All excellent books, all written by women of colour, taking me from New York to India, from Alabama to Ghana, and finally to the suburbs of Toronto. Seven by Farzana Doctor When I learned that Seven was a book, in part, about Khatna--a cultural or religious ritual of female genital cutting--I was worried it would … Continue reading From the Library: Khatna, Addiction, and Coming-of-Age
All I Ask by Eva Crocker Melt came to mind as I read this book - the characters in All I Ask are friends who live and work in St. John's, NL. Unlike Jess and Cait, Stacey and Viv are younger and only just starting to move from school to careers and long-term relationships. Soon … Continue reading From the Giller Longlist: All I Ask, Consent, The Pull of the Stars, Clyde Fans
Warning: Slightly spoilery! August wasn't that long ago, right? At least, it doesn't feel that long ago since I read Melt. I remember being smitten by the cover (isn't it beautiful?) and taken in by the thirty-year-long friendship between the two women. It can't be easy to write about a long friendship--friendships are complicated--but Wicks … Continue reading Melt by Heidi Wicks
I have to confess, it's been a while now since I read these books. Particularly The Electric Baths. But that doesn't make them any less good - it just makes my job a lot harder. Both of these books are published by QC Fiction. I have had the pleasure of reading several books by this … Continue reading QC Fiction: The Electric Baths & Tatouine
After many years, and a conscious effort on Priya's part to cut ties between them, it all came flooding back when she received this message from Prakash on her new Twitter account: Hi. Write me. She doesn't want him to think there might be any reason not to, so she does. And then she goes … Continue reading #ShadowGiller: Polar Vortex by Shani Mootoo
This year, for #MARM, we're playing BINGO. How prepared am I? It depends... I am well prepared for a month of reading Atwood's work, but I'm not sure how that's going to translate to the Bingo grid. The novel I chose to read this year is Hag-Seed, and I am happy to say I have … Continue reading Margaret Atwood Reading Month 2020: Week 1
People Like Frank; and other stories from the edge of normal by Jenn Ashton, Tidewater Press The twenty stories in this collection are all relatively short, but don't feel lacking in any way. 'Gentle' is a word that comes to mind when I think of my experience reading this book. And optimistic. Some of the … Continue reading Short Stories: People Like Frank & Nothing Without Us
All of the stories in Dominoes at the Crossroads are written in first person; some have overlapping characters, many feature music in some way, many include historical descriptions or scenarios, and all feature a character or characters from the African Diaspora. Kaie Kellough, himself, is a character in one of his own stories. One of … Continue reading Giller Longlist: Dominoes at the Crossroads by Kaie Kellough
I think most of us have heard of The Glass Hotel by now, after the huge success of Mandel's previous novel Station Eleven. That also means readers are expecting a lot from this novel, and I think Mandel was able to deliver. What a joy to experience the story and characters through her intricately woven … Continue reading #ShadowGiller: The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Imagine my excitement when I saw that October's date for Karen's and Simon's Club series was 1956, and that I was going to be able to check another Thomas Raddall book off my list! And check out this cover! Is it as cheesy as the cover makes it look? Surprisingly, not at all. Yes, the … Continue reading #1956Club: The Wings of Night by Thomas H. Raddall
