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@stevenbuechler
Closing Down this Site
Hello Followers! If there are still followers of this site, I will be taking my journal down at the end of the year. In my other works online, I have found people abusing items that I post or use for profit and I am concerned that may happen with my work here. If you wish to discuss the matter with me, please email me at [email protected] or DM on my social media feeds. Steven Buechler
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The Book that Made me Return to Blogging | Review of Michael Ignatieff's "On Consolation: Finding Solace in Dark Times." (2021) Random House Canada
The Book that Made me Return to Blogging | Review of Michael Ignatieff’s “On Consolation: Finding Solace in Dark Times.” (2021) Random House Canada
I haven’t blogged in a while, I know. Doing so just seem to much of an effort that didn’t have much point. In fact reading in general seems difficult. To do so requires turning off all technology and absorbing the words on a printed page in a comfortable environment is hard to do. A lawn mower starts up in the distance. A phone pings. Kids in the yard next door start beating each other up with…
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Trying to Understand Life while on a Journey with Father Dan | Review of "Via Negativa" by Daniel Hornsby (2020) Alfred A. Knopf
Trying to Understand Life while on a Journey with Father Dan | Review of “Via Negativa” by Daniel Hornsby (2020) Alfred A. Knopf
Image linked from the publisher’s website ‘The Road-trip’ novel always has a special appeal to me. Usually we are dealing with a main character who is trying to overcome some sort of unmentionable action or event who is ‘on the road’ seeking either comfort or a new truth. There is something unique to the that archetype of the human condition, and Daniel Hornsby has added a unique take on that…
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The Steps Before And After A Trauma - Review of "The Woman In Valencia" by Annie Perreault and Translated by Ann Marie Boulanger. To Be Released March 2021 by QC Fiction
The Steps Before And After A Trauma – Review of “The Woman In Valencia” by Annie Perreault and Translated by Ann Marie Boulanger. To Be Released March 2021 by QC Fiction
I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book from the publisher. Image linked from the publisher’s website Traumatic events seem to occur during what should be unassuming moments. A windshield explodes on a drive to the grocery story. Massive chest pains occur while lifting a box down from the closet. A cough from a friend requires us to be rushed to hospital two weeks later. In The Woman in…
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Carefully Considering Timothy Findley | Review of "Tiff: A Life of Timothy Findley" (2020) Wilfred Laurier University Press
Carefully Considering Timothy Findley | Review of “Tiff: A Life of Timothy Findley” (2020) Wilfred Laurier University Press
Image linked from the publisher’s website Culture is suppose to a reflection of our reality. In having that reality reflected back at us, we are suppose to ponder and consider the means of our existence. The detailed writings of Timothy Findley always had a personal sense of history and meaning for me yet the true understanding of how brutally honest his work was unclear. Sherrill Grace has…
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An Enlightening Look at an Alternative History | Review of "The Good German" by Dennis Bock (2020) HarperCollins Canada
An Enlightening Look at an Alternative History | Review of “The Good German” by Dennis Bock (2020) HarperCollins Canada
Cover image linked from the publisher’s website We all have looked at our family members and their histories and wondered “What if . . ?” If Person X had not married Person Y? If that ancestor had not immigrated to that country? If that historical political action had better support would our lifestyle be better? Certainly the imagined outcomes would be favourable but is that realistic? Dennis…
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An Enlightening Tale From The Past to Become One of my Favourite Reads of 2020 | Review of "The Pull of The Stars" by Emma Donoghue (2020) Harper Avenue
An Enlightening Tale From The Past to Become One of my Favourite Reads of 2020 | Review of “The Pull of The Stars” by Emma Donoghue (2020) Harper Avenue
Image linked from the publisher’s website
We have been vaulted inside to our homes to a forced reality. We would like to know what the world is like for those who still exist out there – who make our society still churn somehow -but we can’t. So master storyteller Emma Donoghue has gone back in time to tell us a tale that both endears and enlightens us readers with her novel The Pull of the…
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When We Desire But Are Unable to Receive | Review of "Home Sickness" by Chih-Ying Lay - Translated by Darryl Sterk (2020) Linda Leith Publishing
When We Desire But Are Unable to Receive | Review of “Home Sickness” by Chih-Ying Lay – Translated by Darryl Sterk (2020) Linda Leith Publishing
Image linked from the publisher’s website
We all have a strong desire for comfort and beauty. Yet, in spite of our paths in life, the objects of comfort and beauty may not be achievable for us. Hence come our feelings of: loneliness, anger, heartache and confusion. These are complex and embarrassing emotions for us to deal with, but they are part of the human condition. And they are…
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"I wanted to write a story that showed the complexity of sexual violence, where in 80% of instances, the perpetrator is known to the victim." | Q&A with author Lisa J. Lawrence on her book "Trail of Crumbs"
“I wanted to write a story that showed the complexity of sexual violence, where in 80% of instances, the perpetrator is known to the victim.” | Q&A with author Lisa J. Lawrence on her book “Trail of Crumbs”
Image linked from the publisher’s website.
We are all injured by some sort of trauma at times. And the need to understand that trauma better links us to understanding the human condition better. Certainly now, as we are forced to isolate, we are pondering our angst and fears (and our desires) and considering the society around us. Lisa J. Lawrence certainly gave us readers a bit of serious…
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Reflecting On The Fears In Our New Reality | Review of Mark Sampson's Novel "All The Animals On Earth" (2020) Buckrider Books/Wolsak andWynn
Reflecting On The Fears In Our New Reality | Review of Mark Sampson’s Novel “All The Animals On Earth” (2020) Buckrider Books/Wolsak andWynn
Image linked from the publisher’s website
The reality we have found ourselves recently due to the Covid-19 outbreak has vaulted our minds into trying to deal with concerns and anxieties. With the news blaring in the background, we stare out from the windows – or from behind our masks – and wonder how we suppose to deal with the new world. And that is the type of reality that Mark Sampson has his…
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Trying to Escape from One's Own Reality | Review of "Tatouine" by Jean-Christophe Réhel. Translated by Katherine Hastings &Peter McCambridge (2020) QC Fiction
Trying to Escape from One’s Own Reality | Review of “Tatouine” by Jean-Christophe Réhel. Translated by Katherine Hastings &Peter McCambridge (2020) QC Fiction
Image linked from the publisher’s website
I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book from the publisher. Tatouine will be released in September, 2020.
We all find ourselves lost in our dreams and fantasies when the reality we exist in gives grief and heartache. We turn to the story lines of other cultural products – TV shows, movies, books, – to imagine a better existence for…
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"As a German-Canadian kid, I was painfully aware of what had happened in Europe in the thirties and forties, and that, in a way that I couldn't understand but nonetheless accepted, I was expected to bear some of the responsibility for those crimes." | Q&A with novelist Dennis Bock on his upcoming novel "The Good German."
“As a German-Canadian kid, I was painfully aware of what had happened in Europe in the thirties and forties, and that, in a way that I couldn’t understand but nonetheless accepted, I was expected to bear some of the responsibility for those crimes.” | Q&A with novelist Dennis Bock on his upcoming novel “The Good German.”
Image linked from the publisher’s website
We have all considered the phrase “What if” while reading the pages of history. “What if” situation never happened. “What if” person X had never been born. “What if” that device had never been invented. But that question doesn’t only apply when we look at the history books, but to our family photo albums as well. Talented novelist Dennis Bock has…
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Understanding the Human Condition One Piece of Flora at a Time | Review of "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart" by Holly Ringland (2018) House of Anansi Press
Understanding the Human Condition One Piece of Flora at a Time | Review of “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart” by Holly Ringland (2018) House of Anansi Press
Image linked from the Publisher’s website
There is a special bond between flowers and our emotions. We use them to bring cheer and we quietly turn to the beauty when we need to cry. They are an emotional bond for our psyches when we need them. And that is the brilliant bond that Holly Ringland brings to her book The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.
Page 15
The ritual was to walk to the sea and…
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"I also wanted to create a kind of tribute to people, like Trudy and Claire in the book, who attract and accept responsibility at a young age. I have always been deeply impressed by that." | Q&A with author Missy Marston on her novel "Bad Ideas"
“I also wanted to create a kind of tribute to people, like Trudy and Claire in the book, who attract and accept responsibility at a young age. I have always been deeply impressed by that.” | Q&A with author Missy Marston on her novel “Bad Ideas”
Missy Marston novel “Bad Ideas” has been a topic of conversation in many literary circles since it’s release last year. Most of the conversations have been how relatable how certain scenes and situations are to readers. So Marston has not only worked out a great read but created a piece of art that reflects life for so many people. So it was a thrill for me to have her answer a few questions for…
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" I think novelists get a bit squirrelly when reality starts to become stranger than fiction" | Q&A with Writer Mark Sampson on his Novel "All The Animals on Earth"
” I think novelists get a bit squirrelly when reality starts to become stranger than fiction” | Q&A with Writer Mark Sampson on his Novel “All The Animals on Earth”
We are no doubt being cursed by living in interesting times. Many of us readers are looking for something “interesting” to read and pass the time with. And some of us are picking up old projects to bring interesting things to the world. Mark Sampson has been a favourite writer in my library for a while. I was thrilled when I found he has a new novel coming out and he was willing to answer a few…
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When Our Perceptions Are Forced To Change - Repeatedly | Review of "Akin" by Emma Donoghue (2019) HarperCollins Publishers
When Our Perceptions Are Forced To Change – Repeatedly | Review of “Akin” by Emma Donoghue (2019) HarperCollins Publishers
We are all creatures of habit. Our thoughts and beliefs force us into realms of convenience that make us believe our lives are perfect for us. Yet we find ourselves being thrust into situations that force us to change not only our lifestyles but our personal beliefs and understandings. Emma Donoghue has given us a touching example of this example in her touching novel Akin.
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Was…
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When Emotions Impair Good Judgement | Review of "Bad Ideas" by Missy Marston (2019) ECW Press
When Emotions Impair Good Judgement | Review of “Bad Ideas” by Missy Marston (2019) ECW Press
We all have looked back at decisions in our lives with regret. Why did we do “x” when “y” was the smarter choice at the time. Yet our emotions and our desires guide our decisions at times that push us into scenarios we cannot escape from. Missy Marston has documented such situations in her novel Bad Ideas in a brilliant and at times humorous means that is enlightening to read.
Page 9 Because…
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