Tag: canlit
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Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood
The funny thing with reading a lot and only writing in my odd spare moment on weekends means that I often have to remind myself what I read and if I had written a blog about it yet. I was surprised this morning when I realized that I hadn’t actually written my review of Hag-Seed…
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Lattes with Ladies: Alex Dunn!
This week we feature the lovely Alex Dunn! A true entrepreneur, after finding there were few Canadian subscription boxes for book lovers like her Alex set out to create her own. Novel Editions launched in November 2016 and it is already become one of my favourite sources for the best new fiction. Alex opens up…
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The Pain Tree by Olive Senior
I picked up The Pain Tree at the Word on the Street festival in Toronto this past fall. It was recommended to me at the Cormorant Books tent, and always happy to pick up more Canlit and Caribbean lit, I couldn’t say no! Olive Senior is a prolific writer, having published many volumes of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and…
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Rich and Poor by Jacob Wren
I picked up Rich and Poor at the Book Thug tent at Word on the Street. Struck at first by its beautiful cover, the synopsis really hooked me with its brutal honesty: “Rich and Poor is a novel of a man who washes dishes for a living and decides to kill a billionaire as a political act.”…
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An Ode to Festivals
The Word on the Street book and magazine festival hits the Harbourfront this Sunday, September 25, 2016. After four years of attending, I decided to spice things up this year and volunteer for the first time! If you’ve never attended Word on the Street you should definitely check it out this weekend. Literary festivals are…
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Canada Reads: The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King
Thomas King writes history the way I wish it was taught in all schools: passionately, subjectively, and damn truthfully. I decided to get ready for Canada Reads 2015 by reading all the books in advance for once and also fulfill a Read Harder requirement–a book by someone from an indigenous culture–in one fell swoop. It…
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Canada Reads 2015, baby! Let’s go!
I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it! Canada Reads is officially back with a new host, new panelists, and new challenging books! Ah, diversity. I am going to be busy until March 19th. This year I’ve decided to immerse myself into the experience entirely and actually read all of the books before the show.…
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I’m Back, Canada Reads 2015 & #ReadHarder
And we’re back! I am once again working in Toronto after returning to school for another term, which means yet another foray into the world of blogging ha ha ha… This also happens to be the day the Canada Reads 2015 longlist was released and it is delightful. So many diverse writers and the perfect…
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All That Matters by Wayson Choy
This week I read All That Matters by Wayson Choy. A lyrical piece of fiction, by way of the Asian tradition–rich in natural imagery, superstition, and family matters. Choy’s novel is a look inside the complex social dynamics of Chinese culture in light of the changing face of tradition as the Chen family adopts to…
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The Walrus: A Canadian Valentine
I first subscribed to The Walrus in the fall of 2010. They had a stand at Word on the Street Toronto, and it was drawing a large crowd. I’m forever glad that I was just as curious as the average person because I walked away with a subscription and a sweet tote bag for the…
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The Miracles of Ordinary Men by Amanda Leduc
Amanda Leduc’s debut novel, The Miracles of Ordinary Men, is a modern faith story. It asks all the hard questions about belief, destiny, redemption, pain, and God. There are two main protagonists who get an equal share of ten chapters each, an interesting set up. The first is an atheist English teacher named Sam, who…