I was so happy to be back at Mavillette Beach, after Jennie Morrow took me there in her book Bird Shadows. Situated along the French Shore of Nova Scotia, I spent many summer days there, sometimes in the thick fog--so thick you couldn't see the waterline from where you were sitting if the tide was … Continue reading Nothing In Truth Can Harm Us by Colleen René
Three of these books are by Nova Scotian authors and one is from Newfoundland. All focus mainly on female characters: mothers, daughters, sisters, neighbours, friends, and even a wellness guru. The Remembering by Susan Sinnott (Nimbus Publishing) The Remembering is about a family in St. John's, Newfoundland. St. John's takes a central place in their … Continue reading From the Library: motherhood, family, girlhood, and wellness
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 Dutch House by Ann Patchett
I compiled this list for my library's blog, and thought I'd share it here as well. Mother's Day is coming up... which got me thinking about mothers in recent books I've read (plus a couple of classics). Here's what I came up with... Mothers who advocate for their children: Love Lives Here by Amanda … Continue reading Mothers in Literature: A List
Literary Wives is an on-line book group that examines the meaning and role of wife in different books. Every other month, 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 of … Continue reading #LiteraryWives: The Home-maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Three stories, three women, three different places and times. It's 2010 Hamilton Ontario, and Rudie spends her day in a frenzy, getting ready for the most important event of her life - she is going to finally meet her daughter Roselore. Rudie and her husband Leo have adopted a girl from Haiti, and as a … Continue reading With My Back to the World by Sally Cooper
I can see why Motherhood is getting mixed reactions from readers. For one thing, the entire book takes place inside the narrator's head - so we get to hear her every thought. Hearing someone's thoughts for pages at a time can start to feel claustrophobic - a whole book that dwells almost entirely on the … Continue reading Shadow Giller: Motherhood by Sheila Heti
Catch My Drift is a compelling novel about a mother and daughter, living together while also living their own private lives. Over the span of twenty years, the chapters alternate between Lorna's story (in third person) and Cara's (in first). Lorna had dreams of standing out in her sport of swimming. But first she was … Continue reading Catch My Drift by Genevieve Scott
Have you ever thought about your first love? Or maybe you've never gotten over him/her, despite the fact that you appear to have moved on? Or maybe, like Tessa, you know without a doubt you'd go back to him if you got the chance? ("Do we ever stop wanting what we desired so ardently at … Continue reading Hunting Houses by Fanny Britt
The Pigeon by Patrick Süskind (1987) I read about this book at Madame Bibi Lophile Recommends, and loved the sound of it. Just a man over the course of one day of his life, albeit an unusual day for him compared to all the others, brought about by the presence of a pigeon. I was … Continue reading Two Novellas: ‘The Pigeon’ by Patrick Süskind and ‘The End We Start From’ By Megan Hunter
Consumed by Ink 