Tag Archives: nonfiction

Monique and the Mango Rains, by Kris Holloway

Posted on February 13, 2010 by Thistle

Kris Holloway was a Peace Corps volunteer in the West African nation of Mali in 1989-1991. Her host in the small town of Nampossela was Monique Dembele, the local midwife and health worker. This book chronicles their experiences over those … Continue reading →

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Virginia Woolf: A Biography, by Quentin Bell

Posted on February 9, 2010 by Thistle

I have long found Virginia Woolf a fascinating woman. After reading A Room of One’s Own last year, which had a brief introduction to her life, I decided I wanted to read a biography of her. This is a big … Continue reading →

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Apologies to an Apple, by Maya Ganesan

Posted on February 2, 2010 by Thistle

This is my first book of poetry in the six I am trying to read in 2010. It’s a short slip of a book but I still spread it out over a few weeks, simply because I know next to … Continue reading →

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Blankets, by Craig Thompson

Posted on January 29, 2010 by Thistle

I didn’t plan to read Blankets so soon. I wanted to immediately after reading Darren’s review, but I held back. I have so many other books on my shelf and this was a 600-page graphic novel costing $30 plus tax. … Continue reading →

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Native, by Mona Kuhn

Posted on January 14, 2010 by Thistle

I spent a lot of January studying and reading about Brazil, and supplemented all this by reading Native, a book of photography by Mona Kuhn. Kuhn is from Brazil and returned to it after being away for twenty years. The … Continue reading →

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Protected: Maus (vol 1), by Art Spiegelman

Posted on January 7, 2010 by Thistle

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Born on a Blue Day, by Daniel Tammet

Posted on December 4, 2009 by Thistle

I was born on 31 January 1979 – a Wednesday. I know it was a Wednesday, because the date is blue in my mind and Wednesdays are always blue. Daniel Tammet has savant syndrome. He can recite the numbers of … Continue reading →

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Readathon: 84, Charing Cross Road, by Helene Hanff

Posted on October 25, 2009 by Thistle

84, Charing Cross Road is a collection of letters between Helene Hanff and a group of people in London. The bulk of the letters are to Frank Doel, one of the proprietors of the bookshop at that address. However, there … Continue reading →

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Readathon: Chicken With Plums, by Marjane Satrapi

Posted on October 24, 2009 by Thistle

In Chicken With Plums, Satrapi writes a biography of her great-uncle, the famous Iranian musician Nassar Ali Khan. When Khan’s tar breaks, he falls into a depression and lays in bed wishing for death for a week. At the end … Continue reading →

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Embroideries, by Marjane Satrapi

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Thistle

So what happens when a group of close women get together for an afternoon of tea and talk? Embroideries takes us through an afternoon of frank talk by women in their own little circle. The more I read of Satrapi’s … Continue reading →

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