w/o September 29 to October 5, 2017

[❀ Susan]

My apologies for the tardiness!! I have had two late nights (meeting Roberta Bondar and then The Hillary Clinton event) and was both tired and running late today!! Looking forwards to what you are all reading. Have a great day!!! Will “stick” this thread once I get home!!

[Louise]

I am presently reading one of last year's Booker short-listed books All That Man Is and it is absolutely wonderful, better than the book that actually won IMO. And in audio I just started Augustown.

I am also reading a charming little book given to me by poet Angela Leuck who is presently teaching a 10 week Writer's Workshop class at the Women's Penitentiary where I facilitate the book club so I am acting as a volunteer for Angela in the Writer's Workshop as well. I am not a good writer but it is fun to take a stab at it, and fantastic to hear what the inmates have been writing. But I have digressed. The book she gave me is More Grows in a Crooked Row and it's tanka conversations between Angela and 15 Canadian poets.

Here is one snippet by Joanne Morcom:

dandelions
all over the lawn
remind me
of my ex-boyfriend
he too, a blooming nuisance.

[Shannon]

This week I finished The Woman in Cabin 10. My opinion from last week carried through to the end. Book club tonight so looking forward to hearing the club's thoughts. So far, most are giving it 3 stars. I will not be reading another Ruth Ware book.... not top quality IMHO.

I have started a non-fiction book this week - The Devil's Highway: A True Story. It was a bit of a slow start for me but now it is picking up.

@Susan - sorry to be a pest re: starting the thread. :) I have been looking forward to reading the posts today and got a little impatient. Thank you for starting it this week and every other week. It's appreciated! :)

[Louise]

Shannon wrote: "I have started a non-fiction book this week - The Devil's Highway: A True Story. It was a bit of a slow start for me but now it is picking up..."

That book never picked up for me at all, but then again, I often have trouble "getting in" an non-fiction book. It's a sad story though.

[Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺]

I seem to have too many books on the go at once – The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac, To The Bright Edge of the World, and I’ve just started The Woman in Cabin 10 for book club. Not sure when I’ll manage to finish any of them.

In audio this week I’m 100% Canadian. I finished A Stranger in the House, which was a decent domestic thriller but not as engaging as The Couple Next Door. The book opens with a terrible car accident and the victim has amnesia about the events occurring immediately prior to the crash. I mean, come on. Amnesia? It felt very Days of our Lives. I also saw the final twist coming. There just weren’t enough characters or red herrings for the explanation to be much else.

I’m now listening to The Game for the “100 true stories that make you proud to be Canadian” bingo square. My son and husband are big Habs fans, so it’s helping me develop a better understanding of some of the big names they like to throw around. I called my husband this morning to ask about Bob Gainey, to make sure I was thinking of the right guy, and hubby was like, “This is so not a random question.” He knows me well enough to know that my interests are wide and varied and it’s impossible to guess what my next topic of interest will be!

[Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺]

❀ Susan wrote: "My apologies for the tardiness!! I have had two late nights (meeting Roberta Bondar and then The Hillary Clinton event) and was both tired and running late today!! Looking forwards to what you are ..."

Hope you get plenty of R&R this weekend!

[Susan]

Happy Friday, everyone! Sounds like you had an exciting week, Susan!

This week I finished The Leavers, which was just an okay read for me. I also read Next Year, for Sure, which I liked a lot. It did end up being a good plane read! I thought it was a sensitive, thoughtful novel about a topic that could easily have been salacious. I never know what to expect with the Gillers, but I'd love to see this one make it through to the short list. It would be a great Canada Reads selection, too, because it's very readable yet ripe for discussion.

I'm still reading Nocturne: On the Life and Death of My Brother. I'm also continuing my award reading with A Kind of Freedom, which is long listed for the National Book Award. It's a family story set in the 1940s, 1980s, and 2010s in New Orleans. I'm really enjoying it!

[✿✿✿May]

Happy Friday everyone!!

@Susan, you certainly had a very exciting week!

Not much to report on the reading front this week since I was away for a few days. Finished Three Souls and started It Ends with Us & Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE in audio. Both are light reads and enjoyable.
Have a great weekend! It's sadly rainy in the GTA, good for reading for sure!

[Rainey]

For my Bermuda Book Club I am reading: The Sun Is Also a Star, which is Septembers read (I need to get cracking). I also need to start A Thousand Pieces of You which is our October Read.

I started our October read - A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder on my phone which then died. And of course on my new phone It won't let me download it, because it says I already have it and It wont let me download it on my iPad. Agggh - so I may not be participating for this read after all.

[Emmkay]

I spent most of the week chugging through White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America, which was good but maybe not as good as I had hoped.

Right now, I'm nearly done The Accusation, a very interesting North Korean (!) short story collection. And am also reading Do Not Become Alarmed, but will return to it once I'm done with the stories. I find it hard to read more than one thing at a time!

[Alan]

Susan-that Clinton event sounded like it was rocking.

Spent the week reading my first of the Giller nominees-The Dark and Other Love Stories. I have never read nor heard of Deborah Willis before so thank-you so much Giller committee for introducing me to this outstanding short story writer.
The collection totally blew me away, and the final story, which is probably the shortest is so moving and touching. Just a fantastic collection and if she wins I will be very pleased. But I still have eleven more to go. I picked up another one from the library yesterday-can't remember the title but the author is from Newfoundland and next week I have Brother coming in so I've
got lots of Giller reading to do over the next two weeks.

Did any of you hear the Ideas special on the radio last night about Alice Munro? I only caught a tiny bit but when I was listening to it I immediatly started to panic, thnking maybe she had passed away. So I ran to check my tablet and no she is still alive, which is wonderful. What I heard of the documentary-part her talking about her work and part readings of her stories was just sensational. I'm really sorry I missed most of it.
Happy weekend all!

[Barbara]

I have to say my reading of late has not been very Canadian but I also have a goal of being more worldly so I would eventually like to read a book from every country (caveat of course that they have written stories that have been translated into English). I am listening to The Underground Railroad audiobook on my commute, which I have to admit has been making me sad and anxious by the time I get to work. I want things to work out so badly but I know Colson Whitehead was probably not factoring in my feelings on the matter when he wrote it, lol. I am also reading Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation which is a nice light read so far. It is like fantasy/dystopian fiction but a little lighter? Hard to describe but I am enjoying it so far. I also need to get a hold of The Orphan Master's Son for book club which sounds really interesting so I hope my library hold comes in soon as I think it is a longer one. Hopefully I will get back to some Can lit soon, I have a copy of Brother that is staring at me from the shelf everyday making me feel guilty! Have a great weekend everyone.

[Magdelanye]

Considering the rain this morning,and the fiasco of last week's spine crackers fiasco, I decided to stay home and just focus on finishing up my cross country challenge. One more day to complete Diane Warrens Juliet in August, Knife Party at the Hotel Europa and a book I just found yesterday, Atlantic Canada Bucket List.
Because it's so late in the contest I'm not sure if I'll get to the Douglas notebooks before the deadline, but it looks good and I will get to it soon.
Finished Thich Naht Than's The Art of Living....beautiful man and such a lovely book
Much rougher was Rene Denfeld's All Gods Children which came very close to being a sensational blow by blow account of a few months on the streets of Portland.
@Rainey, what frustration with your phone holding your book hostage! Machines really are not that smart.
Last week on the desktop it was possible to scroll around and comment when appropriate on people's books and such, but i still lost it. Today I'm stuck on this page and can't check, so a general cheer for all you in your reading next week. I am not going to edit this because I'm afraid.....

[Diane]

I've really had very little time to read over the past couple of weeks due to being on vacation, touring around Nova Scotia and entertaining an house guest. Therefore, still working on:
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. For this month's back to school challenge, I have three on the go: The Manticore by Robertson Davies though not really enjoying that much as yet. Also started In the Skin of the Lion by Michael Ondaatje which is also still a bit "all over the place" and I nabbed The Watch that Ends the Night by Hugh MacLennan from the library for my last Bingo square. I'm not going to get any of them finished for the September challenge! Back to normal reading habits next week for a month then another vacation. Might get some time to read there on planes :)

[Mj]

Last week has been both joyful and stressful for reading - lots going on.

Finished A Bird in the House by Margaret Laurence and really enjoyed this collection of short stories. It's 4th in the Manawaka series which I'm reading in order, although the order is not necessary. The commonality is a setting in Manawaka and a primary female character/narrator who lives there. Laurence is such a terrific author!! I really enjoy her writing. I finished it this week in time for the September Back to School Challenge but it would be good reading at any time.

Also read Dragonfly Kites by Tomson Highway also for September's Back to School Challenge which I enjoyed as well. I'd set a goal of 2 books for the Challenge and when it became apparent I couldn't read a full length book before the deadline, I chose this picture book. I've always enjoyed picture books and Julie Flett was the illustrator. Like Tomson, Flett is a First Nation descendent. She's Metis and both an award winning writer and illustrator.

Finished Ginny Moon - the first novel by American author Benjamin Ludwig. It wasn't what I was expecting but it didn't disappoint. It grabbed me right away and kept me interested. It turned out to be a mystery, in addition to being informative about the characteristics of some autistic children and teens,

Am currently reading The Beauty of Humanity Movement which I chose for a book club and can see why it's a highly rated book of many.

@ Susan - thanks for feedback on Next Year, for Sure. It was the "salacious" aspect that you mentioned wasn't there that I was worried about.

@ Alan - glad you enjoyed The Dark and Other Love Stories. Am looking forward to it but don't think my hold will arrive before the Oct 2nd short list announcement.

@ Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ happy for your newly discovered hockey interest. Am a big Habs fan myself and a fan of most spectator sports - just finishing up with MLB (Toronto Blue Jays) and now into NFL. Maybe Indian Horse will appeal to you now although it's much, much more than a hockey story - in fact it really is not a hockey story. Hockey is just a vehicle to tell the story.

@ Diane - hope you had a great vacation!! I had planned on In the Skin of a Lion as well but couldn't swing it. The good thing about books is that you can put them aside until another time when you're ready. Unfortunately, that's not always the case with people and visitors. It's terrific you enjoyed them while you had the opportunity.

@ Susan - I ditto the suggestion for you to get lots of R&R this weekend.

@ Louise - the writers' workshop sounds like fun. Great idea for the inmates. Writing and journaling is highly recommended by many psychologists as therapeutic.

Have a great week everyone whatever you're doing, including reading!!

.

[Petra]

Happy Friday everyone! I'm so glad it's the weekend.

I finished reading The Memory Box, which ended up being a bit of a dud.
I picked up a YA book at the library the other week and quite enjoyed it: We Are Okay. There was a lot in this story. The one thing I didn't quite understand is probably because I'm no longer YA and my perspective is different. Despite that, I enjoyed the story of learning to move forward in Life.

The Proust read is moving along, I'm about 3/4 through the 6th (out of 7) volumes. All in all, I'm enjoying the series. It needs to be taken slowly, though.

Lots of good reading going on here. I don't recognize a lot of this week's titles and will do some investigation.

[Loretta]

Hello everyone! Dipping back into the forum after a long stint of lurking. I'm trying to be more focused at work and spend less time on the internets....it's really interfering with my Goodreads time though :)

I've been doing either sci-fi or mysteries in audio lately, or paper reading non-fiction. I just finished The Sparrow which was a thought-provoking but disturbing science fiction book that I really haven't settled on my opinion of yet. I might read the second book (Children of God before I decide.

My non-fiction read was a productivity type book which is not usually my thing, but it was actually engaging and kept me interested (although it did take me quite a while to finish): How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life. It was helpful for me in some respects.

But I'm getting back to Canadian content with two reads now - starting the October book, A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder. I've also started Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada, which so far is actually excellent - written in an easy to read and engaging style and very informative. I'm only on the first chapter but looking forward to keep reading.

[❀ Susan]

@Shannon - thanks for the reminder!! Some days are crazier than others so I appreciated it!

@Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ and @MJ - thanks!! I just got home from our swim banquet (which I also had a part in organizing) and am looking forward to a quiet weekend!!

@Alan - the room was electric and it was a fun evening. I learned a lot and was inspired. We do need more women in politics!!

I have been out every night which is a bit unusual for me so have only finished The Five Love Languages of Teenagers on audio which was insightful but I found it a bit out of touch with today's teens.

I am in the midst of What Happened which I did not get finished before the Hillary Clinton event and also reading Beneath the Wake by Ross Pennie (who is joining our book club this week) so this is on my agenda this weekend!

Today was an exciting day in my community as the 10 LFLs had a grand opening. It was a contest for local artists to paint them (my husband built the structures) and it was a fun to be a small part of the initiative which sees them "planted" at our city pool, parks, fire departments and the Bell Homestead. It will be nice to see more books shared in Brantford!

[Wanda]

@Susan- Huge thanks to you for always getting this Friday fun up and going- it is a highlight of my week! Appreciate all that you do for this group. I am in awe of your hectic schedule!

I finished Be Still the Water- 5 stars and one of my fondest books read this year. I tend to always love historical fiction. This one left me missing the characters the moment I closed the cover.

I am now listening to The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life. It is entertaining.

For my library book club I have started Super Sad True Love Story. It is 1) Super ridiculous, 2) Sadly boring 3) Truly annoying 4) Loving none of it... I may give up as I am just not getting it.

[❀ Susan]

@Wanda - awe thanks!! I love the Friday posts too, have so much fun with the group and have “met” so many awesome fellow readers! This week was a bit too busy and cut into my reading time!

[❀ Susan]

@Wanda - laughing about your super sad true love story post, tell us what you really think!!! Lol

[Petra]

@Loretta, I loved The Sparrow. I thought it thought provoking, mysterious and thoroughly interesting. I haven't read Children of God yet but fully intend to. I'm a bit concerned that it can't hold up to The Sparrow but have faith in Mary Doria Russell to pull it off.
I'm glad you enjoyed the book, too.

[Magdelanye]

@ coordinator Susan (dont have your flower sign on this old desktop) I'm rather in awe of all that you manage to coordinate and pull together! Not me, but Maybe there could be be someone who could post the Friday Spine Cracker if you do happen to be a bit overburdened, you could alert that person and thus be relieved of the extra pressure and/ or any guilt. Its amazing that you get any reading done at all.

In fact I am impressed with the amount of traveling and mothering and reading and commenting....that most everyone in this this group displays

I am at the library to update my cross country challenge.
almost finished my last 3 books
My reserve on Michel Crummy came in, too late,and I suppose quite a few more to come of the list I ordered over the course of this challenge, My thanks to Mj and Susan for encouragement and practical help, and others for your suggestions.

I learned a lot over the course of this challenge, and I hope to benefit from finally facing up to a few facts regarding my nonchalant style. There is a pattern of disorganization and overly focused attention span.

I have a copy of Sparrow Ive been carrying around for decades.Its in the top 10 of my tbr for even longer.
Children of God may be an important book but Im not sure it benefits at all from the graphic descriptions.

@ Wanda Have tried to get Be Still the Water with no luck
Possibly the self help book you mention is the one i need!

[Diane]

I'm actually having more trouble with The Manticore. So far it really isn't doing anything for me. I may give it a bit more time but I half expect it might end up being a "not finished" book which is a shame because I liked Fifth Business.

[❀ Susan]

Oh no!!! The manticore is for the Bingo “published in the year of my birth square.”

[❀ Susan]

Thanks @Magdelanye - this past week just happened to be a particularly busy week... i do it to myself but it is hard to turn down the opportunities sometimes.

[Mary]

I love the entire The Deptford Trilogy: Fifth Business/The Manticore/World of Wonders; they are each one different from the others.

[Petra]

Me, too, Mary Anne. I got a big bogged down in World of Wonders but it was still a good read.
Diane, I'm sorry you aren't enjoying The Manticore. I liked the different perspective on Fifth Business. It showed how perceptions and assumptions can change a story.

[Megan]

@Susan, Hillary Clinton!!! Lucky you! I have her book on hold at the library. Only 245 people in front of me...I hope it goes fast.

I finished reading Barney's Version for Bingo 2017. He mentioned Duddy Kravitz a handful of times, so I'm interest in reading The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz to see what all the fuss is about.

I'm currently rereading The Republic of Love for my favourite CanLit book for bingo. A love story set in Winnipeg and with mermaids. Bliss.

I'm also reading Peace of Mind: Becoming Fully Present.

Looks like a lot of great reads again, as usual. My TBR list always takes a big jump after I read this thread. :)

[Heather(Gibby)]

Hey everyone, I am back at work and catching up on everyone's posts. (and work )

I did a tonne of reading on my vacation, I find listening to audio books let me enjoy the scenery and still get my reading time in.
I thought I might get my 2017 bingo finished while I was gone, but got sidetracked with some library ebooks that became available.

I did finally read The Witches of New York which I had won in a giveaway last year. I loved this book, as I have loved all of Ami McKay's works.

I also read The Wives of Bath which is on the 100 Books that make you proud to be Canadian list. I enjoyed it, but it is more geared toward a YA crowd I believe.

Also worth a mention is The Lonely Hearts Hotel which was a fabulous book, I hope to have time to do some reviews on these soon.

@Wanda-you made me chuckle with that one, I will be sure to avoid that book.
@Megan, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz is one of the books I had hoped to get to , but did not. I am using it for my banned book square, so hopefully I will get to it this weekend.

@Susan congrats on the success of your LFL project!

[❀ Susan]

Wow @Megan - that is a lot of people ahead of you in line for the Clinton book!

@Petra and Mary Anne - glad to hear another perspective on The Manticore... to each their own!!

Thanks @Heather(Gibby) - it was not my LFL but a contest for artists to decorate them that the city put on (my husband just happened to be commissioned to build the libraries and I gave a bit of my expertise). It is fun to see more LFLs popping up to share more books!