Send More Tourists…the Last Ones Were Delicious by Tracey Waddleton
While some reviewers think that the humorous title befits this book, I think there is a darker side to many of the stories to which I was immediately attracted to.
First Book
Exile Blues by Douglas Gary Freeman
Exile Blues could be one of the most important Black History novels to appear in recent years, and Douglas Gary Freeman is a writer worthy of consideration.
The Daughter Who Walked Away by Kimia Eslah
A powerful and beautiful debut novel by Kimia Eslah, The Daughter Who Walked Away explores the lives of three Iranian women, across three generations, as they struggle to love and be loved unconditionally.
Inquiries: Poems by Michelle Porter
Michelle Porter is a Red River Métis poet, journalist, and editor. She holds degrees in journalism, folklore, and geography (Ph.D.). She currently lives in St. John’s Newfoundland. Inquiries is the debut collection of her poems.
I’m assuming that the book’s title is tied to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The poems within Inquiries are all tied together taking a hard look at the hardscrabble life of a Métis woman and her children eking out an existence near the Red River (and sometimes in NL), moving when the rent cannot be paid, leaving memories and items behind (a dollhouse that wouldn’t fit in the station wagon, gym sneakers left in a school locker).… Continue reading
Claremont by Wiebke von Carolsfeld
One of the welcome surprises I get from time to time is reading a work of fiction set in a location near where I used to live. Claremont by Wiebke von Carolsfeld (2019, Linda Leith Publishing) is set not only in Toronto but in the Trinity-Bellwoods neighbourhood where I lived for about a year back in the late 1980s. We rented a house on Massey Street (technically in neighbouring West Queen), just a stone’s throw (OK, a 9-minute walk!) to 46 Claremont St.… Continue reading
Summer Shortlisting 2019: Best First Books!
It’s time to start revealing the short-listed titles for the 2019 “The Very Best!” Book Awards!
This year, I thought I would streamline the entire process for selecting books for “The Very Best!” Book Awards. While maintaining a running longlist throughout my reading year, I thought it best to pare that huge list down to two or three books in each category (Best First Book, Short Fiction, Fiction and Non-Fiction).… Continue reading
Even Weirder Than Before by Susie Taylor
Susie Taylor's Even Weirder Than Before is an enjoyable chronicle of Daisy Radcliffe's life journey from Grade 8 through the end of high school in the late 80s/early 90s.
The Forbidden Purple City by Philip Huynh
While Philip Huynh's The Forbidden Purple City is a collection of short stories, they reflect the experience of his generation's being born and growing up in Canada. As such, they are a refreshing perspective on their culture (past and present) that many of us are not familiar with, nor have we read much of the literature resulting from their life experiences.