vancouverdeb attempts to read in 2015 thread 4

Just for something slightly different, a painting by a local artist of Steveston, B.C., where I often walk my dog.

Welcome to my new thread! Please drop a star!

January
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 4 stars
As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley 4.5 stars
Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively 3.5 stars

February
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers 4 stars
After The War Is Over by Jennifer Robson 3.3 stars
Washington Square by Henry James 3. 5 stars
The Vanishing Act Of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell 4 stars
A Fine Summer's Day: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery by Charles Todd 3.8 stars

March
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 4 stars
A Test Of Wills: The First Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery by Charles Todd 3.8 stars
Aren't We Sisters by Patricia Ferguson 4.25 stars

April
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler 4.5 stars
And No Birds Sang by Farley Mowat 4 stars
The Midwife's Daughter by Patricia Ferguson 3.8 stars
The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys 3.7 stars
Leaving Tomorrow by David Bergen 4 stars
El Deafo by Cece Bell 3.3 stars

May
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert 3.5 stars
The Farm by Tom Rob Smith 4.3 stars
Inside the O'Briens: A Novel by Lisa Genova 4 stars
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah 5 stars *

June
The Crossing Places: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths 3.6 stars
Our Souls at Night: A novel by Kent Haruf 4.5 stars
The Janus Stone: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths 4 stars

July
The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths 4 stars
A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths 4 stars

August
A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths 4 stars
Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans 4.3 stars
The Illuminations by Andrew O'Hagan 4. 3 stars

September
A Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy 3.3 stars
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear 4stars
If I Fall, If I Die by Michael Christie 4 stars

October
Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear 4 stars
Did You Ever Have A Family by Bill Clegg 3.8 stars
Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear 3.8 stars
Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis 4 stars

November
Daddy Lenin by Guy Vanderhaeghe 4.2 stars

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Currently reading A Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy. I popped into my local library and this book seemed to call to me. I am not that far into the book, but is seems well written and very engaging. I think it may have won a prize or two. Book wise, I've been in the UK for a lot of my time this year, so I thought a bit of " travel " was called for :)

Happy new thread!!

Congrats on the new thread, Deb!

>1 vancouverdeb: Nice. Nicholas Bott?

Happy new thread, Deb. I thought that the picture of the top looked familiar and then read your blurb that it is a painting of Steveston. No wonder it looked familiar!

Happy new thread and Happy Friday, Deb!

Love the painting, Deborah. Such wonderful colors and shapes.

It's a real treat to read your observations of the Booker Prize list books - and stay informed on the new novel out there. The Illuminations and it's family secrets coming out sounds intriguing.

I first thought she was the author of The God of Small Things - but then I checked and it's a different Roy :) ah, well, hope it's good, anyway it's India and a travel will be good for you :)

Happy new thread, Deb. I have The Illuminations coming up next -- loved your comments, so I have high hopes for it.

Hi Deb, nice new thread my dear and I love the thread topper, sending love and hugs.

@6 Thanks Amber! I'll need to pop by your thread and see what you are reading!

@7 Hi Joe! No, not Nicholas Bott, but a local artist, Jodie Blaney who I am completely unfamiliar with, but I loved the bright colours the abstract look of the fishing boats that are in Steveston.

@8 Meg, I tried to pick something a little bit different from my usual Steveston or Vancouver topper, so I chose a painting from the web , rather than a photograph. Big difference!,LOL!

@9 Happy Friday, Lori! Did you get the downpour that we've had today and overnight? I shortly headed out with for the dog walk and hoping the rain will hold off.

@10 Carsten, we are liked minded about the painting . I'm trying to read a few of the 2015 Booker's and so far I've just read A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler, which I loved! and now, The Illuminations by Andrew O'Hagan, which I really enjoyed. I ordered one book from The Book Depository because a lot of the Booker Prize books are not available in North America and that is The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota. When I'll get I'm not sure. Charlotte got me interested in yet another 2015 Booker Prize , Sleeping on Jupiter by Anuradha Roy. I've not ordered it, but The Folded Earth , my current read - from the library, is by the same author. Yes, Carsten I have to " travel" by some means, don't I :)

@11 Beth, I really hope you enjoy The Illuminations. After just having read Crooked Heart as you recently did too,Crooked Heart is hard act to follow. But I did enjoy The Illuminations very much.

@12 Thanks John! Love and hugs to you too!

Now to get out before the rain hits again - if I am lucky!

Yes, we got rain, mainly overnight. Looks like we are in for more tonight/tomorrow. Glad to see the moisture returning. Things were getting very parched!

Happy new thread, Debbie. I love your thread topper. Gorgeous painting.

Welcome to the rain today! Had a swim today in the Kits pool in the pouring rain. Fun!
Love the thread topper painting.

>14 lkernagh: Lori, Poppy and I managed to miss this rain this afternoon and so did my husband and Poppy for nightly walk! Was happy about about that! We do need the rain. When I am out walking lately I see the City out watering the younger trees with " recycled / reclaimed water- every day lately, so I guess we really do need the rain.

>15 cameling: Caro, thanks! I was tempted to take a picture of the fishing boats in Steveston today. I'm afraid in real life they are generally not that colourful :)

>Good for you, Mary, swimming in the rain! I did that sort of thing in my youth and I do mean my youth , but oh brrrrr!

Hi Deb, lovely new thread! That is a great thread topper by local Stevenston artist. Glad you and your best girl Poppy were able to miss the rain yesterday : ). Here's my star:

Happy New Thread, Deb and Happy Sunday. I love the topper painting.

New thread! Glad the travel via reading is appealing to you. I must get my hands on those other writers you recommended. The boat painting made me smile. Thank you!

@18 Nancy, thanks for your happy bouncing star! Yes my best girl and I missed the rain and Dave is out with his " best girl" right now and the rain has held off for him so far. We really had a windstorm and a lot of rain , and the rain is supposed to back later this afternoon , I believe.

@19 A lovely colourful image, Barbara! Thanks for that!

@20 Hi Charlotte. I was tempted to take a picture of the fishing boats in Steveston when I was there on Friday . They are for the most part, pretty dull looking boats, and I'd say some are in need of a good scrubbing. I hope you can find Hero's Walk or Tamarind Mem across the pond.

Yes, Vancouver's wind storm is all over the news … sounds like an enormous power outage in the city, too, which is yet being dealt with. Glad the rain (or absence of it) continues to cooperate where Miss Poppy is concerned : ).

Happy Sunday, Deb! Happy New Thread! Love that topper.

Great review of The Illuminations. That one sounds very good. I just put it on the list.

@22 Yes, the wind has really caused havoc. We did not experience a power outage, but my mom, just a 10 minute drive from us, had her power out for 15 hours or so, and like wise my son. Several of the grocery stores lost power in my area, resulting in no milk or dairy products even yesterday. So far Poppy is not trying to bite us when we have to put her raincoat on. :)

@23 Happy Monday, Mark! I think you will enjoy The Illuminations . Glad you put it on your wishlist.

Hi Deb, back at work today and apparently there was no power in that area on Saturday and people who live in Port Moody had no power for 39 hours and there were still some pockets without power today in various areas of the Lower Mainland. I was very lucky as my power was out for just long enough that we had to reset the clocks.

Yikes to 15 hours without power! Great progress on the home front though: So far Poppy is not trying to bite us when we have to put her raincoat on.!!!

Hope everyone has power back. We had a short outage here two weeks ago: I kept wandering around the house going to do something before realising it required electricity. Fortunately we're on a gas stove, so could still make tea otherwise I think there would have been riots.

@25 Meg, I'm glad your power outage was so short. I understand that some areas are still without power even now and not likely to get their power back until maybe midnight tonight, if things go well.

@26 Nancy, Poppy is much improved, but she still has her " issues." Putting on a rain coat is one of them. So far she has been good for Dave - but she is less accommodating with me. I'll be out with her tomorrow on my own, so we'll see how the raincoat biting issue goes. She does like the raincoat - I think she fears it and her way of letting us know is to growl and give us a nip or bit more of bite. Wish me good luck tomorrow.

@Charlotte, it's amazing how much we rely on electricity ,and we don't realize til we lose it . Glad you have the gas stove for tea! I think my sister boiled some water up on the BBQ for tea when her power was out! :)

Adorable that Poppy loves her raincoat, Deb! I'm sending out positive vibes that she'll be fine with you putting it on her tomorrow. Do post us a picture. She's so sweet!

Opps! Nancy, I meant to say that Poppy does NOT like her raincoat , or rather, having it put on. Once it's on I think she appreciates ( as much as dog can :) not getting wet) but for some reason that bit of handling that it takes to put on her raincoat ( two velco areas that have to be attached together - one under her neck and one under her tummy makes her quite upset. Thanks for the positive vibes - I'll need them! :) She used to get bitey and snarly about having her walking harness put on, but with treats and happy coaxing she has been good this summer with that - so here's hoping the raincoat won't become a issue with my dear little Poppy. I suspect she cannot understand that the raincoat goes on so that she can go out and not get soaking wet in 5 minutes. *sighs to self *

Do you ever find yourself explaining out loud to Poppy all of the reasons and rationale for why you are "torturing" her? I used to do that with my dog Odie, and it didn't help in terms of making it easier to get those darn booties on him (no no no no NO, mom!) but it made me feel better to hear it, I think. :-)

Oh yes, Julia, I'm always explaining things to Poppy :) Not only that, but when we are on walks I point out spots of interest - like look at the ship going by , or see the waves? LOL! And I tell her good girl etc - just yesterday my husband was saying she seemed kind of listless on her walk until he started to tell her what a good girl , you are so smart etc and then she perked up. I'm sure she has no idea of much of what we say is, but she does know good girl , good dog, car ride? walk and a lot of other words, but not things like see the boat going by or this coat is so you won't get wet etc..

>1 vancouverdeb: I LOVE that topper, Deb!! Love. I knew instantly that it had to be a local artist.

@33 Thanks Ellen! I love it's brightness too! It's a local artist, yes, but not one I am familiar with! Enjoy your holidays! :)

>Deb, loved hearing how you talk to Poppy on your walk! I do the same thing with Cairo: you're so smart, you're so impossibly handsome … , LOL! He may not understand what I'm saying, but we "talk" all the time when I'm home.

>35 lit_chick: Nancy, I've never thought of telling Poppy that she is impossibly beautiful! That is so fun! Poppy and I "talk" quite a bit too. I think dogs and cats and maybe other pets get lonely if you don't chat with them during the day. I know Poppy seems quite attentive to my praise and comments.

Hi Deb, hope you have a lovely Sunday my dear, sending love and hugs.

@37 Thank you John! I did have a lovely Sunday. Love and hugs back to you and yours.

Chica also hates her raincoat. I think it might be a fashion statement.

I do talk to her quite a bit, and she understands more than you'd think.

@39 - Rhonda, I guess a lot of dogs dislike their raincoats! Poppy can " bitey " over the raincoat, so she has a strong dislike of her raincoat - though so far she has been good the few times we've needed it in the past few days. She will be two years on later on this month - maybe she is mellowing? I can hope!

Still reading A Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy. Why am I reading at such a slow pace I do not know. I'm enjoying the book, though it is a bit slow paced, but that is rarely a problem for me. I'm considering reading Sleeping on Jupiter by the same author, as it is on the Booker 2015, but I found A Folded Earth at my library. A Folded Earth is really an interesting story and has won/ been shortlisted for a few prizes, and yet I am reading so slowly I am a bit frustrated with myself.

I have a few books ( many) that I am also eager to read. I discovered that Arnaldur Indridason , writer of Jar City etc has written a prequel to the now ended Detective Erlenadur series . It is called Oblivion and it's on my wishlist. I've gave in an have ordered a copy of Clara Hughes memoir, Open Heart, Open Mind. I am not usually particularly interested in Canadian Olympians, but her work as a voice for mental illness, which she has suffered with grabbed my interest. So I am not really in a reading funk - just reading very slowly. I'm looking forward to Did You Ever Have a Family , longlisted for the 2015 Booker Prize, but not yet available in Canada.

Morning, Deb! Hope you had a good weekend. I've been hearing good things about Did You Ever Have a Family. I would like to get my greedy mitts on that one.

Have a good week and Happy Reading!

Deb, I know what you mean about reading slowly. I sometimes frustrate myself in the same way.

Woot! Didn't know that Indridason had written a prequel to his Erlendur series, so will be waiting in the wings to get your take on that one. Must keep an eye open for Oblivion.

Hi Deb, reading slowly is fine. I tend to do that when I want to savor what I am reading or when I want to take the time to think about what I am reading.

>42 msf59: Mark, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Did You Ever Have a Family .I think it out here in mid September, so we are getting closer to the time being able to get our mitts on it.

>43 lit_chick: Nancy , I read brief blurb about new ' crime books' in the Globe and Mail over the weekend, so that is how Oblivion by Arnaldur Indridason got on my radar. I had put a small review from the Globe and Mail on the LT page, but it seems to have disappeared. I think I'll want to see it " in the flesh" before I decide to purchase it, or else I'll wait for the library. If memory serves, it's a pre-quel with a focus on US Airbases in Iceland. Airbases don't interest me so much, but Detective Erlendur does. So I'll wait and see .

>43 lit_chick: and 44 , Nancy and Lori, thanks for your encouragement re my slow reading . It does frustrate me. I was reading a review of The Folded Earth online earlier, and I think maybe I've discovered why I am reading the book so slowly. It is interesting, but seems to wander a lot and repeat itself and never get to real focus. I'd read quite a few reviews to get a better grasp on The Folded Earth and the vast majority of reviews are very positive, but I did find one that resonated with me. Here is a link - http://www.popmatters.com/review/161206-the-folded-earth-by-anuradha-roy/. Here a few bits from the review of The Folded Earth that resonated with me The early stages of the novel consist of a series of vignettes, which the reader hopes will coalesce into some central theme or narrative direction. It would be an overstatement to say that such a direction is altogether absent.....Dangling plot threads have the same effect. An election pops up halfway through the story, with some attendant communal and religious violence; maybe, thinks the reader, this will give shape to the second half of the book. No such luck.....This book isn’t without merit, it just feels like a rough draft. All the elements of human drama are here, they’re just out of proportion. Too many red herrings and meandering side stories are introduced, only to go nowhere , while the parts of the story that are truly intriguing remain half-finished.

The book is beautifully written, but I've kept wondering - have I missed something , why is the narrative seeming to plod without any real direction? I thought it was just me, but perhaps it is the book itself. There is much to enjoy - but the novel has it's problems. I'm not quite finished , but should be finished later on today.

At last I have finished The Folded Earth. It took me quite a bit of time to read and kept re -reading sections, thinking that I had missed something. However, I've concluded that as in my post >45 vancouverdeb:. above, the story suffered from too many different vignettes and different directions that never really coalesced into a central theme. The ending was quite sudden and left so many questions unanswered . I suppose the biggest part driver of the plot is the character, Maya.

From the Publisher: In a remote town in the Himalaya, Maya tries to put behind her a time of great sorrow. By day she teaches in a school and at night she types up drafts of a magnum opus by her landlord, a relic of princely India known to all as Diwan Sahib. Her bond with this eccentric, and her friendship with a peasant girl, Charu, give her the sense that she might be able to forge a new existence away from the devastation of her past. As Maya finds out, no place is remote enough or small enough. The world she has come to love, where people are connected with nature, is endangered by the town's new administration. The impending elections are hijacked by powerful outsiders who divide people and threaten the future of her school. Charu begins to behave strangely, and soon Maya understands that a new boy in the neighbourhood may be responsible. When Diwan Sahib's nephew arrives to set up his trekking company on their estate, she is drawn to him despite herself, and finally she is forced to confront bitter and terrible truths. A many-layered and powerful narrative, by turns poetic, elegiac and comic, by the author of An Atlas of Impossible Longing.

from a review which resonated with me :The early stages of the novel consist of a series of vignettes, which the reader hopes will coalesce into some central theme or narrative direction. It would be an overstatement to say that such a direction is altogether absent.....Dangling plot threads have the same effect. An election pops up halfway through the story, with some attendant communal and religious violence; maybe, thinks the reader, this will give shape to the second half of the book. No such luck.....This book isn’t without merit, it just feels like a rough draft. All the elements of human drama are here, they’re just out of proportion. Too many red herrings and meandering side stories are introduced, only to go nowhere , while the parts of the story that are truly intriguing remain half-finished.

Nonetheless, it was beautifully written, and the ending was quite heartbreaking. I read this book in large part because Anuradha Roy has also written Sleeping on Jupiter, which is on the 2015 Booker longlist. I will still seek out Sleeping on Jupiter. The Folded Earth was shortlisted for the Man Asian Prize. Anuradha Roy writes beautifully and creates very unique characters and a wonderful sense of place. 3. 3 stars. I would say that the story needs an editor, except that Anuradha Roy worked as an editor for many years before writing this novel.

Giller Longlist 2015

André Alexis for his novel Fifteen Dogs
Samuel Archibald for his story collection Arvida,
Michael Christie for his novel If I Fall, If I Die
Rachel Cusk for her novel Outline
Patrick deWitt for his novel Undermajordomo Minor
Marina Endicott for her novel Close to Hugh,
Connie Gault for her novel A Beauty
Alix Hawley for her novel All True Not a Lie in It
Clifford Jackman for his novel The Winter Family
Heather O’Neill for her story collection Daydreams of Angels
Anakana Schofield for her novel Martin John
Russell Smith for his story collection Confidence,

No touchstone as yet for Martin John.

For those not familiar with Scotibank Giller Prize, or the Giller Prize, here is a bit of information : The Scotiabank Giller Prize, or Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries. it pays $100,000 for the winning author and $10,000 for each of the shortlisted authors, so it's a significant Canadian Literature Prize.

I must admit I have not read any of the books on this years Giller Longlist and I am not too excited about it as yet.

I have read and enjoyed Pastoral by Andre Alexis, an author on the list. His work Pastoral was shortlisted for a 2014 Can Lit prize, Rogers Trust Prize.

Michael Christie wrote a book of short stories, The Beggar's Garden, which I enjoyed.

I've not read Rachel Cusks book Outline, but it was shortlisted for this years Women's Prize aka The Orange.

Patrick deWitt wrote a fabulous, rollicking, multiple prize winning book, The Sisters Brothers which I loved - but I am not sure that this years offering interests me.

Heather O'Neill has written another Canadian Prize winner, Lullabies for Little Criminals, which was harsh but good read. Again, I am not sure that I am interested this years book.j

As of now, none of the books are calling to me.

Any thoughts? For me, the Booker Longlist seems to have more interesting titles as of now. Usually I am a keen CanLit reader. Maybe something will grab me a little later.

The book from the list that I am most likely to read is Close To Hugh by Marina Endicott. I've not read anything by here, but I think I might give it a try in the future.

Deb, thanks for the Giller LL; I copied this to my thread, too. As you know, I also LOVED DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers … must learn more about his new offering.

I had no idea Rachel Cusk was Canadian! I loved Outline, but there's not a plot really: the narrator speaks to people she meets on a creative writing course in Greece. Beautifully written, but perhaps not a great follow up to The Folded Earth given your comments about it.

Thanks for the Giller-update, Deborah. Looking forward to see what novels you choose to read from the list. Maybe your curiosity will overcome your scepticism for some on the list :)

>49 lit_chick: Nancy , I LOVED The Sisters Brothers too, but I've seen his other book, Ablutions and it was not for me, and I've read up on Undermajordomo Minor and it sounds like a crazy sort of fable, so I am not sure . But I have not seen it in " flesh."

>50 charl08: Charlotte, sometime I wonder how different countries claim writers as their own, like Rachel Cusk. Apparently she was born in Toronto Canada in 1967, moved to the USA for her childhood , and moved to England in 1974. So I guess she was born here and that is enough? Maybe she still has Canadian Passport? Dual citizenship? I have no idea! :)

>51 ctpress: Great to see you, Carsten! Yesterday I tried to add a "book description" to all of the Giller Longlisted book yesterday , since many did not have any information on what they are about on the library thing book main page, so I've got a bit of an idea what each book is about. Now that my cities nice big book store close and the Big Bookstore is downtown, I don't get to browse the shelves nearly as often, so I have less opportunity to browse and decide - oh yes, I'll give this a try! Some of the books I've seen in the library, but not many as yet. I'm sure that you correct, my curiosity will overcome my uncertainty.

I was able to read a little of A Beauty by Connie Gault and that interested me. It was an online preview. And maybe Close to Hugh, which I've taken out from the library before, but returned it unread. Fifteen Dogs is only 180 pages, but it's about dogs that all develop a human consciousness. So we'll see. Maybe once I've seen them in real life I'll get more eager.

Currently just begun reading Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear. I had it on my TBR shelves and it seemed to be calling to me. So far it seems to be a nice contrast to my previous book.

I loved Maisie Dobbs, Deborah. I'll watch for your comments.

Enjoy Maisie Dobbs, Deb. This is not one I'm familiar with, but I've been so out of the loop with home renovations and now school starting that my book watch has suffered sorely.

>54 BLBera: Beth, I hope I enjoy Maisie Dobbs as much as you did. So far it seems quite charming!

>55 lit_chick: Nancy, it's early pages yet with Maisie Dobbs, but it does seem to be interesting and quite charming. It is the start of a series about young(ish) " lady sleuth" who sets up her own investigation service in post WW1 Britain, after serving in WW1
in the war efforts as a nurse. I've noticed that a lot of people here on LT seem to have enjoyed it, so I though I'd give it a try.

I found them nice cosy reading Deb. Enjoyed them, but lost track of the series more recently (they are very popular at the library, hard to get your hands on!). Hope continues to be a good read.

>57 charl08:, Charlotte, I've not made too much headway into Maisie Dobbs, but what I have read promises to a cozy charming read! Good to know that you have enjoyed them. I wish like Maisie Dobbs a bit of strong tea would restore me from whatever trials /exhaustion I have felt in a day:) My sister is a big tea drinker and it restores her, but I need a nap or perhaps a bit of chocolate to restore myself.

We love Maisie Dobbs in the Simpson household and must get reading the rest now Deb. Hope you are having a lovely weekend my dear.

>59 johnsimpson: John, I'm really enjoying Maisie Dobbs . I'm glad to know that your household enjoys the series too! Hope your weekend it going well!

>60 vancouverdeb: We have had a lovely day today, very busy but so enjoyable (see my thread). Sending love and hugs.

>61 johnsimpson: John, I just popped over to your thread, and yes indeed you've had a busy but I'm glad enjoyable day. Not long now until the wedding of your daughter. Love and hugs to you.

>47 vancouverdeb: Thanks for posting that list, Deb. I have not read (nor, honestly, heard of) any of those works but I will do some library searching....

I bought The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy while on Cape Cod and I'm looking forward to reading it. I appreciate your review of The Folded Earth (what a great title!).

Looks like Maisie Dobbs is something I ought to track down too.

Have a lovely Sunday, Deb. xx

Happy Sunday, Deb! Good review of The Folded Earth. I have had The God of Small Things on shelf for ages. I have never read this author.

I have also not read Maisie Dobbs. I am striking out over here.

Woot! Maisie Dobbs sound like just your cuppa, Deb! Might turn out to be my cuppa too : ). Keep us posted.

>52 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, what do you consider the big bookstore downtown? I always considered that to be the one on Robson and really miss it now that it is gone.

>63 EBT1002: You are so welcome, Ellen. Ah oh! I've heard that The God of Small Things is very good, but it has a different author than The Folded Earth does. One is Arundhati Roy, the other is Anuradha Roy The latter author wrote Sleeping on Jupiter which is on this years Booker Longlist, whereas the author of The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize for her work on The God of Small Things back in 1997 or something like that.

>64 PaulCranswick: I am thoroughly enjoyed Maisie Dobbs and yes, you might enjoy it, Paul! Happy Sunday to you too!

>65 msf59: Happy Sunday, Mark! Oh dear, striking out, are we Mark? Sounds like one of your losing baseball teams - I think it is Baseball that you watch - or is it Football? I am not sure what which of the games you so keen on. You've got to keep your eye on CanLit! ;) Truthfully I had not heard of many of the titles for the Giller Prize either , so there you go.

>66 lit_chick: Nancy, confession time! I"m enjoying Maisie Dobbs so much I've ordered the second in the series from amazon ca! :) Shhhh! Not to give to much away , but a lot of Maisie Dobbs is taken up with her backstory as to how she became a investigator just after WW! and it's a very interesting story , as is the mystery itself. An intriguing cozy mystery.

>67 Familyhistorian: Meg, I consider the big bookstore to be the Chapters on Broadway and Granville. Sadly yes, the one of Robson is gone and even The Chapters / Indigo on Broadway and Granville carry less book than they used to, and have more " home products" and gift stuff. The problem with amazon ca and online shopping .

Going to head on to walk the dog before it rains, but I'll be back to visit you threads later on. I'll get to a few just now.

>68 vancouverdeb: Oh dear, thank you for straightening me out on those two authors. I'm sure I have Sleeping on Jupiter on hold at the library (trying to work my way through this year's Booker nominees) and I bought The God of Small Things for my life-long goal of reading all Booker winners.

Maybe I'll go actually do a bit of reading about the two authors to help my brain distinguish....

I hope you have a great week, Deb!

Ooohh, i love a cozy mystery, Deb. I'm sold on Maisie Dobbs! Tickled you've already ordered the second one, shhhh … eta I'm back from checking my library. Have just placed a hold on the book and the e-audiobook : ). This might be fun to listen to.

>69 EBT1002: Ellen , it sounds like you had the two authors straightened out all on own! I'd just noticed a few people on LT had mixed up the two author and it easy enough to do. I likely would have done it myself if I not seen other people realizing they'd mixed up the two authors name elsewhere on LT. I'll have to check if my library has Sleeping on Jupiter - I'd like to read it too. As far I know is only lately available in Canada - maybe as of September 15th.

>70 lit_chick: So much for Dave's retirement, Nancy! I'm really enjoying Maisie Dobbs - I think you will enjoy the book - and let's hope the series ( which is why I was " obliged to purchase" the second in the series )- for the greater good of LT - you in particular! :)

Hi Deb, here is another Maisie Dobbs fan. Reminds me that I should read another one, soon.

>72 Ameise1: Great to know that you are a Maisie Dobbs fan, Barbara. I'm really enjoying the first in the series!

Man Booker Shortlist2015

Satin Island by Tom McCarthy (UK) .

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James (Jamaica)

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler (US)

The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota (UK)

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (US)

The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma

Oh super! My beloved A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler made it to the Booker Shortlist! And I have The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota on my TBR shelves.

I might read the The Fisherman because I've read that it is a shortie!

Back to bed now!

Morning Deb! I saw the Booker list. It looks good, despite the fact I haven't read any. I want to read most of them. I always enjoy Tyler.

I am a baseball and football fan but right now, it is all baseball, since my Cubs are doing so well. Grins...

Oh, forgot that today was Booker SL day, so thanks for that, Deb. Want to post the list on my thread, too. Woot, and there's Anne Tyler … I know how much you, along with many others, enjoyed A Spool of Blue Thread : ).

Can't believe The Fishermen made the list. Ah well. I'm enjoying The Illuminations so I'll keep going with that anyway. Still want Tyler to win, but suspect the James will.

I'm with Charlotte - I'm getting James vibes for the win.

>76 msf59: Good Afternoon, Mark. I'm afraid I don't follow football or baseball, and so there I draw a blank.Happy for you and your cubs though! Enjoy Anne Tyler when you get to it..

>77 lit_chick: Nancy, I'll be interested in what you chose to read from the Booker Shortlist. indeed, I was pleased to see A Spool of Blue Thread on the short list.

>78 charl08: Charlotte, I never know why the judges chose what they do. I've not read The Fisherman but I've read that it is short and Darryl felt it was more of a YA sort of book.

>79 BLBera: Beth, from my perspective, I'm not sure I'm going to read A Brief History of Seven Killings even if is a favourite. I think Ive got a vibe for Satin Island , not that I have read it. LOL! Who knows what the Booker panel is looking for in a novel. I often find that I enjoy books from the longlist as much as the shortlist, I suppose because there is more to choose from. Plus really, The Booker Winner, as all winners , comes down to a few judges taste. But lists are interesting and fun to follow.

Deb, thanks for posting the Giller Prize list. I have only read Outline but would like to get back to reading more Canadian authors. Or, I could read some more of those on the Booker shortlist. I've read the Anne Tyler but wasn't as enamored of it as you. She is kind of a hit-and-miss author for me. I have to be in the mood for her quirkiness.

>Donna, good to " see " you. Yes I really enjoyed A Spool of Blue Thread. Like you, I've read and enjoyed some of her books and others I have not been able to get into. I've not seen Outline in real life as yet, but the fact that it is both on the Women's Literature Prize list and also the Giller makes it that much more interesting to me. Likely a safe bet to try reading Outline.

I finished Maisie Dobbs a couple of days ago, and loved it! What a wonderful, interesting read. Maisie Dobbs is the first in a series, about a 30 or so year old woman who opens up an office as Private Investigator. She has a most interesting backstory, coming from a poor family, in which her father was " costermonger", that is to say, he sold vegetables. A lot of this first in the series explores her fascinating backstory - her start as a household maid, her admission to Cambridge College, to her training and working as a nurse in the battlefields during WW1. But even with that fascinating backstory, there is still a most interesting mystery or investigation to solve, which at first blush seems to be a husband concerned about the fidelity of his wife, but soon turns into a suspenseful story concerning a convalescent working farm for ex- soldiers of WW1. 4 stars and highly recommended. While Maisie Dobbs might not be a contender for the Booker prize, it is certainly a intelligent and interesting read. It really grabs you! I've already procured the second in the series , since I enjoyed this book so much. 4 stars

Currently reading If I Fall , I Die by Michael Christie. It is on the 2015 Giller Longlist, and I found it at the library. I read Michael Christie's book of short stories about Vancouver's gritty Downtown Eastside a few years ago and found it dark, but very interesting.

I'm about 80 pages into If I Fall, I Die and it's exceeding my initial expectations . An interesting story about a mother who suffers with agoraphobia, anxiety and depression, and tries to keep her son inside the house with her. But soon enough he wants to go " Outside" to school. It is fairly dark, but an interesting look at Thunder Bay and the challenges of mental illness. I'll know more as I read more.

>84 vancouverdeb: Wow, your summary has tempted me. I haven't looked for the Giller list yet. Hope they're available in the UK too!

Hi Deb, woot! Love your review of Maisie Dobbs, and I just received notice from the library this morning that my print copy is in! That said, I'm going to wait on audiobook, I think, which is also on reserve at the library. Costermonger is a new one on me … thanks for that.

Christie is unknown to me, but sounds like his short stories of Van's East Side were worthwhile. Will await your thoughts on If I Fall, If I Die.

>85 charl08: Charlotte, I fear a bit that some of the titles on the Giller List may not be easily available in the UK as of yet. Even I am waiting up to five weeks for A Beauty from amazon ca, and it on the Giller Long List. The judges seem to have chosen some debut authors and less known authors. I would guess that right now, Close To Hugh, Fifteen Dogs, Outline, Undermajordomo and Daydreams of Angels are the most widely available, for now at least. Best of luck!

>86 lit_chick: Nancy, I'm quite sure that you will enjoy Maisie Dobbs and I'm glad to hear you have it available to you in a couple of formats. Enjoy! Yes, I did feel Michael Christie's collection of short stories was dark but worthwhile read. The Beggar's Garden was shortlisted for the Giller or some such Canadian Lit prize , so being a good Vancouvrite , I read the collection.

I'm glad you found a new detective friend in Maisie Dobbs, Deborah. She does have an interesting backstory. And then some WWI fiction is an extra bonus.

It was minus 9 celcius in Iceland yesterday. That is when Erlandur was making progress with a murder case in Arctic Chill. It's good to be back in Iceland and follow some well known characters :)

Good readings with "If I Fall I Die".

>87 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. Maybe it's a good thing those books are hard to find: gives me a chance to get through the existing TBR from the library!

I'm also reading detective fiction in a similar period to Maisie: WW1 set The Dead Can Wait, the second book in the series about Dr Watson's imagined life in that conflict. Good so far.

I bought A Spool of Blue Thread this week, Deb and have long enjoyed Anne Tyler. I remember that Prue was very much an advocate of her novels and I read and loved Breathing Lessons from her prompting. Many have said that her newer novels have not really been up to standard but this seems like very much a return to form.

Have a lovely weekend.

Happy weekend, Deb.

Nice comments on Maisie Dobbs, Deborah. Have a great weekend.

>88 ctpress: I am shivering at the thought of -9 C, Carsten! Brrr! Enjoy An Arctic Chill. Indeed, Maisie Dobbs is a new fiction friend. ;P

>89 charl08: The Dead Can Wait sounds interesting , Charlotte. Like you, I have a lot of TBR - and a hold waiting at the library for me.

>90 PaulCranswick: I do hope you enjoy A Spool of Blue Thread. I did not read her last book, The Amateur Marriage - or at least is that last on her books that I am aware of, but A Spool of Blue Thread was a great read.

>91 Ameise1: Barbara, such a beautiful fall image. I'm afraid that here we have great over cast and rain and very little colour other than plain old green.
Happy weekend!

>92 BLBera: Thanks Beth. I did enjoy Maisie Dobbs and though Dave is working through the weekend, I'm sure I will enjoy it.

Hi Deb, my Hot Reviews on my home page no longer show a book cover. Do yours? Wonder if this is a glitch that LT is working on?

>94 lit_chick: Nancy, the Hot Reviews on my home page no longer show a book cover either. Perhaps a glitch in the system? Maybe let Tim or Lorranen ( sp ) know about it?

Thanks, Deb. Yep, I posted about it in LT Bugs and got a response that the glitch was being forwarded to developers. Apparently, it must have happened when LT was recently working on covers.

> I reported it too. I posted it to the Covers pages instead of the LT Bugs because I did not know there was a bug department.

Hi, Deb. Finally checking in with Tonto. I wanted to mention I am nearly done with A Spool of Blue Thread. I have been listening to it on audio. Unfortunately I do not think I'll have enough time for audios, until I get back to work.

I am enjoying the book but did not expect such a sprawling family drama. This might be her most ambitious.

Hey Deb, not had much luck with the Giller list, but I did find one of Andre Alexis' earlier books, so I ordered that to be going on with!

Another Maisie Dobbs fan here, Deb. I was working my way through the collection at the Vancouver Library but stopped because someone was always putting a hold on them so that I couldn't renew them. Shows how popular they still are. I have to find out where I was and get back to them,

>98 msf59: Great to see you Mark. I am amazed at how you can follow a sprawling family drama like A Spool of Blue Thread on audio!

> 99 Charlotte, I'm not sure which of Andre Alexis books you are reading, but I read Pastoral by him and I enjoyed it. Good for you!

>100 Familyhistorian: Meg, I imagine Maisie Dobbs series would be popular. There is a lot to like. So far I have been purchasing my copies. Shhhh! :)

It's going to be Childhood Andre Alexis although I am developing a bad habit of not reading all the books I reserve, so don't hold me to it (please?!) ☺

Happy Sunday, Deb.

>102 charl08: Charlotte, I have an equally bad habit of not reading all of the books I reserve at the library, so I certainly would hold you to what I don't do myself. I always say , books from the library are on " speculation only." Which is not to say my purchased books might stay in a pile for quite a while till they suddenly suit me! ;)

>103 Ameise1: Oh lovely apples, Barbara! It's a bit chilly here and I've just finished a nice cup of tea. I'm not that keen on hot drinks, but I must say on a coolish autumn day, a cup of tea hits the the spot.

I finished If I Fall If I Die a couple of days ago. It definitely exceeded my expectations. Though I liked Michael Christies book of short stories, I much preferred If I Fall I Die. At it's heart, I suppose it is a coming of age story. It is the story of young fellow, Will, aged about 9 who has lived " Inside' he and his mother's home for most of his life. His mom suffers with agoraphobia and anxiety. Eventually curiosity overcomes Will and he decides to go " Outside" and to school. Having lived inside all of his life, naturally he is bullied at school and regarded as rather odd. He makes friends with a small group of people, a fellow student, Jonah, a First Nations boy, and girl who suffers with cystic fibrosis. The town of Thunder Bay , Ontario is where he lives. I found Thunder Bay to be a fascinating and well described place. While many years ago, it was bustling town full of grain pools and shipping of the grain, it has now a dying town, with illegal grain alcohol as one it's biggest products. Subtly ,the author acquaints us with the lack of acceptance of First Nations people, the feel of a small a decayed town, with the many people living on the margins. I really got a most interesting feel for Thunder Bay, a gritty, decaying place, that likely exists in far more small towns across Canada than I realized. The situation of First Nations people became more real for me. The story also became a page turner, in that Will and his friend are pulled the cross-hairs of the criminal element of Thunderbay.

I very much enjoyed the story, even if parts of it strain credulity. Thunder Bay almost became a character to me , so well was it described and I felt I gained a much better understanding of First Nations people and the lack of integration that happens in so many places. Will's story of dealing with an mom suffering with agoraphobia was certainly an interesting one, but only one part of the story.

My suspicion is that this book will have a limited appeal. Though I am giving it 4 stars and very much appreciated reading it, it will appeal most to those who are keen on Canadian Literature , with it's quirky , dark appeal and unusual story line.

Guardedly recommended. For me , it was a fabulous but unusual read, but it won't appeal to everyone - even those who want to it read for the Giller Prize. 4 keen stars from me.



I should mention that Michael Christie's mom suffered with agoraphobia, to a much lesser degree , and his family also lived in Thunder Bay Ontario, and I suppose this story

is all that more real in certain ways.

Will it make the short list? One never knows what the Giller Prize Judges are looking for . I really was fascinated at how the author was able to give the feel of how marginalized First Nations people are, just by presenting them as part of the story. The decaying small town feel became so real for me too. Living in a large, growing urban centre, this was very interesting story for me. Very glad I picked up this book from my local library.

I was going to read Did You Ever Have a Family from the Booker Longlist, but instead I felt I needed a cozy read, so I picked up Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear, the second in the Maisie Dobbs series. What a treat! But I plan to come back to Did You Ever Have a Family, though I have it out from the library, so I hope to get to it before it needs to be returned.

Deb, that is a fantastic review of If I Fall, I Die! Hope you posted it because I'm on my way to thumb-up! There's two BB I've taken today, one from you and one from Carsten, who is presently freezing in Iceland somewhere.

Oops, forgot to add that I hope you love the next Maisie Dobbs as well as the first : ).

>107 lit_chick: You are so kind Nancy, I have posted a slightly adapted version of my review of If I Fall, I Die on the main page . Poor old Carsten, freezing in Iceland.

Great review, Deborah. Thumbs. Sounds like a most interesting set-up for a story with a lot of conflicts and interesting characters.

I can understand you want a cozy read after this one - good adventures with Maisie Dobbs. Yes, I'm still freezing - all's the same - Erlendur is still cranky.

>109 ctpress: Thanks Carsten. Yes, while If I Fall , I Die was somewhat dark, Did You Ever Have a Family seemed to be even darker. So I decided to go with something a little lighter . Oh that cranky Erlendur! I feel for you, friend!

Added my thumb too Deb. I was a bit cautious about reading a book about someone stuck in a room but your comments have convinced me re the school and community descriptions. I think you might find Did You Ever Have a Family less grim than you are expecting:it is as much about living in small towns as it is coping with loss.

>111 charl08: I was a bit cautious about reading If I Fall, I Die, expecting it to be inside a lot, but also with a lot skateboarding, which is not of interest to me, but the story is much more broad then I expected. I'm hoping to read Did You Ever Have a Family after this. Crosses fingers :) Thanks for the thumb.

Hi Deb, as I think you may have seen from my thread, I very much enjoyed A Spool of Blue Thread. I haven't read all of her works but I still hold the opinion that this may be her best. :-)

Meanwhile, the Maisie Dobbs series seems like one I should get to when I need some cozier reading. Today that would have been good. I have An Expert in Murder from the library and probably should have read it while home sick (instead of the grisly Flannery O'Connor). It's by Nicola Upton and P says the series is similar to that by Jaqueline Winspear.

I hope you have a great week. I think our region is supposed to have lovely weather for several days (although part of me wishes it would rain!).

Hi, Deb! I also really enjoyed Blue Thread. Tyler is a U.S. treasure. And yes, it worked very well on audio.

The Long Song is not a very smooth read but I am liking it. Interesting historical moment.

I just snagged the Clegg book on audio. Hope to bookhorn it in soon.

>113 EBT1002: Yes, Ellen , I was lurking on your thread and have since de- lurked . So glad you enjoyed A Spool of Blue Thread. I really loved it. I hope that you enjoy An Expert in Murder if you get to it. Sounds interesting - I think I have heard of Josephine Tey , who I think is the protagonist of that series. We too are supposed to have good weather , but the rains our coming. Oh sad, but as I said, no worries about my hair in the rain. Always a bright side.

>114 msf59: You amaze with your ability to listen to books with so many characters, like Blue Thread. I guess I am a more visual person - that is to say I take stuff in better in the printed mode. Perhaps we will both be reading Did You Ever Have a Family at the same time? I have it out from the library right now too.

The Short List for Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize

André Alexis (Toronto) for Fifteen Dogs
Coach House Books

Elizabeth Hay (Ottawa) for His Whole Life

Pamela Mordecai(Kitchener, ON) for Red Jacket

Russell Smith (Toronto) for Confidence

John Vaillant (Vancouver) for The Jaguar's Children

Another Canadian Fiction Prize is up today! I'm familiar with some of the books, but not all of them - just going to look up some information about them. Maybe I'll have to read Fifteen Dogs after all, since it is on both the Giller and Roger's Trust list, though it does not appeal to me. Elizabeth Hays His Whole Life interests me. And Confidence: Stories is on both lists too.

Deb, thanks for posting the Rogers Trust list. You're right: might need to read Fifteen Dogs. Hmm, and I see Elizabeth Hay there. I've only read Late Nights on Air by her, but I loved her portrayal of the North. Think I tried something else of hers a few years later and didn't like it so much … can't even remember what it was.

Hi, Deb! I ended up liking The Long Song but Small Island remains my favorite.

BTW- For my my Dunmore, I picked up A Spell of Winter. Did you like that one.

>118 lit_chick: Nancy, I went to the library today and was able to check out Fifteen Dogs - I mean, actually borrowed it at from the library. Likely it will my next book. It's kind of weird, two god's give a bunch of dogs human consciousness. Not sure what to make of that really, but it's not a big leap for me to think that my own dog, Poppy has human consciousness, but no gods like Hermes or whatever have conferred that upon her for some beat. I did look atElizabeth Hay's book at the bookstore, and I think I might like to read His Whole Life, but I was too thrifty to shell out for it. So, in the future, Red Jacket looks kind of interesting to me too, but I'll to know more about it before I fork out $$ for it.

>119 msf59: Oh dear, Mark, the one Helen Dunmore that I have not read is Spell of Winter. I think it might be a bit of a ghost story and a bit of incest between a lonely brother and sister, which is kind of spelled out on the book jacket. But you like nearly everything, so you might like it. I did win the first Orange Prize,so I imagine it has redeeming qualities.

>120 vancouverdeb: Enjoying seeing the Canadian literary prizes given time here, Deb.

Mark was asking over at my thread whether someone fancied doing a Canadian Author Challenge in 2016 to go with the AAC (Mark) BAC (Myself) and ANZAC (Jacqui). I can think of one candidate to do that job from Vancouver. xx

Hi Deb, love the painting in your topper, hope you've had a lovely reading summer, and I'll put my hand up for a Canadian Author Challenge if it happens! I've been trying to read more Canadian authors, but still haven't gotten very far.

Hi Deb, hope you are having a good weekend my dear.

>121 PaulCranswick: Yes! That would be awesome!

>121 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. I am doing my due diligence in reading and following the CanLit prizes! :)

>122 evilmoose: Meg , thanks for the vote of confidence.

>123 johnsimpson: Hi John, I hope Karen's leg is healing up and that things are going well in your corner of the world.

>124 EBT1002: Oh the pressure, Ellen!

I have thought about running a Canadian Author Challenge, but then I'd have to read my favourite authors not on whim, as I usually do. Thanks for the vote of confidence. It can also be a challenge to get hold of Can Lit easily, as some of the prize winners tend to be published by small publishing companies. I'll take it under consideration, though , and think of who I think are good authors who are fairly widely available.

It's very true that Can Lit does interest me and I'm always keen to try out new authors and their new works. Thank for your kind encouragement.

Finished Birds of a Feather, by Jacqueline Winspear. It is the second book in the Maisie Dobbs series. What a wonderful cozy , engaging, well written read.

In post WW1 Britain, in 1930, Maisie Dobbs and her assistant , Billy Beale ( not a romantic connection ) are called on to investigate the disappearance of an heiress. Charlotte Waite is in her early thirties and has lived at home with her very fierce and controlling father, Joseph , and he wants her found and returned home. Has she run away , as her father suspects, or is there more to the story? As three of Charlotte's old friends turn up dead, the case become more complex. Meanwhile Billy Beale seems to be having both mood and physical problems as he deals with the his amputated leg, a legacy of WW1. Could the answer to the missing woman lie in some way with WW1?

Maisie employs her wonderful powers of intuition, knowledge and resourceful thinking in her capacity as a Private Sleuth . I really enjoy the time period and the fascinating side characters in the series. 4 stars.

Currently reading the long listed Booker prize Did You Ever Have a Family?by Bill Clegg. Thanks to Charlotte for encouraging me to read this , as I was concerned it might be too sad. Though it is sad, it is more of a study of different characters and small towns, as far as I can tell 60 - 70 pages in to the story. Very engaging.

Hi, Deb! Hope you had a good weekend. I hope to read Did You Ever Have a Family soon. Ellen just reviewed it over on her thread.

Deb, wonderful review of Birds of a Feather. I found the first three Maisie Dobbs novels on audio at my library (I'm hoping there are more, too, just haven't looked). Thinking Maisie might follow the Cazalets. Can't ask for more than this: What a wonderful cozy , engaging, well written read. Off to thumb your review … hope you posted it!

>128 msf59: Not a bad weekend, Mark, thanks. I'll pop over to Ellen's thread shortly! Hope you had a good weekend too!

>129 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy! I'm really enjoying the Maisie Dobbs series. I can't compare it to the Cazalets as yet, but I really enjoy the Maisie Dobbs series.

Nancy, I adapted my " review" for Birds of A Feather slightly and now it is on the main page, thanks to your encouragement.

Giller Prize Shortlist

Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis
Arvida by Samuel Archibald
Outline by Rachel Cusk
Daydreams of Angels, by Heather O’Neill
Martin John by Anakana Schofield

My comments about the Giller shortlist. Well, I'm a bit sad. Two short story books. I don't mind and actually enjoy short stories, but they are not my favourites, generally speaking. Daydreams of Angels is a short story collection as is Arvida. I have read Heather O'Neill before and while I enjoyed the story very much , I fear her short stories are more of the same as her book, Lullabies for Little Criminals and another that she has written. I fear I may have to read Fifteen Dogs, but don't hold me to it! :)

Glad to read you're having a good time with Maisie. I wonder if Outline will win?

Thanks for the SL, Deb. Hmm, I'm with you on two short story collections: bit much IMO. Fifteen Dogs doesn't really appeal to me, truthfully … as least the reviews/descriptions I've read. But I may read it too. Again, don't hold me to it!

Glad you continue to enjoy the Maisie Dobbs series, Deborah. "Wonderful, cozy and well written"...a great combination. One needs the cozy reads.

Hope you enjoy Did You Ever Have A Family.

>133 charl08: Good question , Charlotte, given that Outline was on the Women's Fiction shortlist. It's so difficult to know. I'm betting on a book from a small Canadian publishing house - maybe? That would rule out Outline and Daydreams of Angels, but really who knows what the judges look for. Here is a link to the Giller prize what the jury thought of each book that was chosen for the Giller Shortlist. http://www.scotiabankgillerprize.ca/finalists/2015shortlist/

>134 lit_chick: I'm not sure which of them I'd like to read. At this point I will wait for my library to get them in /put a hold on them and I will see from there.

>135 ctpress: Carsten, yes I do love the Maisie Dobbs series! So far quite enjoying Did You Ever Have a Family.

The Evening Chorus came in at the library Deb - I don't know who makes the decision to publish Helen Humphreys' books in such a lovely format, but I am grateful...

>137 charl08: I agree, Charlotte, Evening Chorus and many of Helen Humphreys books are published with beautiful covers, that one especially. I read that earlier this year, I think it was. I hope you enjoy it!

Loved it Deb. Hoping the library has more of her back catalogue!

>139 charl08: Glad to hear it. I'm still hoping to find a second hand copy of The Frozen Thames. As per usual, off to walk the dog, which I should have done earlier.

The Frozen Thames is still my favorite of hers. We have a nice little edition with illustrations.

>141 jnwelch: I'm jealous!

>141 jnwelch: Joe, I really need to get my mitts on a copy of The Frozen Thames. I could not find at my library, nor the second hand bookstore, but I think it is available on amazon ca , which it wasn't earlier this year.

> Me too, Charlotte!What to do!

Governor General's Literary Prize Finalists ( the final Canadian Big Literary Prize for 2015 )

How You Were Born by Kate Cayley short stories

Outline by Rachel Cusk

The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys

The Winter Family by CLifford Jackman

Daddy Lenin by Guy Vanderhaeghe short stories.

My reaction - what is up with the Canadian Literary Prizes this year? The Winter Family and Outline are both on other Canadian Literary prize lists, which is fine, but a lot once again, two short story collections. I've taken Daddy Lenin out from the library twice and returned it - I'll guess I'll look for it again. I have already read The Evening Chorus , which I enjoyed, but only gave 3. 5 stars, which is a very average rating for me. I've never heard of How You Were Born, but I'll look up some info on it.

In other news, my amazon order of Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear arrived, as well as the first in the Cazlalet Chronicles, The Light Years and two DVD's of my recently discovered favourite TV series, The Big Bang Theory. I was too lazy to go to the mail today, so instead my husband got the mail when he got home and shouted "BUSTED" like he always does when I order something and he notices it . Good day!

Hmm, the first thing that caught my eye on the GG list was Humphreys. But that one sounds very average. The second thing was Guy Vanderhaeghe, whose frontier trilogy I loved, but Daddy Lenin is short stories, not my thing truthfully.

I think I liked The Evening Chorus more than you did Deb. Am I allowed to hope that it wins?!

>142 charl08:, >143 vancouverdeb: It's definitely a keeper book! I want to re-read it soon.

>146 lit_chick: Nancy, a lot of people enjoyed The Evening Chorus more then I did and you might be one of them. I did write a review on it , and so have others, but only 8 in total, but you might really Evening Chorus.

147> Oh course you can pull for Evening Chorus Charlotte . At this point I don't even have a horse in the race, so to speak! :)

>148 jnwelch: Joe, indeed, I need to check amazon ca soon and make a purchase while they still have it. Enjoy your re -read!

Happy weekend, Deb.

Happy Saturday, Deb. My wife grabbed my copy of A Spell of Winter. Curious to see what she thinks.

I just started the Clegg. Did you finish it?

Ooh! Cake!

Late Nights on Air turned up at the library, so after Andre Alexis I'm having a bit of a Canadian week...

Hope you have a good weekend :-)

Happy Thanksgiving, Deb!

Happy Thanksgiving, Deb!

>150 Ameise1: Thanks for the yummy cake, Barbara , and a Happy Weekend to you!

>151 msf59: I'll be curious to see what Sue thinks of A Spell of Winter as well, Mark. Yes I have finished Did You Ever Have a Family and while I enjoyed, it did not have the same impact or pull that A Spool of Blue Thread had for me. I'm just thinking about the book, before I give it a star value

>152 charl08: Charlotte, I seem to be having a very British Year, over all - but I suppose not Scottish, so enjoy your Canadian week! I hope you enjoy Late Nights on Air, which I confess I have not read! Gasp! Happy Weekend to you!

>153 lit_chick: Happy Thanksgiving to you, Nancy! Love the graphic! Oh you Apple people! :)

>154 lkernagh: Thanks Lori! And a Happy Thanksgiving to you! I'll have to wander over to your thread and see what sort of vegetarian goodies you are cooking up for Thanksgiving.

Ha, well everything for dinner is vegetarian except for the turkey, which I couldn't do without this year. Looking forward to slipping into a tryptophan induced doze in front of the tele this evening.

>156 lkernagh: What! No tofu turkey for dinner, Lori! :) Enjoy your trytophan doze!

Did You Ever Have A Family by Bill Clegg

I've been struggling since last night to add some comments to this book and I'm not sure why.

On the eve of her daughter's wedding, a dreadful tragedy happens that results in the death of 52 year old June Reid's daughter and finance, June's ex -husband and June's boyfriend, Luke. The story explores the grief and slow healing of a number of people who are impacted by the death of all of these people. The story is told in a third person point of view, and moves back and forth in time, from prior to the tragedy to after the tragedy. We begin to understand the the many troubled and nuanced relationships between the many characters that populate the story. Did You Ever Have A Family is told from many points of view, mainly June Reid; Silas, a teen who witnessed the tragedy; Lydia, the mother of June's boyfriend , as well as several others. To a certain extent, it was challenging to keep track of who was connected to who and how. Some of the characters were very tenuously connected. The story is told with great restraint, which is something I appreciate. What I had trouble with is feeling a deep connection to the many characters . It seemed to me that I was often aware that I was reading, rather than immersed in the story and feeling along with the characters.

For me, something was missing from Did You Ever Have A Family. Too many characters, not enough depth, no light moments of quirky humour, I am not sure. Still, I am glad that I read it and I will give it 3.8 stars. It's a worthwhile read, but one that just did not resonate deeply with me.

3.8 stars.

Happy Sunday, Deb! And Happy Thanksgiving.

Good review of Did You Ever Have A Family. I am about halfway done and I think I will have the same opinion, as you do. Something is definitely missing.
Actually I was reminded of Blue Thread, while listening to this but Tyler always kept you engaged. We'll see how I feel about the 2nd half.

Have a great day!

Hi Deborah - Nice review of Did you Ever Have a Family. I think I'll wait a while on that one. Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving, Deb. xx

Happy Thanksgiving, Deborah. Hope you enjoy family dinner and whatever else you have planned.

Good review. Yes, too many characters can sometimes spoil an otherwise good book. But I guess 3.8 is still a fairly good read.

Happy Thanksgiving Deb.

Deb. star for an excellent review of Did You Ever Have a Family. Think I'll pass on this one, doesn't sound like it has much depth. But thanks for reading and reviewing, my friend : ).

Happy Thanksgiving to you Deb. Hope that you're having a great weekend!

>143 vancouverdeb: Sometimes in book buying timing is everything. When I got my copy of The Frozen Thames at Chapters it was in the Bargain Books for $6.99 but that was back in 2007. Indigo has it on for $16.99 now but Coventry is a bargain.

Happy Thanksgiving!

>159Mark, I'm so relieved that you feel that something is missing from Did You Ever Have Family. I'm trying to put my finger on - not enough depth to the characters, perhaps no actual speech from one person to another, but rather memories being recounted by the different person. Like you, I much preferred A Spool of Blue Thread.

>160 BLBera: Beth, you are very safe to wait / skip Did You Ever Have A Family .

>161 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the well wishes, Paul. xx

>162 ctpress: Just returned from a family dinner, thanks , Carsten. I'm not sure if too many characters was the problem or more the lack of depth to each character - I just can't quite put my finger on it.

>163 johnsimpson: Hi John! I hope you and Karen and family are keeping well.

>164 lit_chick: Taking one for the team, Nancy, in reading Did You Ever Have a Family. I'm glad that I read it , and overall it was worth the read, but not an essential read. You won't miss out on anything brilliant, in my opinion.

>165 mdoris: Happy Thanksgiving, Mary! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

>166 Familyhistorian: Sadly I think the time for getting Coventry as a bargain is over. I've even put in a " if you ever find a copy of The Frozen Thames at my local bookstore. One day I'll have to purchase it. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Meg.

Sorry Did you ever have a family? didn't work for you Deb. I agree that it wasn't perfect, but found it spoke to me. The thing I like about LT is that there is always another book and another view. *smiling at the thought of lots more books*

Hope you have a good week, and fingers crossed that the bargain Humphreys turns up.

I appreciate your take on Did You Ever Have A Family, Deborah. I guess I won't be in a rush to read it but like Char says, 'there is always another view'. I haven't checked, but there is usually a long queue at the library for book award nominees. I am getting very curious to see who does win the Booker Prize this year. So far, I've only won A Spool of Blue Thread on the SL. None of the others are calling to me….

>168 charl08: Charlotte, I still enjoyed Did You Ever Have A Family , it was just lacking somehow , in my opinion . And yes I agree, " there is always another view" or " your mileage may vary" :) I am still glad that I read it. Have a good week too!

>170 vancouverdeb: I completely agree with you , Donna, there is always another view with a book. 3.8 stars in not a bad score for a book. I've only read three of the long listed Bookers, Did You Ever Have Family , A Spool of Blue Thread and The Illuminations . Only A Spool of Blue Thread progressed to the shortlist.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Deb!

>171 evilmoose: Yes, Meg, I did have a lovely Thanksgiving! At least my husband had the Sunday off - though not the Monday, so he was able to attend our family thanksgiving.

Kind of disappointing that both big Canadian lit prizes have uninspiring nomination lists. :-(

You and I had different reasons for less-than-outstanding ratings/reviews of Did You Ever Have a Family. Ultimately, I agree with you wholeheartedly: imperfect but worth reading.

>173 EBT1002: Yes Ellen, disappointing that the Can Lit Prizes are so uninspiring. That said, I did read If I Fall, I Die and while I really enjoyed and got a great sense of Thunder Bay , Ontario and the difficulty of living in a small town and the prejudice against our First Nations people, I am not sure it is a prize winner. I do have Outline which was also shortlisted for the Orange Prize aka Women's lit prize at the ready, as well A Beauty and His Whole Life. Which I'll read next, I'm not sure.

>174 vancouverdeb: If I Fall, I Die sounds interesting and I'll look forward to your comments on whichever of the others you read next.
I'll let you be the pioneer (or is that a canary in the mine?). :-)

Very interesting election results so far, Deb.

>175 EBT1002: - Good point, Ellen - pioneer or canary in the mine! :-)

>176 Familyhistorian: Meg I am so happy and shocked ! Such good news, in my view! I hoped for the results that we got, but did not really expect it to go so well.

Still reading Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear, but I am reading slowly due to " real life " happy events.

I think up next might be His Whole Life as I have it out of the Library. It is another Can Lit Prize contender.

I am reading slowly due to " real life " happy events ... yay! Old photo but beautiful one:

Glad to hear about the real life happy.
Long may it continue :-)

Hi, Deb! Congrats on the Trudeau win. Yah!

Hope your books are treating you well too!

>179 lit_chick: Agreed, Nancy, a slightly older picture of Trudeau and family, but a lovely one! They have added 18 month old Hadrian to the clan. Oh that dark cloud of Harper and his Cons has lifted! Sunny ways! :)

>180 charl08: Thanks Charlotte! It was mainly some tension I felt between my newly married son and his wife - and while I cannot say I fully understood what it was, the tension seems to have been resolved with some communication and listening . Not entirely sure what the problem was, but a big burden has lifted off my shoulders. It was sort of an " underground tension" , but I could feel it . Problem solved. What can be more precious than maintaining the best relationship with your sons and a daughter in law and well - all family as far as it is possible.

>181 msf59: Mark ! You have no idea how glad I am to get rid of Harper, our old Prime Minister , who was a party of one, to say the least.
Yes I've finished my current book and will be back later to write a few comments and I need to sort out what my next book is. I have a few vying for my attention.

Harper is gone! Hooray! That was the same way I felt about Bush Jr.!!

>183 msf59: Totally understand you, Mark! I was glad to see the backside of Bush Jr and just as much of Harper!

>179 lit_chick: Must say that if the Trudeau administration is as progressive as his family is photogenic Canada is to look forward to halcyon days. Sanders to win in the States and then Corbyn in the UK and the world may get a bit closer to being fixed.

@185 Paul , I think I can assure you , as can Nancy that the Trudeau administration will be as progressive as his family is photogenic. I'm looking forward to the days ahead. I know less about Bernie Sanders, and even less about Corbyn. But I will look into it. Does not seem to be a lot of really good people to represent the Democrats in the US.

I finished Pardonable Lies, by Jacqueline Winspear. It is the third in the Maisie Dobbs series and did not disappoint. This time , Maisie Dobbs is called in by imperious Sir Cecil Lawton. Sir Lawton made a deathbed promise to his wife to find out what exactly happened to their son, Ralph Lawton. Ralph Lawton was an aviator in WW1, and his mother never fully accepted that their son Ralph was actually dead. Maisie is dogged at every turn, is a man following her? Have there been attempts on her life? The now dead mother of Ralph, attempted to speak with the her dead son via a medium. Is the medium really evil? Maisie is off to France, where it is supposed that Ralph Lawton died. An intriguing mystery and so enjoyable. 3.8 stars. I 'm not sure why I am not giving it the full 4 stars that I have given the previous two in the series. Perhaps because my reading was interrupted so often. But still a very solid story , with many different aspects and character development. I'll be reading the rest of the series.

I bravely plunged into Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis. I have it out from the library , and although the premise of the book did not really appeal to me, I decided that because Fifteen Dogs is shortlisted for two Canadian Literary Prizes, I had to make myself read it. What kind of scared me is that Hermes and Apollo, Greek Gods, make a bet regarding 15 dogs . The fifteen dogs are given human consciousness and language as a result of the bet. First of all, I know nothing about Greek Mythology, and secondly, anthropomorphism as it relates to reading a novel has no appeal to me at all. Or so I thought. I am about 3/4 through and I'll likely be finished later on tonight. A pretty grim read and but hard to put down, though I'll be glad ( I think) to be finished the book. Once I understood that Andre Alexis was writing an apologue, wiki link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apologue, I was better able to convince myself that I could read 177 pages , even with my lack of Greek Mythology knowledge.

Wow, Deb! You inspire me! As you know, I'm looking forward to the Maisie Dobbs series … even moreso because as you continue to read, these just seem to get better! Then, I had pretty much convinced myself not to bother with Fifteen Dogs, but you've changed my mind on that one, too! Bang, Bang!

This is me, taking bullet after bullet from my friend, LOL:

>189 lit_chick: Nancy, you are ever so kind! I'd pretty much made up my mind against reading Fifteen Dogs too, but it bothered me that it was on two of the Can Lit prize lists and it was burning a hole in my library bag. I had read Pastoral by Andre Alexis last year, and I think he is trying to write a modern version of a variety of genres. I could see this book as somewhat similiar to Lord of the Flies is some ways, though my memory of Lord of the Flies is a bit hazy. But it is definitely dystopian and potentially much to discuss about human nature.

Enjoy the bullet , sorry about that! : )

Well, you got me with Fifteen Dogs as well.

Hi Deborah - Yes, my library also has a copy of Fifteen Dogs. It is on my list.

>190 vancouverdeb: Sounds intriguing Deb. I will look out for it.

Great review, Deborah - the plot sounds very interesting in Pardonable. Glad you continue to enjoy the series. BTW, there's also a medium in Hypothermia and a seance :)

Waiting for your verdict on the dog-tale. No, it doesn't sound like your normal cup of tea.

Started watching a new british tv-series yesterday - first season of "Grantchester" - a priest solving crimes, quite good...based on some crime novels I haven't read.

I'm glad to see you're enjoying the Maisie Dobbs series! I've read all but the most recent book in the series. My favorite in the series is An Incomplete Revenge.

I read your review for Fifteen Dogs and wondered why the author's name looked familiar. LT to the rescue and I discovered that I own a copy of his book Childhood, which is languishing in my TBR piles. Looks like I will be reading some Andre Alexis books sooner rather than later. Great review, Deb!

That's interesting, Lori, because the name, Andre Alexis, sounded very familiar to me, too. But I don't have any of his previous novels. Perhaps it's a name I read about in an article, or some such ...

> 197 - Well, thank goodness it's not just me with the memory lapses. ;-)

>191 banjo123:
>192 BLBera:
>193 charl08:

Rhonda, Beth and Charlotte - I am so surprised that Fifteen Dogs appeals to you, but I am gratified. Thanks for that!I had a bad day - as in my car got stolen last night right out of our carport and I actually saw it drive away! I thought I heard someone starting my car, but by the time I got to the door, it was driving away. So I had the police and the insurance agency to deal with. I really hope that they find it. It is an older car, but valuable to me, as it is in very good condition. I am quite sad and shocked, though I realize it is a small thing in the grand scheme of things.
>196 lkernagh:
>197 lit_chick:
>198 lkernagh: Lori and Nancy , I recognized Andre Alexis name because last year I read his short listed Giller Prize book, Pastoral . I forget many other things, so a small triumph with my memory. If only it would work for practical sorts of things :) I think I might look for his book Childhood, which Charlotte recently read. I am interested in his Trinidadian origins and immigration to Canada.

>195 cbl_tn: Carrie, I am loving the Maisie Dobbs series and plan to read them all. Good to know I've got An Incomplete Revenge to look forward too.

>194 ctpress: Carsten - ohh - creepy - a medium and seance in Hypothermia. Maisie Dobbs has a just a touch of the " knowledge " from her mother and eschews the " dark arts" but runs across them to a certain extant in Pardonable Lies. I confess I find the supernatural to be very scary! Even as kids, my two sisters would gather with friend with the Oujia board - but I'd hide away from it all. :) I'm okay with Maisie Dobbs bit of " dark arts.'

You are so right , Fifteen Dogs in not the sort of book I like to read at all, and oh, it is violent at times - and as a dog lover I am almost more horrified by the actions of the dogs than I might be with humans. So silly of me.

Meanwhile I keep praying the police will call and say -we have found your car and no damage / minimal damage done. Cross your finger for me.

After getting my car stolen from my carport, that dystopian novel Fifteen Dogs seems all to real. I shall recover shortly from it all.

Happy weekend, Deb. You're reading Maisie Dobbs reminds me going back to that serie too.

Oh, no - your car have been stolen? Hope it will be found again in good condition.

My means of transportation have been stolen several times, but that was only bicycles.

Stunned to hear that you watched your car being driven away by thieves, Deb! I know this happens all the time, but not to people I know! I hope it will turn up before long; do keep us posted.

I'm so sorry to hear that someone nicked your car, Deborah! I hope the police are able to find that dastardly individual soon and return your precious wheels to you.

Stolen right out of your carport? That's pretty nervy. I hope everything works out for you, Deb.

Sorry to hear about your car. Hope that the police find the guy.

I read Andre Alexis, the book childhood, but feel like I should give him another go.

Hi Deborah - I hope your car is recovered soon.

>200 Ameise1: Thanks for the lovely photo of the deer, Barbara! Yes, very much enjoying the Maisie Dobbs series.
>201 ctpress: Carsten, I really hope my car will be found in good shape too , but I am really not sure. I wonder if it is like missing people? The longer it is gone, the less likely anyone will find it? I was initially optimistic, but not so much now. ( Not quite 48 hours yet).

>202 lit_chick: I was pretty stunned too, Nancy. I wish I had gone out to the carport as soon as I thought I had heard my car, but the policeman told just as well that I did not, because you never know who and what sort of weapon a thief/ thieves have. I could barely believe my eyes myself. It was just after 1 am and I ran and woke up my husband and told him " I'm pretty sure my car was just stolen, because I just saw it driving away. " Like you, I know it happens and is relatively common, but to other people, not me.

>203 rosalita: Dastardly person or people indeed, Julia, and yes, my precious wheels! So sad and kinda shocked, but trying to realize it happens to a lot of people and not get too upset. But I'd like to ' throw the book " at whomever stole my car! I'd like to give him/ them a good boxing about the ears and good " talking to"! Because it was far enough away from me , and dark, I could not see if there was one or more persons who stole my car. They kept the lights of my car off on the outside too and I have no idea how many people stole my car.

>204 Familyhistorian: It is nervy, isn't it Meg. I've always felt very safe here in our townhouse complex , because we know pretty much everyone and it's a nice tucked away area , but my husband says at night when he takes the garbage out , he does see people wandering around at night at times, looking in recycling boxes for bottles etc, so I guess.

>205 charl08: Yes, Charlotte I sure hope they find the guy. The cop that came by our house was really nice and said people steal cars for a number of reason - to commit a crime, joy ride, or just get somewhere and dump the car. But really, the police don't put much work into looking for a stolen car because it is a low of on the totem pole of crimes. It's more if someone happens to run across the car and notice it might look " stolen" .

So yes, I'm not a happy camper to say the least. ICBC, our insurance company offered a rental car to me, but we were just in the process of getting my husband a new second hand car and his old car had just become mine ( the one that was stolen ) and we had not gotten rid of my old car. So at least I have my old fossil car to drive. And believe me , it is a fossil! :)

It interesting how I am a pretty keen crime reader , but just getting my car stolen seems shocking to me. Perhaps I can " create a narrative " around this stupid theft of my car and create a novel? Perhaps of woman going mad with anger. I have to go out to dinner tonight and I hope I can keep my " happy face on." The night that my car was stolen I kept dreaming about it getting stolen , but last night was fine. My poor old car. Creepy thieves!

Thanks so much for caring. It really did shock me, despite it " being so common". Our area is not known for being a problem area for thieves and I've really never worried before now. But I'll get back to usual soon.

Be back later - have to get ready to go out , but I have finished Fifteen Dogs.

Horrors! I'm very, very sorry about the car theft and hoping for its safe return. I guess you were/are in shock, and I've very glad that you didn't confront the thieves. That's one another good thing about driving a '98 CRV with straight drive, I hope....... Nobody much would want it or could drive it, not that that's any consolation to you.

>208 LizzieD: Thanks for your kind words, Peggy. Sadly, my car was a 1995 Honda Accord. Apparently thieves target that sort of car often because older cars don't have immobilizers or car alarms. I guess thieves who want to joy ride or commit a crime just want a car that easy to steal. But to me, my little old car ran perfectly well, was well kept up, so to me , it was valuable.

At least this evening we had a nice night out over at my son and daughter in law's place, with several other. Delicious pizza and homemade cranberry ice cream and plenty of discussion :)

Hi Deb, sorry to hear that you have had your car stolen and from your carport, I hope that the police can recover it and in the same condition as when it was stolen. Sending love and hugs from this side of the pond.

Hi Deb, A friend close by had her older car stolen and it was returned so I a hoping for a happy ending like that for you too. Fingers crossed!

>188 vancouverdeb: I think I'll pass on that one. Although you did say it was hard to put down....

I have also heard that "older"-model Honda Civics and Accords are the most stolen car models in the US (maybe in Canada too?). I am SO sorry to hear about your horrible car theft experience. I can't imagine standing at the window watching it drive away. Weird. And terribly upsetting.

I think your potential crime novel about the theft of your car is promising. What really needs to happen is that while you are out at dinner, you spot your beloved buggy in the parking lot and nab the nefarious thieves inside the restaurant!

My neighbor had his car stolen years ago when he lived in another state. As you've found, the police didn't seem too interested in looking for it, so he went out and found it himself. I'm not sure how advisable that would be most of the time. I doubt I'd be brave enough to do it myself.

Sorry, to hear about your stolen car, Deb. What a bummer. I hope they recover it. Sending positive vibes, to Tonto, my pal.

My sympathy, too, Deb.

Many years ago we had our Honda Accord parked on the street, and inept thieves broke in by smashing a back window. The idiots just trashed the car inside, unsuccessfully trying to take out the radio and cd player. I do think Hondas are favorite targets. They're great cars - we've had our Odyssey minivan for six years and it's still in great shape.

So sorry to hear of your car getting stolen, Deborah. And what a shock to see it driving away - very surreal, I imagine.

Thanks so much, everyone for your caring and kind words. I''ll be back properly in a day or two. My car was found in back alley this evening, no damage, the cops called us and we were able to ago and pick it up. Such a huge relief. However a bunch of " junk " in it , and we will have to clean out or our car. The RCMP advised us that if it were him, he would not bother with ICBC , unless we found some damage after we look it over more thoroughly. He said it will just take more time for us to get it back and likely raise our deductible filing a theft claim. It surprises me that ICBC can increase your deductible because someone stole your car, but my husband and decided to just drive it home this evening and look it over better in the am , and likely cancel our claim with ICBC tomorrow.

It is HUGE relief and yes, somewhat surreal. No clue as to why it was stolen - seems like someone who needed the use of the car and drove back and forth from " workplace" til it ran out of gas, according to the civilian who called it in- and noticed parked, but leaving early each morning and returning to the same back alley each night. Maybe some desperate soul trying to eke out some sort of existence, we really just don't know.

It has been a very tiring and stressful few days for me.

Glad they found your car Deb. What an odd set of circumstances: I've never heard of someone doing that before. Hope you feel you can relax now it is back.

I'm sorry to hear about your car, but happy that it has been found! I had my car stolen when I was in grad school, but that was the best thing that could have happened to the poor thing - I got more insurance money to buy another one than I ever would have gotten if I had traded it in. Ha!

Glad to see that your car has been found and still intact!

I'm glad you have your car back, Deborah, and I hope a closer examination shows no damage. I don't know how the insurance industry works in Canada, but here in the U.S. you could pretty much count on your rates being raised following any claim, even if it wasn't your fault.

Very good news, Deborah. Glad the car seems to be with no big damages. As you say, a huge relief.

What an unusual story with your car, Deb. Glad you've got it back in relatively good condition.

Deb, I'm so glad to hear your car is back to you, and seemingly with no damage! I can wholly understand that it has been a tiring and stressful few days.

So glad to hear that you've got your car back. what a relief.

Glad you have your car back, Deb. Years ago, my then neighbors had a daycare. One of the parents left the car running and ran into the house to collect his son. Someone got into his car and drove off. They found the car at a bar about five blocks away -- I guess the thief really needed a drink...

So glad you have got your car back my dear.

>218 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, good to hear that your car was found. ICBC actually does the cleaning for you if you go through with the claim. Probably a good way to go as they sweep the car for possible hazardous materials such as needles. Your premiums and deductible don't increase when you make a claim. You should probably discuss it with your adjuster.

Hooray, for getting your car back, Deb! That is surreal, for sure!

I am 60 pages into A Spell of Winter. I like it, so far.

Hooray for getting your car back! That sounds so creepy.

>219 charl08: Feeling much better, Charlotte. I was out for quite a while today in my car and everything seemed fine. Such a relief!
>220 scaifea: Sadly Amber, my car is so old, I'm not sure that what the insurance company would have given me would have enabled me to purchase a well - running old car like I have. Sorry to hear that you had your car stolen in the past.
>221 lkernagh: Yes ,Lori, just the stereo speakers stolen and we have an old pair at home . Very relieved!

>222 rosalita: Thanks Julia! We have never had a car stolen or known anyone close to us that had their stolen, but the cop seemed to think that if went through our insurance company we'd have to pay a deductible as you say. My husband thought otherwise, but for us, we just decided not bother with a claim . Like you say, even if we did not have make a claim right now, it likely makes a difference to your rates somehow. Seems silly to me, given that one does not have to be careless to have your car stolen. But that is life! :)

>223 ctpress: Thanks Carsten, yes as you say a huge relief! I can back to " normal life " now, which I did today! :)

>224 jnwelch: Joe, it really was surreal in a way and yes a weird story. I am just glad I have my car back and I use the club on the steering wheel for a 2 minute hop out of my car! I got quite a work out putting the club on and off my car today as I had a number of errands to run.

>225 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy. Yes is was stressful. I had kind neighbour bring me over some flowers and a card! :) We really do live in lovely townhouse complex. So glad my car is back!

>226 Ameise1: Huge relief, Barbara!

>227 BLBera: Beth I thought of your comment today and since I was in my car when I stopped to get my mail , I turned my car off before I got my mail out my ' community mailbox". Can't be too careful, I suppose.

>228 johnsimpson: Thanks so much John! I hope all is going well as the wedding approaches

>229 Familyhistorian: Meg , thanks for the advice. My husband is one of those " thorough people" and he looked over the car with a " fine tuned comb" and his flashlight and felt it was fine and he cleaned everything out. So we won't be making a claim. But I certainly did think of what you said. I told asked the cop who found it if any thing creepy had happened to my car and he said " if there had a been a dead body in we would know by now" , which made me chuckle to myself a bit. So I am okay with it all.

>230 msf59: Really weird Mark yes, but likely not as weird as A Spell of Winter . Enjoy! :) Keep me posted.

>231 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda! I am on alert know with my car, though I parked it several places today, and after dark. I am more cognizant of parking in better lit place than on the perimeters of the a parking lot. One of those adventures of life, I guess.

Back to my regularly scheduled programming . I finished Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis a couple of days ago. From my post >188 vancouverdeb:

I bravely plunged into Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis. I have it out from the library , and although the premise of the book did not really appeal to me, I decided that because Fifteen Dogs is shortlisted for two Canadian Literary Prizes, I had to make myself read it. What kind of scared me is that Hermes and Apollo, Greek Gods, make a bet regarding 15 dogs . The fifteen dogs are given human consciousness and language as a result of the bet. First of all, I know nothing about Greek Mythology, and secondly, anthropomorphism as it relates to reading a novel has no appeal to me at all. Or so I thought. I am about 3/4 through and I'll likely be finished later on tonight. A pretty grim read and but hard to put down, though I'll be glad ( I think) to be finished the book. Once I understood that Andre Alexis was writing an apologue, wiki link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apologue, I was better able to convince myself that I could read 177 pages , even with my lack of Greek Mythology knowledge.

I finished the story a couple of days a couple of days ago and I cautiously recommenced it. It really well written and it reminds me of an updated Lord of The Flies or perhaps The Animal Farm. A dark , dystopian tale, and very powerful. It evoked a lot of emotions in me, mainly sadness and shock, though there are wonderful moments of trust and love too, but it is definitely a dark book, and perhaps more so if you love dogs, as I do.

But think it should take a literary prize, it very brilliant, if not my cup of tea. On an enjoyment basis, I would tend to give it a 3. 5, but truly it is a brilliant book, so 4 stars

I had Daddy Lenin by Guy Vanderhaeghe out the library and as it just won the Governor General's Literary prize , fiction, 2015, I plunged into it. Never say I don't suffer for the sake of art! :) It's a collection of short stories and I have read 3 so far. Like most books of short stories, the stories are brief and fairly intense and seem to end with no real resolution. But not too bad, and I'll be able to say I read the GG 2015 award book:) I've done my share of comfort reads lately , so it is good for me to get out of my comfort zone, for a book or two at least.

Morning Deb! Good review of Fifteen Dogs. I may have to sit that one out.

I like Dunmore's writing and atmospheric tone but I do NOT like the "yucky" turn in A Spell in Winter. Ewwwww....

Deb, you make me smile, and I'm deeply indebted to the manner in which you suffer for the sake of art! !

Thumb up for a great review of Fifteen Dogs! Thanks for inspiring me to read this Canadian-acclaimed novel. I love Guy Vanderhaeghe, at least I loved his frontier trilogy: The Englishman's Boy, The Last Crossing, and A Good Man. But not sure I'll explore his short stories, at least not right now.

Great comments on Fifteen Dogs, Deborah. I'm so glad you have your car back.

>235 msf59: Afternoon, Mark. Actually Mark, I pegged you as a guy who would enjoy Fifteen Dogs , but I know your book schedule is full.

>236 lit_chick: Well, Nancy, at least it hasn't come to me cutting off my ear like Van Gogh! :) Not yet. Yes, suffering for the sake of art so as not to appear a mere dilettante in a world of bibliophiles! :) I think you will " appreciate " Fifteen Dogs, if not necessarily enjoy the read. I know short stories are not your thing, but Daddy Lenin is proving to be interesting, though not entirely my cup of tea . At least it is only ? 230 pages or so! :)

>237 BLBera: Beth, depending on your taste, you may or may not enjoy Fifteen Dogs. I too am so glad I got my car back.

Hooray! So glad to hear you got your car back!!! Probably kids...

>234 vancouverdeb: I like all the prize reading going on here Deb. And I love this cover. Something about the colours, maybe.

I'm glad you got your car back! My brother wasn't so fortunate when his car was stolen from the parking lot at work. He lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, and the police were certain it was on a ship headed out of the country. Apparently it's common for that to happen in Texas.

>239 Copperskye: I am so glad that my car is back, Joanne, thanks! I am not sure who stole it , kids, a homeless person in need of car to drive to odd jobs until the gas ran out? The latter is what we suspect, but we don't know who took it. Just glad it's back!

>240 charl08: Charlotte, you are such a fabulous prize reader! I always like to read some of the Canadian Lit Prizes / shortlists etc just so I have an idea of what is considered good literature , and read some of the new to me and debut Canadian authors. It's kind of fun. Quite enjoying Daddy Lenin. I know what you mean about the cover - I'd taken out of the library a couple of times before reading it - it does have an eye catching cover.

>241 cbl_tn: That is interesting , Carrie, that stolen cars head out of the country by boat. Here, we get a lot cars from Toyota, Honda, Kia etc by ship and the cars are locked in big parking lots before being shipped to the dealers lots. I'm not sure where most stolen cars go - used to commit a crime, joy ride, possibly re -sold , that is the thing the cops told us.

Happy Halloween, Deb! I get ZERO trick-or-treaters here at my townhouse, which is perfectly fine by me, LOL, but HH anyway : ). Oh my, just realized little Poppy may be very nervous?

>243 lit_chick: You scare me , Nancy with your wild Happy Halloween wishes! :) Yes, I think I will have a barking Poppy on my hands this evening. We do get Trick or Treaters to our place each year. It always seems to be a day that Dave works til 7:30 or so, and so I get both the kids and a wildly barking Poppy on my hands. I will have to banish here to the upstairs, poor dear!

Daddy Lenin is at least a fairly novel title, Deb.

Have a great weekend.

Great review of Fifteen Dogs, Deborah - hmmm. Lord of the Flies - do sound like a grim read - now maybe you're ready for some more anthropomorphism - or did you had enough :)

I recommend Watership Down or maybe a more gentler title Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Sunday, Deb. I finished A Spell of Winter. It was okay, nothing to rave about. Much of her writing is really good though.

I think I am done with Dunmore. I like more consistency from my authors.

>245 PaulCranswick: Agreed, Paul, Daddy Lenin is an unusual or novel title. Actually an excellent book of short stories - so much so that I've put a hold on Homesick by the same author, and ordered Man Descending, again by the same author. Man Descending is another book of short stories that won the Governor Generals award.

>246 ctpress: Thanks Carsten. Hmmm - as much as I appreciated Fifteen Dogs, I think that is enough dark, somewhat brutal reading for the moment . I take your other titles under advisement.

>246 ctpress: Morning , Mark! I've enjoyed several books by Helen Dunmore, The Betrayal, The Siege and a couple of others that I was not so keen on. Yes, agreed, she is somewhat of an uneven writer.

Later I'll be back later in the day with a few brief comments on Daddy Lenin. What an excellent book of short stories. It really took me by surprise.

Happy post-Halloween Sunday, Deb!

Hi Deb, Happy post-Halloween my dear, we have had a fabulous four days with the wedding which surpassed all my expectations and we are still on an emotional high, sending love and hugs.

Glad Daddy Lenin worked out well. It doesn’t seem to be available here yet, but I'm sure I just have to be patient...

>249 lkernagh: Happy post - time change, Lori! I think I'm feeling that more, though I did dip into a few kit kats and aero bars, and I say that with regret!

>250 johnsimpson: John, I'll have to pop over to your thread and read all about it - and perhaps see a photo or two! Just yesterday my son and daugher in law popped in with a 12 x 12 inch album of their wedding pictures. It is really a beautiful memory of their 3 months ago wedding!

251 Yes Charlotte, Daddy Lenin really exceeded my expectations! It has won the Governor General's Award for Fiction, so perhaps it has a fairly good chance at turning up across the pond in due time. My library is still " on order" for Sleeping on Jupiter and The Moor's Account and it has been that way since the Booker Prize Long List came out. . I suppose they are waiting for them to be available in Canada? I'm not sure. Hmm, I see a question or two for the library in the future. I've been on the hold list for those for quite a few months.

Finished off Daddy Lenin by Guy Vanderhaeghe. He won the Governor Generals Literary Prize here in Canada about 2 weeks ago. You might know him as the author of the fairly popular The Englishman's Boy, The Last Crossing and A Good Man. I had not read any of his previous works and I was prepared to slog through this book of short stories, since the shot stories won one of Canada's 3 biggest Literary prizes. Turns out I loved the short stories and was so impressed by them that I have put a hold at the library for another book by Guy Vanderhaeghe and ordered another from amazon Canada.

A book of short stories is always difficult to review or summarize so here is from the book jacket : Among these nine addictive and resonant stories: A teenage boy breaks out of the strict confines of his family, his bid for independence leads him in over his head. He learns about life in short order and there is no turning back. An actor’s penchant for hiding behind a role, on and off stage, is tested to the limits and what he comes to discover finally places him face to face with the truth. With his mother hospitalized for a nervous condition and his father away on long work stints, a boy is sent to another family for his meals. His gradually building relationship with a teenage daughter who has been left handicapped from Polio opens unexpected doors to the world. In the powerful title story, a middle-aged man remeets his former adviser at university, a charismatic and domineering professor dubbed Daddy Lenin. As their tense reunion progresses, secrets from the past painfully revise remembered events and threaten to topple the scaffolding of a marriage.

With Daddy Lenin and Other Stories, award-winning author Guy Vanderhaeghe returns once again to the form that launched his stellar literary career. Here is a grand master writing at the height of his powers.

As is always the case with short stories, one finds some uneveness. Don't be put off by the the first two stories, which did not grab me, but the vast majority of the stories were intensely interesting. The stories are mainly focused on men, or teen growing into adulthood, and both dark , insightful and at times quite darkly humourous.

Very much enjoyed! 4. 2 Stars! ! Recommended!

Like you, I tend to struggle a bit with short story collections. Glad to see Vanderhaeghe won you over! WHOOT!

Woot! Thumb up for a fab review of Daddy Lenin, Deb! *you must post!* Go, Canada, go! And go Vanderhaeghe, go!

Just taken a bullet from you with Daddy Lenin. Have yet to read a Guy Vanderhaeghe book. Bad me!

>218 vancouverdeb: What a weird car theft story. I've heard of teenagers stealing cars for a joyride but using it to "commute" until it runs out of gas, well, that's just weird.

>253 vancouverdeb: Yay! I'm glad one of the CanLit prize-winners ended up being a winner for you as well as for the judges. I'll keep an eye out for a copy of Daddy Lenin.

>254 lkernagh: Yes, overall I do struggle with short story collections, but sometimes they work really well for me , as in Daddy Lenin.

>255 lit_chick: Nancy, most of my review is just copied from the book jacket, plus a few of my own comments, so need to put in on the main page. Here's hoping you might like to try it someday.

>256 mdoris: Mary , this the first Guy Vanderhaeghe I've ever read, and it was a great experience. The stories all feature men, older, middleaged, or coming of age and all of the stories are darkly humourous. I'm not sure that the trilogy that is so popular would work for me, but maybe. Hope enjoy Daddy Lenin.

>257Ellen, as far as the car theft story goes, yes weird and it is just supposition on the part of the person who called it in and me and the cops. It did not appear to be used for joy riding, nor a crime. I do hope you enjoy Daddy Lenin is you find a copy .

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