I just realized that I have a trio of books that represent present, past, and future. All three are new books from authors I have read and loved. A Boring Wife Settles the Score by Marie-Renee Lavoie (2021) Not long ago I read Lavoie's Autopsy of a Boring Wife in which Diane's husband leaves her … Continue reading From the Library: return of the boring wife, an apocalyptic love story, and some feminist historical fiction
I have to confess, it's been a while now since I read these books. Particularly The Electric Baths. But that doesn't make them any less good - it just makes my job a lot harder. Both of these books are published by QC Fiction. I have had the pleasure of reading several books by this … Continue reading QC Fiction: The Electric Baths & Tatouine
The first thing I have to say about these books is that each one deserves it's own post. So very good in their own unique ways. Three from Atlantic Canada, one from Quebec. Are You Kidding Me?! by Lesley Crewe, Nimbus Publishing Lesley Crewe is wildly popular here in Nova Scotia. Her books at the … Continue reading From the Library: some laughs, some crime, a coma, and a narrative meditation
Autopsy of A Boring Wife, translated by Arielle Aaronson I've always thought it terribly pretentious to gather all your loved ones in one place in order to say: the two of us, right here right now and in spite of the overwhelming statistics, declare that we, temporarily bonded by the illusion of eternity, we are … Continue reading Marie-Renée Lavoie: ‘Autopsy of a Boring Wife’ and ‘Mister Roger and Me’
Songs for the Cold of Heart is a big book. It took me over a week to read it. But I loved every minute of it. What a ride. Louis "the Horse" Lamontagne from Riviére-du-Loup Quebec, and his daughter Madeleine, are at the heart of this story. However, there are so many other wonderful characters … Continue reading Shadow Giller: Songs for the Cold of Heart by Eric DuPont, translated by Peter McCambridge
Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq What a physically beautiful book this is, with its white jacket and red edging. I hate to take it back to the library. There are snippets of beauty between the covers, too - but like the long bright summer days and the cold dark winters of the north, the moments … Continue reading Two From the Giller Longlist: “Split Tooth” and “Vi”
When I saw this book at the library and read that it was about a "grotesque fat woman getting larger every day", I immediately thought of Melanie's quest for fat-positive books which prompted me to bring this one home and read it. I have to admit that, from the blurb on the back of the … Continue reading Mile End by Lise Tremblay, translated by Gail Scott
It's 1967 in the vacation cottage community of Boundary; an idyllic place to bring your family for the summer. Until a teenage girl goes missing. And then another. Replacing the peacefulness of the place with terror. Who is responsible? is it one of the community members, or the ghost of an old man who used … Continue reading Boundary: The Last Summer by Andrée A. Michaud
The first thing I noticed about The Party Wall, even before reading the first page, was the story/character sequence; ABACADABACADA. Intriguing, right? Then, after about four stories into it, I had no idea where any of it was going (a good thing). Even more enticing are the little clues giving us hints as to when … Continue reading Shadow Giller: The Party Wall by Catherine Leroux, translated by Lazer Lederhendler
Once there was a boy who grew up feeling like he couldn't do anything right. No one would give him the time of day, and everything that went wrong was blamed on him. So he went far away, deep into the woods, to live by himself. On the same day there was a girl who was … Continue reading The Douglas Notebooks: A Fable by Christine Eddie
