What a reading year it has been! I actually tried to read less this year, in an attempt to concentrate more on reading books more deliberately hoping to write a better review. I’m not sure how successful that was, but by being more “choosy” about what I read (and the books I select and agree to read) I was able to concentrate more fully on some great titles from 2018/2019. I certainly read more fiction than non-fiction, so many titles wound up on the 2019 fiction longlist. So, I’m going to shorten the fiction titles below down to four finalists for “The Very Best!” Book Award for Fiction 2019.
The 2019 Fiction Longlist:
- Explosions by Mathieu Poulin (Translated by Aleshia Jensen)
- In the Wake by Nicola Davison (a Best First Book: Fiction finalist, so, therefore, cannot be on the fiction shortlist.)
- A Circle on the Surface by Carol Bruneau
- The Madrigal by Dian Day (guest-hosted review at Consumed by Ink)
- Hutchison Street by Abla Farhoud
- The Small Things That End the World by Jeannette Lynes
- The Crackie by Gary Collins
- Ramya’s Treasure by Pratap Reddy
- The Philistine by Leila Marshy (also Best First Book: Fiction)
- The Death and Life of Strother Purcell by Ian Weir
- At The Mountain’s Edge by Genevieve Graham
- Fog by Rana Bose
- Celtic Knot: a Clara Swift Tale by Ann Shortell
- Land Beyond the Sea by Kevin Major
- A Joy to Be Hidden by Ariela Freedman
The 2019 Fiction Shortlist:
- A Circle on the Surface by Carol Bruneau
- Fog by Rana Bose
- Celtic Knot: a Clara Swift Tale by Ann Shortell
- Land Beyond the Sea by Kevin Major
These four represent, to me, the “best of the best” and it was difficult to have to choose and leave so many other great titles out, books by authors like Genevieve Graham, Gary Collins, Dian Day and Ian Weir, just to mention a few.
It’s not much of a secret that Carol Bruneau is one of my favourite fiction writers, and Circle on the Surface is a superb story set in Nova Scotia. Fog by Rana Bose was one of those rare, unexpected joys of reading discoveries that was all about Montreal neighbourhoods, cultures and traditions with a murder mystery thrown in. Celtic Knot was a trip back in time to the early days of Canada as a nation with Sir John A. at the helm, and a young Clara Swift earning his confidences to help solve a historic murder. The book has a definite “old” feel to it and the dialogues in the language of the day are especially well-executed. Land Beyond the Sea by Kevin Major is his followup to Found Far and Wide, and it is a good one. Told from both the Canadian and the German side of WWII, it is a “startlingly good feat of historical fiction.”
All the winners of the 2019 “The Very Best!” Book Awards will be announced after Labour Day!
I must also acknowledge the generosity of the publishers and authors for supplying me with review copies throughout the year. They do this in exchange for a fair and independent review; other than a free copy of the book, I receive no other monetary compensation from either authors or publishers.