Contains spoilers! In The Gift of Wings, Mary Henley Rubio states that "Maud was relieved when she finished the book... It had been a chore." But you would never get that feeling while reading it. To me it felt like it was written in a whirl of headiness; it's a page-turner full of high emotions and … Continue reading Emily Readalong: Emily’s Quest
Category: Atlantic Canadian Books
Emily Readalong: Emily Climbs
Contains spoilers! When it came to writing the sequels to her novels, Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon, L.M. Montgomery "felt little interest". According to Mary Henley Rubio in The Gift of Wings, it was "only her personal discipline that got her through the sequels, where her feisty heroines had to be … Continue reading Emily Readalong: Emily Climbs
Sex and Death: Stories, edited by Sarah Hall and Peter Hobbs
What civil lives we lead. So mannered, so controlled. Everything tidy and safe, everything put in its place. How hard we try not to be frightened, not to let the mind and body misbehave, not to come undone. Look at us in our ties and our stockings, taking vitamins and buying prophylactics, arranging mortgages and … Continue reading Sex and Death: Stories, edited by Sarah Hall and Peter Hobbs
‘Glass Voices’ by Carol Bruneau and ‘The Memento’ by Christy Ann Conlin
Glass Voices by Carol Bruneau (2007) I read this book as part of my little unofficial Halifax Explosion fiction project, which includes other books, such as Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan, Black Snow by Jon Tattrie, and The Blue Tattoo by Steven Laffoley. This book made a nice compliment to the others in that it's … Continue reading ‘Glass Voices’ by Carol Bruneau and ‘The Memento’ by Christy Ann Conlin
Emily Readalong: Emily of New Moon
Many people are familiar with Anne of Green Gables, but Emily of New Moon is not as well known. I'm not really sure why this is... but an article at Literary Hub suggests it's because "Anne has always wanted us to know her; Emily has never been sure." One of Anne's characteristics is that she is … Continue reading Emily Readalong: Emily of New Moon
Playing Catch-Up: Kate Evans and Beatrice MacNeil
The Inward Journey by Kate Evans (2016) Sylvia is not yet 70, but she is going blind and in a nursing home, and fighting it every step of the way. She complains about the food, the care, and refuses to try new ideas to learn how to cope with her loss of vision. In the style … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up: Kate Evans and Beatrice MacNeil
The Blythes are Quoted by L.M. Montgomery
The Blythes are Quoted, the last book in the Anne series, is a short story collection made up of stories about people who are the friends/neighbours/acquaintances of the Blythes. In every story the Blythes are mentioned or quoted, sometimes fondly, sometimes not-so-fondly. I would like to write everything about this book. I would love to … Continue reading The Blythes are Quoted by L.M. Montgomery
Library Finds: ‘Nine Bells for a Man’ and ‘Victory Meat’
Nine Bells for a Man by Peter Unwin (2000) All along I thought I would read one of my Jane Urqhart books for the letter 'U' in my A-Z CanLit Project. But no, I couldn't be sensible - I had to ignore the five Urquhart novels I have on my shelf and search the library for … Continue reading Library Finds: ‘Nine Bells for a Man’ and ‘Victory Meat’
An Emily Readalong
Two years ago I participated in the Green Gables Readalong. We read one Anne book a month starting in January and ending in August. Ever since then, I have wanted to do the same with Emily. It's been at least 20 years since I read about her. I was originally going to start this month, but … Continue reading An Emily Readalong
Highlights of 2016: Part 1
Atlantic Canada This year I tried to focus more on Reading Atlantic Canada, and ended up reading 22 books. 32% of my CanLit reading was from Atlantic Canada. Newfoundland - 7 Nova Scotia - 12 New Brunswick - 3 PEI - 0 (I'm remedying this right now by reading The Blythes are Quoted by L.M. Montgomery. … Continue reading Highlights of 2016: Part 1
Consumed by Ink 