Marcie wrote a post recently about community: what it is and the importance of it whether it be in real life or online. Over the years (11 of them now) I have treasured this online community of readers and bloggers; you've shared my enthusiasm for books, publishers, authors, and reading as well as shared with … Continue reading Highlights of 2024
Category: Canadian Lit
#NovNov: Novellas in November (in December) 2024
A big thank you to Rebecca and Cathy for hosting Novellas in November again this year. It's a fun way to sneak in some short books that might otherwise be overlooked or forgotten about. (Many of the novellas I read this year came through my library's interlibrary loan department. #loveyourlibrary) Novellas allow me to fit … Continue reading #NovNov: Novellas in November (in December) 2024
#Maud150: A Celebration of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s 150th Birthday
Green Gables, PEI, Summer 2010 November 30, 2024 marks Lucy Maud Montgomery's 150th birthday, and Sarah Emsley has been hard at work gathering scholars and fans together to contribute pieces of writing inspired by LMM. Sarah's blog has been hosting a tribute to LMM this month called "'A World of Wonderful Beauty': L.M. Montgomery at … Continue reading #Maud150: A Celebration of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s 150th Birthday
#MARM: Margaret Atwood Reading Month 2024
I confess that I almost missed Margaret Atwood Reading Month this year. I remembered it in September and October, but it wasn't until November 15th that I realized it was November at all and that MARM had been going on already for a full two weeks. But I was determined not to miss it, so … Continue reading #MARM: Margaret Atwood Reading Month 2024
Oil People by David Huebert
David Huebert's last story collection was leading up to this novel; Chemical Valley was filled with characters who lived and worked in southern Ontario's oil country. Oil People takes a closer look at the same area's history in the oil industry by weaving a tale about a family that spans 125 years. The book alternates … Continue reading Oil People by David Huebert
Maritime Memoirs: Chris Harvey-Clark and Emily Taylor Smith
It's hard to say who I admire more: a person who spends chunks of their life underwater with oxygen tanks strapped to their back, or a person who spends chunks of their life on their feet with a backpack filled with necessities strapped to their back. In Search of the Great Canadian Shark by Chris … Continue reading Maritime Memoirs: Chris Harvey-Clark and Emily Taylor Smith
Hearty: On Cooking, Eating, and Growing Food for Pleasure and Subsistence by andrea bennett
Hearty is made up of 18 essays about food: andrea bennett cooks food, they eat food, they grow food, and they write about how food has shaped their life. I am always here for books about food. "When I cook, I make hearty food. For subsistence but, just as importantly, for pleasure. To keep myself … Continue reading Hearty: On Cooking, Eating, and Growing Food for Pleasure and Subsistence by andrea bennett
The Supernatural: Rose Sutherland, Nancy Taber, and Michelle Hébert
It was mostly a coincidence that I read three new novels within a month that are set in the Maritimes and involve the supernatural. A most satisfying and happy coincidence. I started with Rose Sutherland's A Sweet Sting of Salt, which I read for my Real Life book club. Historical fiction, set on the south … Continue reading The Supernatural: Rose Sutherland, Nancy Taber, and Michelle Hébert
From the Library: Shashi Bhat, Chelsea Wakelyn, and Lisa Brideau
Death by a Thousand Cuts by Shashi Bhat The stories in Death by a Thousand Cuts are devastating, funny, and completely accessible. She makes reading feel easy and then drops a thought bomb on you that makes you realize how intentionally-crafted these stories are. In Dealbreaker, Asha is trying to find a partner through online … Continue reading From the Library: Shashi Bhat, Chelsea Wakelyn, and Lisa Brideau
From the Library: Seventh Day Adventists, satirical writing advice, and futuristic fiction
Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell I requested this book after reading what Marcie and Bill had to say about it, quite a while ago now. They read it together for the Ursula K. Le Guin Fiction Prize, and it turned out to be the winner. Arboreality is novella length and made up of inter-connected short stories … Continue reading From the Library: Seventh Day Adventists, satirical writing advice, and futuristic fiction
