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
Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice Moon of the Turning Leaves is the sequel to Moon of the Crusted Snow and will be one of my best books of the year. Crusted Snow left us with the small northern Anishinaabe community leaving their houses and heading into the woods to return to a … Continue reading From the Library: dystopian future, spiritual horror, and irrational fears
Okay, folks. I am really behind on my audiobook write-ups, so I'm taking this opportunity to catch up. The following constitute almost a whole year's worth of listening. Son of Elsewhere by Elamin Abdelmahmoud A collection of essays about growing up in Canada after immigrating from Sudan at the age of 12 and exploring what … Continue reading What I’ve Been Listening To: a year of learning new things
Dear Haider is a debut novel by Lili Zeng. It is told in the first person by Elizabeth or “Liz” as she prefers to be called, a 20-year-old Chinese-Canadian woman living in Montreal who is spending her summer doing a paid internship in Germany. An only child, and a musical prodigy, she was never quite … Continue reading Dear Haider by Lili Zeng (Baraka Books)
Lásko by Catherine Cooper Lásko (which means "love" in Czech) is a story that surprised me and took me to places I wasn't expecting. When Maja was seven, her mother disappeared. Now that Maja is grown, she has the same urge to leave her fiancé in Canada and disappear. I imagined a story in which … Continue reading Freehand Books: Emily Saso and Catherine Cooper
Sarah and I have been re-reading some of L.M. Montgomery's novels. We have re-read The Blue Castle, the Emily books, Jane of Lantern Hill, The Story Girl, and The Golden Road. This May we are going to be reading Kilmeny of the Orchard and we'd love for you to join us! Kilmeny of the Orchard … Continue reading #ReadingKilmeny: A “Kilmeny of the Orchard” Readalong
Since Florrie's leave-taking, there is no one with whom I may share my real feelings, no place in my life for candour and misery, save between the covers of this black book. My truth shall remain trapped on its pages, while my happy little lies travel the world. I don't know where to begin with … Continue reading Grey Dog by Elliott Gish (ECW Press)
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
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: Mrs. March by Virginia Feito
The Island Gospel According to Samson Grief by Steven Mayoff Samson Grief is an artist who has been living a quiet, solitary life in Prince Edward Island for almost twenty years when he is visited by three red-headed figments of his imagination. Judas, Fagin, and Shylock have come to convince Samson that he has been … Continue reading Two from Radiant Press: Steven Mayoff and Meghan Greeley write about love, loneliness, and the new Promised Land
Consumed by Ink 