Graveyards, oooohhhhhh, spooky places when I was a kid. The only spookier place was the undertakers. If I had to go past either, I got to the other side of the street or the road, moved quickly and, sometimes, whistled. I
Fagrabakka
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Monthly Archives: July 2012
A Night to Remember On Lake Winnipeg
By Ken Kristjanson. Ken is writing a series of articles from
On The Beach
They
The Gimli Film Festival: Meet The Fokkins
Yesterday, I watched two full-length documentaries at the Lady of the Lake Theatre. The first was a Mexican film called El ultimate bolero. It
Indridason: Hypothermia, summer reading
These are the lazy days of summer. These are hammock days, days for lying on the Toronto couch (if you have one) at the beach and losing yourself in summer reading. If you are in Gimli, Manitoba, go to Tergesen’s bookstore and buy a murder mystery by Indridason. He’s Iceland’s best murder mystery writer. Not just Iceland’s, he’s one of the best. His novels are perfect, I’m at the beach, it’s hot out, I’ve got a cold drink, I want something to read, solutions. If you aren’t lucky enough to be in Gimli for the Gimli Film Festival this week, you can find Indidason’s novels in most bookstores. The quality paperback versions are out so you won’t mind getting sand among the pages.
I’m a great fan of Indridason’s writing and his main character, Erlendur. Here’s what I had to say of Hypothermia in an earlier review.
Hypothermia by Arnaldur Indridason kept me up last night. I haven
The Little Book of the Icelanders
I’m reposting t his review. Kolla mentioned it on Facebook and reminded me how much I enjoyed it.This is one of those books that someone with any Icelandic background at all will find humorous because they’ll recognize themselves and their friends and relatives. Those without an Icelandic background should get a laugh because the short essays reveal the silliness of Icelandic society without being unkind.
This is the second time I
Comic books and guns
There are those who would blame the Batman comic, the Batman movie, for inspiring the mass killing in Aurora, Colorado.
However, I grew up with comic books, I loved comic books, they helped me learn to read, I read every comic book I could get my hands on: Superman, Batman, The Green Lantern, Archie, the Classic comics, war comics. If it was a comic, I read it. Never once did they encourage me or inspire me to commit mass murder or, to commit a crime of any kind. I was on the side of the Super Heroes, fighting for justice.
Although, in some ways, I had a strange upbringing (and who doesn
The Como Hotel
It’s always a pleasure to publish an article by Ken Kristjanson. Born and raised in Gimli in a family that has been involved in commercial fishing on Lake Winnipeg from the very beginning of the colony, he has a wealth of information about both the fishing industry and the area known as New Iceland.
by Ken Kristjanson
Some years ago I was helping my father straighten up his museum and I came across a magnificent solid brass spittoon. My father said that the fellow he bought it from thought it was from the old Como Hotel. He had enjoyed many a glass of Mr. Shea’s delightful brew in the beer parlour at that hotel. As it was a
The White Rabbit: on losing a brother
We all do it eventually. Die, that is. Although we have a built in denier, thank goodness, otherwise it would get in the way of partying or sex or just enjoying ourselves. Who wants to be constantly aware that the Queen of Hearts is somewhere out there constantly yelling,
Gimli Film Festival: Bloodflowers 6
There is no truth about fiction and drama greater than
