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
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
Rita Joe's wonderful and well-known poem, I Lost My Talk, has been made into a children's book. And it's perfect for a children's book - it's written in clear, simple language that children can understand, and it introduces them to Rita Joe long before most of us were lucky enough to encounter her work. I … Continue reading I Lost My Talk by Rita Joe & I’m Finding My Talk by Rebecca Thomas
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
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
We All Will Be Received by Leslie Vryenhoek After loving Vryenhoek's first novel, I was looking forward to this one - and, once again (as I suspected), I was wholly enthralled by the lives of her characters. Disappearing would be as simple as sliding off the edge, as stretching one leg forward and following it … Continue reading Women Who Disappear: We All Will Be Received by Leslie Vryenhoek and Proof I Was Here by Becky Blake
Little Fortress by Laisha Rosnau Little Fortress is based on the true story of the Caetanis, a family of Italian nobility that came to the west coast of Canada as a result of the rise of fascism. After the death of the Duke in 1934, his wife Ofelia went into seclusion and took their daughter … Continue reading Women’s Voices in Historical Fiction: Little Fortress by Laisha Rosnau and A Roll of the Bones by Trudy J. Morgan-Cole
If you follow my blog regularly, Lauren Carter's name might sound familiar. I read and reviewed her first novel Swarm when my blog was just a baby, and more recently wrote about her poetry book, Following Sea. This Has Nothing To Do With You was just launched on the 22nd of October, and it would … Continue reading This Has Nothing To Do With You by Lauren Carter
This is a humdinger of a book. Not so much the length, rather what's found between the covers. Megan Gail Coles gives us warning before the narrative begins: "This might hurt a little. Be brave." It will storm again today as surely as the nearly forty will go out again in four days' time. The … Continue reading Giller Shortlist: Small Game Hunting At the Local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles
“Don't let the bastards grind you down.” “When we think of the past it's the beautiful things we pick out. We want to believe it was all like that.” "Sanity is a valuable possession; I hoard it the way people once hoarded money. I save it, so I will have enough, when the time comes.” … Continue reading #MARM: Intro to The Handmaid’s Tale Read-Along – Spoiler Free!
