CanadianContent discussion

Good morning readers! It has likely been a busy week as the summer holidays end and school starts and many of us head back to work! I hope everyone is finding time for reading.

September brings Alias Grace for the group read (before the mini series is released) and a back to school challenge!

This week I wrapped up The Orphan's Tale. Entertaining and engaging read - another WWII story - that centers primarily around the circus. It certainly kept me entertained however the ending was so 'over the top' (tee hee!) for me. Really took away from the book in my opinion. Very much a historical fiction light/summer read.

I just started another "bird read" (easy) because I have a ton going on in my life right now. So... Everything You Want Me to Be is up next.... I'm just 10% in.

Hope you all are enjoying your reads and the kidlettes got back to school ok. :)

I'm still reading Punishment. In Audio I listened to H is for Hawk which I did not like as much as I thought I would. It didn't live up to the hype for me. Now I'm listening to The Widow which is engaging enough as far as audiobooks go. Next up will be St. Urbain's Horseman for my Booker book club.

Last night I had my regular in person book club meeting at our local library. We actually combined the two English speaking book clubs from this library and had our very own *Turtle Island Reads*, where 3 members defended a book by an Indigenous author. I defended The Break, another member defended Ragged Company and another member defended The Right To Be Cold: One Woman's Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet. It was a lot of fun and a different way of engaging discussion on the books. I was surprised however that The Right to be Cold won by a landslide. Ragged Company came next so my book (which in my opinion is the best book) was last :-(. Only 2 of the members had read all 3 and a couple more had read 2 of the books and most others had just read one book. Still, I felt like Candy Palmater. I had failed The Break and to convey what an important (and extremely well written) book it is. The Right to be Cold is sooooo badly written, it kind of broke my heart for the written word.

Happy Friday!
Short week for work, but boy has it been busy!
Last week I managed to finish Ginny Moon in paper & Sex on the Brain: 12 Lessons to Enhance Your Love Life in audio. Currently reading The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, a YA, and attempting to re-read Pride and Prejudice. Haven't yet started Alias Grace, but really hope to. With travelling coming up in the next few weeks, I somehow doubt Alias Grace is a book to bring along :)
Hope everyone else's reading is more fulfilling that mine.
Have a great weekend!

@Louise, I can feel your pain through your words! It sounds like people were maybe voting on issues, rather than "the written word" as you say. Climate change and its threat to Arctic populations is one that grabs anyone by the throat, I think (or at least the believers!) and perhaps the people voting -- who hadn't read The Right To Be Cold: One Woman's Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet or the others -- were voting on issues? They clearly weren't voting on "best book" in terms of literature!

I agree with you -- Sheila Watt-Cloutier's book needed some crazy-good editing. But don't feel down! I'm so impressed that you took that on!

After a week of reading only short stories, I decided yesterday that I couldn't take it anymore and started a novel, The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac. Short stories are great, but I need to keep characters with me a little longer than that.

I did put a good dent in the short story genre during the week.

From LeVar Burton reads (a fabulous podcast for the short fiction lover):
1. The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu (loved this one!)
2. Kin by Bruce McAllister
3. The Lighthouse Keeper by Daisy Johnson
4. Empty Places by Richard Parks

From American Housewife by Helen Ellis:
5. What I Do All Day
6. The Wainscoting War

From Canadian Short Stories:
7. The Privilege of the Limits by Edward William Thomson
8. Strayed by Charles G.D. Roberts
9. Paul Farlotte by Duncan Campbell Scott (loved this one!)
10. The Marine Excursion of the Knights of Pythias by Stephen Leacock

I'm currently enjoying Stone Mattress: Nine Tales. I also read a piece of short fiction by Sherman Alexie called Clean, Cleaner, Cleanest.

I finished only one book this week, The Conjoined. I saw the author speak in March with @May and my sister, the night before the Canada Reads finale. She was interesting enough, but wow, this book was just baaaad. The storyline was particularly unbelievable, the characters were likewise impossible to believe, the writing was elementary (I think any of us could have written this -- sans awkward sex scenes -- in high school) and then at the end of the book you run face first into a pedophile sex scene that ground me to a complete halt. Thankfully there was very little left to the book at that point. I gave it 2 stars because I did want to know what "happened" in the end, but I am almost more comfortable with 1.

I'm getting through Nocturnal Animals: Previously published as Tony and Susan, which has definitely got my attention in a "thriller" type way. And in audio I am working through Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, a classic written by a Jewish prisoner in WWII, which is heavy and horrific in every single way possible. I understand that he'll wrap it up with his philosophies on how humans survive in the face of horror, which is really why I picked up this book. It reminds me of Night in its details so far.

This week I finished Exit West. I was torn on this one. I loved the beginning and the final few chapters but the middle lagged for me and I put it down over the long weekend (and it's a short book, so that seemed bad). I gave it 3 stars in the end, but it's probably more like 3.5 stars for me.

I also read Into the Water, which finally came in from the library. It was a great page-turner for the long weekend and I liked it better than The Girl on the Train.

I'm almost finished with No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need and am also finally reading American War. (After I finish these two, I will have only 5 bingo squares left to fill!) American War is good so far, and doesn't seem all that far-fetched given current weather and politics.

I've stalled on Rosie Little's Cautionary Tales for Girls but only because I got distracted by other, shinier books. ;-)

Louise, I'm sorry to hear about your book club experience. The Right To Be Cold: One Woman's Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet definitely needed some work. Voting is problematic if people haven't read all of the books!

Happy weekend everyone! I have been a huge fan of all of Heather O'Neillbooks so I spent the last weekend reading her latest The Lonely Hearts Hotel. The book is just a masterpiece, there is no question in my mind that O'Neill is now one of Canada's greatest authors-her work just gets better and better, and I also have no doubt that she will be short-listed for the Giller and has a very strong chance of winning. The imagination and the magic in this book is just incredible. Not for the faint of hear though because there is some very graphic
pedophilia in the early part of the book that is very very disturbing. The scope of the book is unbelievable and her depiction of Montreal after the first world war and the thirties is just harrowing-prostitutes, drug addicts, terrible poverty, women treated horribly. My only complaint about the book is that she needed a stronger editor. It isn't that the book is too long, but there are far too many metaphors in the book and too much imagery. There were many points where I wanted to literally shake Heather by the shoulders and say-ok-I get it it's enough..tone it down! Her metaphors are always precise and beautiful, but they appear almost every three pages and it just
becomes too flashy and over done.
All in all this is a brilliant book-Dickensian and in some ways it reminded me of One Hundred Years of Solitude. I tried to find a way to contact O"Neill to tell her what a gift I found this book to be but there was no contact online and she doesn't seem to have a web site. But for me so far this is the book of the fall season.
Just unbelievable-her talent is extraordinary.

@ Louise, that sounds like a lot of fun!
@Alan, I have The Lonely Hearts Hotel on hold at the library right now, I really love her writing too.

Right now I am listening to A Tale for the Time Being in my quest to read the 100 Novels that make you proud to be Canadian. I don't recall too many group members mentioning that they have read this. There are a lot of things packed into this book, and I think it defies a genre definition. It goes back and forth in time , so I find I really need to pay attention while I am listening to it.

I am reading Go Set a Watchman which has been only so-so for me so far, but I am only in chapter 3.

@Heather(Gibby) - There's a reason why Go Set a Watchman took so long to be published, IMHO. ('Cause it was meh.) :)

I find the whole Go Set a Watchman story very sad. I really feel
bad for Harper Lee, it is all very unfortunate.

Susan wrote: "Louise, I'm sorry to hear about your book club experience. The Right To Be Cold: One Woman's Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet definitely needed some work. Voting is problematic if people haven't read all of the books! ."

And I'm not sure what people were voting on exactly, it wasn't made clear. The best presentation? The best book? The most important book to read? Their favorite book club member? That can certainly make a difference. From chatting with people afterwards who did read it, they all agreed it was hard to read in terms of content but it was also a book they could not put down. Regardless of the outcome, it was really fun to do and I highly recommend other book clubs to try it.

Allison wrote: "@Louise, I can feel your pain through your words! It sounds like people were maybe voting on issues, rather than "the written word" as you say. Climate change and its threat to Arctic populations i..."

Thanks Allison. I gave me a very small glimpse into how the Canada Reads panelists must feel when their books get voted off. The book you champion becomes your baby and you really want it to be accepted by everyone as being the best one, and it does feel personal when you lose. You feel as though you have failed the book and it's author.

I read The Conjoined not long ago, I didn't think it was as bad as all that though not one of the best books I've read either. I think I gave it a 3 star.

Currently, still reading The Thirst by Jo Nesbø, Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood, and The Manticore by Robertson Davies.

Alan, You could contact Heather O'Neill through Twitter. Her account is @lethal_heroine.

One more week and I'm on vacation for two weeks. Hard to say how much time for reading I'll have as we have a house guest.

Alan wrote: "Happy weekend everyone! I have been a huge fan of all of Heather O'Neillbooks so I spent the last weekend reading her latest The Lonely Hearts Hotel. The book is just..."

This interests me. I absolutely LOVED Lullabies for Little Criminals but not The Girl Who Was Saturday Night as much and I really didn't like her short story collection Daydreams of Angels. But from your description I think I will like this new book of hers so I will check it out. Too bad you're never in Montreal. Heather O'Neill does a ton of author events around here. She even came to one of my book club meetings when we discussed her book and I've seen her several times at other events. She is shy but easily approachable. I can probably get her contact info. for you. I am often compelled to contact authors when I have loved their book and I think they do appreciate the feedback.

Heather(Gibby) wrote: "Right now I am listening to A Tale for the Time Being in my quest to read the 100 Novels that make you proud to be Canadian. I don't recall too many group members mentioning that they have read this. There are a lot of things packed into this book, and I think it defies a genre definition. It goes back and forth in time , so I find I really need to pay attention while I am listening to it. .."

I listened to this book too, a few years ago, for my Booker book club and I recall enjoying it quite a bit, although opinions in my book club varied.

As for Go Set a Watchman, I think it was simply released as a money maker because the book itself was initially unpublished and for a very good reason...

Diane, thanks for O"Neill's twitter account. Unforunately I'm not on twitter-I joined once about a year ago and I was inundated with mail from them that I ran in the opposite direction.

Louise I can't believe you have met the great Heather O' Neill..that
is incredible. I think The Girl who was saturday night was my least favourite of her books-too much brother sister love and too much idolization of the sick brother-but I did think it was well written. Her short story collection totally blew me away because her imagination is unbound. This new one is a bit of Lullabies and a little bit of her second novel (there is a very intense love affair
between two young people in the book) and a lot like her collection of short stories as she gets very fanciful-so it's hard to say what you will think of it. I just think she's so talented. I've seen her on youtube and she seems so normal and demure but her novels are about anything but normal or demure people. she really gets into the gritty in her work.
I've only written to I think two authors in my life and they both wrote back very gracious responses. I think writing-apart from the touring afterwards is a very lonely, frustrating experience so when they hear from their fans I think they appreciate it. I was just reading a mediocre Canadian play last week about a writer
whose books are banned in the small town where she lives, and she has this long monologue where she talks about the terror of the blank page and how trying to be a writer is like tempting death. Maybe that is why so many famous writers in the past drank so much.

Happy Friday everyone!!

I finished The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. I felt that this wasn't as strong as some of her other work.

I also finished reading One Native Life. What a treat it was to read this book. A beautiful book.

I'm about to start Go Ask Alice for my Banned Book bingo square.

@Lousie, I also feel that I am not able to properly convey how amazing The Break is. Maybe because it hits me so close to my heart? Sometimes the English language doesn't adequately convey how I feel.

@Louise - that sounds like a fun book club but again, I am so sorry that The Break was not recognized for the great book that it is. I am all for learning more about issues in the North but The Right to Be Cold is one of the rare books that i could not finish and like others have mentioned needed SO MUCH more editing. A book like Consumption would have been a much better book to read about the North although it is fiction unlike TRTBC.

@Alan - i have a signed copy of The Lonely Hearts Hotel so really need to move it up on my pile. I met her in Niagara on the Lake with May in the spring and she was so open and friendly. She told us that she is working on a memoir which I suspect will be fascinating!

@Megan - i read Go Ask Alice as a teen so look forward to hearing your thoughts on this book!

I am back to work this week so less reading but finished The Spawning Grounds by Gail Anderson-Dargatz which was a great read with some fantasy elements embedded in indigenous culture during a land ownership struggle with families involved that had been connected for generations. I really enjoyed it! It was for my book club and we all chose books from the Evergreen Awards to read and discuss. We had a small turn out with the busy days of back to school so we only had 5 of us but we all chose different books which was fun.

I am starting Alias Grace and listening to Choose the Life You Want: The Way to Lasting Happiness Moment by Moment in the car. It is ok but does not have a lot of unique content.

Go Ask Alice terrified me when I was a teenager. I later heard the whole thing was made up but did it ever give me the creeps. I think it is one of the most memorable books from my teenage years.

Ive got 8 minutes on this desktop.
Heather O'Neill is my darling.
And as for Steven Heighton he is blowing me away Just finishedEvery Lost Country and I could spend my remaining 5 minutes raving about his elegant and concise use of language, his characters, his humanity.

Last week I finished another book that completely engrossed me, the magnificent Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliot Perlman

❀ Susan wrote: "@Megan - i read Go Ask Alice as a teen so look forward to hearing your thoughts on this book!"

Oh yes, I still have my copy that I read back in 1977. It was one of the first books that really stuck with me.

Hi to all, I've been taking a hiatus from commenting for some time but have followed the discussions each week. Lots of wonderful reading this summer for everyone. I have been reading The Invisible Library for my local book club and although I didn't think I would care for the fantasy genre, I have actually found it to be a great read. I have also been enjoying Tom Hank's book of short stories, Uncommon Type: Some Stories.
@ Magdelanye- If you haven't done so, read Steven Heighton's latest book- The Nightingale Won't Let You Sleep- it was most memorable.
@Megan and all- I read Go Ask Alice earlier this year and it is a book that sticks with you...@ Alan I was disappointed to find out that it was pure fiction but it still made for a compelling story!

I ended up enjoying the message in Go Set a Watchman. I think that Harper Lee must have been a brave woman for writing stories that strongly displayed the need for equality and showed people working towards that. However, this book needed editing and writing strength. One can tell that Harper Lee was cutting her writing teeth with this story. I can understand why she never published it and yet kept it. It was her first piece of writing and must have held a dear spot in her heart for just that reason.

I finished Lion in the Valley and enjoyed it. It's not the strongest in the series (quite the opposite) and the story was weak but it was still enjoyable.

Still reading Proust's The Captive (liking) and listening to We Are Water (loving).

I've got so many library books out right now and no time to start reading another book that I'm actually feeling a bit of pressure. I think I'll take some of the books back. I can always get them again later.

I hear ya on the pressure thing Petra. I too suddenly have a bunch of audiobooks that I put holds on at the library that have become available. The dogs are getting longer walks now, lol, as I try to keep up.

@Wanda Adored the Nightengale etc! I am reading my way through all his work.
What synchronicity that you are also reading the invisible library.
I may have another at an update tomorrow as I'm reading some delicious books
cheers!

Welcome back Wanda!! Did you win the ARC of Uncommon Type? I did and unfortunately had just finished reading some Alice Munro so was not terribly impressed with Tom Hank's book although this is probably not a fair comparison for a first publication!

@Wanda and Magdelanye - Steve Heighton keeps coming up so I will need to look one of his books up!

@Petra - sometimes I just have to stop going to the library and focus on the books that I have at home. The library makes me like a kid in a candy shop!

@Louise - lucky dogs!! I am back to work so driving more and getting back into the audio books too. @Allison will be happy to know that I finally tried out Hoopla!

@Petra and Louise...At the library now,,,,I know the dangers!
The reading with Theresa Kishkan last night was swell. Today it is raining and I have a small amount of time to add my intentions for the week. Must mention that I just finished the zippy and rather zany but very enjoyable Ways to Disappear by Idra Novey It seems she is also a poet and translator, and has just translated a novel by Clarice Lispector. Now to get my hands on that!
Also finished this morning Steering by Starlight: Find Your Right Life, No Matter What! by Martha N. Beck. Its a gem. I now want to read her two memoirs, on her differently abled middle son, and her defiance of the mormon church. Anubody know her?

So! This week I will be reading Foam of the Daze: L'Ecume Des Jours by Boris Vian which is a curious sort of book, the intro was fabulous. I also need to get back to Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan which I put aside to finish up the books I had to return this week. I am also engaged in Tara Lee Morins As I Remember It which is very emotionally devestating, like the break in some ways but more like a diary of desperation.
After these, I will focus on Finishing up my cross country challenge and maybe getting to Alias Grace
AHOY!

I just started reading Kathleen Winter's Lost in September. I am not very far in, but it looks like it would be an excellent choice for a book club selection. Enjoying it very much.

My long weekend read wasThe Lightkeeper's Daughters, recommended by a friend. I actually preferred this to The Light Between Oceans for the depiction of life at an island lighthouse. Thematically similar at times to Orphan Train but set around Thunder Bay.

I also finished The Ghost Orchard by Helen Humphreys. Accessible, and best enjoyed while eating a selection of apples. I will be paying closer attention to the older trees around my neighbourhood walk.

I was not going to reread Alias Grace, but I saw the trailer this week and I may not be able to resist!

❀ Susan wrote: "@Allison will be happy to know that I finally tried out Hoopla!..."

Hahaha! Nice, @Susan! Welcome!

I had one of those mornings today where I thought it was Friday, but it's not! ☹

I hate that Allison! I have not had a productive week at all so far work wise so I am feeling guilty. It has been not bad for books though which are a true passion but sadly do not pay the bills.