Anyone who loves the sea, or feels drawn to stories of the sea, will likely feel drawn to The Luminous Sea by Melissa Barbeau, like I was. I was even nervous going into this book - I so wanted it to be good. Happily, it is more than good - it is splendid in every … Continue reading The Luminous Sea by Melissa Barbeau
I read The End of Music shortly after reading Most Anything You Please. Both are set in Newfoundland, both involve music as an important part of the characters' stories, and both are set (at least partly) during the war and post-war years. They share many similarities, yet are very different. Where Most Anything You Please … Continue reading The End of Music by Jamie Fitzpatrick
Here's what I got out of this book: Sex workers are everywhere, there are so many more than I would ever have thought, they come in all shapes and sizes and ages and genders, they could be anyone (maybe someone you know or work with). There is no one truth about sex work or the … Continue reading Rock Paper Sex: The Oldest Profession in Canada’s Oldest City by Kerri Cull
This multi-generational story about women in Newfoundland was a joy to read. The setting The story is set in Rabbittown, St. John's, and is told through the eyes of the three central Holloway women; Ellen, Audrey and Rachel. In 1936, when Ellen's family was still young, she opened up a corner grocery store below the living … Continue reading Most Anything You Please by Trudy J. Morgan-Cole
When I started reading this book, I had no idea what to expect. With a title like that, and a cover that looks like the world is on fire, and almost all the praise and reviews using the word "gritty". ("Gritty" means gross, right? Yes. And other things.) But the thing is, once I got … Continue reading Giller Longlist: We’ll All Be Burnt In Our Beds Some Night by Joel Thomas Hynes
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
I've had a hankering for more Chad Pelley since reading his two novels last year, Away From Everywhere and Every Little Thing. His short story collection, Four-Letter Words has been shortlisted for the Alistair MacLeod Prize for Short Fiction for the 2017 Atlantic Book Awards. It's up against two other collections I've read this year; Bad … Continue reading Four-Letter Words by Chad Pelley
