Thanks to everyone who participated in Margaret Atwood Reading Month and contributed their enthusiasm, interest and experience to making the event a success. Last year, MARM consisted of five weeks with five themes: Beginnings, Cover Images, Favourites, Quotations, and Endings. This year, with the release of the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, we decided on … Continue reading Margaret Atwood Reading Month: Wrap-Up 2019 #MARM
Category: Canadian Lit
Novellas in November 2019
Outcast by Darren Greer Tyler is an art student living in Toronto with his friend Randy. Randy is not the easiest guy to live with, but the two of them are inseparable. One thing about Randy is that he's smart - beyond smart, brilliant. Which comes in handy when Tyler starts getting weird messages in … Continue reading Novellas in November 2019
#MARM: A 17-Year-Old’s Perspective of The Handmaid’s Tale
I just recently finished my re-read of The Handmaid's Tale. As always, it was entertaining and thought-provoking. As Marcie says at Buried in Print, "For readers who read primarily for entertainment: this is a page-turner. And for readers who read primarily for information: the story being based on real-life events, invites historians and social scientists … Continue reading #MARM: A 17-Year-Old’s Perspective of The Handmaid’s Tale
2019 Prize Lists and Prize Winners
If you follow the shadow jury at Kevin from Canada, you may already know that we chose two shadow winners this year - The Innocents by Michael Crummey and Reproduction by Ian Williams. I am happy to say that Ian Williams took home the Giller Prize this year for Reproduction! Congratulations to all the finalists … Continue reading 2019 Prize Lists and Prize Winners
Giller Shortlist: Lampedusa by Steven Price
I didn't get far into Lampedusa before realizing why this book was selected as one of the finalists. For someone who has never been to Sicily (1950s Sicily), I felt completely immersed in it - the atmosphere, the architecture, the societal structure. Aristocracy in Sicily? I hadn't given it a thought. And that's what this … Continue reading Giller Shortlist: Lampedusa by Steven Price
#MARM: Intro to The Testaments Read-Along – No Spoilers!
The Testaments. What can I say that hasn't already been said? Missed all the hoopla around The Testaments? Want to know more about it before (or after) reading it? I've collected a few items for your perusal... (Some of these articles may contain spoilers.) CBC: Margaret Atwood unveils The Testaments, sequel to The Handmaid's Tale The … Continue reading #MARM: Intro to The Testaments Read-Along – No Spoilers!
Giller Shortlist: Immigrant City by David Bezmozgis
Although David Bezmozgis has been on the Giller list before (with Free World in 2011 and The Betrayers in 2014), this is the first of his books I've read. And the only short story collection on the shortlist this year. (Here is my chance to put a plug in for K.D. Miller's Late Breaking - … Continue reading Giller Shortlist: Immigrant City by David Bezmozgis