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232nd out of 580 books
—
341 voters
Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast
A pair of endearingly eccentric bachelors--in their fifties, and fraternal twins--own and operate a bed & breakfast establishment where people like them, the "gentle and bookish and ever so slightly confused," can feel at home. Hector and Virgil think of their B&B as a refuge, a retreat, a haven, where folks may bring their own books or peruse the brothers' own sub...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
August 15th 1997
by St. Martin's Griffin
(first published 1993)
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I chuckled through this warm and loving book. The stories told and the people introduced tell of warm, interesting, quirky and human times.
The stories of life in a B&B, written & lived by bachelor twin brothers who have lived their entire lives in their secluded and quirky valley, are well-written and often insightful. And always entertaining.
The idea of a B&B set up as a reading recluse for people often too busy in their lives to quietly sit & read is appealing. Somewhere on Va...more
The stories of life in a B&B, written & lived by bachelor twin brothers who have lived their entire lives in their secluded and quirky valley, are well-written and often insightful. And always entertaining.
The idea of a B&B set up as a reading recluse for people often too busy in their lives to quietly sit & read is appealing. Somewhere on Va...more
I first heard about this book on BookCrossing a couple years ago. I thought it sounded cute and picked up a copy at a library book sale. Finally got around to reading it (one down on Mt. TBR! I'm actually quite proud of myself because I haven't been getting books out of the library lately. Instead I've actually been tackling my home collection).
This book surprised me. I know that I'm not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I was honestly expecting it to be a lot fluffier than it actually...more
This book surprised me. I know that I'm not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I was honestly expecting it to be a lot fluffier than it actually...more
Feb 27, 2012
Moira Fogarty
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Erin sopran, Brett Polegato, James Levesque
'Bachelor Brothers Bed & Breakfast' is a cozy little novel perfect for vacationing, commuting, bathroom reading, or days when you & the weather are crappy; 30 sparkling vignettes told in 152 tidy pages.
Published in 1993, I didn't hear about it myself until I started working at Quest Books in 1995. My Manager, Susan, enthusiastically hand-sold it to almost every customer who walked in the door, like so: "Buy this! It won the Leacock Award for Humour! You'll LOVE it, I promise!"
People wo...more
Published in 1993, I didn't hear about it myself until I started working at Quest Books in 1995. My Manager, Susan, enthusiastically hand-sold it to almost every customer who walked in the door, like so: "Buy this! It won the Leacock Award for Humour! You'll LOVE it, I promise!"
People wo...more
This is a charming, whimsical little tale. A bit on the fluffy side for my tastes but happily for me, it was the perfect follow up to the very dark story (Larson's "In the Garden of Beasts") that I read immediately preceding it. This juxtaposition of reading experiences reminds me how much the order of what we read influences our opinion of a book. So often whether or not you enjoy a book is the result of, or at least affected, by whatever you read beforehand or read simultaneously. All the more...more
A true book about two Canadian brothers, twins in their 50s, who decide to turn the home they've always lived in into a bed and breakfast. We read first-hand accounts of certain guests and their lives (from a guest book the brothers keep), and we learn about the brothers' crazy mother and her even crazier conception story. We read about the brothers' amusing memories/experiences with each other, the smut-novel writer/beauty-products lady down the street, the brothers' adoptive kitty and delightf...more
I decided to re-read this little gem while vacationing on Vancouver Island.
From my original notes:
This is a delightfully witty book about middle-aged twin brothers who run a bed and breakfast on an island off the coast of B.C. It deservedly won the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour. Sadly, the book is fictional, otherwise my reservation at the B&B would be made, and my books would be packed. These vignettes about the brothers, their gentle guests who come to read, and resident pets, Waffle th...more
From my original notes:
This is a delightfully witty book about middle-aged twin brothers who run a bed and breakfast on an island off the coast of B.C. It deservedly won the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour. Sadly, the book is fictional, otherwise my reservation at the B&B would be made, and my books would be packed. These vignettes about the brothers, their gentle guests who come to read, and resident pets, Waffle th...more
Synopsis: Hector and Virgil are unmarried men who run a bed and breakfast on a Canadian island. The book alternates between notes from Hector or Virgil, and "Brief Lives," short stories culled from the B & B's guest book. Since they don't have a TV at the B&B, books and conversations between the guests at the inn play a large role in the story.
An easy, enjoyable read for the holidays. Each guest at the inn had a different reason for being there and a different story to tell.
This would...more
An easy, enjoyable read for the holidays. Each guest at the inn had a different reason for being there and a different story to tell.
This would...more
This book is listed not listed as non-fiction but really only because names have been changed by the author. This book is primarily extracts of a guest book and the life observances of the owners of a small B&B. The author frequented this B&B and put this book together with the help of the owners and the comments made in the guest book. The owners, fraternal twin men, are very fond of books and their clientele are likewise. This little book is very pleasant, sometimes funny, and comforti...more
If you're ready for a light but pleasant read, this one is for you. Humorous but not deep, this is the story (or rather, the collection of journal entries) by and about the proprietors of a small bed and breakfast on a Canadian island. They are twins in their 50's, and their primary passion is books. Their B&B is packed with books and readers. We come to know them slowly via their individual journal entries as well as those contributed by various visitors to their establishment. The feeling...more
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I can't begin to tell you how truly special this book is.
Practically like nothing you've read before.
At least it was not like anything I'd ever read.
Not really a novel, more like a series of stories filled with colorful and eccentric characters who flit in and out of the brothers'lives. It is warm, witty, smart, funny, wise, outrageous, charming, intelligent and, well,I could go on and on. Needless to say,I LOVED this book. And also the follow-up BACHELOR BROTHERS'BED & BREAKFAST PILLOW BOOK...more
Practically like nothing you've read before.
At least it was not like anything I'd ever read.
Not really a novel, more like a series of stories filled with colorful and eccentric characters who flit in and out of the brothers'lives. It is warm, witty, smart, funny, wise, outrageous, charming, intelligent and, well,I could go on and on. Needless to say,I LOVED this book. And also the follow-up BACHELOR BROTHERS'BED & BREAKFAST PILLOW BOOK...more
Finally, a Canadian book that isn't all darkness and angst and swearing. Ok there are a couple of swear words but overall this is a wonderful book.
Hector and Virgil (who in my mind is the spitting image of the authour) are middle-aged twin brothers who have turned the house they grew up in into a bed and breakfast on Canada's west coast. The brothers are book lovers who see their home as a retreat for readers. Their guests are welcome to use the brothers' well-stocked library or to bring their...more
Hector and Virgil (who in my mind is the spitting image of the authour) are middle-aged twin brothers who have turned the house they grew up in into a bed and breakfast on Canada's west coast. The brothers are book lovers who see their home as a retreat for readers. Their guests are welcome to use the brothers' well-stocked library or to bring their...more
I was half afraid from the title and cover of this book that it would be full of platitudes and hand-patting characters. Not. at. all. What a delightful read! If you enjoy not just a plot, but sentence structure, word choice, wit and humor, this would be a great choice. Two brothers run a B & B near Vancouver Island. This is their view of their lives and livelyhood plus snippets from guests, marked as fiction but another reviewer adds that it is really adapted from an actual B & B. Whate...more
What an amazing thing the mind is! For some reason, this book popped into my mind last night. I read it probably in 1997 or there about. I know I was living in Phoenix & working at the Tempe Public Library. I just remember it as a delightful, quirky book. Think I might read it again. Wonder how many other book titles that I've read are lurking in my 74 year old brain!
I was amazed to realize that it is written by Bill Richardson former Govenor of New Mexico.
I was amazed to realize that it is written by Bill Richardson former Govenor of New Mexico.
This is a book lover's book. It's a series of short paragraphs about the owners and guests of a Canadian Bed and Breakfast, set on a small island near Vancouver. The one theme that seems to run through all of the individual little pieces is a love of reading. The stories are replete with literary references and reflections on the value and pleasures of reading, complete with book lists of recommended reading for various moods and locations.
Dull the way CBC is dull. I assume that you read this kind of book over your organic eggs with the radio on, to congratulate yourself for being so damn enlightened. Boring and afraid to do anything edgy. Desperately trying to appeal to some romanticized nostalgia, more than that, trying to create it. Self congratulatory. I did not enjoy it. The writing is acceptable and cute, but hardly clever enough to carry it.
I liked it the first time through. I liked it even better the second time. Gently humor made for radio shows. Put a bunch of the shows together and you get a portrait book of a little slice of life on an island in the great northwest and vignettes from people who stay at the Bed and breakfast. It's a little weird how all the people have the same "writing voice", but it's a pleasant one so that's OK.
My sister gave me this delightful book for Christmas. Just what is needed during the dark days of January: quirky characters- both human and animal, humor and comic situations. It takes place somewhere in the Gulf Islands off Vancouver Island- the author does not reveal the exact location. Read it during these long dark nights when you would enjoy a break from economic and weather gloom.
On a remote Canadian island, in a little valley, is the comforting, welcoming bed and breakfast. The fraternal twins Virgil and Hector tell their story, and the story of their island; the guests tell their stories, of how or why they came to find the b&b in entries in the visitors' book. Above all is the memory of the twins' eccentric, capable mother. A totally delightful, one of a kind book.
This short humorous novel is a charm. It's a good reflection of the Canadian ethos: gentle,courageous, funny and smart but never mean or scandalous. Another book with ideas for more books to read. For those who don't know, Bill Richardson is a famous CBC radio personality, and he's written quite a lot. I intend to explore more of his work.
Enjoyed! Kept a dictionary close at hand to look up the frequent new words or ones I'd never really verified my understanding of. Also really enjoyed the odd chapters about books best read in bathtubs and ones with delightful recipes. Looking forward to getting it back from my friends so I can check out the bathtub list again. :)
This book was recommended to me and I really can't figure out why. It was kind-of cute but there was not visible plot nor storyline. There were a few antedotes that were humorous or interesting but I prefer something that I can sink my teeth into, not snippets of thoughts that only partly meld to make a whole.
I'm always captured by the charm of this book. How can you not love a couple of book-loving bachelors who run a bed and breakfast? There are times that I laughed out loud when reading it. One of the days I would like to work my way through all the book recommendations they give throughout the book.
I liked this book...It is one I never would have picked up on my own, but it was a book club choice so I gave it a try! A quick and easy read, it is a compilation of stories about the brothers and their guests. I actually laughed out loud at a few of them. A good one!
You'll want to pack a book and reserve a room! You'll be the guest of Hector & Virgil, twin brothers who'll delight you with their unusual, unexpected and unforgettable adventures. This cheerful book was a Canadian best seller loaded with humor and charm!
I gave it a 4, seeing as how I noted on the discussion group at Wild City that I seemed to enjoy it when we were doing it in 2005.
Dunno' if I'd read it again - might.
http://wildcity.proboards.com/index.c...
Dunno' if I'd read it again - might.
http://wildcity.proboards.com/index.c...
Hector and Virgil are twin bachelors that have turned their family home into a bed and breakfast that caters to...readers. Written from multiple points of view (the brothers and various guests), this is a gentle yet humorous read if you're looking for something light to read.
One of the reviews of Richardson's book describes it very aptly as 'a whimsically gentle fiction'. It was a quiet Sunday read. One of the fun things about the book was all of the books read and authors talked about at the Bed and Breakfast. A good read.
Journal entries from the twin brothers and some of their guests describe the tranquil B&B devoted to reading and relaxing. I liked the brothers and the story of their quirky mother and the whole idea of a literary vacation retreat.
This is a book lover's book. It's a series of vignettes about the owners and guests of a Canadian Bed and Breakfast, and the one theme that seems to run through all of the individual little pieces is a love of reading. The stories are replete with literary references and reflections on the value and pleasures of reading, and they are even occasionally interspersed by book lists of recommended reading for various moods and locations. It's a diverting little book that can be enjoyed in small chunk...more
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Bill was born and grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba on a quiet little street. He admits to being a shy kid, a quality that has carried over into his adulthood. With his two brothers and the neighborhood children, Bill would play hide and seek, red rover and tag. They got into the usual sorts of mischief: garden raids and snowball fights.
Bill has always taken comfort in reading. As a child his tastes w...more
More about Bill Richardson...
Bill has always taken comfort in reading. As a child his tastes w...more
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“And so we became who we are: gentle and bookish and ever so slightly confused. It is not a bad way to be, when all is said and done.”
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5 people liked it
“The conversation progressed, bumper-car style, to a very heated discussion about death and the survival of the soul. It amazes me that we, as a species, can argue so fervently over something that is, when all is said and done, unknowable and unprovable. Nonetheless, we all arrive at conclusions and cleave to our certainties: that there is nothing but the Void; or that we will find ourselves writing an admissions exam at the Pearly Gates.”
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3 people liked it
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May 11, 2013 12:54pm
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