As soon as I saw this book I knew I wanted to read it (I do love judging a book by its cover!). But who knew I would love it so much? They thought about the game, which they were sure to lose, but also about jobs, divorces, if they were getting fat, why their … Continue reading Fearnoch by Jim McEwen
After many years, and a conscious effort on Priya's part to cut ties between them, it all came flooding back when she received this message from Prakash on her new Twitter account: Hi. Write me. She doesn't want him to think there might be any reason not to, so she does. And then she goes … Continue reading #ShadowGiller: Polar Vortex by Shani Mootoo
The Lost Sister by Andrea Gunraj A book about sisters is always appealing, but what made this one even more so for me is that part of the story is inspired by Garnet Smith's childhood experiences while living at the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children. A book about this Home came out not long … Continue reading Connections: ‘The Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children’ and ‘The Lost Sister’
Anyone who has read this book will understand when I say that I don't know where to start with this, and I don't know where it's going to go. Let's start with structure. Reproduction is a literary structural feat. I didn't even realize the extent of it until I did some homework. Part 1 of … Continue reading Giller Shortlist: Reproduction by Ian Williams
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
This book is delicious - I ate it right up. Twenty-three year old Trudy lives with her mother and her four-year-old niece, Mercy. Mercy's mother Tammy left home long ago and no one has heard from her since. Trudy and her mother Claire both work at the linen factory, working opposite shifts, so there's always … Continue reading Missy Marston: ‘Bad Ideas’ and ‘The Love Monster’
In an interview with Shelagh Rogers on The Next Chapter, Catherine Graham tells us that she loves words with multiple meanings. Quarry, the title of her book, can mean a man-made pit, prey, and it comes from the French word "coeur" as in "heart". Quarry's protagonist, Caitlin Maharg, an only child, grows up beside a … Continue reading Quarry by Catherine Graham
The Miramichi Reader is an excellent site that champions Canadian Literature and small publishers, with a focus on Atlantic Canada. For the second time, James Fisher and I are doing a book review swap for which James has chosen to read and review The Madrigal by Dian Day. Dian Day is the author of The Clock … Continue reading Guest Post: Dian Day’s The Madrigal
The Honey Farm has produced a lot of buzz since it came out. In advance praise for the book, Kirkus calls it "lush" and "poetic", Quill & Quire claims that it "evokes gothic tropes and a rippling aura of foreboding", while Iain Reid calls it "mysterious, suspenseful, and unnerving". In his review at The Miramichi … Continue reading The Honey Farm by Harriet Alida Lye
The 20th Bookmark on the CanLit Trail is going to be from The City Still Breathing by Matthew Heiti. It will be unveiled on May 3, 2018 at 4pm at the Townehouse Tavern in Sudbury, and will be the first Bookmark in Northern Ontario. If you're in the area, be sure to check it out! … Continue reading Project Bookmark Canada: The City Still Breathing by Matthew Heiti
Consumed by Ink 