It had to happen sometime. For the first time since I started seeing them live back on the Popmart tour in 1997, I came away from a U2 concert disappointed. I had muted expectations to begin with, having heard less than stellar reviews of tour openers in the past, but Vancouver was the closest stop to… Continue reading In the Howling Wind, Comes a Stinging Rain
Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane My rating: 3 of 5 stars With only a couple of exceptions, I’ve read every Dennis Lehane book published (the exceptions being Coronado: Stories and, oddly, World Gone By). I’ve rarely been disappointed. Probably the only book that ever gave me real pause was Moonlight Mile, the conclusion to… Continue reading Review: Since We Fell
The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion My rating: 1 of 5 stars I’ll start with the good: this was a quick read and it reminded me about a lot of great songs I’d forgotten. Now the bad: everything else. Here’s the basic premise: boy (Adam) meets girl (Angelina), boy falls in love with… Continue reading Review: The Best of Adam Sharp
I lost my Fringe virginity this year, finally going to see not just one play, but nine, over the course of a little over a week. Much like losing one’s real virginity, if it’s good, you’ll wonder what took you so damn long. But as is also true with sex, some occasions are better than others.… Continue reading On the Fringe
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari My rating: 4 of 5 stars Approachable non-fiction is the unicorn of the book world. Most non-fiction I’ve come across is dry at best, and completely unintelligible at worst. Not so with Modern Romance, Aziz Ansari’s book on dating and relationships in the modern world. It helps that he’s hilarious… Continue reading Review: Modern Romance
The time has come at last (secret secret I’ve got a secret) To throw away this mask (secret secret I’ve got a secret) Now everyone can see (secret secret I’ve got a secret) My true identity… — Styx, “Mr. Roboto” In many ways, season 5 of The Americans is about getting to the heart of… Continue reading The Americans: Season 5 Post-Mortem
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro My rating: 5 of 5 stars I keep trying to come up with adequate words to describe Kazuo Ishiguro’s writing. “Haunting” seems to come to closest to what he achieves so quietly and elegantly in his prose. I first read Ishiguro when I picked up Never Let… Continue reading Review: The Remains of the Day
