Tag bc book prizes
Vancouver is famous for our temperate rainforest climate, the beautiful mountains and ocean, as well as being called one of the “most liveable cities” in the world. However, the city also has unaffordable housing costs for many residents, is called… Continue Reading →
Victoria (BC, Canada) author Esi Edugyan was already getting all kinds of award nods for her second novel, Half-Blood Blues, when I finally picked it up. It locally won the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize at the BC Book Prizes, and… Continue Reading →
Grant Lawrence recounts his childhood memories and family’s history at their Cabin in Desolation Sound. Mixed in are historical accounts from Captain George Vancouver, who gave the area its name, and tales of adventure and tragedy of the pioneers and… Continue Reading →
Today marks two annual occasions: International Women’s Day and the finalist announcement for the BC Book Prizes. I worked for three years with the company that produces the BC Book Prizes, so I have a soft spot in my heart… Continue Reading →
Tangles: A Story about Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me is a graphic novel by Vancouver author and artist, Sarah Leavitt. As the subtitle indicates, it’s the powerful and emotional (true) story of Midge Leavitt’s battle with Alzheimer’s and the effect… Continue Reading →
I’ve been meaning to read The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon since it came out last year. The Golden Mean got tons of great reviews, nominated for the 2009 CanLit triple crown (the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Governor General’s Award… Continue Reading →
It’s a very exciting time for book people this time of year. All the major prizes are announcing their long lists, or shortlists, or winners. Lots of great book chatter happening. I’ll sum things up as best I can. In… Continue Reading →
Having Faith in the Polar Girls’ Prison is a moving story about a 15-year-old girl who is locked in a prison with her premature baby (named Faith). Narrated by Trista in a stream-of-consciousness style, she tells her past through memories… Continue Reading →
8 x 10 has been recently shortlisted for the BC Book Prizes’ Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. I think it is best to start with the publisher’s description, because if I had been handed this book without recommendation or any idea… Continue Reading →
Dante thinks high school is an earthly version of hell. She hates her new home in the suburbs, her best friend has moved away, her homeroom teacher mocks her and her mother is making her attend a social skills group… Continue Reading →
Michael Nicoll Yahgulaanas (MNY) is the creator of a new style of graphic novel, Haida Manga. Haida Manga combines First Nations’ art style and tales with the Japanese graphic novel form of manga. MNY uses his distinct style of art… Continue Reading →
Honestly, I don’t know what all the fuss was about. This book took me a long time to get through and I wasn’t particularly enraptured with the story. The prose is quite poetic, and it is definitely character driven, but… Continue Reading →
“On the eve of her first day of senior high, May Sutherland’s mother gives her a diary in which to record her experiences. It’s 1948 and the entire student body at Magee High in Vancouver is divided according to their… Continue Reading →
The Old Brown Suitcase narrates the story of Slava and her family as a Jewish family living in Poland during the Second World War. The story details her childhood, a war-torn Poland, being forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, having to… Continue Reading →
I have a confession, I can’t finish these books! I am just not feeling into them. I normally don’t read more than one book at a time, but I couldn’t get into one, so I put it down and started… Continue Reading →
Flight of the Hummingbird: A Parable for the Environment is a very short, but powerful book by local BC artist and writer, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas. This book came into work, and it’s one of my bosses favourites this year. We… Continue Reading →
I can definitely see why The Cellist of Sarajevo got longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Through a series of characters, the reader is shown various aspects of the seige of Sarajevo. The scariest part of this book? I was… Continue Reading →
I almost didn’t pick up this book becasue both the title and cover were unappealing for a YA novel.* However, I’m really glad I did. For Now is an interestingly written first-person account (by Jes) of a “blended” family —… Continue Reading →
This was an amazingly written story of Ishmael’s childhood in Sierra Leone. It really opened my eyes — I didn’t realize that child soldiers, hopped up on drugs and other things, were forced to fight and kill just to stay… Continue Reading →
To be honest, I’m not much one for current poetry. I’m more into the 17th century literature poetry… but Rita Wong is a good writer. Some of the poems I had trouble following, but several of them are responses to… Continue Reading →
Conceit by Mary Novik is a fictional novel that takes place in 17th-century London during the time of John Donne. The novel follows the story of Donne’s daughter, Pegge, as it explores the magnificent yet lewd poetry of “Jack” Donne… Continue Reading →
Porcupine by Meg Tilly is a YA Novel following the story of Jack (Jaqueline) and her younger brother and sister, Tessa and Simon. After their father is killed by “friendly fire” in Afghanistan, their mother falls to pieces and stops… Continue Reading →
