Go here for an introduction to the Wheelhouse Project. Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline may at first glance seem like an odd pick for the "language" wheelhouse. This novel focuses on Joan, a First Nations Métis woman, whose husband Victor stormed out of the house after a fight a year ago and disappeared. Joan has been … Continue reading The Wheelhouse Project: Language
metaphor
The Wheelhouse Project: Retellings of Myths and Fairy Tales — ‘Till We Have Faces’ & ‘Circe’
So far, entries into the Wheelhouse Project have focused on Nancy Pearl's Four Doorways to reading. But the actual "wheelhouse" refers to attributes of a book that make it highly likely I will pick it up. This week we focus on "retellings of myths and fairy tales, bonus points for feminism, anti-racism, and/or realistic depictions … Continue reading The Wheelhouse Project: Retellings of Myths and Fairy Tales — ‘Till We Have Faces’ & ‘Circe’
Going off Book: Midsommar
There are a couple of different ways to do smart horror movies. The first explores a specific topic, what the film is “about,” and the plot serves as scaffolding to unpack that theme. Ari Aster’s first feature, Hereditary, falls into this camp. It’s a movie about grief and how our parents’ worst traits can be … Continue reading Going off Book: Midsommar
Palimpsest
I learned the word only a year or two ago. In Kate Atkinson's Life After Life, the life-rebooting protagonist Ursula Todd tells her psycho-therapist that time is not circular but, rather, "It's like a ... palimpsest." To which the doctor replies, "Oh dear, that sounds very vexing." Looking the word up, I discovered that a … Continue reading Palimpsest
Dogs, Coffee, & Books 