I have been fully embracing this new cli-fi trend. For one thing, it gives me ideas as to what to do if the world goes down. After reading Blaze Island, I'm thinking a sparsely populated island somewhere up North sounds like a good idea. Miranda's father thought so, too. But his reasons for moving to … Continue reading Blaze Island by Catherine Bush
Dawn, a much-sought-after young opera singer, has over committed herself to work and taken on one too many roles, with the unfortunate result of an onstage blunder that has her on several months of voice rest. Not only is she embarrassed about what happened, but she has been given the dubious job of teaching a … Continue reading Why Birds Sing by Nina Berkhout
"It is 2058 and the glaciers are gone. A catastrophic drought has hit the prairies." Watershed casts us into the near future, just far enough that the world looks familiar in many ways despite the fact that some parts of North America are flooded while others are experiencing severe drought. This is the scariest kind … Continue reading Watershed by Doreen Vanderstoop
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
