The Madrigal had me from the very first paragraph... I was the aberration in my family: a single child. My mother had three sets of identical twins, and then me. Two boys, two boys, two boys. At least if I had been a girl it would have been some consolation for all of us. But … Continue reading The Madrigal by Dian Day
I'm seeing Crow everywhere right now; on Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. And I can see why readers are falling in love with this book. Meet Crow... I come from a long line of lunatics and criminals. Crazies on one side of the family tree, crooks on the other, although the odd crazy has a … Continue reading Crow by Amy Spurway
I was attracted to this book right away - partly because I was curious to read what these authors had to say (especially after falling so hard for Black Berry, Sweet Juice by Lawrence Hill) and also, I have to admit, because of the vibrant purple cover. There are twenty-five entries in this book, including the … Continue reading Black Writers Matter, edited by Whitney French
Poor Judith. That's the only way I can think of her. I can't remember the last time I pitied a character in a novel as much. And it's not because she lives alone, it's not because her looks lean toward the unfortunate, and it's not because she spent years taking care of her sick aunt. … Continue reading The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore (1955)
In an interview with Shelagh Rogers on The Next Chapter, Catherine Graham tells us that she loves words with multiple meanings. Quarry, the title of her book, can mean a man-made pit, prey, and it comes from the French word "coeur" as in "heart". Quarry's protagonist, Caitlin Maharg, an only child, grows up beside a … Continue reading Quarry by Catherine Graham
Five years ago, when my blog was still a baby, I read (and loved) Swarm, Lauren Carter's debut novel, and interviewed her about it. (Lauren's answers were fantastic and I'd love to bring this interview to fresh eyes, so please have a look.) In my last question, I asked her about other projects she was … Continue reading Poetry: Following Sea by Lauren Carter
I read this excellent anthology over the Holidays, along with several other short story collections, and now it's late February. But I love this collection too much to let it go. Best Canadian Stories 2018 was edited by Russell Smith (author of short story collection Confidence) who says, "A great anthology does not have a … Continue reading Best Canadian Stories 2018, edited by Russell Smith
