What Canadian Literature are You Reading in 2018?

I'm reading Crying for the Moon by Mary Walsh, which I got for Christmas.

Reading some Canadian non-fiction: Curse of the Narrows, by Laura M. MacDonald, about the Halifax Explosion. I bought this book in Halifax last year. It seemed the right book to buy. Fascinating so far.

My first book for the year was Glass Houses, the latest Louise Penny mystery. I enjoyed it but not quite as much as the previous books.

>4 frahealee: The Sisters Brothers was awesome! The movie comes out this year sometime. I am curious to see if they can capture some of the same humour.

I'm reading Hope Has Two Daughters by Monia Mazigh.

I've nearly finished Waiting for Joe by Sandra Birdsell.

I found this Canadian mystery series last year, and really have enjoyed the couple I've read so far. This one was Sign of the Cross by Anne Emery

Last weekend, I devoured (and loved) The Fortunate Brother by Donna Morrissey

Happy I finally discovered Donna Morrissey. I finished Kit's Law this week and loved it.

>11 ted74ca: She is pretty great, isn't she? If you haven't read Sylvanus Now, the first book of the trilogy that ends with The Fortunate Brother I would highly recommend it.

>12 gypsysmom:. Thanks. I've got that book request in at my local library.

I'm about to read all 5 Canada Reads books in advance of the debates. I'm starting with The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline.

For those interested in Canada Reads, check out the LT group devoted to it. The debates run March 26-29.

I'm reading The Boat People by Sharon Bala for Canada Reads.

I'm reading Arcadian Adventures of the Idle Rich, by Stephen Leacock, which does for the big city what Sunshine Sketches does for little towns. I have chuckled a lot at this one.

>15 LynnB: I was going to start that one as well. It looks pretty good.

Finished another in a mystery series by a Canadian author: Obit by Anne Emery. Quite liking this series, though I got a bit confused by all the characters with Irish names in this book.

Finishing my Canada Reads books with American War by Omar El Akkad.

>19 LynnB: What did you think? I finished the audiobook last week and was blown away by it. Very timely and rather scary!

Still thinking abut American War: A Novel. In the meantime, I'm reading Flying Time by Suzanne North.

Yells, I wouldn't have read American War if not for Canada Reads. I don't like war stories or dystopian futures, but I love Canada Reads, so I read it. Here's my review:

This novel is set in the future (2074-2095 mainly). Climate change has devastated the earth; it has changed the boundaries of the U.S. as coastal areas were flooded; it has changed the dynamics of power with a strong, united empire in the middle east, northern expansion of Mexico, and the U.S. is embroiled in its second civil war. Fossil fuels have been banned, but a few break-away southern states continue to use them and to fight for independence. South Carolina is walled off in quarantine because of a deadly, inheritable virus that was used as a weapon of war.

The story revolves around the Chestnut family. When the father is killed by a suicide bomber, the family moves to a refugee camp. Here, nine-year-old Simon and six-year-old twins Dana and Sara (who calls herself Sarat) come of age. We watch as their experiences shape them, with Simon joining a rebel fighting unit and Sarat becoming a highly trained special operative. It is largely through her eyes that the story unfolds. And, it is a violent and tragic story of war. It's also a story of family bonds and enduring friendships. In fact, I found myself often thinking that if only her dad had lived.....how different everything in Sarat's life would be.

I read this for Canada Reads, and it's not what I usually read. So, I can't say I really liked it, but the writing is very good. The author can paint vivid pictures without resorting to long descriptive passages. The characters are so real....able to occasionally find humour and joy in terrible circumstances...able to look past actions that in other circumstances would be unforgivable...occasionally scared out of their wits or simply tired of it all. I think the strong writing makes this book something more than a typical sci-fi or action novel -- it tugged on my emotions.

I'm reading the Lightkeeper's Daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol for a book club.

I'm reading The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens.

The Mountain Story blew me away!

I'm going to read Black Apple by Joan Crate next.

I'm reading Return of the Sphinx, by Hugh MacLennan, and the characters feel more like mouthpieces than people. I prefer his essays, as well as his novels that derive more from his personal experience (Barometer Rising and The Watch that Ends the Night).

I'm re-reading All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews for a book club. Last read it in 2014.

Just finished The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy and now I am reading High Spirits by Robertson Davies. Two excellent writers who are no longer with us but who left a good body of work that Canadians should enjoy for a long time.

I always think of Roy as a Manitoba author and I believe all of her other books are set in Manitoba. So the Montreal setting seemed like a departure for me even though The Tin Flute was Roy's first published novel. As usual, the writing is excellent and the two female characters are superb.

I think Robertson Davies doesn't get the attention that he deserves. High Spirits is a collection of ghost stories that he wrote for the annual Gaudy Night at Massey College when he was Master. They are so witty and literate. I am loving sitting down and finishing one or two stories a couple of times a day.

I just finished Ghost of the Hardy Boys, the autobiography of Leslie McFarlane, the Canadian author who wrote the first 20 or so Hardy Boys books under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon.

In a weak moment, I picked up a "historical romance" at my local library and actually I quite enjoyed it....Also, it's rekindled my interest in learning more about WWI. Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson

I've nearly finished One Brother Shy by Terry Fallis.

So far this month, I've read:
The Parcel by Anosh Irani;
Childhood by Andre Alexis for the second time; and
Angel Falls by Tim Wynveen, a new-to-me Canadian author;

I finished Nightfall by Richard B. Wright last week and was rather underwhelmed by it.

>33 ted74ca: Poor Richard B Wright! He writes a phenomenal book in Clara Callen and then everything else is a complete let down. I've been underwhelmed by October and The Age of Longing. Underwhelmed is a great word for it too. Nothing really wrong, just blah.

>34 raidergirl3:. Couldn't agree more with everything you said!

Just finished one I'd missed in Gail Bowen's Joanne Kilbourn mystery series: The Endless Knot.

I'm reading Readopolis by Bertrand Laverdure.

I hadn't read anything by Wayne Johnston in quite a while; really enjoyed First Snow, Last Light.

I'm reading Little Sister by Barbara Gowdy

I'm putting this one in this category, because Sara Gruen was born in Canada and apparently has joint Canadian/American citizenship status. I was quite disappointed in At the Water's Edge-thought all the characters were unbelievable and it felt like a not very convincing romance novel to me.

I'm about to begin my latest LTER book, Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined by Canadian author Danielle Younge-Ullman.

I'm now reading After James by Michael Helm.

Just finished reading Surfacing the only Atwood on the 1001 list that I had never read. When I finished it I was only going to give it 3 and one half stars but the more I thought about it the more highly I thought of the writing and the themes. It will never be my favourite Atwood but it is quite remarkable that over 40 years ago she was touching on themes of American exploitation of Canada, the destruction of natural habitat and native rights and spirituality.

I apparently have missed a few books in Gail Bowen's Joanne Kilbourn mystery series, so I finished What's Left Behind last night. I keep wishing the main character would prove herself human and actually do something wrong for once, but I guess that's not to be!

Persisting in my quest to complete Gail Bowen's mystery series-finished The Winners' Circle last night.

Finished a non fiction book, for a change: Run, Hide, Repeat: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Pauline Dakin. Quite intriguing.

>47 ted74ca: I’ve heard the documentary about Pauline Dakin in CBC radio. Such a crazy/sad story. She’s remarkably analytical about the whole situation in the interviews.

>48 raidergirl3:. I'll have to check out that interview-it was such a weird tale.

Sometimes described as Canada's Stephen King, and I can see the similarities. Haven't read a horror novel for some time, so on a Sunday when it was 34 degrees outside, seemed a perfect time to try one again.
The Only Child by Andrew Pyper

>50 ted74ca: I liked Pyper's earlier books before he graduated to the horror genre. Lost Girls and The Wildfire Season were excellent but I didn't like The Demonologist as much.

>51 gypsysmom:. I don't think I've read Lost Girls yet; I'm pretty sure I've read The Demonologist but can't remember much about it. I wasn't bowled over by The Only Child but it was a good book to read when the weather is too hot for thinking!

Just finished Sylvanus Now by the writer Donna Morrissey. Love her writing.

I'm about to start The Whirlpool by Jane Urquhart.

>53 ted74ca: Donna Morrissey is wonderful. There is a loose trilogy of the Sylvanus Now books. It goes Sylvanus Now, What They Wanted and then The Fortunate Brother. I have read the first and the third but somehow missed the second one but I have found a copy so I hope to read it soon.

>55 gypsysmom:. I've done something very similar! Read The Fortunate Brother and then realized there were previous novels about the Now family. So, I requested Sylvanus Now from the library, but there was a wait, so I read Kit's Law while I was waiting. Now that I've finished Sylvanus Now, I've requested What They Wanted! But it's all good -Donna Morrissey is a great writer.

I just finished Margaret Laurence’s A Jest of God which was very good. I still have A Bird in the House out from the library. I’ve just realized it is connected short stories about a character, which I love, like Olive Kitteridge. I hope I’ll find time to get to it soon.

I'm reading The Shoe on the Roof by Will Ferguson

I'm re-reading Speak Ill of the Dead, by Mary Jane Maffini, which is set in my stomping grounds of Ottawa.

I've read recently The Disappearing Boy by Sonia Tilson, and am currently reading We'll All Be Burnt in our Beds Some Night by Joel Thomas Hynes.

I'm reading The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu

I'm reading The Wife Tree by Dorothy Speak

>63 frahealee: frahealee: Map of Glass is my favourite by Jane Urquhart; her most famous is Away. But you can start anywhere!

Re Margaret Atwood, I like some of her early novels, like The Edible Woman. I also liked Blind Assassin and Alias Grace which is on my TBR shelves to be re-read.

Agreed Lynn, I too greatly liked Atwood's earlier novels especially the ones you mentioned. I have read Urgquart's Away but I don't think I have read anything else of hers.

For Canadian nonfiction, I'd recommend just about anything by Charlotte Gray: The Promise of Canada, The Massey Murder, Flint and Feather to name a few. She's a great writer.

I'm reading Women Talking, the newest by Miriam Toews

>frahealee: I'd also recommend The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim Defede.

>68 LynnB: I've got Women Talking waiting for me at the library for pick up today. I have greatly liked her other books!

I'm now re-reading Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood.

>67 LynnB: I have never read any Charlotte Gray books but have wanted to so thanks for the reminder.

>66 frahealee: I haven't read A Map of Glass although it is on my TBR pile but I have read Away, The Stone Carvers and The Underpainter. I think The Stone Carvers is my favourite of those.
As for poetry I can recommend North End Love Songs by Katharena Vermette. She won the GG for poetry the year it came out. I don't read much poetry but that one caught my attention. (Plus it's short)

>74 frahealee: Hi Francine, Have you ever read Swamp Angel by Ethel Wilson? I loved it! It takes place in B.C.

There is an Ethel Wilson fiction prize that is awarded to the best fiction of the year of a B.C. writer (since 1985). It is interesting to see those books nominated and the winner of the award. I must read more of them!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Wilson_Fiction_Prize

>76 frahealee: No I wouldn't say that Swamp Angel is of a ghost or goblin theme but I found it a riveting read and was interested to do some research about the author as she did not start writing until later in life. I know it's an old book but for me a goodie!

>78 frahealee: Well said!

My book club chose Requiem by Frances Itani for our September book and we met just last night to discuss it. I read the book in August but unlike many books I retained almost all of the book. It is the story of a Japanese Canadian artist who was interned when he was a small boy. Fifty years later he makes a journey across Canada from Ottawa to the site of the internment camp and as he drives along (with his dog who was a great companion) he remembers his life in the camp and after. It is a powerful, beautifully written book and I think everyone in the book club enjoyed it and found lots to discuss.

Read Washington Black by Esi Edugyan. I put a hold on it at my library as soon as I heard it was published so it was just kismet that I got it and was reading it when it was chosen as one of the five books on the Booker shortlist. Her previous book, Half Blood Blues, was also on the Giller short list. Hope this time it will be chosen. It is also on the longlist for the Giller Prize. I really loved the whole book but the ending didn't quite work for me. On the other hand I keep mulling it over when I have a quiet moment in my day so that is indicative of some good writing. Anyone else read it?

I finished another one of Donna Morrissey's novels today: Downhill Chance. I can't believe it took me so long to discover this writer.

I finished Lost Girls by Andrew Pyper today. Apparently this was a reread for me, because I recorded it here 7.5 years ago, though I don't recall it at all. I liked it both times, though.

I'm reading An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena....not my usual fare, but a nice break from Ulysses late at night.

I'm reading Yasmeen Haddad Loves Joanasi Maqaittik by Carolyn Marie Souaid.

Since last posting, I've read:

Clifford: A Memoir, A Fiction, A Fantasy, A Thought Experiment by Harold R. Johnson
Changing Heaven by Jane Urquhart
Windflower by Gabrielle Roy, and
The Sweet Edge by Alison Pick

I love this witty and fun mystery series-just finished The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley.

I'm about to start The Red Word by Sarah Henstra.

Another in a Canadian mystery series, based in Halifax. Cecilian Vespers by Anne Emery.

I've loved everything I've ever read by Helen Humphreys. My most recent read was The Evening Chorus.

>91 ted74ca: Me too! I have her new one that I put on reserve ages ago and still waiting Machine Without Horses. I loved The River, The Frozen Thames and her war stories.

>91 ted74ca: My brother and sister-in-law just gave me The Evening Chorus for Christmas. It might be the first thing I read in 2019. I think Coventry may be my favourite of her books but they are all great.

In other Canadian literature I just finished listening to the audiobook of Warlight by Michael Ondaatje which I thought was terrific. Apparently former US President Barack Obama also thought so because he put it on his list of his favourite books from 2018.