Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote The Blue Castle in 1924, at the same time as she was attempting to write Emily's Quest. Unlike the last Emily book, LMM enjoyed writing The Blue Castle. In The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery Volume III: 1921-1929, she writes "I have enjoyed writing it very much. It seemed a refuge … Continue reading 5 Reasons Why I Shouldn’t Like The Blue Castle #ReadingValancy
Tag: Canadian women writers
Giller Longlist: Next Year, For Sure by Zoey Leigh Peterson
For a book about open relationships, this story is not as steamy as you might think (or at all, really). Instead, Peterson focuses on the psychology of it all. What does this kind of relationship look like, how do the characters feel about it, what are their long-term hopes, and how did they fall into … Continue reading Giller Longlist: Next Year, For Sure by Zoey Leigh Peterson
Giller Shortlist: Transit by Rachel Cusk
When I read Rachel Cusk's Giller shortlisted novel Outline two years ago, I had a luke-warm response to it. In fact, I returned it to the library after reading only half the book. So when Transit made it onto the list this year, I felt a little... apprehensive. Well there is something to be said … Continue reading Giller Shortlist: Transit by Rachel Cusk
Giller Shortlist: Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson
I'm on a roll with these criminal type characters; all of them mostly into drugs. Johnny from We'll All Be Burnt in Our Beds, Daniel from In the Cage, and now Jared. Jared is different, though, in a significant way - he's still a teenager, living at home with his mother. Except for the times … Continue reading Giller Shortlist: Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson
Angie Abdou: Between, The Canterbury Trail, and The Bone Cage
I finally decided to pick up one of Angie Abdou's books this summer. I've been meaning to for years now - I wish I could remember what it was that prompted me to do it - it was something I read about her last book, Between. So that's the one I started with. I loved … Continue reading Angie Abdou: Between, The Canterbury Trail, and The Bone Cage
Three Page-Turning Debuts: “Hum If You Don’t Know the Words”, “All Is Beauty Now” and “So Much Love”
Hum If You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais This book is about living in South Africa in the 1970s, it's about what happened after the Soweto Uprising in 1976, it's about a little white girl who lost her parents and an older black woman who is searching for her daughter. And it's about … Continue reading Three Page-Turning Debuts: “Hum If You Don’t Know the Words”, “All Is Beauty Now” and “So Much Love”
A Bird on Every Tree: A Collection of Short Stories by Carol Bruneau
Carol Bruneau has been getting some standout reviews recently for her new story collection, A Bird on Every Tree. James at The Miramichi Reader says that Ms. Bruneau "writes with a graceful precision and has a deftness with words and their cadences". A reviewer at The Coast calls Ms. Bruneau "a master of imagery". A … Continue reading A Bird on Every Tree: A Collection of Short Stories by Carol Bruneau
Guest Post: A Review of ‘Mountain’ by Ursula Pflug
I'm happy to have James Fisher on my blog today! James is a blogger and reviewer at The Miramichi Reader; a wonderful source of book reviews from small Canadian presses with a strong focus on Atlantic Canadian literature, both fiction and non-fiction. You might be particularly interested in checking out his Very Best! Book Awards page. *********************************************** Ursula … Continue reading Guest Post: A Review of ‘Mountain’ by Ursula Pflug
Promises to Keep by Genevieve Graham
Last year I read Genevieve Graham's Tides of Honour, a love story set in Halifax during the time of WWI and the Halifax Explosion. Her new book, Promises to Keep is a love story set in 1755 l'Acadie (in the Grand Pré area of Nova Scotia), during the time of the deportation of the Acadians … Continue reading Promises to Keep by Genevieve Graham
The Greatest Hits of Wanda Jaynes by Bridget Canning
Imagine you performed an unintentional heroic act that was caught on video and shared with the world. What would you do? How would you react? This is the premise of Bridget Canning's debut, The Greatest Hits of Wanda Jaynes. It's fun, smart, thought-provoking, and very relevant to the world we live in right now. Wanda … Continue reading The Greatest Hits of Wanda Jaynes by Bridget Canning
Consumed by Ink 