If you ever feel you're in the mood for something completely absurd, out of this world (but in it), something that will make you laugh, wonder what the heck is going on, and reflect on the author's wild imagination, Dirty Birds is your book. All Milton Ontario wants is to spread his wings; leave his … Continue reading Dirty Birds by Morgan Murray
I absolutely loved this story about three Nigerian women who "must address the wounds of the past if they are to reconcile and move forward." The story is narrated by each of the women, alternately. Kambirinachi Kambirinachi believes she is an Ogbanje--"a spirit that plagues a family with grief by dying repeatedly in childhood and … Continue reading Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
The High-Rise in Fort Fierce by Paul Carlucci (Goose Lane Editions) I feel like I read this book ages ago now - I better hurry up and write about it before I forget why I loved it so much. Obvious reasons: The High-Rise in Fort Fierce is made up of interconnecting stories about residents of … Continue reading Linked Story Collections: Paul Carlucci and Martine Desjardins
This is the second book by Catherine Leroux I've read. The first was The Party Wall, which the Shadow Giller jury (of which I am one) chose as their 2016 winner. In both cases I have found that Leroux's books are not just well-written stories (although they are that, too)... they are also cleverly imagined … Continue reading Madame Victoria by Catherine Leroux, translated by Lazer Lederhendler
Going into this book I knew who Oscar Peterson was, where he came from, and what kind of music he played. I'm not a big jazz fan, but it's hard not to admire the way he plays the piano. However, I didn't know anything else about his life, so I am glad to have had … Continue reading Oscar by Mauricio Segura, translated by Donald Winkler
By a happy coincidence I read two books this summer by Giller Prize shortlisted authors, Madeleine Thien and Zoe Whittall. I chose Dogs at the Perimeter to fill the letter 'T' position for my A-Z CanLit project. And the urge to read Zoe Whittall came out of reading Buried In Print's review of The Best Kind of … Continue reading Madeleine Thien and Zoe Whittall
The Naturalist by Alissa York Any woman might marvel at a feather, but it takes a special turn of mind to appreciate a scale. [Walter Ash] I was so excited about The Naturalist when I saw it was coming out. I mean, it has a turtle on the cover! Two years ago, her last … Continue reading Summer Reading: ‘The Naturalist’ and ‘The Mystics of Mile End’
When I found out that The Socratic Salon was going to be discussing Last Night in Montreal, I decided to jump on board. Station Eleven was one of my favourite books last year, and I was curious about her others. This seemed like a good chance to check one out. The group who participated in … Continue reading Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel
Kim Thúy makes every word count in her new novel, Mᾶn. She says so much with very few words. Her writing is beautiful and poetic. Life caught me when I fell... The story tells about Mᾶn's new life in Montreal as a cook at her husband's restaurant. There is a lot of wonderful detail describing the … Continue reading Mᾶn by Kim Thúy
At first, I wasn't so sure I liked this book, but by the time I had finished, I felt differently. I didn't love the story, but his writing drew me in and pulled me along. I was curious to know what was going to happen to this poor man in the end. Cockroach is the … Continue reading Cockroach by Rawi Hage
