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
Literary Wives is an on-line book group that examines the meaning and role of wife in different books. Four times a year, we post and discuss a book with this question in mind: What does this book say about wives or about the experience of being a wife? Don’t forget to check out the other members … Continue reading #LiteraryWives: Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen
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
I'm sure I've said this before, but one thing I love almost as much as reading books is reading about books. So today's post is dedicated to telling you how much I enjoyed reading the latest copy of Atlantic Books Today, a Canadian east coast publication about books and authors (and food!) from the Atlantic … Continue reading Atlantic Books Today No. 91
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 Year of Reading Dangerously by Andy Miller I know of so many people who have read this, and I wanted to be one of them. I kept seeing it at the library and one day I brought it home - reading it would kick off my new 'books about books' project. Admittedly, I was … Continue reading Books About Books: Andy Miller, Phyllis Rose, and Anne Fadiman
