There were several good contenders for the letter H in my CanLit Project, but Helen Humphreys was the writer I finally decided on. Next came the decision of which of her books to read, because most of them sound good to me. After this project is over, I am going to have a whole new … Continue reading Helen Humphreys
Category: Canadian Lit
George Elliott Clarke, George and Rue, and Execution Poems
Geroge Elliott Clarke was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1960. He is a Canadian poet and playwright whose work largely explores the experience and history of the Black Communities of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, creating a cultural geography that Clarke refers to as "Africadia". He believes that Africadians originated in 1783 and 1815, when … Continue reading George Elliott Clarke, George and Rue, and Execution Poems
Roost by Ali Bryan
This book is funny, touching, and entertaining all at the same time. Ali Bryan can take the events of an ordinary day and make them fun to read about. Harried life as a single mother with two young children is delightfully described in this novel. Claudia attempts to raise her children while working a full-time … Continue reading Roost by Ali Bryan
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
Exquisite and profoundly moving, The Cellist of Sarajevo shows how life under siege creates impossible moral choices. It is a story about survival, about the temptation to hate and refusal to do so, about the persistence of the human spirit in a time of fear and suffering. Sometimes the blurb on the inside flap or … Continue reading The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
Steven Galloway
Steven Galloway is a Canadian writer, born in Vancouver B.C. in 1975. (So young!) He now lives in New Westminster. He has written four novels, one of which I am going to read shortly, as the G-Book for my CanLit Project. Finnie Walsh (2000) - shortlisted for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award Ascension (2003) - … Continue reading Steven Galloway
The Troop by Nick Cutter
It's been a while since I last read a scary book. I think the last one I read, that I liked, was The Passage by Justin Cronin. So, I don't have a lot of experience, or many books to compare this one to, but for me it was a page-turner, and a lot of … Continue reading The Troop by Nick Cutter
Happiness by Will Ferguson
Will Ferguson is a Canadian writer who is well known for his humorous travel writing and observations about Canadian culture. Some of his best known books include How to Be A Canadian, Beauty Tips From Moosejaw, and 419. In 2012, he won the Scotiabank Giller Prize with his novel 419, which is anything but humorous. Because I … Continue reading Happiness by Will Ferguson
Swarm by Lauren Carter
Lauren Carter was completely unknown to me when I saw this title on a list of books at the 49th Shelf, as well as on the Canada Reads 2014 Top 40 list. It sounded good, so I requested it from the library. This book exceeded my expectations. If you liked Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam Trilogy, or … Continue reading Swarm by Lauren Carter
The Wars by Timothy Findley
The Wars tells the story of a young Canadian man who becomes a soldier in WWI. It's about what war is like, what it can do to the soldiers who fight, and how it can effect the families and friends of the soldiers who fight. In the end, for Robert Ross, it is about how … Continue reading The Wars by Timothy Findley
Canada Reads Competition 2014
The Canada Reads 2014 competition, led by Jian Ghomeshi, took place this week. If you are interested, here is a quick sum-up. The theme this year was to find the one book that could change Canada as a nation. The Contenders: The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood, defended by Stephen Lewis Cockroach by … Continue reading Canada Reads Competition 2014
Consumed by Ink 