Q & A: Zachary Mason, author of The Lost Books of the Odyssey Book Features

The Straight caught up with Mason via e-mail to discuss the compiling of his Lost Books, why so many writers are drawn to Odysseus’s story, and why he sent a custom-built Trojan horse to the New York Times Book Review—complete with a copy of his novel hidden in its belly.

Book review: Footnotes in Gaza by Joe Sacco Book Reviews

The footnotes Joe Sacco refers to in the title of his latest—and arguably his most ambitious—work of graphic journalism are people.

Book review: The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason Book Reviews

Zachary Mason’s novel makes a compelling case for literature’s fundamental elasticity.

Book review: Point Omega by Don DeLillo Book Reviews

Don DeLillo's new novel, Point Omega, clocks in at just over 100 pages, and is consumed on every level with silence.

Book review: Country Driving by Peter Hessler Book Reviews

After obtaining a Chinese driver’s licence, Peter Hessler, a staff writer for the New Yorker, travelled the road developments that were transforming the sprawling nation.

The B.C. Book Prize shortlist shows strength and versatility Book Choice of the Week

The shortlists for this year’s B.C. Book Prizes were announced on March 11, and the lineup says a lot about the strength and versatility of writing in the province.

Book review: The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell Book Reviews

It’s taken the English-speaking world a while to twig to this fact, but the Swedes have replaced the Scots at the apex of the crime-writing pyramid.

Book review: The Parabolist by Nicholas Ruddock Book Reviews

At the centre of the debut novel by Guelph, Ontario’s Nicholas Ruddock is a highfalutin philosophy trumpeted by a (fictional) group of Mexican poets circa 1975.

Book review: Princess Noire: The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone by Nadine Cohodas Book Reviews

Nadine Cohodas’s straightforward but enlightening biography provides an almost day-by-day account of Nina Simone’s life that adds to our understanding of both her immense talent and her equally gargantuan ego.

Book review: The Politics of Black Women's Hair by Althea Prince Book Reviews

In her latest book, The Politics of Black Women’s Hair, Althea Prince explores whether hair should be seen as a political statement among black women.

Books explore the games behind the Olympic Games Olympics Book Features

On the eve of the 2010 Winter Games, I’ve decided to compile a list of four of the best books I’ve read about the Olympics. This selection covers the sports, business, politics, and history of the Games, ensuring there is something for everyone.

Book review: The Talented Miss Highsmith by Joan Schenkar Book Reviews

In The Talented Miss Highsmith: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith, biographer Joan Schenkar offers a remarkably compelling look at the complex personality of novelist Patricia Highsmith.

Book review: We Are All Made Of Glue by Marina Lewycka Book Reviews

In case you were wondering: yes, the Holocaust, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the 1984 U.K. coal miners’ strike can in fact all coexist in one kooky-comic novel.

Ancient creed animates author Ashok Mathur's A Little Distillery in Nowgong Book Features

“I’ve always been interested in telling stories,” says Ashok Mathur, “and for me, stories don’t stop with any form of reality.”

Book review: Kaspoit! by Dennis E. Bolen Book Reviews

“Kaspoit”, apparently, is the sound of a beer can being opened, but you’ll want a shot of something stronger once you’ve finished Vancouver author Dennis E. Bolen’s fifth novel.