, Religion, $29.95

Gretta Vosper is a United Church minister serving West Hill United Church in Toronto. Her book With or Without God is a welcome addition to those which challenge Christian tradition. It is a solid and accessible attempt to render Christian faith believable. Too often such books are written from the "left" or "right" of theological thought and therefore do not go far enough, according to Rev. Vosper, in addressing the genuine and unvarnished crisis Christianity faces. She is equally critical of both conservative and liberal camps. In fact, as a "liberal" herself, Rev. Vosper is most challenging to her own theological roots.

Rev. Vosper contends that to have any intellectual credibility, Biblical faith needs to be completely re-thought. There are eight essentials for this rigorous enterprise to proceed: an open mind, passion, creativity, intellectual rigour, honesty, courage, respect, and balance.

She pulls no punches. The book is full of stories and insights from many sources, not the least of which is her own ongoing pastoral experience. Some of the most telling comments concern how the Bible, Christian Worship, and theological tradition are (or can be) viewed by people with no church or religious background or experience. How do you explain the "Trinity" or the many stories of a violent or exclusive God found in the Bible, for example? For Vosper, tinkering and endless re-interpretation just doesn't cut it anymore.

Serving as a minister in a local congregation lends credibility to her critique. This is not some academic exercise. For those who care about the current and future believability of Christian faith, this book provides challenge and nourishment.

Reviewed by Bill Phipps (Honourary Pages Staff Member), May, 2008

Nazi Literature in the Americas
Roberto Bolaño
Hardcover, Fiction, $26.50

One of the most interesting literary developments over the past year was the English speaking world's discovery of the late Chilean writer, Roberto Bolaño. Bolaño, who died in 2003 awaiting a liver transplant, was at the time of his death considered the leading Latin American writer of his generation. Although his work began appearing in English six years ago, it was the 2007 translation of The Savage Detectives that caused a sensation. What made the Bolaño phenomenon particularly interesting was that it seemed to erupt simultaneously across the U.K., U.S. and Canada. No single writer or critic can lay claim to introducing Bolaño to a wide audience-  the overwhelming excitement of book reviewers everywhere, and the public's quick reaction, created a kind of un-orchestrated hype in a time when all hype seems orchestrated.  

The latest Bolaño to appear in English, Nazi Literature in the Americas confirms Bolaño as a worthy disciple of Jorge Luis Borges. It is neither a novel or a collection of short stories, but a collection of fictional biographies of non-existent right-wing writers. Bolaño, a life-long socialist, could easily have turned the format into a launching pad for his personal views; instead he treats his fascist subjects with a great deal of compassion. At times heart-breaking, at other times ridiculous, it is less an experiment in form than a perfect match of imagination and technique. Like all good fiction, when the reader comes to the end of Nazi Literature in the Americas, they will retain details from these lives, and these fictional people will live in our minds and memories. Perhaps they will intermingle with the biographical details of real people. If so, Bolaño will have achieved one of the loftiest goals a writer of fiction can hope for; the creation of fiction that goes beyond describing or explaining the world; fiction that interacts with the world and changes it. 

  Reviewed by Tyler; February, 2008

Uncle
J. P. Martin
Hardcover, Children's, $21.95

An absolute treasure of a book. Originally published in 1964, and brought back into print now by New York Review Books. 

Uncle is a fabulously wealthy elephant whose home (appropriately called Homeward) is too big to be called a mansion, or even a castle; it is a city unto itself where some of the smaller towers are only thirty stories high. Uncles' wealth seems to come mainly from the rent he charges the inhabitants of Homeward- one shilling monthly, which isn't much but considering how many dwarfs alone live in Homeward it really adds up. With his trusty aide, Old Monkey, at his side Uncle enjoys a life that would be ideal if not for the band of dirty rascals living in nearby Badfort, led by the odorous Beaver Hateman, who continually try to take Uncle down a notch or two.

The battles between Uncle and the Badfort crowd are heated. Beaver Hateman  and his gang ( Hitmouse, Jellytussle, Nailrod and many others) are constantly throwing duckbombs, mud and insults at Uncle. In return Uncle acts all the more haughty, which drives the Badfort crowd crazy. Yet despite the animosity a certain civility creeps into the relationship- Uncle allows his enemies to use his fabulous bath house (until they get unruly and have to be removed), and the Badfort crowd are pleased to have the residents of homeward come hear their wonderful singer, Sigismund Hateman perform (even if some of his songs make fun of Uncle). 

A great book for kids who are still a bit too young for Harry Potter, or if you are an adult who wishes to remember what it was like to have an imagination completely unfettered by...well... anything. Read Uncle and, if only for a few blissful hours, return to a time in your life when everything was possible. 

Reviewed by Tyler, July, 2007