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
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's hard to say who I admire more: a person who spends chunks of their life underwater with oxygen tanks strapped to their back, or a person who spends chunks of their life on their feet with a backpack filled with necessities strapped to their back. In Search of the Great Canadian Shark by Chris … Continue reading Maritime Memoirs: Chris Harvey-Clark and Emily Taylor Smith
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
As different as these stories seem, they have one thing in common: the people who populate them want to improve the world. One reno, one joke, and one chocolate at a time. The Blue Collar CEO by Mandy Rennehan (HarperCollins Canada) Before I knew about Mandy's book, my Dad told me about her show on … Continue reading Maritime Memoirs Audio Edition: hard work, comedy, and chocolate
The Way I Feel by Susan White (Acorn Press) The Way I Feel is Susan White's thirteenth book (8 YA and 5 adult), and this is the first one I've read. The premise of The Way I Feel is what made me pick up this book. It's about a middle-aged woman who suddenly packs up … Continue reading From the Library: a runaway mother, a returned daughter, and secret short stories
All from Atlantic Canada, all involve some kind of travel. In Short Mercy, the characters embark on a road trip of revenge, from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick, leaving behind a trail of petty crime. In The Good Women of Safe Harbour, travel is restricted to Newfoundland, but it's the hardest kind of travel - … Continue reading From the Library: revenge, reunion, and unrequited love
Trucks play a big part in this story of a rural Acadian couple who have been together for almost 20 years. The only thing Réjean seems to love more than his wife, Agathe, is his black Chevy Silverado. The Silverado was reported sitting next to the highway with the driver-side door open just eight hours … Continue reading Giller Shortlist: I Am a Truck by Michelle Winters
Do you ever wonder what happens to all the deer and moose that get hit on the highway? There is a boneyard deep in the woods. The deer and moose could show you where. They know the place where the trees stop and the carcasses begin. All the Things We Leave Behind begins with Violet and … Continue reading All the Things We Leave Behind by Riel Nason
Debra Komar is a forensic anthropologist who has recently written books about crimes that have happened long ago in the Maritimes; The Ballad of Jacob Peck and The Lynching of Peter Wheeler. The Ballad of Jacob Peck tells the story of a crime that happened in Shediac, New Brunswick in 1805. Komar re-visits the evidence … Continue reading The Ballad of Jacob Peck by Debra Komar
Consumed by Ink 