My last post focused on Best Atlantic Canadian Reads of 2018.
Here’s everything else…
Best Books (in addition to Best of Atlantic Canada 2018, in no particular order):
The Prisoner and the Chaplain by Michelle Berry
You Are Among Monsters by Jon R. Flieger
The Red Word by Sarah Henstra (winner of the 2018 Governor General Literary Award for Fiction)
Homes by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah, with Winnie Yeung (non-fiction)
The Honey Farm by Harriet Alida Lye
Catch My Drift by Genevieve Scott
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (YA)
Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay
Madame Victoria by Catherine Leroux, translated by Lazer Lederhendler
Dear Evelyn by Kathy Page (winner of the 2018 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize)
Songs of the Cold of Heart by Eric Dupont, translated by Peter McCambridge (winner of the 2018 Shadow Giller)
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (winner of the 2018 Giller Prize)
An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim
The Grimoire of Kensington Market by Lauren B. Davis
Into the Forest by Jean Hegland
Small Island by Andrea Levy
Top 5
- Songs for the Cold of Heart by Eric DuPont
- Malagash by Joey Comeau
- Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay
- Small Island by Andrea Levy
- The Luminous Sea by Melissa Barbeau
% CanLit: 80%
Out of the 80% CanLit, 33% is from Atlantic Canada.
Bookish Highlights of the Year
1) This summer, while on vacation with my family, I managed to visit Bookmarks for Rogues’ Wedding by Terry Griggs (Owen Sound), Essentialist by Ken Babcock (Toronto), Garbo Laughs by Elizabeth Hay (Ottawa), The Cat and the Wizard by Dennis Lee (Toronto), The Convict Lover by Merilyn Simonds (Kingston), and L.M. Montgomery’s The Gable Window (Cavendish, PEI).
Terry Griggs, Owen Sound
Dennis, Lee, Casa Loma, Toronto
Ken Babcock, Toronto
Merilyn Simonds, Kingston
Ottawa (English and French)
Cavendish, PEI.
2) This was my third year being a part of the Shadow Giller. We chose Songs for the Cold of Heart by Eric DuPont as our winner this year.
3) Marcie (from Buried in Print) and I co-hosted the first annual Margaret Atwood Reading Month (#MARM). We were happy with the response and are hoping to do it again next year!
4) Consumed by Ink hit 5 years old this year, and I celebrated by creating this list of 100 Recommended Canadian Books.
I hope everyone has had a good start to the new year! What was a favourite book, highlight, or event for you in 2018?
Consumed by Ink 
I pulled The Prisoner and the Chaplain off my shelf to read recently, then put it aside for others! Looks like I need to put that one back in front of me. I also bought The Red Word and should read that one soon as well.
Madame Victoria still calls to me and I can grab it easily from my library – you already know how much I loved Songs for the Cold of Heart and Dear Evelyn. I own many of the others you’ve listed here too — so much reading to do!! ❤
Great list Naomi! 🙂 🙂
I often feel the same way when I read your lists, Penny – some I’ve read, some I haven’t but mean to, some I own but haven’t read yet… We just need more time! 🙂
What a great reading year! And I’m so pleased to see Elizabeth Hay in your top five. Here’s hoping that 2019 will deliver many more excellent books.
I read so many great books this year! But I think I say that every year! Let’s hope it continues. 🙂
Of the book son your list, the only one I’ve read is Andrea Levy’s Small Island, which I liked a lot. There’s a very good BBC TV adaptation of it too, probably still available to stream or view on DVD.
Wishing you all the best for 2019, Naomi. Plenty of good reading in store, I hope.
I watched the TV adaptation as soon as I finished reading the book! It was also very good.
Happy New Year, Jacqui!
The only 2 I’ve read of your highlights, are at the end and haven’t been reviewed (yet?). Both very interesting books. I haven’t even heard of most of the others, though there are a couple that I have.
I enjoyed your Bookish moments too. That Bookmarks project is wonderful. Congrats on your 5 years. It’s been lovely getting to “know” you.
Thanks, Whispering Gums!
The two books I haven’t reviewed probably won’t get reviewed at this point. But they are also older ones that may people have probably already read.
Happy 2019!
Oh no! Oh well, at least I know you liked them!
Loved them!
I have Washington Black in my pile and I have read Small Island. Other than that, your list is new to me.
I hope you like Washington Black as much as I did! And if you ever come across Songs for the Cold of Heart, I think you should grab it!
OK!
Great highlights! The ones I’ve read have all been definite hits for me and there are some others that are on my TBR. Happy new year!
Happy New Year, Karissa!
What a fabulous year you had! And good on ya for visiting those bookmarks, I have yet to see even one!
I’m going to read “Homes” next I think, especially because it’s on the Canada Reads Longlist now…
It doesn’t help that there isn’t a Calgary Bookmark yet! I think the closest ones to you are Winnipeg and Vancouver. Hopefully, a Calgary one is in the works…
I believe there is a Calgary one in the works, Rosemary Griebel’s poetry. I thought it was already up but I could be wrong about that…
Oh, you’re right! It’s set for Autumn 2019. Maybe you’ll be free that day. 😉
fingers crossed
Most of your favourite reads are books I’ve not heard of so will have to go digging back to those reviews. Sounds like you had a fabulous year…..
I did! And I’m fortunate enough to feel like every year is fabulous. 🙂 Thanks, Karen!
I must read Songs for the Cold of Heart this year! The title sounds like a country tune. I just put it on hold; I’m #111 on the wait list for 9 copies of it at the library here. Hooray too for Kingston; my spouse is from there and we go back every couple of years. Nice lists. Happy 2019.
Kingston is such a nice place. I would love to go back and visit it again when I have more time. This summer, the main reason we stopped there is because Google told us they had a nice outdoor pool! We were there for a swim, and ice-cream, and a peek at the Bookmark, and then we were on our way again. (They *do* have a nice outdoor pool!)
It makes me happy to hear that Songs for the Cold of Heart is so popular – hooray!
Small Island is one of my favourite books, I’m so glad to see it in your Top 5! I don’t know if you can get it in Canada but there was a great documentary about Andrea Levy recently on the BBC.
Washington Black is an absolute priority for me to read this year 🙂
Ooo… I’ll look for that documentary! I would like try another of her books, but am afraid I’ve already read the best one!
It’s my favourite of hers, but they’re all worth reading. The Long Song is probably the most ambitious & has just had an adaptation on the BBC. I’ve not watched it yet but it looks good 🙂
Oh dear, now I’m tempted to go straight to the movie! 🙂
Wow! For all that we love some of the same books, we also read really different books and I’ve not read any of your favorites! There are just so many good books out there 🙂
Too many! As readers, we need to divide and conquer to get to them all. 🙂
That is a great list, and I am looking forward to reading Small Island in particular. I wish I can say I loved Washington Black. For me, as an adventure, it was pretty dull with shallow characters.
Too bad you didn’t enjoy it more. I’ve heard other readers express similar thoughts about it. Well, I’m almost certain you won’t be disappointed with Small Island!
OH, no, no, no: don’t go straight to the movie for The Long Song! That’s the book of hers which landed her on my MustReadEverything list. 🙂
Love your list. I also loved ten of the books on it. Of the ones I haven’t read, I’m most excited about Madame Victoria and Moon of the Crusted Snow. (Other than Malagash, which I was just mentioning in my last comment, so I’m setting that excitement aside, just for a moment!)
How many months now ’til the next sessions of Shadow Gillering and #MARMing? 🙂
Not long now! 🙂
Okay, I will NOT watch the movie first.
I forgot that haven’t yet read Madame Victoria – can’t wait to hear what you think! (And, of course, we will have to compare it to The Party Wall.)