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
The Giller Prize shortlist was announced this morning. Between now and November 9th, the Shadow Jury will be reading and reviewing these books, as well as picking a winner in advance of the official winner. Will we be any better at predicting the winner than we were at predicting the shortlist? You can find all … Continue reading Scotiabank Giller Prize Shortlist 2020
Every story in this collection is strong. David Chariandy calls it "one of the great short story collections of our time." Madeleine Thien calls it "a major work and a lasting one". And Sharon Bala calls it a "masterful collection." Susan (@ A Life in Books) says all the stories are "remarkable in their eloquent … Continue reading #ShadowGiller: How To Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa
The air is getting cooler, the leaves are starting to fall, the Giller list is out, and it's time to start thinking about what MARM goodies we're going to read this year. Margaret Atwood Reading Month is hosted by Marcie at Buried in Print and Naomi at Consumed by Ink and inspired by decades of … Continue reading Announcing Margaret Atwood Reading Month: November 2020 #MARM
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
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
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
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
I have been reading more short stories than usual during the pandemic. I've found them both comforting and easier to concentrate on. But I'm also so far behind on my blogging that I'm going to lump them all together into one post, even though they all deserve their own. Please forgive me short story writers! … Continue reading Short Stories: Ian Colford, David Bergen, Terry Doyle, L.M. Montgomery, and Best Canadian Stories 2019
During my visit to Mabel Murple's Book Shoppe and Dreamery last summer, Sheree Fitch spoke about her upcoming poetry book. She hasn't written one for adults since In This House Are Many Women (1994). People have asked her why, and she's said that it's because she didn't feel like she had anything more to say. … Continue reading You Won’t Always Be This Sad by Sheree Fitch
Consumed by Ink 