tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29980302026-07-17T22:24:58.038-07:00reveal the bookgeek withinbobbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491842647854758161noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-86859177563290949452026-07-16T15:32:36.487-07:002026-07-17T11:26:35.144-07:00

A newer version of this post can be found on my SubstackI mean! Look, this book floored me. Everyone is always like, have you read Helen Oyeyemi - And I was like, have I? But now I know, of course I had not, because I would have remembered. In praise of world creation I don’t know if you noticed yet from my previous post about Library Of Brothel but I love me a bit of parallel world

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-5518922745951191772026-07-10T11:50:29.027-07:002026-07-10T11:50:29.028-07:00

A newer edit of this review can be found on my Substack Library of Brothel by Anakana Schofield: Please come inI used to come upon Anakana at my old place of work, she always had found an interesting book I had never seen before in her hand, and we would chat and commiserate and bond over books and the treachery and oppression of capitalism and the wonder and beauty of words and books and

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-36757398134111582102026-04-14T14:57:00.000-07:002026-04-14T14:57:17.425-07:00

  Endling by Maria RevaTransformative. Riveting. Absurdities of war, Complexities of relationships, Reinvention of narrative.  Reading glasses rating of of 5: 👓👓👓👓👓

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-76051680304208147892026-03-16T08:56:00.000-07:002026-03-16T08:56:29.862-07:00

A newer edit of this review can be found on my Substack.I’m going to get into it.As soon as this book was available, I bought a copy to read. I am a faithless reader and don’t give a damn about purist sensibilities about classics remaining untouched in their wordy perfection. Give me a retelling! Say it in a different way! If you love Moby Dick so much, why don’t you marry it!Am I being too

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-15924731377808320772026-02-27T08:53:00.000-08:002026-02-27T08:53:44.966-08:00

This review is also available on my Substack in a newer edit.e v e r y w o m a nI love Claire-Louise Bennett’s writing so much. When I read Pond I was enchanted by her prose; unpredictably descriptive, internal but universal. Reading any of Bennett’s novels is an effort but not so much because the language itself is dense, although I guess some might call Pond opaque. To me

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-88792918124462368032026-02-21T10:33:00.000-08:002026-02-21T10:33:37.918-08:00

Classic reread: The End of the Affair by Graham Greene. This review is also available on my Substack here: a bookgeeks newsletter I don’t remember what the cover looked like either. But feels like it could’ve been this one?My Dad’s BooksWe had all sorts of books in the house when I was growing up. I mean, I say that — but also, in retrospect, it feels like they were a very

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-15962521733101761422025-03-02T15:12:00.000-08:002025-03-02T16:47:29.455-08:00

Bina by Anakana SchofieldRating 👓 👓 👓 👓 👓This, like the subtitle says, is a novel in warnings - and these warnings should be heeded.Bina is a woman with a mission to warn you. She has made mistakes that harmed her and she doesn’t want you harmed too. Bina, a 74 year old Irish woman, belongs to a secret Group who help people die. She is funny and selfless and a much better person

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-23295051209562607232022-03-08T17:18:00.001-08:002022-03-08T17:30:30.212-08:00

self-isolating day 1Long story that many people have: I am currently self isolating. for this day at least. I could barely work yesterday at work, I was so paranoid. seemed stupid and careless and yes, a little pointless to be there but on the other hand whatever - jesus so many people out there just living there lives and here I am, no symptoms, seething at the moronic idiots on the bus wearing

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-3778726383642028152019-04-27T09:38:00.001-07:002019-04-27T09:38:45.116-07:00

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado My rating: 5 of 5 stars Capsule review: #gender norms, body image, societal constraints, #mythological #archetypes of #women - all ripped from their forms and represented with perspective, humour, and scintillating writing that leaves you shaken, maybe unsure, but changed. read it. View all my reviews

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-66804320970707301462018-02-17T11:23:00.001-08:002018-02-17T11:23:41.809-08:00

A Different Drummer by William Melvin Kelley My rating: 5 of 5 stars Capsule Review: I almost couldn't see to read the final pages of this remarkable novel that tells such a moving #resistance tale. My own white tears partly, but also the sheer structural perfection and raw power of plot and characters. A black man writing through white eyes about black struggle.

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-4390571883001334942017-11-19T13:20:00.001-08:002018-02-17T11:26:57.443-08:00

Don't Tell Me What to Do by Dina Del Bucchia My rating: 4 of 5 stars Capsule Review: What other things can be said about a book that sparkles already with shiny women characters like pearls and gems? I love them all through their struggles to be better or worse or different: their life goals radiate with strength through these mistressful stories. Favs: "Miss Supreme", "Under the '

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-80886673891940115272017-11-18T09:21:00.001-08:002017-11-19T13:02:11.969-08:00

We'll All Be Burnt in Our Beds Some Night by Joel Thomas Hynes My rating: 3 of 5 stars Capsule Review: Someone [Cliff Jackman?] already made the comparison to Irvine Welsh and Trainspotting - so it is what you imagine: dark & dirty & rotten & full of the barest most base regret; illuminated by moments with Johnny's sister/mother Tanya, Johnny's tainted memories of his

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-8567651452047795352017-11-05T09:29:00.001-08:002017-11-05T09:31:51.639-08:00

4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster My rating: 4 of 5 stars Capsule Review: Paul Auster, you PoMo MoFo! Worth it just to experience his stylistic command of minutiae. Look your own mortality in the face as Auster does by following Archie Ferguson's New York story(ies) to their end. (Predetermined?: the true question behind the stories we live out). View all my reviews

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-20687999620128335082017-09-05T12:29:00.001-07:002017-09-05T13:42:44.050-07:00

Nora Webster by Colm Tóibín My rating: 4 of 5 stars Capsule Review: Nora Webster is a widow: part hating how it defines her/part uncertain how to define herself. Loving her children/craving solitude. Colm Toibin's storytelling: the minutiae explainsNora Webster the whole. How we get through our most troubling times through our day to day. View all my reviews

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-74261753345124475052017-09-04T19:32:00.001-07:002017-09-04T19:38:17.202-07:00

The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht My rating: 4 of 5 stars Capsule Review: Story wrapped in stories (which I love). Mythological archetypes set in present day. Lyrical writing. Strong Anti-war sentiments with memorable characters - What's not to love? View all my reviews

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-8908192504781029312017-08-31T20:20:00.000-07:002017-08-31T20:20:45.314-07:00

Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A.S. Byatt My rating: 3 of 5 stars Capsule review: Myth, allegory, real life. Sometimes it all is mixed up ain't it? 3 stars because beautiful writing but only 3 stars because not quite enough of the protagonist (the thin child) to feel connected to the outcome of her story. Loki rocks. View all my reviews

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-74547483400744223502017-04-09T16:15:00.001-07:002017-04-11T16:59:01.285-07:00

Eden Robinson - Son of a Trickster I love listening to Eden Robinson in interviews. Her laugh is infectious. She's funny, smart, down-to-earth. And also, she can write like a demon. Check her out in Dina Del Bucchia and Daniel Zomperelli's Can't Lit episode 043. While you're there, subscribe to their podcast, because you'll love it and it's great. I read a chapter of this quickly before

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-10918893789050987692017-03-04T09:47:00.000-08:002017-04-09T16:23:40.484-07:00

Zadie Smith - Swing Time Swing Time by Zadie Smith was my Christmas read this year (Thanks to Opsonic Index -- Wait. What?! Shit, did I just blow your cover, Dude?). And YEAH IT MADE ME LOVE BOOKS AGAIN. Ok. It's not that throughout all these years that have past with me not blogging haven't been filled with books. There have been stacks and stacks and stacks of books.

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-20212617280940372682012-04-26T11:08:00.000-07:002012-04-26T13:48:57.623-07:00

choosing what to read i've decided not to read fifty shades of grey by e l james. much like i didn't read the da vinci code. being a bookseller, i have a lot of biases. it's actually something i have to consciously curb when i'm at work. people will come up to me and ask me for chicklit or ask me about the best book i've read lately and i'll point to whatever amazing book and they'll

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-59044176731622510032011-03-09T20:50:00.000-08:002011-04-30T21:03:51.336-07:00

fractured by joanna karaplis is the kind of book i would have loved when i was YA (and, ok, yes, i'm still very YA at heart). what i love about this book is all the classic elements of fairytale lore intertwined with true-to-life teenage problems: the main character in the first tale is a teen named yuki white, (yes, that's snow white to you) - and the title is snow white and the seven dorks.

bobbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491842647854758161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-39671213677280777042011-03-06T08:51:00.000-08:002011-03-06T08:51:19.295-08:00

i can't tell you how much i appreciate this book. i am so glad that it exists. thanks emily mullock for being a) such a cool and talented illustrator b) for twisting around the girl themes a bit without taking sides. (also, thanks mckellar & martin for rocking the sparkles) go away, unicorn! shows us girls everywhere that it's ok to not to like unicorns but it's ok to like them too, and

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-48223514393985362542010-11-03T19:59:00.000-07:002011-03-07T11:58:25.160-08:00

@font-face { font-family: "goog-spellcheck-word">Arial"; }@font-face { font-family: "Myriad Pro"; }p.goog-spellcheck-word">MsoNormal, goog-spellcheck-word">li.goog-spellcheck-word">MsoNormal, div.goog-spellcheck-word">MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } i read the back blurb of this book because it

bobbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491842647854758161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-55748800094089154302010-10-25T19:48:00.000-07:002010-10-25T20:35:05.973-07:00

february by lisa moore i let the cover of this novel fool me for a long time. and i’m not even sure what I expected from the cover – but it wasn’t this: hard-living, straight-talking, wonderfully honest lonely helen o’mara trying to emerge from her husband’s death – a victim of the real-life sinking of the oil rig the ocean ranger, a disaster that took the lives of all the crew. but instead

bobbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491842647854758161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-57214090203905862382010-10-21T21:21:00.000-07:002010-10-25T20:41:34.746-07:00

you know how some characters in some novels just seem totally get into your head? tassie keltjin was like that for me. i know that girl so well, I laughed at her jokes before lorrie moore wrote them. here’s the gist: tassie keltjin, part jewish, part secret gourmet potato farm daughter, needs a job during her first year in college. her first year away from the farm, away from her

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2998030.post-47122947940363884802010-08-24T18:35:00.000-07:002010-10-25T20:49:24.325-07:00

how much i liked this novel, the anthologist, by nicholson baker is equal only to my secret desire to write a good rhyming poem. it's true. i've always wanted to be able to do it. but oh my god. i remember that first year creative writing poetry class. awful stuff. i didn't get it. i couldn't hear it. couldn't hear the beats. didn't get the iambic pentameter. just was horribly

bookgeekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084815684867685246noreply@blogger.com