What Canadian Literature are we reading in 2025?

The books I'm reading as we start 2025 are by and about English individuals but I hope to be getting to The Unweaving by Cheryl Parisien very soon. I'll post when I do.

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands / Kate Beaton
4.5 stars

In 2005, the author Kate finished university with a social science degree and had student loans to pay off. She was from Cape Breton Island (off the coast of Nova Scotia) and there weren’t a lot of good paying jobs there, so she (like many men do) headed to Alberta to work in the oil sands (which I will, going forward, call the tar sands… yes, that’s what environmentalists call it, but after having read “Fire Weather” by John Vaillant, I do feel like it’s a more accurate description), so she could make a lot of money and pay off those loans. Unfortunately, it is a place where the men outnumber women 50 to 1. There was (likely still is) a lot of sexual harassment (and worse) going on, and Kate had to just deal with it. Complaining did nothing.

It’s disheartening to see this is still so prevalent. It reminded me of the “Class Action” book about the woman in Minnesota(?) working in a mine in the 70s and everything she went through (the movie made from the book was called “North Country”). I used the word disheartening; maybe frustrating or enraging are better words. By the time Kate went to Alberta, it had been three decades since that case (or at least when it all happened), and things haven’t changed!? Ugh! Of course, with the way things appear to be (politically) now and how people talk, etc, it seems another two decades probably still haven’t changed much (if at all).

Though that was the main focus of the book, toward the end there was some mention of the environmental impacts to animals and the other Indigenous communities living nearby.

The Break / Katherena Vermette
4 stars

Emily is only 13-years old. She has a crush on a boy and attends a party he invited her to, but she also doesn’t realize a. what kind of party this is; and b. the boy has a girlfriend… a very jealous girlfriend with a violent streak. Emily ends up in the hospital after a very severe attack, and is surrounded by her extended family as she heals and as the police try to figure out what happened.

This was very good. It’s a very difficult topic, but I liked the writing and thought it was well done. There were a LOT of characters. The first five or six paragraphs were all from different points of view and initially didn’t appear connected. Of course, they were and it was explained, but it was still hard to keep everyone straight and how they were related (many literally) to each other.

I've just started Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton.

Just finished Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue and found it very compelling. So meticulously researched!

>5 ted74ca:, That's one of the books on my wish list that I didn't get for Christmas.

>5 ted74ca: I listened to this book in December and thought it was great too. Donoghue really shines in historical fiction, I think.

I finished reading The Unweaving by Cheryl Parisien and I enjoyed it plus I learned a lot about Manitoba history surrounding the time that Manitoba became a province. I do hope that young people are taught more about Manitoba history than I was. Louis Riel was barely mentioned in our Canadian history texts and certainly nothing about the agreements that were broken. Riel was just starting to be recognized as a leader and not just a traitor. But this book opened up information about other people who were important at that time, including the author's ancestor, Norbert Parisien. I hope the author has more family stories to write about.

>8 gypsysmom: It's funny how education changes based on viewpoint. Louis Riel is a huge deal in Francophone Canada, certainly in Alberta and Ontario where I have lived (French or immersion programs)! We all have our heroes who are friend or foe depending on where we sit!

This is a Canadian author.

Food Pets Die For / Ann N. Martin
4 stars

This is the third edition. The author is looking at commercial pet food diets, what’s in them, the animals testing, all kinds of other crazy things the pet food companies do for profits (potentially at the expense of people’s pets, and certainly at the expense of animals who are used for testing). The author advocates for people making their pets’ food from human-grade foods.

I knew of some of these things, but there are horrifying things going on, particularly the animal experiments. I will add that this book (I don’t think there is a newer edition) is from 2008, but I’d be surprised of many of these practices have changed. The author is Canadian, and looks mostly at pet food in Canada and the US.

There is a good chunk of detail explaining what many of the ingredients you see on packaging actually mean. For this reason, I feel like this is a good book to have as a reference (I borrowed a library copy). It’s hard to keep all the ingredients straight. Pets that were euthanized, but not cremated, are likely in most of these foods… this includes the drug used to euthanize those pets ending up in these foods. Also dead livestock, roadkill, and zoo animals. These are all sent to rendering plants that grind and mix them up, then send them to pet food companies to use in pet food.

The drug companies do awful tests on animals for useless purposes (some, actually useless, while other testing is likely done to find the cheapest things they can add to the food to make more money). I’d already read this, but vets are rarely taught about nutrition except in elective courses, and even then, those courses are taught by the pet food companies themselves. Regulations are pretty much nonexistent, and what regulations there are, are mostly voluntary.

Despite the author preferring a home-made diet for pets (and she includes all kinds of nutrition information that needs to be included (for cats and dogs), as well as recipes), she also mentions a few of the companies that she thinks are better than others (at least back in 2008).

There is a lot of repetition in the book, but I just assumed that was in case someone read the chapters out of order (that is, if they were reading a certain chapter on a certain topic, then maybe later (or not) came to read a different chapter on a different topic).

I'm excited to start Heather O'Neill's latest: The Capital of Dreams

I'm sorry to read that Torontonian Andrew Pyper died January 3 aged 56. I loved Lost girls and Wildfire Season. I usually eschew horror - it's really not my genre- but he had a terrific story telling talent. I didn't know he also wrote under the pseudonym Mason Coile.

Any other Pyper fans?

https://quillandquire.com/omni/remembering-andrew-pyper/

>12 Cecilturtle: I didn't know about the pseudonym. I am not a fan of horror either but I thought Wildfire Season was terrific.

>12 Cecilturtle: Oh no! Only 56!

I've only read one by him, but I really liked it.

I recently finished Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast by John Vaillant. So well researched and so very terrifying. Hard to feel at all optimistic about the world I'm leaving behind for my children and grandchildren.

>15 ted74ca: I'm about 3/4's finished and, to me, it reads like a thriller even though I know how it ends. How can we get these climate change naysayers to wake up and smell the coffee?

Rose à l'île (Rose on the Island) by Michel Rabagliati is an absolute gem. Rabagliati is known for his graphic novels but used a different technique, a more conventional novel with his trademark illustrations. He uses text and page to create a new form of graphic novel; it absolutely works.
A father and daughter travel to a small island in the St-Laurent where the river meets the sea: seals and whales abound, deer and foxes inhabit the island - it is the paradise that it sounds. There, father and daughter reconnect with nature and each other, with friends and with strangers, and leave with a newer and deeper understanding of who they are. It is touching, funny and an absolute delight.

I don't think this has been translated into English yet, but some of Rabagliati's other graphic novels have. If you haven't read any yet, I highly recommend them!

>17 Cecilturtle: This sounds wonderful. And no, it doesn't appear to have been translated but I wonder if my francais reading comprehension is good enough for it? I read French much better than I speak it.

>18 gypsysmom: His language is very accessible: he writes like he talks. Mind you, there are some very Quebecois expressions like "bécosse" for "toilet" (a deformation of "back house"!) or "capoter" (basically, awesome). But the images support the text so you can also infer from the pictures!

>19 Cecilturtle: Thanks. I think I'll give it a try.

I've finished Fire Weather by John Vaillant and I'm greatly looking forward to an online interview with him courtesy of the SciFri Book Club. (If you enjoy reading science based books, including some fiction, this is a great on-line resource: https://scifri-book-club.mn.co/spaces/9306584/feed). As others have said in this group, this is an amazing book, not just about the Fort MacMurray fire in 2016, but also how humans have gotten to this place.

I also read Dropseed by Nettie Marie Magnan which was an LTER book. It's quite a lovely little book about women's lives and expectations. There are three major characters. Sally and Ruth were schoolmates but have drifted apart and are now middle-aged. Mary is Sally's mother and Ruth is a caretaker for her. She is terminally ill and, in reviewing her life, recognizes her mistakes and imparts wisdom to Sally and Ruth. The writing is overly descriptive and could have used a good editor but I enjoyed it. In a way, the book reminded me of Carol Shields' writing although Shields was much more talented in the craft of writing.

Hey, everyone. I've reactivated the Canada Reads thread here:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/367899#n8739732

The 2025 short list is out!

>22 LynnB: Thanks.

>16 gypsysmom: I have to confess it's left me feeling that it's all somewhat hopeless and that we can't possibly reverse all the damage we've already done.

I finished The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters the other day and wish I could say my opinion of it matched all the accolades I'd heard. I thought the subject material (indigenous lives, the ripple effect of long ago trauma, etc) was interesting, but the story telling just didn't grab me, that the characters were somewhat one dimensional, and I found it a tad implausible at times. Certainly not a bad effort for a debut novel, but I was a little let down.

>24 ted74ca: I thought it was interesting how he drew the parallel with tobacco. I grew up in a time where every man and quite a few women smoked everywhere. In my lifetime that has dramatically changed. Hopefully, the same thing can happen with carbon dioxide emissions especially if court challenges make it too expensive to keep doing business as usual.

I'm reading We Spread by Iain Reid

>26 gypsysmom: I sure hope so, and I hope if dramatic change is possible, that it's not too late.

The Incredible Journey / Sheila Burnford
3.5 stars

When their owners leave for months, two dogs and a cat are boarded with a friend many miles away, but when that person leaves for a few days, the pets (after a mixup with the people meant to care for them for those few days) head out to find their way to their owners’ home through the wilderness in Ontario. One of the dogs is older, one younger, but they all have bumps and bruises along the way and sometimes come close to death as the three do their best to survive and take care of each other as they encounter water to swim across, various humans (most who help), and various wildlife.

I enjoyed this. It was quick to read. I do suspect the author had pets herself as many of the descriptions of the animals seemed pretty true to life. Despite this being a Canadian “classic” (I think), I’ve never read it before, nor have I seen any of the movies.

>29 LibraryCin: I don't think I've read this, but I do remember watching the movie in school, probably at the end of the year or just before a holiday break.

>29 LibraryCin: I didn't know it was a Canadian story. The movie was set in the U.S.

I'm reading Days by Moonlight by Andre Alexis

>10 LibraryCin: Food Pets Die For sounds horrific! We currently are pet-free, so no chance I'll make a mistake and buy this food. Years ago I was buying cat food at the Superstore and this woman came along and SCREAMED at me that I was killing my cat. That was fun.

>11 LynnB: I'm excited to start Heather O'Neill's latest: The Capital of Dreams

Me too! Although my copy will have to stay on my shelves for at least the next month

I'm on my 3rd Canadian book this month - Mindful of Murder by Susan Juby. She is always so much fun to read.

Earlier I read two others that I really enjoyed:

High Society - medical thriller set in Southern California by Vancouver author Daniel Kalla
Monkey Beach - Eden Robinson's acclaimed coming of age novel set on the north coast of BC

>31 LynnB: Oh, interesting! Yeah, the book was set in Ontario.

>33 Nickelini: Oh, jeez! That's a bit drastic. :-(

I’m almost finished reading Nick Mount’s exceptional history of Canadian literature in the 1960s and the 1970’s. Arrival is a fascinating book,not in the least bit academic,there is a great deal of humour in the book and I can’t imagine anyone has read more Canadian literature than Nick Mount. He covers everything-the first and last exclusively Canadian literature book stores,what Margaret Atwood read when she was in university. He talks at great length about Margaret Laurence and Alice Munro and why perhaps Canada has produced so many great Female writers and how the publishing industry discriminated against them in the early years. He talks about the concept of CanLit and where the phrase was first recorded. His chapters on Quebec-Marie Clair Blais,etc,Newfoundland,and a lot of BC poets is fascinating. Plus every few pages he highlights a novel-Jest of God-Kamouraska-and he says whether or not he feels it has withstood time.

It’s the best book to read right now as we all need a huge hug as we are facing the abyss. Fantastic,exciting read.

I don’t see anywhere else I can post this.

The ggs have started listing submitted books for 2025. It’s the same as the Giller’s Craving Can lit but it’s a more comprehensive list because the Gillers have a complicated submission process and the ggs consider everything published in Canada. I love these lists because they always introduce me to many writers who I’ve never heard of. The only person I recognize this year is Caroline Adderson who I haven’t read yet. She’s on the list and was on last years craving Canada list because I think the ggs judge by a calendar year wheras the gillers judge from October to October of each year.

>38 alans: sounds like there are all sorts of bits that shows how we shine as a Nation! thanks for sharing :)

Ok. I'm going to gripe. I've just finished La Langue racontée: S'approprier l'histoire du français by socio-linguist Anne-Marie Beaudoin-Bégin (Language retold: re-appropriating the history of French).

Beaudoin-Bégin retraces the origins of French and shows that it was a convoluted evolution rather than a straight line. Sure - interesting especially for folks who are unfamiliar with the topic. Then she starts banging on the drum of French in Québec and how it's important and unique and fabulous. Which it is. But also, it's an old, tired, excluding song. It excludes my beloved Franco-Ontarians, the unique Acadiens, and all the fantastic, resilient Francophones all across Canada, their vibrant communities and specific varieties of French, not to mention all the wonderful imported accents and vocabularies from French speakers across the world. It's exhausting that this book, published in 2019, was unable to see that. Boo.

>38 alans: Thanks for this recommendation. I found it in my library and hope to read it soon.

>39 alans: Anything about Canadian literature is fine to post here.

I just finished reading a book by a local Winnipeg author (who I have actually met through my book club) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Garden of Lost Secrets by Kelly Bowen is set partially in World War II and partially in the present. Although it is a novel many of the details are based on fact and Bowen expands on them at the end of the book in her notes. Didactic Canadian literature fans may quarrel with this being Canadian because it is all set overseas (France, Holland and northern Africa to be specific) but I've always considered anything written by a Canadian writer to be Canadian.

I'm starting The Whispers by Ashley Audrain

I've finished a short historical book intended for grade-school students called Michel Sarrazin by Cécile Gagnon and Emmanuelle Bergeron.
Sarrazin was New France's first doctor and a botanist. He derived all of his local knowledge from Indigenous Elders who taught him the secret of local plants. He gave his name to the carnivorous Pitcher plant (Sarracinia) which grows in bogs in Ontario and Quebec (indeed there are some right near Ottawa!). He also introduced blueberries to France.
The book is full of such fascinating facts and I loved it. Easy to read with a lexicon, chronology and resources, it's a perfect intro for young and old.

Greenmantle / Charles de Lint
3.5 stars

14-year old Ali and her mom, Frankie, have moved to Frankie’s old house after she won the lottery. They are going to fix the house up and stay. But when Frankie’s ex, Earl, learns that Frankie won the lottery, he’s coming after her for the money. Meanwhile, Ali is making friends with their neighbour, Tony. They don’t know at first, but Tony is hiding from the mafia, which he used to be involved in until there was a “hit” out for him. But Ali can tell Tony’s a good guy. In the forest behind their homes are some odd things though: a piper that plays eerie music that makes people do odd things, a stag that appears, a young girl who is a little odd…

This was good. I’m not always a fan of fantasy, but this is urban fantasy (though not an urban area, the bulk of the story is in the “real” world, with parts of fantasy in the forest), and I usually do better with this type of fantasy. Based on the description and cover, there was less fantasy that I expected, so I was happy about that. The book followed many different characters at different points, and I’m not always as interested in the “bad guys’” perspectives when books do this. This was the case, once again, particularly following Tony’s crew. Overall, though, I did like the story, and I like Ali and Frankie, especially. And even Tony. There were some pretty terrible characters, though (looking at you, Earl! For one).

Pyongyang by Guy Delisle is a graphic novel about the author's 3 month stay in North Korea's capital in the early 2000s. It's fascinating to see the city, culture, habits and treatment of foreigners. The book is very authentic: Delisle does not try to present anyone's view and experiences but his own which include his discoveries, surprises and frustrations.
A great discovery of an author for me.

When We Were Shadows / Janet Wees
3.5 stars

Walter is only 5-years old when his Jewish family moves out of Germany to the Netherlands in 1937. He doesn’t understand why they have to leave. In the following years, after the Nazis invade the Netherlands in 1940, Walter’s family has to continually move around and hide to stay safe, often with Walter not really understanding what is going on.

This is nonfiction and geared toward a younger audience. It is an interesting perspective of a young boy who really doesn’t understand (at least for the first few years) what is happening around him as his family constantly needs to keep moving. The book mentions some of the people who were part of the Dutch Underground who helped Walter and his family and includes pictures of some of the people and places. I found the “Hidden Village” in the forest particularly interesting, but I suppose people had to be creative in order to survive. There were letters included that Walter wrote to his grandmother while they were (separately) in hiding. I probably could have done without the narration of an older Walter to his granddaughter.

I'm reading Full Fadom Five by David C. C. Bourgeois

I read The Spoon Stealer by Lesley Crewe recently. It's probably not great literature but it does tell a good story about a woman who was born at the end of the 19th century and lived through two world wars and more. I confess I teared up at one point.

I assume Mavis Gallant counts as Canadian, although she wrote from Europe and most of her stories take place in Europe. Anyway, I recently read both of her novels. Spectacular! Among the best things that I have ever read. Her writing has a surprisingly contemporary tone for works that are over 50 years old at this point. But what makes them very special is the depth of psychological understanding and the exquisite prose style.

>52 CabbageMoth: Definitely, Mavis Gallant is Canadian. I haven't read her novels but her short stories are wonderful (and this is coming from someone who usually doesn't care for short stories).

>53 gypsysmom: I also don’t really like short stories. I might make an exception here though after reading such wonderful novels.

I'm currently enjoying Laughing With the Trickster by Tomson Highway -- this is his Massey Lecture. And as soon as I get the book, I will read Looking for Jane for book club (Heather Marshall)

>55 Nickelini: I love Tomson Highway. His memoir, Permanent Astonishment was wonderful. Last fall I had the pleasure of seeing him in a performance of the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra. He's a classically trained pianist and plays a mean jazz piano.

>56 gypsysmom: That's very cool! I'm waiting for his memoir to come from the library and I also plan to reread Kiss of the Fur Queen soon. I love him too.

I'm reading Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey, one of the Canada Reads finalists.

>58 LynnB: I also read this book. I took it with me on Saturday when I had to take my sister to Emergency and I almost finished it while sitting there with her. I have to say that it was a good distraction while we waited to find out what was the cause of my sister's sudden onset of pain (it was a kidney stone) which took from about 5:30 pm to 3 (4 in CDT which changed while we were waiting) am. Not the type of book that Canada Reads usually focuses on and I suspect it will be one of the early off votes. But if you like a good psychological thriller, it's nice to have one that is set in Canada.

>59 gypsysmom: Ooooh, psychological thriller! I think this will be going on the tbr! LOL!

ETA: And I'm so sorry to hear about your sister's kidney stone. Did she have surgery to get rid of it or was she sent home? "Lucky" for me, when I had one a couple of years ago, they admitted me to hospital to wait on surgery. It was longer than I wanted to be there, but I wasn't in pain while I waited and didn't have to go home without the stone first being gone!

>60 LibraryCin: They said she would pass it and sent her home. And they prescribed some good pain killers to help with the pain. We'll see.

>61 LibraryCin: Interesting. I also don't have kids by choice. I never felt much of a biological urge and didn't have a steady partner until I was 40 by which time I was more interested in my career. I have lots of nieces, nephews and now grandnieces and grandnephews which gives me enough interaction with the younger generations.

>62 gypsysmom: Oh yikes! Hopefully the painkillers do enough!

(I have to admit I'm very glad they were willing to keep me in the hospital and do surgery. Apparently for size, I was borderline, but apparently it was also already causing other issues, so they wanted to do the surgery.)

>63 gypsysmom: My brother doesn't have kids, either, so I'm not usually (nor have I ever been) around kids (except when I was a kid and when I babysat as a teenager). Which I am perfectly fine with. He does (now) have stepkids, but they are older, so I consider them ok. :-) (I don't like kids until they are about 9 or 10 and you can talk to them like a real person! LOL!)

Finished another Canada Reads finalist, Jennie's Boy. I have to say that I had difficulty getting through it. I was angry with the parents for how little care they took of Wayne. I've no doubt they loved him but they didn't seem to realize that it would take more than love and prayers to look after him. (And, the father, supposedly an educated man, was a real disappointment.)

Two great Canadian writers have birthdays today, March 17th. William Gibson was born in 1948 and Peter Robinson in 1950. Robinson died in 2022 but Gibson is still alive and appears to be working on another book. Neither of these writers were born in Canada but are Canadian by virtue of having decided to spend much of their life here. I've read multiple books by both of them but still have some more sitting on the TBR shelves. Any comments about one or both of them?

>68 gypsysmom: I'm not familiar with either of them.

I'm reading We Meant Well by Erum Shazia Hasan

>69 LynnB: They are both what would be called genre writers. Gibson writes science fiction and he's widely credited with creating the term "cyberspace". Robinson wrote mysteries, specifically police procedurals with a Yorkshire detective named Banks. A TV series called DCI Banks aired for 5 years in the UK and then on PBS in the US was based on the books.

>68 gypsysmom: I'm not familiar with Robinson. William Gibson I'm well aware of and applaud his accomplishments. However, I read one of his books (the most famous one) and it was exactly what I don't like to read

>71 Nickelini: Gibson certainly isn't the easiest writer to digest. I'm a sf reader from way back but I recognize that it's a genre that doesn't appeal to everyone. The thing about sf that keeps me interested in the genre is that it can show us where our world is headed, maybe only a few years down the line or maybe centuries or millennia from now. SF writers don't always get it right but when they do (and Gibson seems to have a crystal ball at times) they amaze me.

I'm surprised that neither you nor LynnB have read anything by Robinson (because you are both so well read) and I would encourage you to pick up one of his books if you're looking for something to different to read some day.

>72 gypsysmom: Can you recommend one of Mr. Robinson's books?

>73 LynnB: One of my favourites is Piece of my Heart which has dual time lines, 1969 and 2005. The 1969 one involves a murder at a huge outdoor concert (fictional) featuring some of the great bands of the era. That's probably part of the reason I liked it because that was when I was really into rock music. Robinson quite often includes references to music that Banks is listening to and it always makes Banks seem more realistic.

>74 gypsysmom: That sounds good. Noted!

>75 Nickelini: Thanks.

I'm reading Eight Strings by Margaret DeRosia

Looks like i missed posting this one, too

>71 Nickelini: My comments and feelings exactly - lol
Robinson I could see enjoying

>77 LynnB: Looking at the little blurb that comes up when you hover over this book's title, it sounds very intriguing. Hope you'll give us a fuller discussion when you are finished.

Continuing on the theme of Canadian authors celebrating birthdays, Linwood Barclay, Canada Reads panellist and best-selling author, celebrates his birthday today. That was mentioned by his wife when she congratulated him in a little blurb today. So Happy Birthday to Linwood and well done on Canada Reads.

The Shopping Bags / Anna Wallner, Kristina Matisic

I'm currently reading Son of a Hundred Kings by Thomas B. Costain. It's the story of a young boy from England who travels across the ocean and through Canada from Halifax to Ontario to join his father. Unfortunately, the father committed suicide just before the boy arrives. A man on the train takes the boy in thinking that the boy's relatives in England will send for his return. As time goes by and efforts to find his family are unsuccessful, the boy becomes part of the community. I'm not finished but I'm enjoying the book even though the writing is rather old-fashioned. I didn't realize until I started reading this book that Costain was Canadian. Apparently, he lived much of his life in New York City but retained a slight Canadian accent.

>85 LibraryCin: After seeing Barclay on Canada Reads, I'm planning on reading more of his books. This one sounds interesting.

>86 gypsysmom: I think my favourite is still No Time for Goodbye, which was the first I've read by him, if you wanted a place to start (and haven't read it yet). :-)

I recently finished a re-read of an old favourite - Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway. It will stay on my favourite list

>88 Nickelini: I don't think I've read that one. I really should as I think Tomson Highway is one of the best writers Manitoba has produced.

>89 gypsysmom: I think Kiss of the Fur Queen is still his only novel. I studied it at university and I see online that it's still being read at university, so that's cool. He is wonderful though, isn't he!

>90 Nickelini: I was at McNally Robinson, our premier independent bookstore in Winnipeg, last night for a book launch (more about that in the future). I picked up a copy of Kiss of the Fur Queen since it was front of mind. From the inside of the book it does appear that it is the only novel. However, he has three children's books: Caribou Song, Dragonfly Kites, and Fox on Ice. And his memoir Permanent Astonishment was fantastic.

>91 gypsysmom: I'm in line for the audio version of Permanent Astonishment at the library. I think you will find Kiss of the Fur Queen to be somewhat autobiographical

I finished Baignades by Andrée Michaud, a thriller set in a camping in Quebec. It came highly recommended and I thought it was okay. The first part is a classic chase followed by an annoying second part where the characters are high strung: it rather ruined the story for me although the premise was interesting. I did enjoy the descriptions of landscapes: I could definitely picture myself there and it created a good sense of intimacy.

>81 gypsysmom: Eight Strings was very interesting. It was a bit different, because the reason the main character disguised herself as a man was not to become a puppeteer, but to hid from an abusive family. It's usually a career ambition that I read about. This was survival, assisted by a skill taught to her by her maternal grandfather. It was a great read with the author really invoking a sense of the time and place.

>86 gypsysmom: I really enjoyed A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay. I thought he was a great panelist on Canada Reads...so thoughtful and perceptive.

I've read Refuge by Merilyn Simonds and really liked it. I also reread Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill

I just finished reading The Evolution of Alice by David A. Robertson and I am once again impressed by what a great writer he is. Alice is an Indigenous woman with three young girls living in a trailer on a reserve in Manitoba. The father of the children is in jail for spousal abuse and Alice prefers it that way. A friend of Alice's, Gideon, checks on them frequently and he is called Uncle Gideon by the girls. Tragedy, in the form of a hit and run accident that claims the youngest girl's life almost tears Alice's life apart. I won't claim that it all ends happily ever after but there is a resolution. Lots to ponder in this relatively short book.

One quote that really struck me, probably because it's that time of year IRL:
It was, after all, spring, and that meant the snow had melted away and all the garbage it hid--the cigarett butts, the Slurpee cups, the beer cans, the dog shit, the McDonald's wrappers, and so on--was uncovered. Winter hid the secrets of the city. Spring was confession time.

Lynwood Barclays is a lot of fun,the plot twists are great,but after a few you start to see he’s using the same surprises towards the end.

I am almost finished a first book of stories called Her First Palestinian . I picked it up not knowing anything about it and from the first story I was amazed at the quality of writing in the book.its rare to find a collection of stories where each one bats it out of the park,but I found the entire work outstanding. I also learned a lot about the Palestinian diaspora. I couldn’t believe this is a first work. The author won a Margaret Atwood prize for writing.

I just finished The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson. Loved the Niagara Falls setting, the ghosts, and the coming of age story. Not sure if it considered ya but the narrator is looking back on a particular summer when he was 12, and relating his present day life.

I just finished reading Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew, a Canada Reads choice this year. It's about a mother who left her family in BC to return to her homeland of Brunei and was never heard from by her young daughters. One of those daughters, once she becomes a mother herself, decides to find out what happened to her mother. It was a very touching story and also gives a view of the immigrant experience in Canada. I liked it very much. Thank goodness that Canada Reads brings these gems to our attention.

I'm reading Sleepless Nights by Pierre C. Arseneault

I'm reading my latest ER book, Something Happened in Carlton by Pierre C. Arseneault

I haven't read Guy Gavriel Kay since Under Heaven came out, but I'm finally going back to read Rivers of Stars.

>105 Cecrow: I think Kay is a wonderful writer and I'm so proud that he's from Winnipeg.

I'm reading Hellgoing, a collection of short stories by Lynn Coady

I'm reading Alice, I think by Susan Juby

I am reading Permanent Astonishment by Tomson Highway, a memoir and loving it!

>109 mdoris: It is wonderful. Enjoy!

I read Finding Flora last month, and it was a really excellent read.

>109 mdoris: One of my heroes! Tomson Highway's incredible life is a source of astonishment and admiration for me. Sounds like a book I need to read!

I finished Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice which I enjoyed for its culture, language and portrayal of Anishinaabeg people but I didn't love the plot that I found predictable and a bit superficial.

>104 LibraryCin: Also sad to read that they are logging the forests on Vancouver Island faster than the Amazon

What is your source for that? I've known many foresters and loggers and that sounds wrong. Or maybe that's one of those wonky statistics that people use to back up whatever they want to stress. In reality, they are bound by a zillion rules. I'm not defending raping and pillaging our forests, which has definitely happened. I just like evidence and facts

>113 Nickelini: it was in the book I read. Big lonely Doug. I didn't double check.

I read Big Lonely Doug many years ago and really thought it was good. I was very interested to go and see where these monster trees were being harvested but I never have done that. I live on Vancouver Island and see the trucks regularly transporting trees to market and I also see the very vast forests that remain. I'm guessing that the sadness is that these massive monster first growth trees are gone now, the end of an era.

>114 LibraryCin: >115 mdoris: I haven't read Big Lonely Doug but The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant is one of my favourite nonfiction books of all time. Have you read that one?

I'm following Alice, I Think with its sequel, Miss Smithers by Susan Juby

>116 LynnB: I haven't read it, but I"m adding it to my tbr! Thanks.

>116 LynnB: Yes I have read The Golden Spruce (what an amazing story) and even saw its cousin a small tree of the same variety in Masset on Graham Island enclosed in a spot for tourist viewing.

One book I really loved is Eating Dirt by Charlotte Gill.

Winner of the BC National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction
• Winner of the 2012 Foreword Magazine Editor's Choice Prize Nonfiction
• Shortlisted for the Hilary Weston Prize
• Shortlisted for the Charles Taylor Non-Fiction Award

The Advesary by Michael Crummey 4 stars

This is the first novel I have read by Michael Crummey. The subject matter and characters make it a challenging read, but it is very compelling. The story takes place in a small hamlet in early 1800's Newfoundland.

The main story is between Abe Strap and the Widow Caines, two powerful and well off characters, who largely rule over the outpost of Mockbeggar. The two are brother and sister, and angry rivals in their separate businesses. There is much violence , plagues,and death in this story. There are also many peripheral characters with their own fascinating lives.

I think this could be read on more than one level, as the story at face value, but also as a sort of retelling of the biblical Abel and Cain. The title " The Adversary" could refer to the fact that Abe Strap and the Widow Caines are adversaries, or that the title "The Adversary" refers to Satan. This would be a great book for a group read as there is much to discuss and consider.

Recommended with caveats re the subject matter.

I'm reading Farida by Monia Mazigh. Only touchstone is to the French edition, but I am reading it in English.

I'm reading Swamp Angel by Ethel Wilson

>123 LynnB: ooh, classic Canadian book.

I'm reading The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs and it is quite a good farce. Completely ridiculous, but it is working for me.

Hoping that Patrick deWitt still is a Canadian citizen, although he now lives in Portland, OR. His novel The Librarianist was my book club's selection for June and I enjoyed the gentle humour in this book.

>125 ted74ca: I’d still consider him Canadian.

I’m reading This Little Light by Lori Lansens. She wrote it in 2019, set it ‘futuristically’ in 2024/25.

>125 ted74ca: Definitely still Canadian. I'm sure he has kept his Canadian citizenship. Anyone would be crazy to give it up these days.

>126 raidergirl3: And how much did she get right?

>126 raidergirl3: oh I own that. I’ll have to pull it out if the stacks when I get back home. Writing about the near future is the most challenging

>131 LibraryCin: I read this some time ago and also the next one in the series Flight of Aquavit which I liked even more than this one so try to get your hands on it. I've got #3 Tapas on the Ramblas on deck to read soon. I'll post about it when I get to it.

>132 gypsysmom: Good to know! Oddly, my library did not have the first one (I read it via Open Library), but they do have the second in the series. I hope they have more beyond, but I haven't checked that yet.

>134 LibraryCin: I read this after it was in the Canada Reads 2023 competition and I thought it was well done. I was particularly impressed with how well a man captured a woman's experience. He and his mother must have been very close.

>135 gypsysmom: Yes, agreed! That's a good observation

After not reading anything Canadian for half of May and all of June, I am glad to have completed three books in July.
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author. You will probably know that El Akkad is Muslim and this book is his reaction to the war in Gaza. Hearing the emotion in his voice on the audiobook really brought out how personal the situation is for him. I have to admit that, at times, I was uncomfortable to be a white middle-class Christian listening to this book. But we should all be uncomfortable with the situation.
Tapas on the Ramblas by Anthony Bidulka
I was in the mood for something lighter to take with me on a camping trip and this was just perfect. This is the third book in the Russell Quant series. Quant is a gay male private detective based in Saskatoon. However, most of the action in this book takes place on a cruise in the Mediterranean. Quant is there to find out who wants to kill a rich woman from amongst her family and heirs.
Kukum by Michel Jean
I believe it was CecilTurtle who recommended this book some time ago. It's the story of a white woman who married an Innu man while the Innu were still pursuing their traditional way of life. In her ninety-seven years she gave birth to nine children, spent many winters living in tents, helping with the gathering of food and furs, learning the Innu language and traditions, and then seeing all that collapse with the arrival of logging and hydro and mining and tourism. A great story about an incredible woman but also tragic.

The Valley of Flowers : A story of a TB Sanitorium by Veronica Eddy Brock
Set in, authored in, published in Saskatchewan. A 1987 publication, bought in 1988, but was somehow on my TBR pile.

>140 pickupf: With some books it takes a while for the right time to read them!

I just finished a sad, but somehow also uplifting, novel by Catherine Hernandez. The novel was Scarborough and I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to whoever (I forget) recommended or reviewed Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg. What a great Canadian mystery! Sort of a Law and Order type book with two detectives, and two lawyers (crown and defence) that I want to read more about, set in Toronto, very realistically (I kept going to Maps to see locations, lol). And although I am a Leaf fan, that part of the book was wildly optimistic.

The best part is realizing that there are seven books already in the series.

>145 raidergirl3: Now you have me intrigued. My library has 4 copies, thankfully.

>139 gypsysmom: I'm glad you enjoyed Kukum. I find Michel Jean's writing allows for a optimistic outlook despite harsh and sometimes terrible conditions.
The El Akkad book seems interesting: I've read a couple of his other books, and they tend to be very violent and dark. Listening to him must have indeed been an emotional experience.

I'm just starting Monster by Jowita Bydlowska

I just finished Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein. I listened to the author read it. I liked it? It's quite vague (setting, plot, narrator) but you can certainly read a lot into it, or interpret it different ways. It could definitely do with a reread, and since it is a short book, ~ 4 hours, it is possible. I'd probably read a paper/ebook copy if I reread it. Sometimes trying a different format quite changes the book for me.

>150 raidergirl3: I did not like this book. I read a paper copy and one of the things that bothered me was the run-on sentences the author used. I can see how that might be better in an audiobook. Giller winners can be hit and miss for me. Some of them (Alias Grace, Clara Callan, What Strange Paradise) I have really like. Others, like Reproduction, The Time in Between, and this one just didn't work for me. Last year's winner, Held, was good but I just finished Curiosities by Anne Fleming which was also on the short list and I think it was better. Obviously, I'm not cut out to be a Giller Prize judge!

>151 gypsysmom: Or maybe the Giller Prize judging panel needs you :-)

>151 gypsysmom: Giller is definitely hit or miss. I can see not liking Study for Obedience and I am quite undecided. I didn't hate it while listening to it, and having the author read it actually worked for me, when it often doesn't.

side note: Clara Callan is one of my favourite books! I loved it. I also loved A Fine Balance, Mercy Among the Children, and The Good House but they are very old Giller winners. It probably goes in cycles and the last ten years haven't produced any winners that I'd rave about.

>151 gypsysmom: That's a great idea! Isn't there a Shadow Booker prize that picks what they like?

>152 Nickelini: LOL!

Now here's a book that has stood the test of time. Such a Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry was his first novel and it won the Governor General's award for 1991. Since it is set in 1971 when India went to war with Pakistan over the treatment of East Pakistan which became Bangladesh, it still works as an historical novel. The whole society of that subcontinent is explored through the eyes of married bank clerk, Gustad Noble, a Parsi. Gustad is an amazing creation. I devoured this book in less than 3 days. I'm only sad that I've now read all of Mistry's novels. Maybe I'll start on his short fiction.

>155 gypsysmom: Did he stop publishing novels? Any ideas why?

>156 Nickelini: He hasn't published any novels since 2002's Family Matters and only a short story called The Scream in 2006. There has been speculation that he has writer's block but I wonder if it's not related to the racism he encountered in the US when he did a book tour for Family Matters. Wikipedia say he and his wife were targeted by security agents at every airport. Whatever the reason, it's a real loss because his three novels are all exceptional.

Just finished a very dark, but compelling novel The Push by Ashley Audrain. I realized part way through that it was familiar, and sure enough, I had read it back when it was 1st published in 2022. This is the second time this has happened to me this year-hope my memory is not failing me!

>158 ted74ca: We've all been there I think although now that I catalogue every book I read here on LibraryThing I hope it happens less and less.

>158 ted74ca: That happened when I unknowingly re-read What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. Should've been called What Lynn forgot!

I've recently finished a Canadian novel, Mere by Esta Spalding and Linda Spalding.

It's very hot here again, so I couldn't fall asleep last night, but I did finish The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue. I had a bit of trouble remembering the characters as the story unfolded, and this wasn't my favourite novel of hers by any means, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

>160 LynnB: That happened when I unknowingly re-read What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. Should've been called What Lynn forgot!


Too funny! I recently discovered Liane Moriarty and I liked the one book I read.

The Canadian book I'm reading (audiobook - listening to I mean) is Permanent Astonishment by Tomson Highway. Only 6% in, but so far just wonderful.

In paper I'm reading Cantoras, by Carolina De Robertis. It's a novel set against the dictatorship in Uruguay in the 1970s and 80s. It's very, very good too.

>164 Nickelini: I loved Permanent Astonishment when I read it. Tomson Highway is a great writer and very funny too.

I'm reading Arrival: The Story of CanLit by Nick Mount. He has a wealth of knowledge about this subject and I've learned a lot. On about every second page he has a little synopsis of a book and a star rating. Many of the earlier books I haven't read so I don't know if I agree on his rating but of the ones I have read I'd say his rating agrees with mine.

My friend Jeanne Flemming has just published her first novel, Death at High Tide, so I'm reading it!

It's been sooo hot here and I live near not one, but two active wildfires, so I've been staying close to home and actually did some reading for a change. I just finished Held by Anne Michaels and really loved it. Such beautiful language and so thought provoking. I found myself reading and rereading certain paragraphs to really savour the words. I rarely want to reread a novel after I've finished it, but I do want to read this one again.

I've been reading a collection of short stories, Noir Montréal edited by John McFetridge. Like with any anthology, I don't like all the stories and authors equally, but I have yet to come to a dud: most are terrific thrillers with strong writing; there is a lot of diversity in style and genre. It's fun because I'm discovering new authors to boot. So far I've read Patrick Senécal, Arjun Basu, Geneviève Lefebvre, Catherine McKenzie, Pierre-Yves McSween.

The Noir series is an international collection that features different cities. There is Noir Toronto and Noir Vancouver. Noir Tel Aviv has been sitting on my shelves for a while and I'm now motivated to pick it up.

>168 ted74ca: I have been thinking of you being near the fires. I can see the smoke from where we are (Gulf Island) and the sun last night at sunset was unbelievable, a deep fiery red. Stay safe!

>170 mdoris: the sun from Vancouver last night was fuschia, almost purple

Crazy!

I'm not a true crime fan but I enjoyed reading about Barry and Honey Sherman's contributions to Canada in The Billionaire Murders by Kevin Donovan.

>172 Cecilturtle: Am I correct in believing that their murders still haven't been solved? Does the author have any ideas who did it?

>173 gypsysmom: The case is still open with no clear leads. Donovan proposes a series of theories, from most probable to least. He seems to think that it must be someone who knew the Shermans well: they must have had knowledge of the layout of the house, how to enter, the Sherman's schedule, etc. Alas, it cannot have been the butler; they had no permanent staff in the house.

>174 Cecilturtle: Thanks. Apotex has a presence in Manitoba as well as Ontario; so, I followed the story initially but haven't seen anything for quite a while. I think I'll try to listen to the audiobook.

I posted about Arrival The Story of CanLit by Nick Mount shortly after I started reading it. I've finished it now and I found it extremely interesting. Mount is a professor of English literature at the University of Toronto. He used to be the fiction editor at The Walrus. So, I guess he is in the ideal spot to explore CanLit but he must have spent years researching through old newspapers, TV footage, and long gone periodicals that started in the 1960s. He also interviewed a long list of authors who are still around. I am still amazed at all the little anecdotes he tells about authors. The little reviews he does of over 100 books that were published in the CanLit boom are often quite funny. This really is a book that I would encourage you to read if you are interested in the beginnings of Canadian literature.

>176 gypsysmom: It's on my ever-growing wish list.

>170 mdoris: Thank you for your concern. It WAS a tad stressful, having an out of control large forest fire burning less than 10 km from my house. Recent rain has definitely helped minimize its growth now and crews are better able to access it, but air quality is frequently bad if the wind is blowing in the wrong direction. Sadly, this situation is part of life now in much of Canada.

Finished a novel The Whispers by Ashley Audrain early this morning. Couldn't relate to any of the characters (well off, city dwelling, 30 year olds) but it was still suspenseful and held my interest.

I’m reading Jane Urquhart’s The Underpainter. I loved her The Whirlpool.

>181 varielle: She's a great writer. I think my favourite of her books is The Stone Carvers. I haven't read The Whirlpool but it sounds like I should.

>181 varielle: >>183 gypsysmom: My favourite is A Map of Glass

CBC just came out with a list of 50 (50!) books being released this fall by Canadian authors. There's some intriguing books on here: https://www.cbc.ca/books/fiction-preview-fall-2025-1.7595672?cmp=newsletter_CBC%...

The one that caught my eye is Six for Saint-Pierre(no touchstone) by Kevin Major who is from Newfoundland and has lots of books to his credit including five previous entries for this mystery series. I've never heard of him and I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about Canadian mystery writers. My library has some copies of his books. I think I might try the first one in this series One for the Rock. Is anyone else familiar with this writer?

What book(s) sound interesting to you?

The Chris Hadfield thriller; I’ll probably read the newest Gamauche even though I find them uneven and can’t stand Jean-Guy; and the Lesley Crewe book.
That mystery series sounds good too! Thanks for posting the list

>185 gypsysmom: The only Kevin Major book I've read is not a mystery: No Man's Land. This is a novel about the Newfoundland regiment who fought in the WW1 Battle of the Somme where 272 of them died. The writing style of this book captures extremely well the quiet anticipation in the day before the "Great Push", and the friendships and bonds that grow among the men. There is not a lot of description of the characters involved. Rather, they unfold, much as they would if you actually joined a group and were getting to know your colleagues. This unfolding, even though it may not have provided as many insights as a novel with lots of back stories, somehow made the situations of the soldiers facing a battle where they knew the odds were stacked against them, as poignant as any I've read.

>185 gypsysmom: Just what I don't need as my "wish list" is approaching 3 pages in length! But my birthday is coming up next month...

I'm most interested in Days of Feasting and Rejoicing by David Bergen as I've enjoyed four of his previous books. Starry Starry Night by Shani Mootoo will be high on my list as I loved her previous book, Cereus Blooms at Night. David Adams Richards and John Irving are also favourites.

I just finished listening to Woman, Watching: Louise de Kiriline Lawrence and the Songbirds of Pimisi Bay by Meriliyn Simonds. Louise de Kiriline Lawrence was born in Sweden at the end of the 19th century. She trained as a nurse and, in that capacity, met a Russian officer during World War I. They married and returned to Russia at the end of the war where her husband joined the White Army. They were captured by the Red Army and separated. Louise never heard from him again and it is assumed he was executed. In 1927, Louise came to Canada, working in Ontario near North Bay. In that capacity she became nurse to the Dionne quintuplets for their first year. However, it was as a naturalist, amateur ornithologist and nature writer that she spent the majority of her adult life, gaining recognition for her observations of the birds near her log cabin. She lived to the age of 97, moving from her cabin into North Bay only in the last few years of her life. The author knew Louise during her lifetime and interviewed her and wrote about her. What a fascinating woman and one I had never heard of before. I'd love to read some of her books but, unfortunately, they seem to be out of print.

I'm reading What I Know About You by Eric Chacour

>191 LibraryCin: Thanks for posting. Sometimes I feel like the only person who posts about children's books

>29 LibraryCin: The Incredible Journey is CanLit? I've had it since I was a teen and never realized that.

I do have The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall by Charis Cotter to read after I finish my Early Reviewers wins. I haven't been able to read much since my cataract surgeries in January. Last week I learned that was because I was holding the books too close (I chose the myopic lenses). I'm looking forward to the Cotter -- I've enjoyed all of her books that I've read so far. I must admit, though, that when I saw Canadian Literature, my mind immediately thought of Kari Maaren's CanLit song on YouTube. (A Canadian on Facebook kindly provided the link when this poor, ignorant Yank didn't understand a reference to CanLit.)

>193 Nickelini: I don't read them often (at least not picture books), but occasionally! I suppose it's even less often that I'd be reading one by a Canadian author!

>194 JalenV: I believe the author is Canadian, and I also believe (if I'm remembering correctly) it was set in Ontario (at least that's where the animals started their "journey"!).

Just looked it up (I'm a 70-yr-old former librarian). Yes, The Incredible Journey was set in Ontario and the animals were based on some the Scottish author knew when she lived in Canada.

I finished an endearing collection of Canadian letters

My LTER win from August was Little Shoes written by David A. Robertson, illustrated by Maya McKibbin. It's about a little boy taken by his Kokum to an "Every Child Matters" march. He is struck by a display that includes different sizes of shoes, representing children who never returned home from the residential schools.

I think this would be an excellent book to introduce young children to the residential schools legacy. David A. Robertson must be the hardest working writer in Canada. I know he has a YA book just out, there's a nonfiction book called 52 Ways to Reconcile also recently out and his autobiography about his anxiety disorder was published about a year ago.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I'm pretty fussy about my horror picks because I'm squeamish. This one hits the mark: a haunted house, suspiciously elegant characters, a spunky heroine. There are all the trademarks of a classic Gothic story with a modern twist. The fact that it is set in Mexico definitely contributes to the uniqueness of the story.

>200 Cecilturtle: I thought Mexican Gothic was terrific

>201 Nickelini: It would make a great movie (which I'm not sure I'd go see because I'm squeamish - lol)

>202 Cecilturtle: I'd go see that film!

I'm reading The Ladies' Lending Library by Janice Kulyk Keefer

Just finished The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue and absolutely loved it. One of her best, in my opinion.

>205 ted74ca: I agree, it was great. And I read it during the COVID19 lockdown which made it so topical.

>185 gypsysmom:
He wrote a great young adult novel early in his career called Hold Fast. Something of a classic.

>207 fountainoverflows: Thanks for this information. I see it was chosen for the CBC list of 100 Young Adult Books.

As I said up in 185, I was interested in the writer Kevin Major from Newfoundland. His first mystery, One for the Rock was available as an audiobook so I listened to it. And I liked it. The sleuth is Sebastian Synard, a former History teacher, present tour guide in and around St. John's. In this book, his group is an eclectic mix of Canadians, a woman from the American south and a woman from France. On their very first outing, one of the group, a man from Toronto who has been continuously texting as Sebastian is taking the group from Cape Spear down to St. John's. When his body is found at the foot of a cliff on the trail, it is easy to assume he wasn't paying attention and fell to his death. But, of course, there is more to it than that. The premise that a group of cheated investors came on this trip to do harm to the man who cheated them seems a little far-fetched but it provides lots of fodder for Sebastian to investigate. When he broke his hip later in the book, I could feel for him because I'm recovering from hip surgery.

>185 gypsysmom: I finished Days of Feasting and Rejoicing by David Bergen last week. It’s mentioned on the list you linked. It’s quite different from the other few Bergens I’ve read, apparently a nod to Patricia Highsmith. Quite noir. Unsettling. Female sociopaths, anyone? It’s a book that almost begs discussion. A lot of ambiguity here as to motivation of the main character.

Are you liking Kevin Major’s mysteries. Are they worthwhile in your view?
Thinking of you as you recover from THR. Yes, I bet you can relate. Not fun!

>210 fountainoverflows: David Bergen is a local for me. He appeared a couple of times this past week in our local literary festival which I had to miss this year due to the surgery. I'm intrigued by his latest; maybe I can get my book club to read it next year. We like having local authors as sometimes we can get them to come to our meetings.

Since this was the first book by him that I have read I can't really determine much. But, I like the fact that they are set in NL and that Major includes lots of local historical information. I'll probably try to get my hands on the next one.

In recognition of Truth and Reconciliation Day, I started reading Valley of the Birdtail by Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Douglas Sanderson a few days ago and finished it up this morning. This book has the subtitle "An Indian reserve, a white town, and the road to reconciliation", hence my choosing it for this day. The authors examine the interactions between Waywayseecapo Reserve and the town of Rossburn in Manitoba. Like many other places in Canada, for many years there were bad relationships between Indigenous and white neighbours. Many of the elders on Waywayseecapo were "educated" in residential schools and the younger generations continue to feel the effects. In 2010, the federal government agreed to increase funding for the Indigenous students to equal the amount the students in the surrounding public schools received. The Waywayseecapo Elementary School became part of the school division, more services were available, class sizes were reduced and teachers were paid the same as their counterparts in the public schools. This has resulted in a considerable increase in Indigenous students passing grades and completing high school. It has also meant that the white and Indigenous children have exposure to the history of the other's culture. The book won a number of awards when it came out and, I have to say, the writing is terrific. In addition to telling the story of this one location, the authors expand to suggest that there needs to be a rewriting of the treaties so Indigenous peoples have access to revenue from the resources from the land of their traditional territories. I have my doubts as to whether this will ever come to pass but it's worth thinking about on this day if we hope to have true reconciliation.

>212 gypsysmom: Sounds fascinating. I’ve never heard of the book and appreciate your bringing it to my attention.

>212 gypsysmom: a great choice for today - thanks for posting and another book I'm curious about!

Chambre 1002 par Chrystine Brouillet

I picked this up during the 2023 Francophonie week. I usually enjoy Brouillet, but this one was a disappointment: too many characters swapping recipes with little else. The police investigation is a joke, there is little suspense and the romances are so predictable, it's hardly worth the read. Brouillet writes well, but this is not her best.

>212 gypsysmom: I love that you read something for Truth & Reconciliation Day. It occurred to me this morning that it would have been nice if I'd picked out something, as well! I think I did read something last year. I did watch a gathering (from home) that happened in my city this morning to commemorate, though.

>216 LibraryCin: I think I'm going to try to do this every year from now on. I have two books on my TBR Who We Are: Four Questions for a Life and a Nation by Murray Sinclair and A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby and I know there are a number of other books that would be good. If I remember next year, I'll do a separate thread a month or so before Truth and Reconciliation Day to encourage others to also read something.

>217 gypsysmom: A reminder would be great! Hopefully I'll notice it. :-) LOL! I don't always catch the newly created threads, as I tend to pop over to Talk and look at the threads I've already commented on.

The Last Crossing by Guy Vanderhaege

>219 Cecilturtle: Have you read The Englishman's Boy (which is sort of a prequel to this one)? It was made into a mini-series starring one of my favourite Canadian actors, R. H. Thomson. I searched to see if it was on CBC Gem or Kanopy or hoopla but it's not. It might be on some other streaming service that I don't have a subscription to. Anyway, if you haven't read it I recommend it as I do A Good Man.

>220 gypsysmom: I have not and didn't even know it existed! I originally picked up the novel after a friend recommended it. It sat on my TBR pile for... 20 years (yikes!). Clearly I'm not an expert... thanks very much for the recommendations!

I'm reading Quarry by Catherine Graham

I recently finished Variable Star which is a science fiction novel from 2006. The idea for the book was by the prolific sf writer, Robert A. Heinlein, but he never got around to writing it. The notes he made were found after his death and American-Canadian writer Spider Robinson was tapped to write the book. Although a lot of the book takes place aboard an interstellar space ship, key scenes at the beginning take place in BC. Robinson lived in BC (and probably still does) and several of his books have settings there. I got my start in sf reading Heinlein's books, first his juveniles and then Stranger in a Strange Land which came out when I was in high school. Spider was the natural writer to finish his book because he was often compared to Heinlein but, in my mind, he was much funnier and more affirming of women's roles.

This book sort of closes a chapter because shortly after Robinson wrote this his wife and then his daughter died of breast cancer and he suffered a heart attack. He hasn't published anything since 2008.

I'm reading a novel, Eaton's During the Second French Revolution by Kenneth A. Bray

>224 LynnB: Well that sounds interesting. I'll have to find a copy. My husband likes to say that I tried to keep Eaton's in business all on my own. Damn, I miss good department stores.

>225 Nickelini: The book is ok so far....but there is an anti-FLQ sentiment (ok) which verges on anti-French (not ok) and the writing style is straightforward, like a good high school attempt.

>226 LynnB: A good high school attempt made me giggle. As someone who is from BC and never lived in another province, the FLQ is something I never think about. Maybe I'll just enjoy your comments on this one.

I recently finished The Women of Wild Cove by J. Kelland Perry. It was an LTER book that I was very happy to receive because it ticks many boxes for me. It's a postapocalyptic novel set in Newfoundland. Because of global warming, many places on earth are too hot to sustain life but Newfoundland near the coast is still habitable. Women are the decision makers and the sexes are kept quite separate except for procreation purposes. The community of Wild Cove is quite successful but one 18 year old isn't so happy there. Kat likes to be on her own but she is responsible for a younger child that she is supposed to mentor. One morning when she manages to sneak away from her and the community she is astonished to see a stranger sleeping in the woods. Marcus is from the mainland where sickness has already claimed his wife and his young son is now ill. He heard the people here have a cure and he set sail across the Strait of Belle Isle to find it and take it home. The people who live here are afraid of having outsiders come as they might bring sickness and strife to the island. Kat has to decide whether to report him or help him. It's a really interesting plot but I didn't quite believe the men in the community who are either workers or procreators would be quite as accepting as the author suggests.

I think this is my first Callaghan book, More Joy in Heaven by Morely Callaghan. He seems to have fallen out of favour - certainly I don't hear his name as much as I did when I was growing up, but I'm definitely glad I read this novella. The style is definitely unfashionable and there is a quaintness that evokes nostalgia. The themes, however, are more modern than ever in our society so quick to judge.

>230 Cecilturtle: I read They Shall Inherit the Earth in 2012 and I wasn't overly impressed by it. Maybe I'll have to try something else by him. I have a book of his short stories and a memoir by him on my shelves so I could pick one of them up.

>231 gypsysmom: I think it's important to read him in his context. The language and style came across as a bit simplistic but I found the message profound.

I'm reading Snow Road Station by Elizabeth Hay

I really enjoyed A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson. A quiet, unassuming novel, no great revelations, just a moving story about ordinary everyday people and the things that happen to them and how it connects them all.

Louise Penny was in Winnipeg last week to launch the 20th Inspector Gamache book The Black Wolf. My amazing husband had bought me a ticket to the launch which included a copy of the book. As soon as I finished my book club book for this month, I picked up The Black Wolf. I'm very glad that I read the previous book, The Grey Wolf, last year because, although Penny does her best to give background, this one is very much a continuation of the last one. So, if you are planning on reading The Black Wolf and you haven't read The Grey Wolf I would recommend you pick it up first.

Penny decided to abandon any launches in the USA after Trump came to power, including giving up a launch at the Kennedy Centre. I really hope the Americans will continue to support her despite this decision.

I'm reading Daydreams of Angels, short stories by Heather O'Neill

I'm reading The Difference by Marina Endicott

I’m reading Cold by Drew Hayden Taylor, a horror/mystery but with Taylor’s humour. Not easy to pull off, but he’s a very good writer. Motorcycles and Sweetgrass is one of Canadian lit favs.

I also recently finished The Spoon Stealer, by Lesley Crewe. Easy read with a decent story.

>143 ted74ca: I missed seeing your comment about Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez and I like to promote that book whenever possible. Such a great read, and as you said, sad, but somehow also uplifting. More people should read it! I've since read a few others by Hernandez, not quite as good, but still a solid author.

I finished the deliciously irreverent Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King

>243 Cecilturtle: This was the book that introduced me to Thomas King. I still remember how he used the makes of the cars to mimic the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria (I think it was Nissan, Pinto, and Karmann-Ghia). That just cracked me up. I've read lots of his books since. The Back of the Turtle and Indians on Vacation are also favourites.

>243 Cecilturtle: I loved Green Grass, Running Water. Maybe I should reread it in 2026

Just finished The Pitman's Daughter by Marjorie DeLuca. She was a guest of our book club when we read her book The Savage Instinct. She was really engaging, telling us a lot about the publishing process. This book is her first adult novel written in 2013 and it suffers a bit from what I call first-novelitis. It's got too many characters and the subplots don't really help the main plot. It's set in Durham, England (where Marjorie grew up) during the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. As you might guess from the title, coal mining is the main employment for the area and poverty is rampant. It's a book that takes you into the world very effectively.

I'm reading Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall

Just finished Days of Feasting and Rejoicing by David Bergen and found it intriguing, but the ending was somehow unsatisfactory...

I added this comment to >249 LibraryCin: on another thread, having read Bad Cree for Canada Reads.

The horror parts of this novel left me somewhat confused...I'm still not sure why some of the things happened or what they may mean going forward. But this is also a story of a family whose members have experienced grief and who support each other. I enjoyed that aspect of the book very much. I thought the lingering aspects of grief were really well portrayed. The men were virtually absent throughout the story, which is probably a common scenario, but I felt a missed opportunity to show men supporting -- not rescuing -- and admiring the strength of their female kin. They seemed like that kind of family.

I'm reading The Water Rat of Wanchai by Ian Hamilton, and the prequel, The Dragon Head of Hong Kong

>249 LibraryCin: I am not a fan of horror fiction and I was reluctant to read it when it was on Canada Reads because of that description. However, I did read it and I ended up quite liking it. I would not have classified it as horror at all and I think whoever wrote the blurb for this book was really off the money. I would have emphasized the family relationships and the native spiritual beliefs if I had been writing the blurb.

>252 gypsysmom: Agreed!

Curiosities by Anne Fleming was my book club's selection for November and I finished it last night, just in time for Thursday's meeting. I found it really intriguing, but admit I had some difficulties getting through it because the font size was so very small and I do nearly all of my reading late at night, tucked up in bed with just my bedside lamp on! I'm glad I persisted though; it was an imaginative and gripping read.

I've read three Canadian books this month:

The Spoon Stealer by Lesley Crewe is probably one of her better books. It was charming and I'm glad I read it. Starting before WW1, Emmaline ends up travelling to England from rural NS (Pictou County to be exact, just across the strait from me). The pull of family and issues within the family drive the plot. She stays in England, and as an older lady, she takes a memoir-writing class, and thus we learn all about her life.

I really liked Cold by Drew Hayden Taylor. I've loved his other books, especially Motorcycles and Sweetgrass. He does a terrific job of blending humourous writing with native mythology. As I read this one, I could make comparisons to Stephen King's writing, as this one is definitely a horror story. But Uncle Steve, Taylor writes great characters, keeps the humor there, and moves the story along. There is also a mystery aspect to the story as it appears a serial killer is rampaging through Toronto which involves the police. There is an indigenous professor, a native hockey player, an author on a book tour describing her survival of a plane crash, and a police detective.

6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurcyzk is a crazy ride, paying homage to Agatha Christie (Murder on the Oriental Express, 3:50 to Paddington, as well as Stranger on a Train. Agatha is given a 'writer's retreat' by her husband to travel by train from Toronto to Montreal and write uninterrupted for 5 hours. Except it is Canada in the winter and the train gets stuck. And a body is found. I found it hard to follow what was real and what Agatha was writing as I listened on Libby. (slight quibble: narrator had trouble pronouncing toque and Rene Levesque, sigh) But over all it was a wild ride for me and for Agatha, even if I'm not exactly sure what happened in the end.

>255 raidergirl3: I can relate to being irritated by the narrator's mispronunciations. A number of years ago, I listened to one of Louise Penny's books and that narrator also mispronounced toque. Just last year I read that there was a new French-Canadian narrator for her books so I listened to The Grey Wolf. It was excellent. I wish now that I had let the producer of the audiobook know about the mispronunciation but, at the time, I wasn't reading/listening to as many audiobooks so I didn't bother. I would suggest you do so if you can find a way to contact them.

>255 raidergirl3: Oh! I've been wanting to read the Montreal book - I've been on that train so many times, it would be a fun read!

>255 raidergirl3: How did they mispronounce "toque"?

Those sorts of errors really make my teeth itch. One that still bugs me from years ago was in Y where the reader, when saying Robson Street in Vancouver, pronounced it "ROBE-son" rather than the obvious "Rob-son".

>258 Nickelini: toque with a long o sound, more like toke. It took me right out of the story. In a Canadian book!
I remember a LM Montgomery book, not Anne but a later one, with a family name Clow which on PEI is pronounced like it rhymes with toe, not rhymes with cow. Teeth itch us a good phrase!

I'm reading The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel...and going to Portugal in two days!

>260 LynnB: Have a great trip. I have to confess I didn't much like the book but I've always wanted to go to Portugal.

I read Winnipeg 1912 by Jim Blanchard. Blanchard is a historian who had noticed that quite a few buildings and organizations had their start in 1912. So he went looking into what was happening in Winnipeg that year. It was basically the last year of Winnipeg's boom era. There was lots of investment from foreign investors and business people in Winnipeg had big plans for expansion. Then the investors started to pull back, World War I started, the Panama Canal opened shifting shipping which had been going through Winnipeg, and after the war the Winnipeg General Strike and the flu pandemic were the final nails in the coffin. It was interesting reading, especially details about houses and buildings built then since some of them are still standing. Also, he profiled the Board of Grain Commissioners which started in 1912 to give farmers assurance about grades and weights for their crops. I worked for the Canadian Grain Commission, which was the newer name for the organization, and I remember having quite the celebration in 2012 to acknowledge the centenary.

>260 LynnB: ooh nice. I wonder what Portugal is like this time of year. Do report back.

I was in Portugal for a month in summer and absolutely loved it. Have a great trip

>264 LibraryCin: Good for you for persevering. Mowat did a lot of fine nature writing. Hope your eyes are getting better.

>265 gypsysmom: I suspect I would have rated it higher if my eyes hadn't been bothering me so much! And if it hadn't taken so long to read, but part of that was due to my eyes.

Have just finished David Adams Richards new book Songs of Love on a December Night and thought it was excellent.

>267 mdoris: I need to read more of David Adams Richards. I've liked everything I've read by him but I've only read a few.

>267 mdoris: Thanks for the recommendation. I just re-read The Christmas Tree: Two Tales for the Holidays, two seet short stories about Christmas past. We were in Miramichi this summer and I realized that is where Richards is from. I so loved his Mercy Among the Children, that I want to read some more from him. I'm waiting for Lines on the Water from the library right now.
The only book of his I haven't liked so far was Lost Highway, and I tried to read it twice!

>268 gypsysmom:, >269 raidergirl3: Ditto! I have read 5 but there are 37 listed on his LT bio. I have The Christmas Tree: Two Tales for the Holidays reserved at the library and hope to read it soon. I really like his writing and his digs at contemporary thoughts and trends and his insights into small communities. Fun that you got to visit Miramichi!

>270 mdoris: We went to Miramichi to go tubing on the river, which was so much fun and relaxing. It was during the heatwave this summer and the wildfires in NB and NS. We stopped at a lovely local coffee shop which also had a little book collection. There was a separate display for just David Adams Richards books which was when I realized he was from the area. I should have got one of his, but instead I bought a book about the 100 year anniversary of the The Miramichi Fire. The owner had planned to have an event to promote the book, but she was worried about the actual fire that was going on and couldn't really do it.

>271 raidergirl3: Thank you for your sharing your adventure. Ah, tubing.....oh summer time and hot weather. It sounds dreamy especially in cold dark December!

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

I'm a big fan of Penny and I found out the Three Pines Café opened in her village of Knowlton, Québec. I may have to go on a pilgrimage!

I am currently listening to Margaret Atwood read her memoir Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts. If you've only read her fiction you may not know how funny she is. I'm probably missing seeing some great pictures by listening to the audiobook but the compensation is that I get to hear the nuances she gives to the writing. I'm only about one-quarter through but I already know I'll be recommending this book to many people. Even if you think you don't like Atwood's writing, I would urge you to give this a try.

I've recently read Starry, Starry Night by Shani Mootoo. Not as good as Cereus Blooms at Night by still very good.

Just finished a thriller, Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens. Wasn't that thrilled by it, to be honest, but at least it whiled away the night time hours when I couldn't get back to sleep!

I'm reading A History of Burning by Janika Oza which has been on the TBR shelves for a while.

I finished Rabbit Foot Bill by Helen Humphreys last night and enjoyed it, as I have her other novels I've read. It did leave me feeling like it wasn't somehow complete-that a whole important "chunk" of the story has been glossed over, but maybe it was just too subtle for me, reading in the middle of the night!

>280 ted74ca: Did you know that this book was based on the true story of Hugh Lafave who worked in the Weyburn Mental Hospital? Lafave wanted to write about his time there but needed help. He asked Humphreys to work with him but still couldn't finish the book. Humphreys asked his permission to write the book herself which he granted. My notes from when I read the book says that the book is dedicated to Hugh Lafave.

I am working on reading all of Humphreys books. I recently read her first novel, Leaving Earth, from 1997. It's set on Toronto Island during the 1930s and is about two female pilots who decide to break a record of staying in the air continuously. For a first novel it was very well done.

>281 gypsysmom: Yes, I read about Hugh Lafave. Interesting indeed.

I've picked up Nemesis Spawned by James Lackie. Fantasy isn't at all the genre that I usually read and enjoy, but Lackie is a colleague and all around great person, so I thought I'd support him.
It turns out, I'm really liking the book so far: it's easy to follow (not too many weird worlds) with great imagery and writing. I look forward to giving him back my positive feedback :D