July 2009: What are you reading?

Happy Canada Day! I think I'll tackle The Cornish Trilogy by Robertson Davies. Has anyone read it? How did you like it?

Happy Canada Day is right!! In honour of our great country's birthday, July is my "Canadian Literature Month." First on my list is Such is My Beloved, which I found in my university's used book store for $2! :)

Happy Canada Day! Right now I am still reading, and enjoying The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. I am savoring the story and look forward to reading more books by the author.

We were too busy hosting our annual Canada Day party to send everyone a Happy Canada Day greeting on July 1, but I hope you all had a good one. I'm currently reading Careless in Red and enjoying it, although there seems to be a lot of characters to get acquainted with before we get much of Inspector Lynley, who's still in deep shock following the shooting of his wife.

I have started El ultimo lector by Mexican writer David Toscana, where the protagonist, from a tiny village, tries to solve the death of a young girl by using literature. Delicious but slightly frustrating as I know little about Spanish and Mexican literature (a good way to learn!)

I am also enjoying Bonjour paresse, a book about dis-engagement from work. Very cynical, but hilarious and well-written - French Dilbert. Incredible in fact how close Canada and France are in their corporate infrastructures and cultures.

I've finished Such is My Beloved, and probably won't be picking up another Callaghan anytime soon! Next on the list is Sinclair Ross' As For Me and My House.

I'm reading Slam by Nick Hornby, one of my favourite authors.

I finished The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill - what a fantastic story!

I have now picked up Little Bee by Chris Cleave - only 15 pages in so far.

I'm reading Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips.

I finished Little Bee by Chris Cleave this morning - I have to say I found the book amazing with excellent characters and plot.

Next up is Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg.

I'e moved on to The Woman's Room by Marilyn French, a bookclub pick. I'm curious to see how ell it has aged.
I'm also working on an essay about spelling (French); Just the part on the history of spelling is fascinating. No wonder it's so complicated!

I finished Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg this evening after "skim reading" the last 65 pages. I found the book to be 'meh' and have now picked up City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin.

I still remember bits of The Women's Room; I read it when it first came out. Let me know if it stands the test of time!

I started In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje this morning. His writing style is one of my favourites, so I am sure I will love this book.

I'm enjoying Barnacle Love.

Ikernagh - Your reading speed is incredible. I am such a slow reader.

Hi - I'm Pam. I've never posted on Canadian Bookworms but have been reading posts for awhile. I don't actually live in Canada but I live in Port Huron, Michigan which has a bridge to Canada and have spent my entire life traveling back and forth between the U.S. and Canada. I love Canada. I have camped at The Pinery Provincial Park in Ontario every year for the past 10 or 11 years. I just GO to The Pinery probably 10 - 15 times per year. Although, THIS year - not so much, yet. I have to go and get my "special" driver's license that is now required (and I don't have a passport). I have a favorite restaurant in Sarnia, Ontario called Ciccio's. I need to go there, again, very soon. And the news I listen to on my car radio is always from Canadian stations. Living in a border town often makes you feel like you are a resident of both. Except - and I always marvel at this. All I do is drive 1/4 mile over the bridge from the U.S. to Canada and all of a sudden people have a different accent and the stores have potato chip varieties we don't have and candy that we don't have and on and on . . . It's kind of funny to me.
One problem, though, is finding some Canadian authors in our U.S. stores. There certainly are several but so often people come over from Canada to buy our books since they are far less expensive than in Canada and they look for favorite Canadian authors and they just aren't published in the U.S. - or we can't get them through our store, anyway (which is a major chain - Barnes and Noble - where I work). I frequently try to find authors I've heard about while listening to a CBC program and end up disappointed that I can't get it. I know there are other ways but living so close to Canada my entire life and relating with Canadians so much I always feel a bit shocked when I can't get a Canadian book into our store.
A friend and I actually looked into moving to Canada when Bush was elected for a second term as president. I guess we survived but my friend didn't think she could live in the U.S. anymore. She loves Canada so much.
Also, my screen name is from your beloved Daniel Lanois - music producer extraordinaire!
Long post but I wanted to let you know why I like to follow Canadian literature.

Hi JolieLouise, you might also enjoy the Canadian Literature Group
http://www.librarything.com/groups/canadianliterature
which is specifically about CanLit. I always enjoy hearing about people of other nationalities appreciating our literature. I always encourage members and friends of my family from France to discover new titles from Francophone writers - they are rarely disappointed!

Lark and Termite was an amazing book. There is a blend of lyrical mysticism and hard-edged reality that makes me sure I'll be reading this one again some day.

For a changel of pace, I'm reading Buyology, a study about why we buy the brands we do, by Martin Lindstrom.

I loved In the Skin of a Lion, and have now moved on to A Jest of God.

#18 Thanks for the recommendation, Lynn. Lark and Termite sounds wonderful. I'm reserving it now.
I'm starting a YA novel by sheree Fitch recommended by a bookclub friend, Gravesavers.

I'm reading Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. Not my usual fare. It's pretty disturbing, but psychologically fascinating

I loved Fight Club. I'm also recovering from it by retreating into "chick lit" with Le Mariage by Diane Johnson.

I just finished A Jest of God - a book that changed my view of Margaret Laurence - and am now trying, for the third time, to read The Book of Negroes.

I read A Genoux (The Overlook) by Michael Connelly. Bosch is his usual solitary self working for truth and justice, not politics. Not the best but perfect for the plane!

Welcome JolieLouise, I'm looking forward to hearing what you're reading and what you think about it :-)

I've discovered Barbara Pym and just finished Jane and Prudence which was absolutely wonderful, full of humour, wonderful tidbits of human insight and lovely quotations. Now I'm reading Quartet in Autumn.

I'm starting Vinyl Cafe Diaries by Stuart McLean. Always a pleasure and laughs are guaranteed.

The Murder Stone by Louise Penny. It's the first time I've had the pleasure of enjoying one of her myteries, and it won't be the last.

I finished City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin... a solid 'gritty' political crime/ thriller from start to finish.

Next up are two books for my Orange July reads: Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie and The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey.

Christie, I read the Cornish Trilogy a couple of decades ago, but I recall enjoying it very much.

Since April, I've been working through the Ontario Library Association's 2009 Evergreen list. I just finished Payback and will be starting Ragged Company next.

Started Atwood's Cat's Eye this morning!

I'm reading a collection of stories, Fierce by Hannah Holborn. I've just finished The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and am about to start No Man's Land by Kevin Major.

Cecilturtle: How did The Women's Room stand the test of time? I read it years ago and found it quite fascinating then.

I finished Careless in Red by Elizabeth George earlier this month and thoroughly enjoyed it, and just finished Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indridason. I love this murder mystery series set in Iceland as the sense of place is so strong.

Haven't decided what to start next - summers are just so busy. Friday I'm taking my copy of Pure Sea Glass: Discovering Nature's Vanishing Gems to the Mermaid's Tears Sea Glass Festival on Prince Edward Island to hear the author speak and hopefully to get my copy signed.

Welcome to JolieLouise. This is a lovely forum for discovering new books to read (as if any of us need to add any more books to our TBR pile!)

I'm reading What is History? by E. H. Carr

#32 - I'm finally getting to the end and found it a painful experience. I don't like her way of explaining every gritty detail (does the reader not have an imagination?) - it felt like an endless essay. I did not like the constant male-bashing (I think this is where things have evolved - men are much more involved then they used to be). I didn't like the moralizing and outdated politics...
I also felt that despite all the detail and theorizing there was not a lot of love and care in the characters - I really can't identify with them much.
I far preferred The feminine mystique which had a great narrative, a more research based approach and was more sincere in the sense that it is presented as an essay/personal experience and not an excuse for a novel.
Perhaps if I hadn't read Friedan, The Women's Room would have been an eye-opener. As it is, it just bored me.

I'm reading The Impostor by Damon Galgut. I really liked his last novel The Good Doctor, so I have high hopes for this one, too.

I'm also reading The Popes of Avignon; A Century in Exile by Edwin Mullins for a book club.

I'm on to The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I was a bit hesitant because I recall not being enthralled by The Moonstone. The first few chapters of this book however have charmed me and I can't wait for the rest.

The Impostor did not disappoint! Damon Galgut is becoming one of my favourite authors.

I'm on to Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson

I just finished The Road Home by Rose Tremain and number9dream by David Mitchell. I have just started February by Lisa Moore and The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville.

I finished Atwood's Cat's Eye this weekend, and am about to start Wild Geese by Martha Ostenso.

I'm still into light summer reading. Currently reading The Stargazey by Martha Grimes. Richard Jury just seems like a perfect read when it gets too warm.

I finished Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie and The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey. Next up is In Other Rooms Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin.

I'm reading Becky: The life and Loves of Becky Thatcher by Lenore Hart.

I finished After River written by a local author. I love the mentions of familiar places- Kelowna, Prince George, the Castlegar airport. The town of Atwood is fictional I'm pretty sure, but it's description is very familiar and very near my childhood home.
Hey, LynnB, I've got Lark and Termite waiting for me at the library.
I've also been enjoying Louise Penny's mysteries.

I'm enjoying The Uncommon Readerby Alan Bennett, although I'm finding the very British style a bit difficult sometimes.
I have also started Cake or Death by Heather Mallick, a Canadian journalist. She reminds me of Dorothy Parker with her sharp, yet sometimes snide, criticism. Her very British style (maybe an undue influence from reading Bennett at the same time?) is somewhat surprising considering she grew up in Northern Canada...

I'm reading Where She Has Gone by Nino Ricci

I'm struggling through Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen.

I'm reading Norman Bray in the Performance of his Life by Trevor Cole

I am currently reading One D.O.A., One on the Way by Mary Robison. I am really enjoying the dry, rather sarcastic humor of the book and the way it is written as a disjointed compilation of events of a family living in post-Katrina New Orleans interspersed with random statistical facts... probably not 'everyone's cup of tea' but I am finding it quite entertaining.

I've started a brain holiday with Twenties Girl. Can't help it, Kinsella makes me laugh, sometimes to tears!

On my son's recommendation, I'm reading Marilyn Manson's autobiography, Long Hard Road out of Hell

I have recently finished Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant which I would highly recommend to readers with a love of the ridiculous. Right now I am reading The Winter Vault which is a much more serious and difficult read.

I just finished a novella by Japanese Canadian Aki Shimazaki Wasurenagusa. Very touching with many interesting themes - I found however that the characters could have been more fleshed out.

I have also started The Film Club by Canadian David Gilmore - a very courageous account on how Gilmore took a drastic decision to help his son, a high school drop-out.

Loved the Film Club. Of course I had to rewatch quite a few movies after reading it.

I have started the mystery Thought You Were Dead by Canadian author Terry Griggs .... enjoying it so far. Touchstones having a bit of a problem with the title.....

Reading about Marilyn Manson was quite an experience! Not one I intend to repeat.

I then returned to more normal (for me) fare: The Factory Voice by Jeanette Lynes, The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing and The Book of Secrets by M.G. Vassanji