The air is getting cooler, the leaves are starting to fall, the Giller list is out, and it's time to start thinking about what MARM goodies we're going to read this year. Margaret Atwood Reading Month is hosted by Marcie at Buried in Print and Naomi at Consumed by Ink and inspired by decades of … Continue reading Announcing Margaret Atwood Reading Month: November 2020 #MARM
I love to walk. There's almost no day that goes by that I don't walk, almost no weather I won't walk in, almost no condition that keeps me from going out. When there's a blizzard, I bundle up and put on my big snow boots. When it's hot and humid, I slow my pace and … Continue reading Born to Walk
The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham I had hoped the trunk would outlive me. That once I was gone, someone could dust it off, open the latches, and discover the treasures old Gran had hidden away. Without me to tell the story, no one would be able to figure it out. It would remain … Continue reading From the Library: Home Children, A Pandemic, A Cult, and Jane Austen
The Scotiabank Giller Prize was founded in 1994 by the late Jack Rabinovitch in honour of his wife, the late literary journalist Doris Giller. The prize awards $100,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English, and $10,000 to each of the finalists. The 2020 Giller Prize jury members … Continue reading Scotiabank Giller Prize 2020: Longlist
Those who liked The Outlander by Gil Adamson are likely to enjoy this one as well. It continues the story of Mary Boulton--twelve years later--with a focus on her 12-year-old son Jack and his father William Moreland. The book begins with the death of Jack's mother, which drives the rest of the story. William becomes … Continue reading Ridgerunner by Gil Adamson
My kids are all teens now, but I still love kids' books. Here are a few newly available from Atlantic Canada... all three are from Newfoundland! (Please excuse the shoddy cell phone photography.) The Little Red Shed, written by Adam and Jennifer Young, illustrated by Adam Young, published by Breakwater Books I am a … Continue reading Atlantic Canadian Books For Kids: A Ghost Story, A Folk Tale, and A Celebration of Differences
Having loved Paul Butler's The Widow's Fire, I jumped at the chance to read his newest despite the fact that it's a spin-off of Dracula; a book I never thought I'd read. Vampires? Not interested. But I put my prejudices aside and got out my cute little edition of Bram Stoker's classic (which of course … Continue reading Mina’s Child by Paul Butler: Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 30 Years Later
The theme: One book to bring Canada into focus. The five contenders for Canada Reads 2020, in order in which I read them: Son of A Trickster by Eden Robinson I read this book when it was shortlisted for the 2017 Giller prize. I loved how funny it was, and had every intention of reading … Continue reading Canada Reads 2020
(The highlighted titles will take you to reviews written by myself or some of my other blogging friends.) 1. Alistair MacLeod Prize for Short Fiction A Dark House and Other Stories by Ian Colford (Vagrant Press – a Nimbus imprint) DIG by Terry Doyle(Breakwater Books) Nosy White Woman by Martha Wilson(Biblioasis) 2. Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children’s … Continue reading Atlantic Book Awards 2020 Winners!
The Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award is one of the most lucrative in Canada. For more information about it and the writer it's named for, visit my Thomas Raddall page. Two of the nominated books for this award are set in contemporary Halifax, and one in an isolated nineteenth century Newfoundland cove. Crocuses Hatch From … Continue reading Atlantic Book Awards 2020: Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award
