Ibis3’s Comments (group member since Sep 06, 2010)

Ibis3’s comments from the CanLit Challenge group.

Don't worry Pooker, I've only read a few pages in. I've still got a story and the afterword for Viger before I seriously dig in tonight or tomorrow.

I should be getting to this book within the next week or so, but if anyone out there is already reading it, please feel free to go ahead and share your comments.

Margaret Atwood

If you're interested in reading the source material for the story of Grace Marks, it's in Life in the Clearings versus the Bush by Susanna Moodie.

Wild Animals I Have Known I'm just starting this one (currently reading about Lobo and his wolf pack). I hope it's more happy and inspiring than pathetic and depressing. Apparently it was extremely popular worldwide in its day...

Ernest Thompson Seton

Before I started this challenge, my list of read Canadian books was embarrassingly short. Anne of Green Gables, The Handmaid's Tale, The Stone Angel, The Rebel Angels, part of A Bird in the House, Never Cry Wolf : Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Wolves, I Married the Klondike, The Hockey Sweater, Life of Pi...that's about it.

I got so many great suggestions from my friends at BookCrossing, I immediately set out to consume as many as possible. Check out the original post for some more recommendations: http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/6/2...

I just finished last night & when I have a bit of time tomorrow I'll come back and give you a tempting review. :)

This one was particularly interesting since it isn't like his later books. The closest (of those I've read) was The Lyre of Orpheus, but even that was filled with all the Arthurian symbolism and E.T.A. Hoffmann stuffed inside. I was kind of expecting more layered connections to The Tempest, but I guess in this first novel, Davies wasn't experimenting in that direction yet.

I haven't started this one yet, since I've still got some of both my current library book and the previous CanLit Challenge book left to go, but it's on my bed table & it's short, so it shouldn't take too long. Duncan Campbell Scott

Anyone else reading (or interested in reading) Tempest-Tost? I'm about 3/4 through I think. It's quite different from Davies' other novels. It's a pretty straight-forward comedy of manners & I'm liking it so far.

Armand Durand was quite distinct from Antoinette de Mirecourt. Where the latter novel had a rather tight plot contained within a relatively short period of time and with no extraneous subplots, this one is meandering, biographical, and takes place over the course of two generations. As well, Antoinette was more in the style of the previous century whereas Armand Durand has a stronger sense of realism. I quite liked this novel with all of its character studies set against the backdrop of Quebec society. For more (including spoilers!), check out my blog post at Reader of the Stack.

If you have recommendations of Canadian books and authors, or wish to request recommendations for books on certain topics or in particular genres, this is the place to do it.

Tell us about your favourite CanLit books!

I've decided to create a separate thread for this topic, so here it is. Let us know who you are and why you're interested in Canadian literature.

My real life name is Michelle, but everywhere on the net, I go by Ibis or Ibis3 or variations thereof, after the sacred animal of Thoth, the Egyptian god of writing. I live in a small town on the northern shore of Lake Ontario, Canada (just far enough away that it's not considered a suburb of Toronto, but still in the 905 area code). I work at home and live with my elderly mother.

I decided to start this challenge because I hadn't read many books by Canadian authors and I wanted especially to read classics of the early 20th century and before.

The Blue Mountains of China by Rudy Wiebe was more difficult to read than the previous ones in the Challenge, both because of the subject matter and the writing style. But it was well worth it. Though this portrays a specific group of people fleeing during a particular period of history, in fact it is more universal than one would first imagine. I think almost everyone has had ancestors (or even closer relatives) who have been refugees, immigrants, persecuted minorities, political prisoners, searchers for some place to call home where they can live in peace. So this novel relates what it must have been like for all of those people. For more of my thoughts, read my blog post on Reader of the Stack.

Though I read The Rebel Angels by Robertson Davies years ago, I chose it for my next CanLit book since I eventually wanted to read The Lyre of Orpheus and figure I should highlight the two previous novels in the trilogy first.

I think I liked this better the first time I read it, though I did enjoy it this time too. I’m happy with my 9 rating. I sometimes felt that it dragged a little (the two Guest Night dinners especially). I know a lot more about the erudite references this time around even if I haven’t yet read Rabelais, Francois or Paracelsus (they’re both on Mt TBR, btw). I really liked parts of it too–the whole root & crown metaphor, the Sophia bits (it would have been nice to have more of that & less of Ozy Froats ;-) ), and of course all the wonderful characters: Mamusia, Maria, slimy Parlabane, Darcourt, Hollier and insufferable McVarish.

Before my CanLit Challenge, I'd only read one book by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale. This book was a chance for me to sample some of her other work. I enjoyed most of the stories and really liked a few. There were none that I really disliked. However, I imagine I would have liked them better had I read them separately at different times. They did have a kind of sameness about them that was apparent when read in one big clump.

For my thoughts on individual stories in the collection, check out the blog post on Reader of the Stack.

This is the first novel of Robertson Davies, set in the fictional city of Salterton (a stand-in for Kingston, Ontario). In this comedy of manners, various characters come together to put on a Little Theatre production of William Shakespeare's The Tempest but some have ulterior motives and other agendas on their minds.

Very tender and sweet. Just the right thing after the two previous books, which were quite serious.

The quotes from the critics call Children of My Heart: ‘poignant’, ‘intense’, ‘rare’, elegaic’, ‘graceful’, ‘filled with a homely wisdom’, ‘healing’, ‘tender’, ‘warm’, ‘charming’. I’d agree with them. You can read more of my thoughts on my blog post.

Mrsgaskell wrote: "Having reviewed my book notes, here are some other recommended titles, not in any particular order"

Some great titles there, MrsG! Many of them have already been read as Challenge books & those ones will be added gradually (cos I don't have time to do them all at once!) to the group bookshelf. Others are already on the Challenge's TBR list, so maybe you'll re-read them when they come up?

I should let people know that, under normal circumstances, I generally do 3 CanLit Challenge books a quarter (perhaps 1 or 2 more depending on length). This quarter (July-September), I left all my CLC books to the end, in addition to which I had to finish reading Armand Durand, or, A promise fulfilled. But both In the Village of Viger and Wild Animals I Have Known are very short so if you want to read them with me, it shouldn't pose too much of an obstacle. As for Tempest-tost, it's an extra bonus, because I'm listening to it as an audiobook (apx. 9.5 hours), which I should also be finished by the end of September.

October-December should prove to be a little more organised.

This was the second book in my CanLit Challenge. I enjoyed it (7/10 stars) and thought it would make a great book for discussion by a bookclub: "There’s lots of meat for discussion, both about the characters & their situations as well as social issues, then and now. Callaghan himself leaves it up to the reader to determine what the story means and how its lessons (if there are any) might be applied in real life. There are questions about the meaning of charity, about the role of institutions (the church, the powerful, the law, the social activists) in the desperation of and assistance towards the poor and dispossesed, about love (carnal, practical, idealistic, spiritual), about women in society…" - from my blog post review that you can read about here: http://www.readerofthestack.com/canli...

This was the book that launched my CanLit Challenge back in 2005, so if you want to start at the beginning, this is it. I got many recommendations for this novel and by the end of it, it was clear why. It was extremely compelling reading--very much a "disaster film" on the page. Barometer Rising

Amanda wrote: "Hi, I just joined your group. I think it's fantastic that there is some interest in Canadian Literature, although sadly not much. May I make a few suggestions for books to add to your shelf?"

Hi Amanda. Great to see another CanLit lover. And thanks for your suggestions. I'm not sure exactly how the group bookshelf works (if you're familiar, please let me know via PM so I can ask you questions :) ), but I know I want to highlight Challenge books specifically (maybe keep the shelf reserved only for them? I'm not sure...).