Reading Frenzy

Further to the post below, another reason I’m loving nursing: I have the perfect excuse to read for hours each day. I read a total of fourteen books in January! I’ve also been managing to blog pretty regularly over at Read, Play, Blog, so there are some new book recommendations over there is you’re so inclined. I’m also keeping a list on the sidebar over there of everything I read.

Before my nightstand pile gets low--do you have any recommendations for me?

Best Books of the Aughts

2010. Wow. One resolution I really must keep this year is to keep a reading journal. I seriously read over a hundred books last year, but I mislaid my journal before the end of January. Actually, I never even wrote in the damn journal, but had stuffed in it a napkin on which I’d scrawled a few notes about the books I read on our vacation.

So I can’t do a braggy post where I list all of the books I read last year. But I can do a list of my favourite books of the past decade. I actually put one together weeks ago to submit to the National Post. It came together pretty quickly, and I tried to keep the agonizing to a minimum. I’m sure I’m forgetting something brilliant, but oh well. Here are my five favourite books of the aughts:


1. Runaway by Alice Munro
2. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
3. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
4. Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden
5. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann


Well, what d'ya think? What would you add to my list?

My New Favourite Blog

I gave you my picks for holiday book buying, but if you want more do I have the website for you! The brilliant Julie Wilson (aka Book Madam aka the gossip girl of the book world) and Sean Cranbury (Books on the Radio) have teamed up to create The Advent Book Blog: Great Books Recommended by Great People. For the month of December they’re posting short recommendations from people who love books: authors, publishing professionals, bloggers and booksellers.



From Julie and Sean:

We’ve asked our participants to respond to the following imaginary scenario: You’re working in your favorite bookstore and a customer walks into the store and tells you that he/she needs a good book. A gift for a curious, open-minded and adventurous reader. The customer is someone that you’ve helped many times before and they trust your taste implicitly, but they’re in a hurry. In 25 words or less (or more, depending on your sense of restraint) what book do you recommend? What book, regardless of genre, format, relative bestsellerness, colour or shape, gets your unequivocal stamp of awesomeness?

The response has been overwhelming, and there are already many wonderful reading suggestions (and much more to come). My wish list is getting longer every day!

Follow Advent Books on Twitter.

Metro's Holiday Gift Guide

It’s that time again! Time for me to try to convince you to give books this Christmas. Between my job and long hours nursing of late, I’ve read a shitload of books this year. These are my recent favourites, the books I wholeheartedly recommend. So save a stressful trip to the mall and head online (or better yet, to your local independent book store. For TO folks, if you haven’t been to the new McNally Robinson at Don Mills, it’s the perfect time!)

Fiction

Homer and Langley by E.L. Doctorow

I adored this book. Homer and Langley is an imagining of the lives of New York’s famous Collyer brothers, compulsive hoarders whose bodies were discovered buried under 130 tons of rubbish in their Fifth Avenue mansion. It’s fascinating and quirky.





Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

Thirteen-year-old Henry is a loner who lives with his permanently sad, agoraphobic mother Adele. During pre-labour day weekend grocery shopping, Henry meets Frank, injured and on the run after escaping from prison. Adele and Henry take Frank home, and as the long weekend unfolds, the trio’s lives are irrevocably changed. This is a sweet, suspenseful, satisfying, pitch-perfect read. Read an interview with Joyce Maynard at Savvy Reader here. Browse inside the book here.

Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving

I just love Irving, and this didn’t disappoint. I don’t mind the reoccurrence of bears, missing digits, absent mothers, etc. With every John Irving book you get a great story, wonderful characters, and perfect setting. (See my event recap here).

February by Lisa Moore (see my review here).

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (read my review here).

You can find more of my favourite 2009 fiction here.

Non-fiction and Reference

Rowed Trip by Colin Angus and Julie Angus

I discovered Colin and Julie Angus shortly after Sherwood was born. Stuck in my chair nursing for hours on end, I travelled vicariously from Scotland to Syria by bicycle and rowboat! I loved it so much, I immediately reserved their entire backlist from the library and devoured them too (and I developed a big crush on the intrepid pair). Check out their website here.



When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

If you’ve read David Sedaris before, I don’t need to sell this to you. If you haven’t, what the hell are you waiting for!

Six Months in Sudan by James Maskalyk

See this post.

1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up

I love the 1001 books, and this is not one to miss! A lovely gift.


Earth to Table by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann

This is a beautiful book, with a timely message. A fabulous gift for the chef of the house (or the folks like me who are useless in the kitchen but covet gorgeous cookbooks).




For the Babes

Getting There by Marla Stewart Conrad

Mom and Me by Marla Stewart Conrad

These are beautiful, beautiful picture books. And there will be more in the series!






For Toddlers/Preschoolers

Maisy Goes to the Library by Lucy Cousins

Candlewick is my favourite children’s publisher and I love the Maisy series. This one is now in paperback.

For Kindergarteners

Creature ABC by Andrew Zuckerman

Cakes is all about the ABC's since she started school, and these illustrations are stunning. There is also a fabulous Creature floor puzzle. It’s nice and big, and great value (there are two double-sided puzzles). Cakes loves this.




There you go. This should get you started. And if you have anyone on your list you’re having trouble shopping for, feel free to drop me a line! Tell me what they like, and I’ll try and come up with more recommendations.

Happy shopping!

Last Night With John Irving

I was fourth in line to see one of my favourite writers, John Irving, last night at the IFOA. It was a wonderful event, so I’ll give you a fairly detailed recap. And video should be available soon--I’ll post a link once I have it.



Irving begins by talking a little about his writing process (he’s written every one of his novels backwards--he can only start writing once he has the final sentence) before reading from his new book, Last Night in Twisted River (I’m expecting my copy in the mail any day, and I can’t wait!) After the brief reading, in conversation with Seamus O’Regan Irving discusses the self-referential elements of the book, and the ubiquitous questions about autobiographical content. He explains that he doesn’t write about events from his life, but rather the things he fears the most, and these fears repeat themselves (severed limbs anyone? For more recurring themes, check out the handy chart at Wikipedia.) In the case of his newest protagonist, Danny, all of his worst fears come true. Like several of his previous books, the protagonist is a writer. Like Irving, Danny was mentored by Kurt Vonnegut, and everything Vonnegut says in the novel is a direct quote! For example, on writing, Danny’s told by Vonnegut, “if you think you’re capable of living without writing, do not write.” Irving agrees; he says being a writer “is not a career choice…it’s a terribly stupid career choice, a compulsion, like an eating disorder.” I’m glad he suffers from this disorder.

A master storyteller, Irving goes on to amuse us with anecdotes. He tells us about meeting Charleton Heston at a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood (during the release of the film adaptation of The Cider House Rules). Unable to reconcile the gun-toting, right-wing Republican with an abortion rights activist, no one at the event would speak to him. Not Irving: “c’mon, it’s Moses!” He sat himself down and they chatted guns (Heston had many more guns than Irving). His point is, you just can’t categorize people.

Next, Irving takes questions from the audience. A high-school teacher asks how he feels about his books being taught. He responds that he’s grateful his novels are being introduced to kids in school, but feels bad for the kid who hates him, because he’s been that kid. Faulkner was forced on him when he was too young, and he still can’t read Faulkner (by the way, his strongest influences are Hardy, Melville and Dickens). An audience member asks when his children first read his books (Irving has three sons). He tells us his eldest read The World According to Garp when he was just twelve(!) Irving was nervous about it, but “didn’t want to blow his liberal reputation.” His son was moved and affected, but not disturbed, and recognized immediately that the book was about his father’s fears.

I could go on and on, but I can’t do this maestro justice, so come back and check out the video. And of course, read the new book!

Any other big John Irving fans reading? What is your favourite book?

The Last Woman by John Bemrose

I’ve finished John Bemrose’s The Last Woman and now I have another book to complain about not being on the Giller longlist. This was my first time reading Bemrose, and now I’m dying to read The Island Walkers.

The Last Woman is set in the eighties, in Northern Ontario cottage country, bordering on a native reservation. Ann and Richard are couple who, married more than a decade, have settled into a comfortable domesticity with their young son. Ann is a painter who wrestles with her work while Richard, a lawyer, plots to launch a career in politics. Their copacetic existence starts to unravel with the reappearance of Billy, the former band leader who has been absent since he and Richard lost an arduous legal battle to claim the land of Billy’s ancestors ten years earlier. But long before that, Billy was Ann’s first love, and his re-entry into their lives opens wounds that had never healed, but festered with the passage of time. I won’t give any more away.

With brilliant characterization, searing depiction of landscape, and multi-layered themes of colonization--of an individual, of a group, of the earth--The Last Woman is a rich, textured, enormously satisfying read.

'Tis the Season to be Reading

I’m so behind with my book reviews. It’s been wonderful having hours to read each day, but with no time to write I’m hopelessly behind. The other problem is that there are many great books from my house coming out now, but I read them months ago on an e-reader (and of course I didn’t write down my thoughts at the time). So in lieu of the individual posts they deserve, here’s some quick thoughts on my favourites for fall:

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
If you loved Oryx and Crake, you’ll love this even more. And I love how Atwood's dove into social media! Check out her website for the book here and follow her on Twitter here (she's tweeting her tour). I just managed to snag a ticket to the T.O. event tomorrow night. Recap to come!

Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro
How many times do I have to tell you to read Alice Munro? Too Much Happiness is Alice in top form (my favourite collection is still Runaway though). If you still haven't read Alice Munro, get thee to your local independent bookstore!

Great Expectations by Dede Crane and Lisa Moore
This is a wonderful collection of original essays about childbirth from twenty-four celebrated writers including (to name just a few) Lynn Coady, Lisa Moore and Joseph Boyden. It’s great reading (and a perfect gift for a new mother). You can listen to excerpts here.

8 X 10 by Michael Turner. This is an inventive, challenging book. As you may have guessed from the title, the author borrows from the visual arts to portray today’s global society. This is one I will read again.

Generation A by Douglas Coupland
A bookend to Generation X, it doesn’t disappoint. I’d also comp it to Girlfriend in a Coma. Plus, this is my favourite cover of the season. Check out a fun video with Coupland here.

Undiscovered Gyrl by Allison Burnett
Heart-rending, original coming-of-age tale chronicled in a blog. This one really stuck with me.

The Wife’s Tale by Lori Lansens
If you haven’t read Lori Lansens yet, go get Rush Home Road, or The Girls. Then read this too.

Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk
This novel is wonderfully imaginative; a surprise treat for me. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him, but I hear the author is lovely. You can find him on Twitter here.

And what are you reading this fall. Has anyone read anything on the Giller longlist? I have the Baile and Mootoo on hold at the library. It’s an interesting list, no? Why isn't Lisa Moore on the list?

Nonfiction Feast

Now that I’m on mat leave, and reading up a storm before baby comes, I’m trying to renew my vow to read more nonfiction. That’s not to say I don’t think reading fiction is very, very valuable: I think we learn a lot from reading fiction, and it makes us more empathetic people. In fact, there was a recent study (can’t find it to link to right now) suggesting that folks who read a lot of fiction have better social skills. But I do feel that I need to be more knowledgeable about what’s happening in the world. McHotty puts me to shame in this department: he reads the Economist and Macleans cover to cover each week, as well as browsing the newspaper online daily. I do try, but I always get distracted by the latest novel.

I have read three excellent nonfiction books recently. This week I devoured Dexter Filkins’ The Forever War. I bought this book for McHotty, but being a fan of fictional war stories (The Wars and Three Day Road are two of my favourites) I thought I should give this a try. Filkins is a foreign correspondent for the New York Times, and the book bears witness the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s, the aftermath of the attack on New York on September 11th, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Eloquent and fierce, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

Another book McHotty raved about, and I found fascinating too is Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers. This book has been on the bestseller list forever, and now I know why. What is an Outlier? Someone who is extraordinarily accomplished. We usually attribute success to factors like IQ and hard work, but it isn’t that simple. While a high IQ is of some importance, it’s not everything (you just need to smart enough, not the smartest). You do need to work hard (it takes about 10,000 hours of doing something to be best in your field) but there’s more to it than that. Things like upbringing, cultural factors and dumb luck play a large role too. This is a book I never would have chosen on my own, and I’m glad it found its way to my pile.

Speaking of bestsellers, another great read (and not something I would usually pick up) is Jeff Rubin’s Why Your World Is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller. Rubin’s thesis is that despite the current recession oil will never be cheap again, and the global economy is going to change. The age of globalization is coming to an end, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing—we’ll be shopping locally, revitalizing our neighbourhoods; manufacturing jobs will return to empty factories, revitalizing entire communities. I’ve seen Rubin speak in person, and he’s dynamic, smart and has very interesting things to say: all the ingredients to write a book about the economy that is accessible and readable as well as thought provoking.

Now, do you have any nonfiction recommendations for me?

Trouble

I’m at the point in the pregnancy where I have absolutely no energy, and am spending many an hour reading in my new zero-gravity chair (the only place I’m comfy right now!)

Kate Christensen’s Trouble was a completely engrossing way to spend a day. In Trouble, forty-something Manhattanite Josie has an epiphany when she spots her own sexy reflection across the room as she flirts with a stranger at a cocktail party: she has endured her passionless marriage long enough and must end it immediately. She sets the separation in motion the very next day. Meanwhile, she’s asked to spend some time in Mexico City with her best pal Raquel, an aging rock star who is getting slaughtered in the tabloids after sleeping with a celebrity half her age. It turns out the young actor has a pregnant girlfriend, and Raquel is being vilified as an evil cougar on the gossip blogs she obsessively checks every day. Josie’s husband doesn’t want to fight for his marriage, and her indifferent 13-year-old daughter calmly accepts the news of the separation, so Josie hops on a plane to support her pal (and party it up a little).

The women do party it up, and unsurprisingly, Josie meets a man. The book introduces many interesting themes: aging, sexual awakening, the mother-daughter relationship, female friendship, class divisions, the power of online media. Unfortunately, it falls short of its potential, and doesn’t satisfactorily explore any of these themes. Yet Troubleis still an absorbing, evocative book to pass a lazy hazy day.

Let the Great World Spin

I picked up this book not knowing anything about it other than the fact that Ragdoll loved it, and she has fantastic taste. As usual, she’s right--Colum McCann’s Let the Great World Spin is a marvellous read.

The story is set in New York City in 1974. The World Trade Centre has recently been constructed, and a high wire artist dances between the towers to the astonishment of those below (a real-life feat by Phillipe Petit). The artist is the connection between the diverse characters in this intricate, interweaving narrative, including: Corrigan, an Irish monk who tenderly cares for the prostitutes in his Bronx neighbourhood; Claire, the Park Avenue judge’s wife, and member of a support group for mothers grieving sons lost in Vietnam; Tillie, the thirty-eight-year-old Grandmother who walks the streets with her daughter; Lara, an artist trying live clean after years of decadence, only to be sidelined by tragedy.

Masterfully, the stories connect (without relying too heavily on coincidence) post 9/11 in 2006. Despite their disparity, the cast has in common faith, resilience, and the appreciation of beauty, in whatever form it can be found. With McCann’s wondrous prose, his ability to capture the spirit of a city and his accomplished characterizations of its eclectic inhabitants, I would comp Let the Great World Spin to In the Skin of a Lion. Definitely one of my favourite books of the year, McCann has spun a great yarn.

BookCampTO '09

Last Saturday I gave up the warm sunny half of the weekend to attend BookCampTO, an unconference on the future of Publishing. It was worth the sacrifice, if only to be surrounded by such passionate, enthusiastic, smart people for the day. It reminds me how much people love working in this industry, and I’m proud to be part of it.

For the most part, the day truly was in the spirit of the unconference: lots of contribution from the attendees, and a free flow of information. There was just one session I attended that was blatantly self promotional, but I won’t name names. I didn’t attend much of the e-book stream, but the consensus among the smart people I chatted with between sessions is that content is content, and we need to deliver it in whatever form people want it. This is an opportunity: it’s not without challenges, but it’s not the end of the world.

A couple of highlights for me were the sessions on The Role of the Publisher, and Who are the Curators. In the curators session we had an interesting conversation about branding and Publishers. There was a difference of opinion in the room about whether or not the people who buy books care or even know who the publisher is. Should we put all of our resources into building the author’s brand, or should we be paying more attention to building our brand. How does this differ between a large publisher and a small one? The people in the room had opinions, but we’re not the general public: we’re spending a sunny summer Saturday at an event called Book Camp for chrissakes.

So my friends, I want to hear from you: do you ever base your book buying decision on the Publisher? Are you aware who publishes the books you’re reading? Do you give a shit? How do you decide which books to buy? Let me know!

Oh, Happy Day!

My beloved Alice Munro has won the 2009 Man Booker International Prize!

If you’ve been coming here for any length of time, you’ll know Alice Munro is my very favourite writer, and I couldn’t be happier she’s won this prestigious prize.

The Man Booker International Prize is worth £60,000 to the winner and is awarded once every two years to a living author for a body of work that has contributed to an achievement in fiction on the world stage. It was first awarded to Ismail Kadaré in 2005 and then to Chinua Achebe in 2007.

The prize seeks to recognize a living author who has contributed significantly to world literature and to highlight the author's continuing creativity and development on a global scale.

I’m halfway through her newest collection, Too Much Happiness, which comes out in August. It’s Alice at her best, and I’m so disappointed it’s coming during my maternity leave when I won’t be around to help promote it (but you can bet I’ll be doing what I can from home).

If you’ve never read Alice, you are missing out. I have a copy of her last collection, Alice Munro’s Best up for grabs for the first person to email metro[underscore]mama[at]hotmail[dot]com (sorry, Canadian only!).

Update: We have a winner! Congrats, Mamalooper.

A Night of Havoc

Last night I had the pleasure of attending my first Chuck Palahniuk event, hosted by McNally Robinson Booksellers at the Isabel Bader Theatre. Chuck’s new book, Pygmy, went on sale last week and his devoted (I’m not using that term lightly) fans were eager to get their hands on signed copies and meet their idol in person. I arrived two hours before the start of the event, and the line was already long. As per Chuck’s request, some of the attendees arrived creatively attired as U.N. delegates (an homage to the climax of Pygmy).






When Chuck arrived, the crowd cheered, whistled and clapped. He stopped to chat with the faithful folks at the front of the line.




He signed a heck of a lot of books, and patiently posed with very happy devotees.



And then the fun really began. Over the course of the evening, Chuck entertained us with his hilarious retellings of 'fairy tales' in Pygmy speak (read one of them here); he was interrupted by a “sext” from Margaret Atwood (he assured the crowd that “boys only tease the writers they like”); and he whipped about 200 inflatable penguins at us (plus one lone naked inflatable man). Seriously. The crowd lapped it up.





In conversation, Chuck talked about the origins of Pygmy’s hilarious pidgin English (it was modeled on his own bad German as well as his older Ukranian immigrant relatives who “will never see his work, so they won’t be hurt”). He explained that writing in Pygmy’s voice actually wasn’t that difficult, and he and his friends made a game out of talking in Pygmy speak. The quotes from fascist dictators peppered throughout the book also came from a challenge to his friends (wouldn’t it be fun to be Chuck Palahniuk’s pal?).

When asked about how he started writing, Chuck told us about the writing workshop he’s attended every Thursday night for 20 years. He said that even if he never sold a piece of work, he would still be writing just for the Thursday night parties. The man likes to have fun; hence the penguins, the stories, the humour. ‘Twas a fun night indeed, and I too am now a devoted disciple of the cult of Chuck.


Want in on the fun? Sign up for Operation Havoc.

Six Months in Sudan

One of my favourite books of the season, Six Months in Sudan, finally went on sale yesterday. I've told you about this one before--it's the story of Dr. James Maskalyk's mission in Sudan with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). The book was born from the blog he wrote in his hut in Abyei, Sudan. As I've said before, it’s intimate, it’s raw and it’s terrifically written. The book club's reading this book in June, and I can't wait to hear what they think.

Do me a favour--it will just take a minute (literally)--and watch this video. Pretty please.



Learn more at James' beautiful new website, here.

I'm going to the launch at the Gladstone on Sunday at 4 pm (details here). Let me know if you'd like to join me!

Well, It Sure Ain’t Erotica

I couldn’t resist the marketing for Charlotte Roche’s Wetlands. I’m a big fan of both smut and literature; so with the tagline, “is it smut or literature” I was intrigued.

Wetlands is narrated by 18-year-old Helen, in hospital after a painful operation on an infected haemorrhoid. To pass the time, she reflects on her relationship with her body and her sexual history, in extremely graphic detail. Helen rejects societal preoccupation with the body’s “dirt” by eschewing hygiene, and exposing/touching/tasting/smelling all of her body’s secretions and emissions. Reacting to expectations that she repress her burgeoning sexuality, Helen has as much sex with as many partners as possible. But this isn’t just a cautionary tale against parental repression of sexuality: Helen’s family has managed to remain silent about her mother’s failed attempt to kill herself and Helen’s baby brother. The more Helen tries to convince us of her strength and invulnerability, the more tragic and disturbed she is revealed to be.

I find it hard to believe this book has been criticized as failed erotica. Like Chuck Palahniuk’s equally disturbing Snuff, just because a book is full of sex doesn’t mean the author’s trying to sexually arouse the reader. Rather, Roche’s intent is to provoke a reaction, and man, does she succeed. I’m very open-minded, and far from faint at heart, but the book really made me uncomfortable. I felt a little nauseous when I was reading, and when I finished I made a beeline for a long, hot shower. But, unlike the profound distress of the novel’s young heroine, my discomfort was short-lived. Well, relatively short-lived.

And Now For Something Light

After all of my heavy reading of late, I need something light and fun this weekend. This should fit the bill, no?

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies features the original text of Jane Austen’s beloved novel with all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie action. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Complete with 20 illustrations in the style of C. E. Brock (the original illustrator of Pride and Prejudice) this insanely funny expanded edition will introduce Jane Austen’s classic novel to new legions of fans.

The illustrations take the cake. This will either make me laugh, or piss me off, I’m not sure which.

In other book news, purely coincidence, but I’m quoted in Richard Florida’s new edition of Who’s Your City! You can see the excerpt here.

Is Canada Reading?

Last night was book club night and it was our best turnout yet! Despite everyone not loving the book, we had a lot to say about it (well, we had a lot to say period, some of which can’t be repeated here). I’m so glad we started doing this. The time flies by so easily, it’s great to have a standing date with pals. Next month we’re dong JPod, by Douglas Coupland and I can’t wait to hear what people have to say about it!

Is anyone following Canada Reads? As you know, this year’s well-deserved winner is Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes. I’m not a big historical fiction reader, but this one swept me away, and it is indeed a book everyone should read.

You can talk about the book at CBC’s book club, here. They also have an excerpt, author bio and reader’s guide.

Our book club is looking for suggestions for summer. Anyone have some fab reads to recommend?

On Book Communities

My book club met last night. This month’s book was the wonderful Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Guernsey is an elegant, epistolary novel set in 1946 at the end of World War II. It’s composed of a series of letters between London writer Juliet, and the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie society, born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island. It’s charming and captivating, and it was a big hit with the club.


As much as we loved the book, our conversation wasn’t exactly scholarly or focused, which is fine by me. We were sidetracked by other important topics of conversation, including blogging, breasts, online vs real-life friendship, and “wank banks” (you can thank k-girl for coining the term). I love online book communities, but they’re no replacement for the real thing.

Speaking of which, I’m trying to contribute more to GoodReads these days (I’ve abandoned Library Thing in favour of GoodReads). I finally got around to installing the widget here--if you’re looking for book recommendations, take a look. I’m really trying harder to keep all of my communities up to date, but it’s a challenge. I also do Facebook’s weRead, and Indigo Community.

While I’m very negligent in reviewing books here, I do try to rate every book I put on my e-shelves. Sometimes I agonize over this a little, especially because I’ve befriended a lot of authors in these communities. Despite this visibility, I’m a little stingy with my stars. I reserve 5 stars for only my very, very favourites of all time, like Pride and Prejudice, and Blood Meridian. There are fewer than ten books on my shelf with 5 stars. I’m even miserly with 4 stars, reserving them for perhaps my top 10 of the year. 3 stars means I like the book (I probably quite liked it) but it’s flawed in some way, and it wouldn’t be fair to the 4-star books to rate it the same. I’m a big fan of the 3.5 star, which is possible in Facebook but not in GoodReads. So, I’m always in a quandary when I’m faced with a 3.5-star title on GoodReads or Indigo. If I don’t like a book, I don’t put it on my shelf at all (and I rarely finish books I don’t like anymore). What I really need is a tool that will update all of these sites at once.

Do you belong to a book club? An online community? Which one(s)? Do you rate the books? Are you liberal or grudging with your stars?

More Best Books of 2008

Wow, I really am delinquent in my book reviews. Here are four more of my faves for 2008. Happy reading!


Broken by Daniel Clay

This book is a riveting tragicomedy, narrated by Skunk, an eleven-year-old girl in a coma. As Skunk lies still in the centre, the lives of those surrounding her explode: the five menacing Oswald girls and their brute of a father; poor Rick “Broken” Buckley humiliated by the Oswalds and broken by the police; Skunk’s father, who longs for love.

The book draws heavily on To Kill a Mockingbird. And it really reminds me of one of my favourites of 2007, Lullabies for Little Criminals.

Read an excerpt here.



When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson

I don’t read many mysteries, but this is a complex, smart, well-written mystery, with compelling characters, including another young, wise beyond her years young girl named Reggie.

Sixteen-year-old Reggie is the nanny for Dr. Joanna Hunter, who at the age of six witnessed the brutal murders of her mother, brother and sister before escaping their assailant. When Dr. Hunter goes missing, Reggie is the only one who believes something is wrong. That is until she meets Investigator Jackson Brodie (from two of Atkinson’s previous books) who has his own mysterious connection to the case.

Be prepared to stay up all night to find out how it ends!

Read an excerpt here.



What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn

I seem to be on a roll with little girl characters in this list. In What Was Lost a lost little girl with a notebook and toy monkey appears on the CCTV screen of the Green Oaks shopping centre, evoking memories of junior detective, Kate Meaney, missing for twenty years. Kurt, a security guard with a sleep disorder and Lisa, a disenchanted deputy manager at Your Music, together become entranced by the little girl they keep glimpsing on the security cameras. As Kurt and Lisa’s after-hours friendship grows in intensity, it brings new loss and new longing to light.

Like Atkinson’s book, this novel will keep you up ‘til all hours, and will resonate with you long after you finish. It is the winner of the 2007 Costa First Novel Award.

Read an excerpt here.


Babylon Rolling by Amanda Boyden

Don't you love the cover?

Set in New Orleans in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina, Babylon Rolling is narrated by several of the diverse characters whose lives bump up against each other, often too close for comfort. Fearius, fresh out of juvey, embarks on his drug-dealing career; Ariel and Ed, white, middle-class, parents of two relocate from Minnesota; Indira and Ganesha, professionals, move into the biggest house on the block; Cerise Brown, 70-year-old black woman and long-time resident and Philomena Beuregard de Bruges, the white “uptown lady” observe their new neighbours. New Orleans itself is practically another character in the novel (Boyden resides in the city). Gritty and real, the voices simmer and roil until they reach the boiling point.

This book is evocative of the movie Crash, only much more sophisticated.

Amanda Boyden is married to another brilliant writer, Joseph Boyden, this year’s Giller winner for Through Black Spruce (another marvelous book—review to come!)

Read an excerpt here.

Now it’s your turn: tell me your favourite books of 2008. Comment here, or write your own post.

Books for Him

I’ve called this list “books for him” for the sake of symmetry, but these are my personal favourites, so obviously they’re a great choice for the ladies too.


The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Cormac McCarthy is my favourite male author, and this is one of his most accessible books. In spare, vivid prose he paints a bleak picture of the human condition, yet affirms the tenacity of love between parent and child.

I’m so disappointed the movie release has been delayed. Viggo is brilliant casting, no?

Read my review here.








The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis

The is a fresh and funny political satire, with an interesting back-story. Terry Fallis first released the book for free as a podcast. Then he self-published—and won the Stephen Leacock award for humour! Now M&S has published his book. This is a great read, and the author couldn’t be more lovely.









The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Speaking of lovely authors, Andrew Davidson is another one. I know you’re sick of me talking about this book, but I just want to give it one last plug. I think the cover might turn off the guys, but they definitely should give it a shot.

Read my review here.







Want more ideas? I haven’t read these ones, but I’m bringing ‘em home for the men in my life:

Don Cherry’s Hockey Stories and Stuff

John Lennon: The Life

The Montreal Canadiens