Tag canadian novel
Two sisters are forever impacted by the events of their childhood in Russia. The story of Anna Grieve and her fragile older sister, Esther, begins in Russia in the 1880s. The vicious persecution of Jews has come to such a… Continue Reading →
Cherie Dimaline focuses on the characters at the heart of her story; the narrative drives home the loss of culture, abuse, and murder they have faced as a minority population.
I wanted to read An Extraordinary Destiny after hearing Shekhar Paleja read in May at a Read Local BC event. I guess Paleja’s theatre background shone through, as he did accents and voices for different characters, and delivered the subtle… Continue Reading →
The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands is a middle-grade adventure novel, with a hint of darkness. It centers around Christopher Rowe, an apprentice to apothecary Benedict Blackthorn during the 17th century. I enjoyed reading The Blackthorn Key by debut author… Continue Reading →
When the fifth book in Alan Bradley’s Buckshaw Chronicles, Speaking from Among the Bones, ended with a series cliffhanger I was in tatters. The book’s story arch had been resolved and then Bradley threw a curve ball at the de… Continue Reading →
Following up on her acclaimed novel, February, Lisa Moore penned Caught which was published earlier this year. It’s already garnered award attention on long- and short-lists. I saw in several places that Caught was being marketed as a crime thriller,… Continue Reading →
Local author Aislinn Hunter will soon be publishing a new novel, and her debut novel, Stay, has been adapted into a film (TIFF, 2013). Stay follows the story of a young Canadian woman living in Ireland with an older man…. Continue Reading →
I’ve been meaning to read Bedtime Story since hearing the author, Robert J. Wiersema, at The Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival in 2010 with Kathleen Winter and Emma Donoghue. Bedtime Story, tells two tales concurrently: the first of a… Continue Reading →
In celebration of Hallmark Day Valentine’s Day, 49th Shelf is crowd-sourcing a list of Books that Feel The Love. They write, “we are highlighting a list of books that celebrate love in whichever way you define it—hot, passionate, blinding love;… Continue Reading →
I read Stella Leventoyannis Harvey’s first novel, Nicolai’s Daughters, as part of the FictionKNITstas project. Even before I picked up the book, I was concerned about what would happen if I didn’t enjoy it—having to work with the author on… Continue Reading →
Far to Go by Alison Pick absorbed me fully—smoothly pulling me further and further into its midst. I didn’t want to stop reading and I absorbed the book in less than a week (quite the feat as it was during… Continue Reading →
Monoceros by Suzette Mayr is an emotional novel of incredible relevance, especially to families, schools, and adults trying to navigate the waters of today’s youth. A seventeen-year-old boy, bullied and heartbroken, hangs himself. And although he felt terribly alone, his… Continue Reading →
Last week I had the honour of volunteering for a tribute dinner to Wayson Choy. The evening was lovely, many childhood friends of Wayson aka “Sonny” spoke, as did individuals from the literary community. The tribute was also a fundraiser… Continue Reading →
I’m not sure what initially drew me to this short novel (probably the tattoos), but I remember my friend/colleague (and author) Cathleen With was reading at the book launch last autumn at The FALL Tattoo & Piercing (side note: I’ve… 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 →
I received this book from work shortly after it was published in 2010, and I can’t believe I waited until this summer to read it. Christopher Meades weaves a unique and interesting tale with Henrik Nordmark and his quest to… Continue Reading →
I finished this book in December, and it was the perfect thing to read on cold, wintery nights. The fourth installment of the Buckshaw Chronicles—I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley—opens with Flavia de Luce in full form. It’s… Continue Reading →
One of the things you may notice on my blog is that I read a lot of Canadian fiction. I am by no means an authority in the area, but I try to keep informed about local authors and Canadian… Continue Reading →
“[Giller] judges said the novel “charts the painful search by a dutiful daughter to learn – and more importantly to learn to understand – the multi-layered truth which lies at the moral core of her dying father’s life”.” wrote The… Continue Reading →
I read Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway last semester for an English course focusing on First Nations fiction. I also wrote my term paper for the course on the novel, exploring how redemptive arts expression can be… Continue Reading →
The Next Sure Thing is published by Orca Books, a local BC publisher with a lot of unique lines of books. A couple years ago I read First Time by Meg Tilly which was from the Orca Soundings imprint. The… Continue Reading →
“I am Moth, a girl from the lowest part of Chrystie Street, born to a slum-house mystic and the man who broke her heart.” So begins The Virgin Cure, a novel set in the tenements of lower Manhattan in the… Continue Reading →
The Night Wanderer: A Native Gothic Novel by Drew Hayden Taylor is a YA coming-of-age story based in the late 90s on a fictional First Nations reserve in Ontario. A sleepy native reserve. A troubled teen girl. A vampire returns… Continue Reading →
Patrick deWitt is being credited with “reinventing the Western genre”, however The Sisters Brothers didn’t really feel like a traditional Western to me. In fact, it didn’t have to take place in a Western setting at all—the horses, the guns,… Continue Reading →
The Little Shadows will be published on September 27, 2011 but is already receiving a ton of buzz (including the Giller longlist Reader’s Choice). And I have to say that the praise is well-warranted. Gentle prose, quiet plot, and enticing… Continue Reading →
