Mille feuilles

battlepoet reviewed Necessary Arthur by Garth Nix

No cover — Garth Nix: Necessary Arthur (2020, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom)

Review of 'Necessary Arthur' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

It was short and fun play with Arthurian legends.

battlepoet reviewed Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

Caitlin Doughty: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory (2015, W. W. Norton & Company)

The blogger behind the popular Web series Ask a Mortician describes her experiences working at …

Review of 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I ate this book up! You get to read about this mortician’s first six years of work in the funeral industry. It was funny, provocative, and just plain interesting. This is the second book of Doughty’s that I’ve read. I look forward to more.

battlepoet reviewed The Fox and Dr. Shimamura by Christine Wunnicke

Christine Wunnicke: The Fox and Dr. Shimamura (Paperback, 2019, New Directions)

Review of 'The Fox and Dr. Shimamura' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I read this for the August Japanese Book Club at the Argo Bookshop. This was an interesting story about a doctor sent abroad after Japan opened itself up to the world. It was an odd tale about aging, folklore, and death. It’ll be worth a reread in the future to look for all the little nuggets left by the multiple unreliable narrators.

battlepoet reviewed The Power of Ritual Lib/E by Casper Ter Kuile

Casper Ter Kuile: The Power of Ritual Lib/E (AudiobookFormat, 2020, HarperCollins, Harpercollins)

Review of 'The Power of Ritual Lib/E' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A thoughtful look at what constitutes a sacred practice, focusing mainly on meals, sacred reading, and… wait for it… the gym!

As a fan of his podcast, I was delighted to spend more time with Casper. I'm happy to learn more about rest.

battlepoet reviewed Settler by Emma Battell Lowman

Emma Battell Lowman, Adam J. Barker: Settler (Paperback, 2015, Fernwood Publishing)

Review of 'Settler' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I’m learned a lot but I gotta admit, reading this is a slog. I really had to push myself. Still, this gets into the nitty gritty of settler colonial thinking which is super useful to know. Definitely worth a reread, although I wish I had a physical copy I could scribble in.