FROM EMILY CARR TO DOSTOEVSKY, BOOKS YOU SHOULD READ
A FURRY MIX OF THE KITTEN'S JANUARY BOOKSHELF
This month Nico and Chloe read the following mix of fiction and classics.
From Dostoevsky to Emily Carr, reading is one of the many ways to stay connected to humanity and trace the lines of consciousness that make up our coloured and violent history.
Have you ever noticed how the book you're reading colours your days?
The themes and words and stories change, but the thread of humanity is constant and weaves the tapestry of consciousness together.
Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
“Here’s the end of the rainbow, a sheet-anchor, a blessed heaven, the navel of the earth, the three fishes on which the whole world rests, the quintessence of pancakes, luscious pies, an evening samovar, soft sighs and warm fur-lined coats, hot comfortable low stoves to snooze on - why it’s as if you were dead and alive at one and the same time!” [read full review here...]
The kitten’s rating: 4.5 feverish fainting fits out of 5.
Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
I'm lying in bed with coffee and Scarlett O'Hara. A book that keeps haunting my dreams and leaving me sleepless. Scarlett is on a ruthless quest for money and I admire her tenacity to keep going despite everyone she cares about dropping dead at her feet. “Oh, why was she different, apart from these loving women? She could never love anything or anyone so selflessly as they did.”
The kitten’s rating: 4 dresses made from velvet curtains out of 5.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Navigating racism and adventuring. Trying to define what is right and what is wrong when every second person tells you different. A young boy fast talking his way from one bit of silliness into another. Blindly trusting adults as being the way, the path and the light. A body only knows, deep inside itself, what’s right and what’s wrong. And when the Powers That Be try to lead down a path you feel tingly about, what’s a body to do? Oh, and I wanted to smack that kid Tom Sawyer across his smartass little face.
The kitten’s rating: 3 runaways out of 5.
Berlin City Of Stones by Jason Lutes
Weimar Republic Era. Dark. Colourless. Bleak. Left me wanting more. Don’t read it in the rain, don’t read it with a hangover. Need to read more graphic novels in general.
The kitten’s rating: 3.5 illicit love affairs out of 5.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Five day bender in Spain. Never sleep. Why does Lady Brett Ashley, a woman made like the hull of a racing boat, do the things she does? She’s a kitten, that's for sure, but she’s too far from consciousness to take advantage of it fully (consciously?). Or rather, she’s on the brink and drinks to forget it (but can one ever really forget?). It’s hard to go over the razor’s edge when you can’t stay awake long enough to see the other side. Chain-smoking on terraces in Paris helps.
The kitten’s rating: 4 shots of absinthe out of 5.
Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor
Vancouver foodie culture. The homeless who sleep in Stanley Park. The disparity between rich and poor. The breathtaking natural beauty of the city that shuts down at 1 a.m. The hipsters who beg you to eat their food.
The kitten’s rating: 5 plates of raccoon meat out of 5.
Biography of Emily Carr by Maria Tippett
Searching for God. Isolating yourself amongst the trees and the eagles. The feeling of complete rejection when one’s family tells you your work is worthless. What was she looking for? What was her authentic expression? Finding peace and your voice. It’s a long game and to know that is encouraging when you’re putting your heart on the line every minute of every day trying to become who you’re going to be. Remember - you don’t have to have all the answers, but having faith that you’re on the path will carry you through.
The kitten’s rating: 4 totem poles out of 5.