I have been fully embracing this new cli-fi trend. For one thing, it gives me ideas as to what to do if the world goes down. After reading Blaze Island, I'm thinking a sparsely populated island somewhere up North sounds like a good idea. Miranda's father thought so, too. But his reasons for moving to … Continue reading Blaze Island by Catherine Bush
If you ever feel you're in the mood for something completely absurd, out of this world (but in it), something that will make you laugh, wonder what the heck is going on, and reflect on the author's wild imagination, Dirty Birds is your book. All Milton Ontario wants is to spread his wings; leave his … Continue reading Dirty Birds by Morgan Murray
Ananias was one of the best books I read last year. Why I am only writing about it now is a whole other story, not nearly as interesting as the story of Ananias. This novel was inspired by the author's obsession with family genealogy. Ananias Case was a real person, the great-great-great grandfather of James … Continue reading Ananias by James Case
Crow Gulch by Douglas Walbourne-Gough This book was brought to my attention during a Zoom event hosted by the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia: a Writers' Panel on Indigenous Writers to Read Right Now. So many great books and writers were discussed, including long-loved writers like Rita Joe and Thomas King to up-and-comers like Billy-Ray … Continue reading From the Library: Crow Gulch, Electric Fences, and Blanket Toss Under Midnight Sun
The twelve stories in Boy With A Problem tap into "the heart of our deeply human fear of failing to truly connect with others." Smart, compassionate, and insightful, Benjamin is able to say things through his stories without actually saying them. Gemma Marr, in her review at The Miramichi Reader, mentions the "one-sentence insights" that … Continue reading Q&A with Chris Benjamin, author of Boy With A Problem
I absolutely loved this story about three Nigerian women who "must address the wounds of the past if they are to reconcile and move forward." The story is narrated by each of the women, alternately. Kambirinachi Kambirinachi believes she is an Ogbanje--"a spirit that plagues a family with grief by dying repeatedly in childhood and … Continue reading Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
As I opened up my notes on this book, I felt a little overwhelmed - two pages of notes, back-to-back, in tiny print. But that's not too surprising - Aubrey McKee is a big book and it takes place primarily in Halifax, Nova Scotia (where Alex Pugsley is originally from). So there was a lot … Continue reading Aubrey McKee by Alex Pugsley
Atlantic Canada Five years ago I decided to challenge myself to read more books from Atlantic Canada. As a result, I have read 131 books from Atlantic Canada in the last five years. You can check out results of previous years here: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016. #of Atlantic Canadian books read: 31 (last year, 25) % of books read from Atlantic Canada: 39% (last year, 32%) … Continue reading Highlights of 2020
Warning: Slightly spoilery! August wasn't that long ago, right? At least, it doesn't feel that long ago since I read Melt. I remember being smitten by the cover (isn't it beautiful?) and taken in by the thirty-year-long friendship between the two women. It can't be easy to write about a long friendship--friendships are complicated--but Wicks … Continue reading Melt by Heidi Wicks
Rita Joe's wonderful and well-known poem, I Lost My Talk, has been made into a children's book. And it's perfect for a children's book - it's written in clear, simple language that children can understand, and it introduces them to Rita Joe long before most of us were lucky enough to encounter her work. I … Continue reading I Lost My Talk by Rita Joe & I’m Finding My Talk by Rebecca Thomas
