The Blind Mechanic was already on my list when it was shortlisted for both the Democracy 250 Atlantic Book Award for Historical Writing and the Robbie Robertson Dartmouth Book Award (Non-fiction). And judging by how long my library copy took to come in, it's been on many others' lists as well. An already well-known survivor of … Continue reading Halifax Explosion: ‘The Blind Mechanic’ and ‘Breaking Disaster’
Surfing fixes everything, I knew that much. You don't need to be a surfer or cyclist to read this book, but beware: it might make you want to pull on a wet suit and catch some waves! I usually enjoy reading about others' adventures - cycling across the country, hiking a months-long trail, sailing around … Continue reading Louisbourg or Bust: A Surfer’s Wild Ride Down Nova Scotia’s Drowned Coast by RC Shaw
Autopsy of A Boring Wife, translated by Arielle Aaronson I've always thought it terribly pretentious to gather all your loved ones in one place in order to say: the two of us, right here right now and in spite of the overwhelming statistics, declare that we, temporarily bonded by the illusion of eternity, we are … Continue reading Marie-Renée Lavoie: ‘Autopsy of a Boring Wife’ and ‘Mister Roger and Me’
Use Your Imagination!, Kris Bertin's second book of short stories, is made up of seven stories, all of which I found engaging and satisfying, always curious to find out what was coming next. And like in his first collection, Bad Things Happen, Bertin has come up with some great first lines... Frank opens the screen … Continue reading Use Your Imagination! by Kris Bertin
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
Consumed by Ink 