| My reading this week was a smattering of new fiction, sex advice and a cookbook. The most promising is Nathan Sellyn’s Indigenous Beasts, a collection of gruesome short stories. Many read like gritty, back alley pulp – meth, kicks to the kidneys – while others take on an EC, Crime Suspenstories-styled personality.
Perhaps the most bizarre story is "The Helmet," about a local crazed derelict (rumors are he smashed his head on a mailbox in a car crash) that wears a helmet to hide his lopsided cranial disfigurement. Two brothers decide to steal it, with appropriate consequences. Some stories are roughly drawn sketches, better suited to the notebook or hidden in a more developed work, but overall, Beasts is an admirable debut.
Monica Ali’s debut Brick Lane garnered a huge amount of praise, placing her in the camp of hot young female British writers (Zadie Smith, Diana Evans). With her sophomore novel, Alentejo Blue, she takes a bit of a tumble. The plot, as it is, is more a series of sketches detailing the residents of a Portuguese town. To quote my friend Rachel: "Throughout, Ali wears her influences on her sleeve, even quoting Saramago on the first page. Still, there are some compelling passages, enough to keep you busy on a lazy summer day."
Highly recommended is The Wagamama Cookbook, a collection of recipes from the popular London-based Japanese restaurant whose popularity has found new locations everywhere from Sydney to New York. The restaurant is designed after ramen stalls, allowing people to eat as efficiently as possible. The recipes are simple and delicious, making it a great book for busy folks looking for a hearty bowl of soup, or a quick stir-fry.
Nerve.com is arguably one of the best websites around, attracting both bizarre and brilliant essays from a number of well-known writers and journalists (for a great sample, check out the anthology Literate Smut). For curiosity’s sake, the editors have put together Sex Advice From…, a collection of short pieces culling sex advice from everyone from DJ’s to Santas, twins, roller derby girls and diplomats. The advice probably isn’t anything you haven’t heard before, but more importantly, it’s hilarious. Vegans are asked whether they’re allowed to swallow (yes, it’s a consent issue), and a competitive eater of hot dogs wonders if hand jobs are passé. Now that I think about it, this book is compelling.
McNally Robinson continues with the Stampede readings this week, with signings from Mike Harrison (Wild Thing) on Thursday, July 13 at noon; Daphne Bashford (The Simple Grace of Cowboy Yoga) on Friday, July 14 at noon; Don Brestler (Cowboy Memoirs: Postcards and Sketches) on Friday, July 14 at noon; and Steven Owad (Bodycheck) on Saturday, July 15 at noon. Relieve the western excitement with some spoken word on Thursday, July 13 at 7 p.m. with the next installment of the Flywheel Reading Series, hosted by Mark Hopkins. And, on Thursday, July 20 at noon, Janice Kenyon presents her new memoir Bike Ride with a Twist, chronicling her travels pedaling across Canada.
At The Banff Centre, journalist Nelofer Pazira (A Bed of Red Roses) presents the next talk in the Literary Journalism Conversations on Monday, July 17 at 8 p.m. in the Rolston Recital Hall. The discussion is titled "Trans(form)ation: The Intersection of Personal and Political Stories from Print to the Big Screen."
In news: Mary Watson won one of Africa’s notable literary awards, the seventh annual Caine Prize for her short story "Jungfrau." This year’s Carnegie Medal went to author Mal Peet for his novel Tamar. Noted authors Ahmad Nadeem Qasimi (Chaupaal) and Raja Rao (Kanthapura) have died. And Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has been given an honorary degree from Aberdeen University for her efforts in promoting wizardry. I mean, her work fighting Multiple Sclerosis. |
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