Canada Reads 2018 starts Monday, March 26, and continues to the 29th. This year's theme: One book to open your eyes. The longlist seemed particularly strong to me this year, and I would like to have read them all. Unfortunately, because of time and availability, I'm struggling to get the 5 from the shortlist read. … Continue reading Canada Reads 2018: Mini Reviews
Tag: canadian literature
The Stand-In by David Helwig (2002)
I read this book as an attempt to read more authors from Prince Edward Island. It was quite unusual, but a good find. It starts... It is death brought me here, ladies and gentlemen. I am not the man you wanted. The speaker has been asked to come give a lecture in place of Tarrington … Continue reading The Stand-In by David Helwig (2002)
The Red Word by Sarah Henstra
Consent. Rape culture. The male gaze. Sex-positivity. The Red Word asks a bold question: what if women weren’t content to wait for the next assault to take action? What if they got tired of the his-word-against-hers stalemates? Set against the sex wars of the 1990s and the birth of third-wave feminism, the result is a smart, dark, … Continue reading The Red Word by Sarah Henstra
You Are Among Monsters by Jon R. Flieger
You Are Among Monsters came to me in the mail a few weeks ago, and although it was the first I'd heard of it, I ended up racing through it in two days. Thank you, Palimpsest Press! What made this book so compelling (and fun to read)? 1) The creep factor was huge. Not only does … Continue reading You Are Among Monsters by Jon R. Flieger
Survival: ‘Touch’ by Alexi Zentner and ‘Castle of Water’ by Dane Huckelbridge
Touch by Alexi Zentner I read Touch for my A-Z CanLit Project, thinking it was my last book. But I missed "Y", so I still have one more to go... which I'm hoping will be Effigy by Alissa York. Touch turned out to be more unusual than I was expecting. I was drawn to the "three generations … Continue reading Survival: ‘Touch’ by Alexi Zentner and ‘Castle of Water’ by Dane Huckelbridge
Malagash by Joey Comeau
Malagash is a gem of a book. And I can't think of anyone I wouldn't recommend it to. The title of the book refers to the community where the story is set. Malagash is located along the north shore of Nova Scotia, and is one of those places you can easily pass through without knowing … Continue reading Malagash by Joey Comeau
Two Recent Novels About Infidelity
Thinking about having an affair? Just kidding. Interested in stories about marriage and infidelity? Here are a couple of new possibilities you might like. Very different from each other. Fire Sermon by Jamie Quatro (2018) The thing that makes Fire Sermon unique is that the couple having the affair are both religious. They feel guilt … Continue reading Two Recent Novels About Infidelity
A Beckoning War by Matthew Murphy
Why do we read war novels? What do we get out of them? One of the reasons I love them is for the history. Each war novel adds to my knowledge of the various wars I've read about. I am always amazed by how much there is still to learn. I also like novels that … Continue reading A Beckoning War by Matthew Murphy
The Prisoner and the Chaplain by Michelle Berry
What if you only had 12 hours left to live, and you were shut up in a room with only one other person - a stranger - what would you have to say? This is the premise behind Michelle Berry's most recent novel, The Prisoner and the Chaplain. The Prisoner is on death row for … Continue reading The Prisoner and the Chaplain by Michelle Berry
Peninsula Sinking by David Huebert
Look at the cover of this book. It couldn't be more stunning. With stories to match. Peninsula Sinking is David Huebert's first short story collection. He has won the CBC Short Story Prize, the Sheldon Currie Fiction Prize, and the Walrus Poetry Prize, and is the author of one poetry collection We Are No Longer the … Continue reading Peninsula Sinking by David Huebert
Consumed by Ink 