CanadianContent discussion

Hi all - it has been a busy summer and our Friday Spine Crackers have been slower than usual so let's try and reinvigorate the book chatter in the fall.

What was your favourite summer read?

What are you reading and what is next?

It is hard to come up with just one summer read so here are a couple:
How to Stop Time
The War We Won Apart: The Untold Story of Two Elite Agents Who Became One of the Most Decorated Couples of WWII
When the World Fell Silent

It was a highlight to meet Matt Haig when he joined the Kitchener Public Library event also!!

Today I just finished The Secret History of Audrey James and am digging intoAt a Loss for Words: Conversation in the Age of Rage after seeing both authors at the Grimsby Author series.

My only read this summer was a re-read of Adult Onset by Ann Marie MacDonald. While I absolutely loved her Fall on Your Knees, which I've also read twice and thoroughly enjoyed, Adult Onset was mildly disappointing (both times).
I think I need to cleanse my palette with a good old fashioned murder mystery or courtroom thriller, perhaps something by Linwood Barclay or William Deverell. Thanks for asking : )

Favorite summer Read: The House of Doors by Tan Twang Eng.

Reading now: Frank McDonald's A Forest for Calum-and throughly enjoying being transported to Shean, Cape Breton.

Next : Clear by Carys Davies

I had two favourite summer reads: Demon Copperhead and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Reading Now: on my own: Butter; for my work book club: Murder on the Orient Express and for my BDA book club - The Ministry of Time

Next up: No Gods, No Monsters; Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology and one of the books gifted to me from May - The beautiful edged Five Broken Blades or The God of the Woods

Lots of great titles from all your posts!
I just finishedBlue Sisters
Such a beautiful story of sisterhood. I wish it ended without the epilogue, but that’s just a personal opinion.
I also read The God of the Woods
I really enjoyed it as well. I have been struggling with finding my reading mojo this year, so I am happy to feel like I am going in the right direction again.

I can't believe it's fall. I've not been reading as much as I usually like to.

The highlights of my summer reading were The Murder of Mr. Wickham, The Late Mrs. Willoughby, and The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. This was such a lovely, cozy series. Sadly, not Canadian reads.

My current read is also the not-Canadian Homecoming. My challenge to myself to read more Canadian works is not going so swimmingly.

Once I finish my current audiobook, I'm hoping to tap into some childhood whimsy with Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea. I want to read at least one of L.M. Montgomery's books this year!! I grew up reading the abridged version and it's been a while since I read the original.

Rainey wrote: "I had two favourite summer reads: Demon Copperhead and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Reading Now: on my own: Butter; for my work book club:..."

Never Whistle At Night is great!

Great to see lots of different books in our comments above!

Rainey - how many book clubs do you participate in?

Julia - I have read Anne of Green Gables a few times and enjoyed revisiting the series before we visited PEI a few years ago.

I just finished At a Loss for Words: Conversation in the Age of Rage which was eye opening!

Reading through some of the old books I had acquired from who knows where, I just finishing a Canadian oldie, The Master of the Mill, the story of 3 generations of a mill-owning family and the effects of industrialization on the mill. From that description, I thought it would be very dry, and was just going to read it to get through it, but I ended up way more caught up in the story than I expected!

Decided to go more recent for my next read, and started The Librarianist. I didn't love The Sisters Brothers, but so many things about this one sound right up my alley.

❀ Susan wrote: "Great to see lots of different books in our comments above!

Rainey - how many book clubs do you participate in?

Julia - I have read Anne of Green Gables a few times and enjoyed revisiting the ser..."

I have this one, plus my Bermuda one. I used to have a couple of others online but I am just too busy.

I hope Canada reads is in person this year.

Rainey wrote: "I had two favourite summer reads: Demon Copperhead and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Reading Now: on my own: Butter; for my work book club:..."

Edited to add one more read: May was at the Toronto International Festival of Authors and got me a personally signed copy of Here One Moment - Thank you :-)

I’m sure Susan told me there is a Giller folder but I can’t find it.
I read seven of the longlist for this year’s prize,three of the finalists and I didn’t like any of them. The Anne Michael’s is Anne Michael’s-if you enjoy what she does then it’s for you. On a first read the plot makes no sense-she’s a great writer of prose and very smart but what she expects of the reader is of no interest to me.
I’m pretty sure the translated novel-What I know About You will win. It’s already won the best book prize in Quebec and it’s accessible. I loved the first half but thought he killed the book with the second part.

I read about five other titles which were submitted but didn’t make the cut and I thought each of them was far more interesting than what made the lists. I just finished-The Art of Vanishing by Lynne Kutsukake and I found it to be a great read. I have no interest in finishing the giller short list and there isn’t one book on the G G list that interests me.

I just read a new-to-me Canadian author for a reading game, Kenneth Oppel. Airborn and for those who like audiobooks, I thought it enhanced the book. He's sold over a million copies world wide. I needed steampunk books and don't care for much of that; this was fun. I'm going to read the second one. It won some awards and was nominated for a number of others, both Canadian and non-Canadian ones.

Another new-to-me Canadian author, read for the same reading game as Oppel, is Arthur Slade, but I didn't care for his book The Hunchback Assignments.

Good morning!! I think we have all been busy and I have been a bit quiet on the curating front so thinking that it is time to revitalize this thread. We can finish off the year here and I will get back to posting monthly rather than seasonally for 2025.

I just finished The Berlin Apartment which was an interesting read and caused me to do a bit of research. I had no idea the tunnels were built to rescue people under the wall. I have met this author at 3 different events this year and finally enjoyed her book.

I am in the midst of reading Intermezzo which is a story of grief. my daughter asked for it for Christmas so I downloaded it from the library to read so we can chat about it when she comes home for the holidays.

I am also in the midst of The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World which, if you check into the Secret Sender thread, was gifted to me by Wanda. it is a lovely book and even though I have only read a third (since yesterday), I am so enamoured that I have ordered 3 more copies for gifts. The book is lovely, the writing and message timely and beautiful prose and the book nerd in me loves the texture of the cover and pages as well as the sketches. I think his might be the book of the season!!

what are others reading? any holiday recommendations?

Hi Everyone!
An early Happy Holidays to all. I hope you find time to enjoy yourselves in between all the busyness of this time of year.
My reading has been lacklustre this year due to personal reasons and not from the lack of choices. I look forward to 2025 and some new amazing stories and characters.
Keep the recommendations coming!
I have gifted The Serviceberry to both Mom & I for our Mother/Daughter Book Club.

that is a great book to share with your mom!! i love that idea and since I have shared that with my mom and my daughter, I might just borrow that idea!!

@Susan, hope your family book chat happens!!
Mom and I read Braiding Sweetgrass and both loved it. Looking forward to seeing The Serviceberry under my tree.

Happy Holidays!

Tina - I have been meaning to read Braiding Sweetgrass for soooooo.... long!!

Happy Holidays Karin!

Anyone doing any holiday reading? I started reaching Christmas in Bethel today, light and easy with a bookish focus which is nice.

Met the author of The Mistletoe Mystery last night at the festive Grimsby Author Series event which was fun!

I've finally started an audiobook of Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, which is smooshed together. Maybe I don't have an ear for accents, but the author seems to think that all of the characters would have variations of accents from the American south?

@ Susan For holiday reading, I finished Christmas at the Cat Café, which I found a bit disappointing, but the holiday baking shows are keeping me festive (the only time I'm glad my cable was a free top-up lol).

oh no,,, maybe better books to read!! I love the Anne of Green Gables series! Lucy Maude has a Christmas book of short stories too... I don't remember too much about it as it has been a long time since I read it.

I finished Barometer Rising yesterday which takes place in December but was certainly not a holiday book... hard to believe the devastation of that horrific explosion,

I read Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret for Christmas fare and might read another.

it is nice to read some lighter fare during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

I hope you all get some good reading done tonight. Drink some warm, cozy drinks, and take care of yourselves.

I have Agatha Christie's Poirot Investigates on the hop tonight.

Thank you Julia~~ good advice for all.

Has anyone read By Any Other Name - it is a great (and thought provoking read) making readers reconsider what they think they know about Shakespeare's plays.

for anyone interested... BINGO 2025 has been posted!!! Please join us!!