CanadianContent discussion

Hi all - a place to discuss the books we are reading this winter.

I am in the midst of finishing a number of books that I have been sporadically reading this year including:

The Future - enjoying this and thanks to my Secret Sender!
Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life - reading along with my son
How Canada Works: The People Who Make Our Nation Thrive - bought a signed copy for my husband and have read a couple of people each day... he misses Peter Mansbridge on CBC
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity - thinking about being more healthy so I can live to be a centenarian

Just finished A Dream of a Woman this morning which was gritty and shared the challenges of transgender women through a series of both linked short-stories. I would not have known about this but ordered it for my daughter for her Gender Issues Lit course that starts in January.

I love that you are reading along with your daughter's classes, Susan!

Today I finished an ARC of Fourteen Days, which I won on Goodreads. It's written by multiple authors and set during the early part of the pandemic in NYC. I was mixed on it but it certainly is an interesting project, to craft a novel out of so many authors' contributions. Both Margaret Atwood and Emma Donoghue contributed to it.

I'm currently reading Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World, which is very interesting. It deals with conspiracy theories and the far right and wellness influencers and colonization and so much more.

I'm also reading The Lincoln Highway, which is getting on my nerves a little. I may need to put it down for a bit and go back to it.

Susan wrote: "I love that you are reading along with your daughter's classes, Susan!

Today I finished an ARC of Fourteen Days, which I won on Goodreads. It's written by multiple authors and set ..."

I liked The Lincoln Highway, but of course reading tastes vary.

I just finished The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson, who writes some lovely historical fiction. This one tackles the intersection of race and adoption policies in 1950s Philadelphia. My mother was adopted from Alberta in 1972, so it was a bit of an infuriating read in terms of things just not changing much (truly one of the most disgusting things I ever read was the form required to "give up" your baby for adoption in 1972).

At the recommendation of a friend I started A Study in Drowning today. I'm pretty lukewarm on it so far, but I'm only a couple of chapters in.

I'm slowly working on How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England: A Guide for Knaves, Fools, Harlots, Cuckolds, Drunkards, Liars, Thieves, and Braggarts which is a solid popular history. If anyone is hardcore into history and need it stuffy and serious, I wouldn't recommend it, but if you want a fun, introductory kind of read, it's very entertaining.

I'm also verrrry slowly chipping away at To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini. Like a lot of people in their late twenties and thirties, Christopher Paolini had an absolute chokehold on my reading habits as a preteen-teenager so this book has been a big disappointment.

Julia, The House of Eve sounds interesting, I found it on audio through my library. I was also adopted but in 1978. Thanks for the recommendation.

I hope you enjoy the House of Eve, Sarah!

@Susan - I have enjoyed reading along with my daughter. it causes me to read outside my comfort zone sometimes, enables us to chat about new perspectives and gives me a view into her day to day classes when she is a flight away. Fourteen days sounds interesting!

Today I finished How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question, which is a great overview of moral philosophy with lots of funny, contemporary examples.

As we head in to the New Year, I have a few others in progress:
The Mystery Guest - a gift from my Secret Sender by Canadian author Nita Prose.
How to Calm Your Mind: Finding Presence and Productivity in Anxious Times - I started a re-read of this book almost as soon as I finished it the first time!
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder - just starting this audiobook.

Happy New Year!!

Hi all - and happy new year!

I finished off 2023 today by wrapping up Michelle Obama’s The Light We Carry. What an absolutely fantastic read that was. Speaking of rereads - I feel like this will make the very slim list of books that I’ll reread in the future! Highly recommend to all.

I’m headed to Italy & Greece in May for my 50th birthday (my mother is Italian and we have lots of family there still to celebrate with!) so I’m going to try to grab books off my shelf between now & then that are located in those two countries. I’ve started with A Death in La Fenice by Donna Leon - a murder mystery written in the 90s. Murder mysteries aren’t really my thing, but I’m enjoying the very cool geographic descriptions of Venice!

And today via audio I started When They Call You a Terrorist written by the initiator of Black Lives Matter.

These will be my first two books of 2024!

I finished Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World this morning and really enjoyed it.

For some reason I thought we were getting the Canada Reads shortlist on Jan 4 but I guess it's really coming on Jan 11, so I'm going to start the other longlist book I checked out of the library: Happy Hour.

Today I read Christmas with Maud Lewis by Lance Woolaver and Bob Brooks. It's a beautiful 5 star book. I received it a couple years ago from my Secret Sender. Thank you Allison Philpot. I love this book.

It is Friday!!! what have you been reading to start off the year??

I have been reading a fair bit and have finished:

Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity - inspiring as I work towards a healthier new year (and the author/physician grew up in Canada so could use it for BINGO)

Lessons for Living: What Only Adversity Can Teach You - after seeing a bit of his Netflix show, I was interested in his book and while there were helpful nuggets, I struggled with the mystical asking of the universe for things.

Study for Obedience - I borrowed this one from a friend as I try and read the Giller winners... all I can say is that it was an odd book. it felt like it was written back in time (in the days of persecuting "witches") yet there was reference to the internet and to cell phones. it was unsettling yet well-written but I would have chosen All the Colour in the World as the winner

The Bluest Eye - this book is part of my daughters reading list for her women's studies lit class and I like to read along to open my mind, learn and have more to chat about. it was my first read by Toni Morrison and the prose just kept me reading despite the challenges and difficult subject matter (lots of resilience here). it also fit for my January in-person book club topic which is to read a banned book

@Kathleen - that sounds like a lovely book to read annually!

Happy 2024 Everyone!
I just finished Ink Blood Sister Scribe
It was okay 3*. My reading goal this year is to try to be more selective and focus on finding 4* & 5* reads.
Next up for me is Go as a River for our Mother/Daughter book club.
@ Susan, I love that you are reading your daughter’s women’s studies list!

I am making my reading more intentional this year - so the goal is to read 7 books that I own (except for book clubs and canada reads) before I can buy one. I also set myself a task of doing a review of every book I read.

I am currently reading - A Child Alone With Strangers its horror - 2 chapters in and I realized I am going to need some brightness to read along side this dark novel - so I am also reading - Remarkably Bright Creatures and a MM romance - Inside.

Once the shortlist comes out for Canada Reads I will add those in my rotation as well.

I finished 2 books this week - Killers of a Certain Age - 2 1/2 star review and Fighting the Fear - 4 stars in my review.

@Rainey - that is an admirable plan. I need to read more from my shelves as well. I too am reading Remarkably Bright Creatures which was a decreed sender gift from Kathleen (thank you!). I have read a third of it this morning and am enjoying it! My 2nd son and I had recently watched My Octopus Teacher on Netflix so I am enjoying Marcellus (the octopus) very much.

Happy Weekend!

After finishing How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question last weekend, I was prompted to watch all four seasons of The Good Place on Netflix. The book was written by the show's creator, Michael Schur. Needless to say, I've spent more time watching TV this past week than reading!

I am therefore still working on The Mystery Guest and my re-read of How to Calm Your Mind: Finding Presence and Productivity in Anxious Times. Both of these are Canadian so I intend to use them for bingo. I also just started the audiobook Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World. Bonus, this one is Canadian too!

@Kathleen - thanks again for Remarkably Bright Creatures... it was a light but poignant read and I loved Marcellus, the wise and amazing octopus. It was just what I needed on a wintry day and I read the whole book!!

Now I am starting Denison Avenue which is on the long-list and enjoying the poetic cadence and unique writing style which is sharing the experience of 2 individuals in Toronto's Chinatown.

Since I last posted here, I have read a few really good books. Heads of the Colored People is an excellent short story collection. Then I read some dark books. 24 Hours in Charlottesville: An Oral History of the Stand Against White Supremacy is a disturbing, detailed account of what happened in Charlottesville, VA, surrounding the planned Unite the Right rally. Prophet Song won the Booker Prize last year and is a terrifying look at a developed country (in this case Ireland, but it could have been anywhere) sliding into fascism and then civil war. It definitely explores refugee crises in an empathetic way.

I'm currently reading The Soul of an Octopus and have barely started Meet Me at the Lake for Canada Reads.

I finished a duology - Inside and Outside - I gave them both 4 stars - and have reviewed both.

I finished The Warden - MM Romance and Fighting Myself: A Queer MMA Romance - a continuation of the Fighting for Love Series. 3 stars for both - reviews for both to come.

Currently reading a horror novel: A Child Alone With Strangers, and The Year of the Locust - my book club read his first book I Am Pilgrim - we loved it - cant wait for the second in that series to come out.

I have started my first of the Canada Reads shortlist The Future

I'm just about done with Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World and it is very thought provoking.

I am also about halfway through Let Us Descend. This one is just okay for me so far.

I have a couple of books I need to get through before I can start on the Canada Reads books, but I'm looking forward to it.

Why isn’t Guy Vanderhaege better known? I just finished August Into Winter by this brilliant Canadian author and loved it! It came out a couple of years ago and I finally got around to reading it. Characters, drama, suspense, a Canadian landscape, and excellent writing….this historical novel (set in 1939) has it all.

Elinor wrote: "Why isn’t Guy Vanderhaege better known? I just finished August Into Winter by this brilliant Canadian author and loved it! It came out a couple of years ago and I finally got around..."
I agree!! I haven't read this one, but I have read several of his previous books, and they are all masterpieces.

Happy New Year everyone!
It's been a busy few months and I haven't been reading much at all. However, I have finished a couple of books lately.

I finished The Gene: An Intimate History and Fen, Bog and Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis.

The Gene followed the history of genes from the first questions about heredity (why do family members sometimes look alike?) to the current gene research. It was very interesting and well written.

Fen, Bog and Swamp is by the author of Barkskins, which I enjoyed a few years ago. This book is just as interesting. I enjoyed Annie's writing in this book as she explores the wetlands, their history, their ecosystems and how important they are for the planet.

I am currently reading The House on Vesper Sands, which has started out very mysteriously and intriguingly. I hope that continues for the rest of the book.

@Susan - the soul of the octopus sounds interesting... we were reading books about octopuses at the same time!!

@Rainy - I always like the idea of a duology but have never read one and am assuming the same story line but 2 different perspectives?

Great to "see" you here, Elinor, Gail and Petra... it feels like it has been a while and it is great to see this thread picking up. :)

For anyone that has not seen, I added threads for each of the short-listed Canada Reads books and hope that these threads perk our interest as we get closer to the big debates!!

Hi everyone!

I’m struggling through Meet Me at the Lake. Carrying on b/c it’s for Canada Reads.

In 2024 so far I’ve only finished one book - an old Donna Leon Death at La Fenice. Reads like a game of Clue. Enjoyable mostly because the setting is Venice!

Two genres I don’t normally read - murder mystery and romance!

I guess because I’m a much slower reader than all of you, I’lll post here as I finish books. That makes most sense I think!

Susan - I was thinking of suggesting some buddy read books, but couldn’t find old threads. Is there a good place to do that?

yes - there are still the threads but it may have gone dormant. I will have a look and wonder if there is interest in focusing on the 5 Canada reads and then a routine buddy reads option starting in March? thoughts?

@Allison- I could not find the buddy reads thread so started a new one under monthly book club. :)

I love the idea of a Buddy Reads starting in March, Susan.

I finished The Soul of an Octopus, which I enjoyed very much. I learned a lot about these fascinating creatures and would like to visit our local aquarium soon to meet some.

I also finished Meet Me at the Lake for Canada Reads. It was a quick, pleasant read. I also read Heartstopper: Volume Five, which was great fun. I'm glad there will be one more volume in this delightful graphic novel series.

I'm currently reading The Bastard of Istanbul and Fruit Punch.

This week, I read The Clarion, which was longlisted for the Giller this year. I thought it was okay. I would have liked it a lot more but one of the characters really annoyed me and I couldn't get past it.

I currently have two other books in progess:
Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World - this one chronicles the 2016 Fort McMurray fire and is very interesting.
Meet Me at the Lake - I was hesitant to start this Canada Reads contender, but it's much more readable than I expected.

@Allison hikes, I'm a good ways into Fire Weather and it's truly quite capturing. I'm learning alot as I go. I'd be happy to have a group read of this book. A good one for non fiction book club.

was back to work this week so read less, but finished off my Canada Reads books with Meet Me at the Lake (see my review in the CR threads).

Also finished listening to Because of Winn-Dixie which a friend was reading to his grade 5 class and read The Little Liar which in Mitch Album style flows so smoothly but was a hard topic of the Holocaust. I never realized that Jewish people were rounded up and sent to the camps from Greece.

I am part way throughThings That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life and started Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships, a memoir written by a friend of RBG.

I didn't finish any books this week. I was diligently reading Meet Me at the Lake when my library hold on The Running Grave (the latest Coromoran Strike novel) came up and it's been distracting me ever since. It's quite long and also quite good.

I'll get back to the Canada Reads books soon!

I recently read books by two Canadian authors, Frying Plantain and Serena Singh Flips the Script

Every year I make a New Year's resolution to check in here once a month, and every year I break it. I've technically broken it already this year, but I'm only a week and a bit late. I'm sorry to say that I haven't read any Canadian books yet this year. So far in 2024 I have read:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - an excellent read for my local book club.
Edward VI: The Lost King of England - because I am a royal history nerd.
Rupture - from a really good Icelandic crime series I have been reading.
Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear - because the Duggar family train wreck is something I should just look away from, but I'm curious. Not as good as her sister Jill's book.
The King's Grave: The Discovery of Richard III’s Lost Burial Place and the Clues it Holds - royal history nerd thing again. This was a really interesting read.
I Capture the Castle - a forgotten classic by the author of some book about dalmatians that became a Disney movie. It was selected for The Queen's Reading Room, and I like to read at least one of the selections each season.
The Memory Keeper of Kyiv - best read of 2024 so far!
The Rose Code - a re-read of my favorite Kate Quinn novel for my book club.

In the last couple of weeks I've finished:
Argylle - which I totally read because of the mystery regarding the author's identity. The book was just okay and the authors have been revealed so it turned out to be far less exciting than I had first hoped.
The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You - an interesting book, but very dated. The world overwhelms me all the time lol.
The Rooftop Garden - this one was longlisted for the Giller this year and I quite enjoyed it.

I am currently reading:
The Future - I really struggled with the first part of this book, but I'm liking the second part a lot better.
Alphabetical Diaries - this book is weird but also wonderful. I'm hoping I can articulate my thoughts better once I'm done.

The latest Canadian author I've read is Korean-Canadian June Hur; I read The Red Palace which is a novel where the history was very well researched. I am not sure if I heard about it here first, but it won the 2023 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult.

I just finished Dance of the Happy Shades by Alice Munro which is a short story collection. I do wish she wrote more novels, the short stories have great characters and places, they would do very well to be de eloped into longer novels

I couldn't agree with you more! I am a fan of Alice Munro too. Though I'm not a huge fan of the short story, some of hers read like mini-novels. I really enjoyed her novel Lives of Girls and Women and one called The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose, which is a collection of linked stories that reads like a novel; in fact when I first read it, it was a slim paperback titled Who Do You Think You Are?, which at the time I had actually thought was a novel ... Go Figure.

Canada Reads is over so it is time to get back to our Friday Spine Crackers... reading anything good?

I read the entire book, The Women today. it was excellent.... sad to learn more about the Vietnam war, the treatment of veterans and the "invisible" women who served and struggled with ptsd after serving as nurses.

I just had a fantastic reading experience with Land of Milk and Honey. I picked it up from the library on a whim when I was picking up some other books I'd requested, started reading it before I got home because it was right there, and then just couldn't put it down. I don't even know why I found it so engrossing, but I just did.

Now on to Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun and Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World.

Finishing and starting a new job just before the start of Canada Reads sapped any chance I had of reading any of the books.

I finished Meet Me at the Lake and am now reading The Future

For my BDA book club we are reading Demon Copperhead

and a work colleague at my new job recommended Forty Acres so I am reading this one as well.

Between Canada Reads and NetGalley, I've read a lot of Canadian books in the past couple of months. I am now making a concerted effort to step away from "required reading" for a while. I'm currently listening to The Forgotten Garden for my library book club, which is sort of required reading, but it's actually a book I've been meaning to read for a long time now. I am also reading The Secret Scripture - another one that's been on my TBR way too long.

I'm almost with you, Allison. I went from Canada Reads titles straight into the Women's Prize and Carol Shields Prize longlists and am already burning out.

I did go back to The Future and finish it. It was okay but still my least favourite of the five books.

I have been reading A Promised Land since late January and only have two chapters left! It's been interesting but there's so much foreign policy stuff in it - it's a dense read.

I have two Canadian fiction reads on the go: Chrysalis, a collection of stories that won the GG last year and is also longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize, and And Then She Fell, which is longlisted for the Women's Prize. Both contain elements of horror, although I'm not sure where And Then She Fell is going, because it's pretty clear the protagonist is suffering from postpartum depression (so is the horror real or part of her mental struggles?).