Some unsolicited thoughts and opinions from a mother and daughter who love reading and talking about books!

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All in Canadian Authors

May 23

May 23 STILL LIFE

Canadian Authors, Fiction, Mysteries and Thrillers

Thinking about my favorite kind of novels, I must admit that mysteries fall towards the bottom of my list. I feel like I’m not good at keeping track of all the clues that should lead me to figure out “who done it” before the writer actually reveals the killer. I know I’ve said this before, but this is one of the reasons why I love being in a book club. We make our book selections and inevitably some of those books I would never have read on my own. And guess what? Sometimes I really enjoy the books. Louise Penny’s Still Life is a perfect example of this phenomenon.

HALF-BLOOD BLUES

Apr 25

Apr 25 HALF-BLOOD BLUES

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Canadian Authors, Prize Winners & Finalists

Many of you will remember the glowing review my mother wrote of Edugyan’s novel Washington Black (read review here), which was one of my favorite books that year as well. So when I saw that an earlier book of hers had won the Giller prize, I scooped it up from the library immediately. A similarly sweeping historical drama dealing with race across several continents, Half-Blood Blues did not disappoint.

THE SLEEPING CAR PORTER

Jan 25

Jan 25 THE SLEEPING CAR PORTER

Canadian Authors, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Prize Winners & Finalists

Every year when the Giller Prize, one of Canada’s top literary awards, is announced, I buy the book. I finally got around to reading the 2022 winner, The Sleeping Car Porter. This book was engrossing and beautiful and I would never have discovered it if not for the Prize.

EVERY SUMMER AFTER

Apr 27

Apr 27 EVERY SUMMER AFTER

Fiction, Beach Reads, Canadian Authors

I absolutely love when I end up reading the right book at the right time, and Every Summer After lined up perfectly with the first warm days of spring in Toronto. This is a true beach read and a very enjoyable one.

WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE

Nov 17

Nov 17 WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE

Canadian Authors, Memoirs/Biographies, Non-fiction

Samra Habib is an Ahmadi Muslim who spent her early childhood in Pakistan before fleeing persecution with her family and settling in Toronto. As a young teen in Canada, Habib faces huge challenges from bullying to being the sole translator for her parents as they navigate a whole new bureaucracy.

SEA OF TRANQUILITY

Sep 15

Sep 15 SEA OF TRANQUILITY

Fiction, Canadian Authors

I truly believe that Emily St. John Mandel is well on her way to Margaret Atwood status in terms of Canadian authors we (yes, I’m Canadian-ish now) delight in bragging about. My only caveat to demanding that you run out and buy this book and then read it immediately is that if time travel annoys or confuses you, maybe give this a pass.

THE HEART GOES LAST

Mar 18

Mar 18 THE HEART GOES LAST

Canadian Authors, Fiction, Dystopian

With an author as prolific as Margaret Atwood, it seems I can always find another of her books to read. I don’t remember how this 2015 novel made its way onto my reading list, but it is a fascinating story with plenty of psychological tricks and thrills, like so many of Atwood’s better-known works.

FALL ON YOUR KNEES

Sep 17

Sep 17 FALL ON YOUR KNEES

Canadian Authors, Historical Fiction, Fiction

If you are looking for an epic, historical family drama, look no further. Set in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in the first half of the 20th century, Fall On Your Knees weaves together the stories of the Piper family over four generations, as well as the stories of their extended families and neighbors. MacDonald expertly reveals both dark secrets and terrible mistakes her characters make at the same time ensuring you feel the same love for them that she does.

Sep 17

Sep 17 FIFTEEN DOGS

Canadian Authors, Fiction, Prize Winners & Finalists

Fifteen Dogs is one of the most entertaining books, with one of the weirdest premises, that I have ever read. Set in and around downtown Toronto, the story begins with a conversation in a bar between the gods Hermes and Apollo, who share a drink and make a wager. They debate whether the cause of human unhappiness is consciousness, and so decide to bestow human consciousness on a group of dogs so see if their lives are made happier by it.

WASHINGTON BLACK

Jun 18

Jun 18 WASHINGTON BLACK

Canadian Authors, Fiction, Historical Fiction

This completely original and unforgettable book will captivate you from beginning to end. Edugyan opens the book with young Washington Black (Wash) who is enduring life as a young slave on a sugar cane plantation on Barbados in 1830. Under the dominion of the ruthlessly cruel plantation owner, Erasmus Wilde, Wash struggles to understand how so little value can be placed on the slaves’ lives.

May 21

May 21 THE WONDER

Canadian Authors, Fiction, Prize Winners & Finalists

Set in Ireland in the mid-nineteenth century, The Wonder fascinates with the story of Lib Wright, a nurse who trained with Florence Nightingale. She has been hired for two weeks to observe 11-year-old Anna O’Donnell, who claims not to have eaten for four months. Her parents and the local priest and politicians believe that she is a living miracle. Her fame has spread so widely that believers make pilgrimages to meet her. Lib believes she will uncover with ease and efficiency the deceit in the little girl’s and her family’s claim. Instead, she finds herself pulled into Anna’s saint-like aura.

Jan 16

Jan 16 THE TESTAMENTS

Canadian Authors, Dystopian, Fiction, Popular Books

Thirty-five years after writing her dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood has given us the ultimate gift of an absolutely fabulous sequel in The Testaments. Although I read The Handmaid’s Tale many years ago, I was able to jump right into The Testaments because I’ve been following the Hulu television series of The Handmaid’s Tale.

THE COLONY OF UNREQUITED DREAMS

Nov 21

Nov 21 THE COLONY OF UNREQUITED DREAMS

Canadian Authors, Fiction, Historical Fiction

I’m going to be upfront here: this book took a long time to grab my interest, and even after finishing it, there are huge sections that never really interested me. But it’s a sneaky one, and since finishing it, I have found myself remembering the characters as though they were people I knew. And it certainly taught me a great deal of Newfoundland's history, about which I knew absolutely nothing.

AN ASTRONAUT'S GUIDE TO LIFE ON EARTH

Oct 17

Oct 17 AN ASTRONAUT'S GUIDE TO LIFE ON EARTH

Canadian Authors, Non-fiction, Memoirs/Biographies

This is not the kind of book I would normally pick out for myself, but my husband Dan saw Hadfield speak and brought his memoir home. His high praise of the man’s message and the book itself put it at the top of my list, and I wasn’t disappointed.

THE BIRTH HOUSE

Sep 19

Sep 19 THE BIRTH HOUSE

Canadian Authors, Fiction, Historical Fiction

Confession: I definitely chose this book for its cover. I was intrigued and almost bought it several times before finally getting it from the library after a long wait. But whatever I thought it would be about, The Birth House sucked me into a world and story that I never dreamed existed, and taught me some Canadian History at the same time.

BELLEVUE SQUARE

Jul 18

Jul 18 BELLEVUE SQUARE

Fiction, Canadian Authors, Prize Winners & Finalists, Mysteries and Thrillers

It’s hard to categorize this book, and I am sure I have never read another one like it. Part mystery, part thriller, part brain teaser, every page you turn the story gets weirder and more engrossing.

ABOVE ALL THINGS

Apr 18

Apr 18 ABOVE ALL THINGS

Canadian Authors, Historical Fiction, Fiction

When I started this book I knew absolutely nothing about Mt. Everest or any of the people who have climbed it. I had no idea who the first person was to make it to the top. But even if you are someone who knows a lot of Everest history, I think this will still be an extremely enjoyable book, just a bit less suspenseful.