Alistair MacLeod was a Canadian novelist and short story writer. He was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan in 1936, but moved back to Cape Breton when he was 10. He died in Windsor, Ontario in 2014. He taught English and creative writing at the University of Windsor for more than 30 years, but returned to his family's … Continue reading Remembrance by Alistair MacLeod
A Selection of Great Blog Posts October 2014
Reviews: Adult Onset by Ann-Marie MacDonald @ Pickle Me This this is not a review: are you ready to be lucky?, by rosemary nixon @ Matilda Magtree Boundless by Kathleen Winter @ ebookclassics Recommended Reading: Gutenberg's Apprentice, by Alix Christie @ Rosemary and Reading Glasses Spat the Dummy by Ed Macdonald: An Interview with The … Continue reading A Selection of Great Blog Posts October 2014
Pastoral by André Alexis
Pastoral is a finalist for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, along with The Confabulist by Steven Galloway, All Saints by K.D. Miller, Girl Runner by Carrie Snyder, and All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews. There are a lot of award lists out right now, but since I have already read two of these, I thought it … Continue reading Pastoral by André Alexis
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Everything I Never Told You is as good as everyone says it is. Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet. This is how the story begins. The first line grabbed me right away, and my attention was held the whole way through. It doesn't seem right to do anything but wait. The … Continue reading Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Station Eleven follows the storylines of four main characters. Their stories span from thirty years before the Collapse to twenty years after it. The Collapse refers to the Georgia Flu pandemic that spread around the world in a matter of weeks and wiped out most of humanity. What remains are sporadic communities where most of the inhabitants stay … Continue reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce
Before I talk to you about Queenie Hennessy, I am going to talk a little bit about Harold Fry. I love Harold Fry, and I loved The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I read this book shortly before starting my blog, so I don't have a review of it, but it did make my Top … Continue reading The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce
Infidelity by Stacey May Fowles
I first heard about this book on the June edition of Shelf Talkers, a series at 49th Shelf by Robert Wiersema where independent book stores get to recommend their choice of Canadian books to readers. Since it came highly recommended, I thought I would give it a try. And, really, who isn't curious to know what people have to … Continue reading Infidelity by Stacey May Fowles
All The Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld
Jake Whyte is a young woman working alone on a sheep farm, keeping to herself, harbouring a secretive past, and feeling terrified all the time. I'm not even sure if she knows what she's afraid of, besides her past coming back to haunt her, or of getting too close to another human being. But, … Continue reading All The Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld
Quotes From Canada; Gillian Deacon
I recently read and reviewed Gillian Deacon's book Naked Imperfection. Here is one tiny, little quote from that book that made me nod my head emphatically. This is my kind of thinking. Busy is the modern epidemic. She goes on to say that "being busy is a competitive sport". If you ask someone how they are doing they … Continue reading Quotes From Canada; Gillian Deacon
California by Edan Lepucki
When I read the premise for California, it appealed to me on two levels. First, I am a sucker for books about survival and living off the land, whether it be pioneering or the end of the world. Second, with the many books coming out recently (is it just me?) that are dystopian/apocalyptic/speculative fiction, I … Continue reading California by Edan Lepucki
Consumed by Ink 