Five of us from the bookclub went to hear Michael Ondaatje read from his new novel, "The Cat's Table"...wow...an enthralling book and Ondaatje was the opposite of what I expected. I was expecting someone very intellectual and celebral and he was very down to earth and accessible. His novels are so wonderfully crafted that I thought he spent most of his time working them out ahead of time but it seems he makes stuff up as he goes along then does numerous rewrites so things fit and make sense.
I think perhaps his publisher got impatient with his last book "Divisadaro" and just said "give me what you have"...I felt it need a few rewrites.
This one seems perfect and I can't wait for it to arrive from Amazon.ca (I've bought books recently from Bolen's and Munro's so felt I could indulge myself in cheaper prices for a couple of books.)
I also ordered Julian Barnes "The Sense of an Ending" which is favoured to win the Booker prize. Jim is more a fan of his but he is also always interesting. I'm taking great interest in the Booker this year as two locals from the Victoria are short listed...yes...amazing as that may be! They are Esi Edugyan and Patrick de Witt. De Witt is currently living in Portland so not quite as local anymore but I immediately went out and bought Edugyan's "Half-Blood Blues" and am enjoying it immensely.
Then Guy Vanderhaeghe has a new book, "A Good Guy" and also Wayne Johnston with "A World Elsewhere". Vanderhaeghe got lots of recognition and a film made out of "The Englishman's Boy" (very well deserved) but Johnston should have won everything going with "The Colony of Unrequited Dreams" but didn't get much from it so I'm really hoping he scores with this new one.
Good luck to them all and merci, merci, merci, my beloved authors for giving me so much to read this year.
