This is a group of books I read several months ago and am just catching up on now. They are by no means the only books by NS authors I've read this year, or recently. For example, I wrote about some short story collections a few months ago, a memoir by Marjorie Simmins, and a … Continue reading Catching Up With Nova Scotia Authors and Books
OC Publishing is a tiny press out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Small but mighty. So far, I've sampled and enjoyed a delightful middle grade fantasy novel set on the Isle of Skye, a fast-paced mystery/thriller set in Dubai, and a well-researched historical fiction novel set in England and Wales during the time of Henry VIII. … Continue reading OC Publishing: Julie Strong, Carolyn J. Nicholson, and Anne Louise O’Connell
Literary Wives is an on-line book group that examines the meaning and role of wife in different books. Four times a year, we post and discuss a book with this question in mind: What does this book say about wives or about the experience of being a wife? Don’t forget to check out the other members … Continue reading #LiteraryWives: The Constant Wife
The following are a handful of good books I read in the fall of 2024. Two of these are set on the Canadian prairies, two were on the Giller Prize shortlist, and one was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. This Bright Dust by Nina Berkhout (Goose Lane Editions) I used to cry easily while reading; … Continue reading From the Library: dust, hair, smoke, and blood
It was mostly a coincidence that I read three new novels within a month that are set in the Maritimes and involve the supernatural. A most satisfying and happy coincidence. I started with Rose Sutherland's A Sweet Sting of Salt, which I read for my Real Life book club. Historical fiction, set on the south … Continue reading The Supernatural: Rose Sutherland, Nancy Taber, and Michelle Hébert
The Atlantic Book Awards took place at the beginning of June, as did the Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island Book Awards. The Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards are in progress. For me, the highlight of the Atlantic Book Awards is the Thomas Raddall Prize for Atlantic Fiction. Here are the five shortlisted … Continue reading Michelle Porter, William Ping, and the Atlantic Book Awards 2024
With the exception of Claudia Dey and Logan Steiner, all of these authors are either living in the Maritimes or are from the Maritimes. The settings range from Yarmouth, Barrington Passage, and Dartmouth to Ontario, Norway, and medieval England. The topics and characters include: a clandestine affair, a family scandal, a missing man, the daughter … Continue reading Catch-Up: Ian Colford, Jill MacLean, Bruce W. Bishop, Elaine McCluskey, Kate McLaughlin, Claudia Dey, Odette Barr, Colleen Landry, Beth Weatherbee, and Logan Steiner
The List of Last Chances by Christina Myers (Caitlin Press) I requested this book after seeing it on a list at the 49th Shelf - one made by Ali Bryan, author of Coq and The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships. A list of "Summer books to read when your flight’s been cancelled, you dropped your phone … Continue reading From the Library: something light, something heavy, and something dark
These three books took me from western, to central, to eastern Canada. And from the future, to the past, to almost the present (the 1990s). I loved them all. Greenwood by Michael Christie (Random House) I'm so happy I finally read this book. I've been wanting to read it since it came out, and have … Continue reading From the Library: the future, the past, and the 1990s
Contemporary fiction set in Newfoundland and historical fiction set in Nova Scotia. What more could you want? The Wards by Terry Doyle (Breakwater Books) This is my type of book. An ordinary family, characters you get to know so well that you're never surprised by their actions, even when their actions surprise you. The Wards … Continue reading ‘The Wards’ by Terry Doyle and ‘Birth Road’ by Michelle Wamboldt
Consumed by Ink 