#LiteraryWives: The Stars are Fire by Anita Shreve

Literary Wives is an on-line book group that examines the meaning and role of wife in different books. Every other month, 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 of Literary Wives … Continue reading #LiteraryWives: The Stars are Fire by Anita Shreve

Margaret Atwood Reading Month: Wrap-Up #MARM

Thanks to everyone who participated in Margaret Atwood Reading Month and contributed their enthusiasm, interest and experience to making the event a success. We’ve collaborated on this link collection, so we’re cross-posting. Please let us know if we’ve missed anything and we will transform all the information into a page that we can update for … Continue reading Margaret Atwood Reading Month: Wrap-Up #MARM

Margaret Atwood Reading Month: Poetry and Food #MARM

Coincidentally, I had been reading one of Margaret Atwood's poetry books when we decided to go ahead with #MARM. I'm not a big poetry reader, but I was really taken with the poems in Morning in the Burned House (1995). Particularly the ones about a woman's ageing father, and memories of their time together. From … Continue reading Margaret Atwood Reading Month: Poetry and Food #MARM

Margaret Atwood Reading Month: Children’s Books #MARM

Once I knew Marcie and I were going to go ahead with MARM, I started collecting odds and ends of Margaret Atwood books and stories, including as many of her children's books I could find through my library. Up In the Tree, written and illustrated by Margaret Atwood (1978) The first book for children Margaret Atwood … Continue reading Margaret Atwood Reading Month: Children’s Books #MARM

Margaret Atwood Reading Month: Quotations #MARM

This month, I have discovered that Margaret Atwood seems to have a wise word for just about everything. Let's have a look... Youth: "When you're young, you think everything you do is disposable. You move from now to now, crumpling time up in your hands, tossing it away. You're your own speeding car. You think you … Continue reading Margaret Atwood Reading Month: Quotations #MARM

Shadow Giller: An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim

An Ocean of Minutes had me in its grip. I was so invested in the outcome, I couldn't put it down. I had high hopes for it, too, when I read that it involved time travel and a flu epidemic. But how was Lim going to make her book stand out from other dystopian novels? … Continue reading Shadow Giller: An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim

Shadow Giller: French Exit by Patrick deWitt

Frances and Malcolm, mother and son, a wealthy pair of callous social outcasts, have just found out that all their money is gone. They have to make big changes, but neither are inclined to work for it - what will become of them? ("... her blood thrilled at life's gruesome pageant.") Frances's friend, Joan, offers … Continue reading Shadow Giller: French Exit by Patrick deWitt

Five Years of Consumed by Ink: 100 Recommended Canadian Books

When I was in my first year or two of blogging, I would marvel at the bloggers who were hitting five years plus. But now I know how fast the time goes by. In celebration of my 5th year, I've compiled a list of some of the best Canadian books I've read and reviewed on … Continue reading Five Years of Consumed by Ink: 100 Recommended Canadian Books

Shadow Giller: Motherhood by Sheila Heti

I can see why Motherhood is getting mixed reactions from readers. For one thing, the entire book takes place inside the narrator's head - so we get to hear her every thought. Hearing someone's thoughts for pages at a time can start to feel claustrophobic - a whole book that dwells almost entirely on the … Continue reading Shadow Giller: Motherhood by Sheila Heti

Margaret Atwood Reading Month: Covers Images #MARM

After much dithering, I've decided to look back on the first cover of each of Margaret Atwood's novels. There have been many different covers for her novels over the years. Let's have a look at a small sampling... The Edible Woman - McClelland & Stewart (1969), Virago (1980), Bantam (1991), Surfacing - McClelland & Stewart … Continue reading Margaret Atwood Reading Month: Covers Images #MARM