tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45288326082270205282024-02-20T08:24:38.924-06:00Do Not Talk About Book ClubGarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.comBlogger245125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-63479828077209858142013-03-15T08:00:00.000-06:002013-03-15T08:00:04.108-06:00Friday Recommends: Cat PowerCat Power's latest album, Sun, is another remarkable piece of music. There are several standouts on the album, such as "Cherokee", "Ruin", and "Manhattan", but my favourite of the moment is the album's penultimate song "Nothing But Time". It is over 10 minutes long and features Iggy Pop on guest vocals. It is an awesome song and very life-affirming. I couldn't find a video or performance of the song, so I've attached a live performance of "Cherokee" from Conan O'Brien. Enjoy!<br />
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Read more about Cat Power at <a href="http://catpowermusic.com/">catpowermusic.com</a>.Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-76479980463352135432013-03-11T08:00:00.000-06:002013-03-11T19:44:35.032-06:00Review: Arcadia by Lauren Groff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is an excellent book. Lauren Groff creates an intriguing world in a commune called Arcadia and explores humanity's place in the world. We follow Bit as he experiences Arcadia as a child, teenager and then again as an adult with his own child. It is a microcosm of global society, first pinpointing the destructive nature of humanity before acting as a refuge in a time of global strife. Groff's writing is poetic and poignant, mourning loss and yet celebrating life. <br /><br /> The novel is divided into 4 parts: Bit as a young child, as a teenager, as an young father and then as an older adult. The first two parts examine Arcadia through Bit's eyes, and as Arcadia changes with time - overpopulation, internal strife, changing global politics - we see the change in Bit as he matures from the bright-eyed innocence of childhood. As the <i>Slate </i>Audio Book Club noticed, Groff is never judgmental about her subjects; she presents the events as they unfold and allows the reader to pass judgment on the causes and effects. <br /><br /> The last half of the book examines Bit outside of Arcadia. He is a single father living in Queens, lamenting the absence of his wife, who leaves one day without explanation. His sadness is palpable, and Groff's technique in this section is to slow everything down: Bit's day to day life is banal and cliche, but the way he experiences the loss is reveals the impact that the loss of Arcadia had on him - even after 15 years. The final section of the novel marks a return to Arcadia, and Bit's return to a way of living that he has been without since he left as a teenager. The details of the return are compelling and intriguing, and I admire Groff for channeling Margaret Atwood and Marilyn Robinson simultaneously. <br /><br /> To listen to the full <i>Slate </i>Audio Book Club podcast, which I highly recommend, go to this link: <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/the_audio_book_club/2013/03/lauren_groff_s_arcadia_discussion_podcast_and_book_club_guide.html"><i>Slate </i>Audio Book Club</a>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-54554353970377881352013-03-06T08:00:00.000-06:002013-03-09T16:38:44.760-06:00Review: February by Lisa Moore<i>February </i>by Lisa Moore is the Book Club pick for February. Released in 2009, it recently won the 2013 Canada Reads competition on CBC, championed by comedian Trent McClellan, who argued that it is a book for all Canadians, despite its very specific subject matter of a widow dealing with the loss of her husband, who died when the <i>Ocean Ranger</i> sank off the coast of Newfoundland in 1982.<br />
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After reading the novel, I find myself in agreement with McClellan. Helen's grief and experience following the 1982 tragedy is indeed a story that all Canadians should read. As she wrestles with her own understanding of the events of February 14, 1982, and the 26 years in between then and now, Helen presents a version of Canada and Canadians that will resonate with every reader. She recalls her marriage, how she met her husband, when her children were born, how her children handled the loss of their father and, heartbreakingly, how the <i>Ocean Ranger</i> came to sink and what Cal, her husband, might have been doing at that exact moment. Moore writes these passages carefully and poignantly and it is impossible to read without feeling a small piece of the heartbreak that Helen feels.<br />
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Moore's writing is as beautiful and brilliant as ever. She tells the story well, revealing pieces at a time, mimicking the way that Helen resolves her own understanding of the accident that killed her husband.<br />
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A great read, and in the future, I will read everything that Moore writes without hesitation.Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-346809296752681942013-03-04T08:00:00.000-06:002013-03-04T08:00:09.678-06:00March's Pick: On Beauty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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March's Book Club selection is <i>On Beauty</i> by Zadie Smith.Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-48946817670872605472013-02-15T08:00:00.000-06:002013-02-15T08:00:01.734-06:00Friday Recommendation: Beck Plays Bowie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This week, listen to Beck cover David Bowie's awesome "Sound and Vision". As an added bonus, I've also added Bowie performing the song live in Tokyo in 1990. Awesome. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/riW9d_ydlEY" width="420"></iframe>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-89676051311458486222013-02-14T08:00:00.000-06:002013-02-14T08:00:06.154-06:00The 2013 Giller Prize is going to be weirdThe 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize jury was announced today, and it's going to be an awesome year. Margaret Atwood, Esi Edugyan <i>and </i>Jonathan Lethem - three heavyweights in millennium literature and DNTABC favourites. Read more at <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/books/story/2013/02/13/giller-jury-atwood-edugyan-lethem.html?cmp=rss" target="_blank">CBC </a>and the Giller <a href="http://www.scotiabank.com/gillerprize/0,,5813,00.html" target="_blank">website</a>.Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-25510390835671545242013-02-11T08:00:00.000-06:002013-02-13T23:02:18.907-06:00February's Pick: February<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Even though it's well into the month, I am still going ahead with my February Book Club pick: <i>February </i>by Lisa Moore. I didn't pick it just for the title, however: it is also the <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/february-by-lisa-moore.html" target="_blank">Atlantic representative</a> for this year's Canada Reads debate, which starts today. For a primer, check out <i>Book Riot</i>'s brief <a href="http://bookriot.com/2013/02/05/book-riot-does-canada-reads-book-5-february-by-lisa-moore/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bookriot%2FWlRy+%28BOOK+RIOT%29" target="_blank">synopsis </a>of the book and Lisa Moore.<br />
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I don't think I will finish <i>February </i>before the end of the Canada Reads debate, but I will certainly tune in. Check out the <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/2013/02/canada-reads-turf-wars-begins-february-11.html" target="_blank">Canada Reads page</a> at CBC.ca for broadcast details. There are myriad ways to catch the action, so there's really no reason not to listen. Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-65335795057651352732013-02-05T08:00:00.000-06:002013-02-05T08:00:09.956-06:00In Honour of the Super Bowl ChampsThe Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl on Sunday night, and I thought it would be timely to link to a short piece called <a href="http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-inspired-by-the-ravens-literary-nfl-teams-20130129,0,7233252.story" target="_blank">"Inspired by the Ravens: Literary NFL Teams?"</a><br />
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I would also add to the list the Texas Lonesome Doves and the Minnesota Cerulean Warblers.Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-46137748549887078422013-02-01T19:00:00.000-06:002013-02-01T19:00:02.110-06:00Recommendation Friday: The StrokesWhat's old is new again with The Strokes - a new song a dozen or so years since their debut <i>Is This It?. </i>Their new track is called "One Way Trigger." It's got the classic Strokes sound with a little bit of dance thrown in. Enjoy!<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F76331890" width="100%"></iframe>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-74100455205132506142013-01-31T08:00:00.000-06:002013-01-31T08:00:15.817-06:002013 Tournament of BooksYesterday, I alluded to the<a href="http://www.themorningnews.org/article/announcing-the-2013-tournament-of-books" target="_blank"> 2013 Tournament of Books </a>- however, I realized that I have not actually linked to the site yet. The list has been announced, as have the reviewers, as well as an interesting Tournament-ish thing to do - a "play-in" round featuring three contemporary books about the Vietnam War.<br />
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The event is an exciting time for readers: which tastes will be rewarded and which will be ridiculed? <i>The Morning News</i> does a great job of picking books that represent myriad readers and reviewers. This year is no different, though there were some notable omissions, such as 2013 novels from Michael Chabon, Zadie Smith and Junot Diaz. Though, if the goal of the Tournament is to bring a higher profile to lesser-known great authors, they've succeeded. Yet Hilary Mantel remains.<br />
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My goal of reading the contestants is not even a pipe dream it's so far off. Of the 16 finalists, however, I've read 3 - a fewer than last year, but considering the obscurity of some of the titles, you can't blame me.<br />
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The Tournament starts in March. Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-84753963324630855322013-01-30T08:00:00.000-06:002013-02-01T06:45:33.624-06:00Book Club Update: ArcadiaA little while ago, <i>Book Riot</i> reviewed <i>Arcadia </i>- rather, the participants documented a discussion about Arcadia, as it pertains to its inclusion in the 2013 Tournament of Books. I haven't read the whole article yet, as I haven't quite finished Arcadia. My review of the novel will be by shortly - I only have a couple of days left in January, after all - but for the time being you can read what the <i>BR </i>staff has to say. I'll read it soon, too, I hope.<br />
<br /><a href="http://bookriot.com/2013/01/07/2013-tournament-of-books-discussion-arcadia-by-lauren-groff/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bookriot%2FWlRy+%28BOOK+RIOT%29" target="_blank">2013 Tournament of Books Discussion: <i>ARCADIA</i> by Lauren Groff</a><div>
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Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-38864289645788157742013-01-29T08:00:00.000-06:002013-01-29T08:00:13.397-06:00Live Blogging at a BookstoreSomeday, I may feel the need to blog about my experience at a bookstore, but for the time being, I am enjoying Elizabeth Bastos's take on 2 hours at a bookstore:<br />
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<a href="http://bookriot.com/2013/01/28/two-hours-in-a-suburban-bookstore-cafe/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bookriot%2FWlRy+%28BOOK+RIOT%29" target="_blank">Two Hours in a Suburban Bookstore Cafe</a><br />
<br />Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-89215950475369308212013-01-27T23:57:00.002-06:002013-01-29T19:09:46.943-06:00List Link - 50 Sci-Fi books to read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>AbeBooks</i> presents an excellent list of 50 Science Fiction books that you should read. Perhaps not all of them, but some of them. It covers the main authors and the main eras. Check it out and fill in your sci-fi gaps!<br />
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<a href="http://www.abebooks.com/books/features/50-essential-science-fiction-books.shtml" target="_blank">50 Essential Science Fiction Books</a>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-5649462657815163412013-01-25T08:00:00.000-06:002013-01-26T19:02:54.675-06:00Recommendation Friday: Tame ImpalaMy new favourite band is Australia's Tame Impala. Their 2012 release, <i>Lonerism</i>, is an awesome start-to-finish album. Each song will have your toe tapping, and, if you're a Beatles fan, make you wonder if this is what they would sound like if John and Paul had met in 2007 instead of 1957.<br />
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Check them out!<br />
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<a href="http://www.tameimpala.com/">www.tameimpala.com</a><br />
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<br />Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-39195555759052114692013-01-24T08:00:00.000-06:002013-01-24T22:59:35.962-06:00More Year-End ChecklistsAs you know, the end of the year brings those highly anticipated year-end lists. I've already done mine, on December 26th, and I thought I was late in posting it. My reference was <i><a href="http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2012/11/online_best_of_11.html" target="_blank">Largehearted Boy</a></i>'s aggregated year-end list, which was actually put up sometime around the beginning of November. In the last week, however, I've realized that normal people - i.e. bloggers, not publications or retailers - do their year-end lists at year's end. Go figure. It took me a second to think about that - every retailer, publisher, magazine, newspaper and, of course, author, wants those coveted lists to be released to the public well in advance of the lucrative holiday shopping season, and they're not wrong for doing so. The awesome benefit for this reader is that I not only get to start reading "best of" lists in November, I get to continue reading them all the way into the new year. Awesome!<br />
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This brings me to my subject. Over the course of a week at the beginning of January, several bloggers posted their year-end thoughts. I am going to highlight a couple of them. </div>
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1. I'm going to start with <i><a href="http://www.thenewdorkreviewofbooks.com/2013/01/the-new-dork-review-of-2012.html" target="_blank">New Dork Review of Books</a></i>, since it is the most organized and list-heavy of the articles. The lists include "Favourites", "Least Favourites", "Classics", and "Under-the-Radar". I like this organization because, as I mentioned before, I am interested in the current year's selection of books, not every book ever written. I like that there's a distinction between "Classics" and other "of the year" categories. As well, his no. 1 favourite? <i>Arcadia </i>by Lauren Groff. </div>
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2. Another stat-heavy year-end article comes from <i><a href="http://booksinthekitchen.tumblr.com/post/39045916561/hindsight-what-i-read-in-2012" target="_blank">Too Many Books in the Kitchen</a></i>. Mr. Hingston outlines his reading list month-by-month and finishes off with overall stats, breaking down his reading list into demographic distinction. It's another interesting list to check out, and he makes a few 2013 reading resolutions as well. </div>
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3. <i><a href="http://www.minnesotareads.com/2013/01/reading-in-2012/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MinnesotaReads+%28Minnesota+Reads%29" target="_blank">Minnesota Reads</a></i> is worth a look simply because its tagline is "We like big books & we cannot lie." One of the reviewers, Christa, separated her year-end post into 13 "Chapters", one for each month of the year and a 13th for the new year. My favourite is Chapter 3:<br />
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In 2012 I took one for the team. I read <i>Fifty Shades of Grey</i> because I knew none of the other reviewers at <i>Minnesota Reads</i> would do it and the reading public deserved to know. I have been called, by myself, a person who loves to do things she hates. As expected, it was horrible. But some unexpected goodness came from this fail: <a href="http://www.minnesotareads.com/2012/03/fifty-shades-of-grey/">The best book review I’ve ever written in my life</a>. Also: I earned the right to make a judge-y eyebrow raise when I see a well-worn copy get passed through a group. I mean, who borrows a copy of <i>Fifty Shades of Grey</i>? Imagine taking a blacklight to that thing.</blockquote>
4. <a href="http://kevinfromcanada.wordpress.com/2012/12/26/2012-kfcs-10-best/" target="_blank"><i>KevinfromCanada</i></a> is by an expat living in England, and his year-end post is a very full list of his favourite books of 2012. I like it simply because he talks about his favourite books <i>written </i>in 2012, rather than <i>read </i>in 2012. See above. Plus, his recommendations are pretty spot on.<br />
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5. <i><a href="http://www.babygotbooks.com/2013/01/02/my-favorite-reads-of-2012/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BabyGotBooks+%28Baby+Got+Books%29" target="_blank">Baby Got Books</a></i> is, as they call it, "a loose confederation of <strike>book nerds</strike> literary bloggers." They have contributors from across the States, and they're usually pretty amusing. The head honcho, Tim, gives his top picks of 2012. He lists them under several categories, which serves to avoid a hierarchy as well as justify some of his choices. My fave is <i>Gone Girl</i>:<br />
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My favorite “holy crap” novel of the year was <i>Gone Girl </i>by Gillian Flynn. From<a href="http://www.babygotbooks.com/2012/09/26/gone-girl/"> my review</a>: “Several times in the story you will say “holy crap”, out loud, when Flynn throws yet another unexpected bomb at the reader. I read this book in a day and a half. It only took that long because I had to sleep (at some point) and go to work”</blockquote>
6. <a href="http://www.picklemethis.com/2012/12/30/2012-my-year-in-books/"><i>Pickle Me This</i></a> is a blog that I've been reading for a long while now, and it is interesting to me how Kerry juggles a professional life in writing, reviewing and teaching (and reading), a family that is about to grow by one in the coming year, and blogging - on two different sites: she is also a contributor at <a href="http://49thshelf.com/" target="_blank">49th Shelf</a>. Her Year in Books post is less a favourite books post - she does that <a href="http://www.picklemethis.com/2012/12/16/pickle-me-this-2012-books-of-the-year/" target="_blank">here </a>- and more a personal reflection on the past year. She managed to finish 120 books in 2012 - an enviable mark next to my paltry 55 books read.<br />
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7. <a href="http://www.rebeccarosenblum.com/2012/12/31/now-2012/" target="_blank"><i>Rose Coloured</i></a> is Rebecca Rosenblum's personal blog. She is an accomplished writer living in Toronto, and she talks about her life as a writer with honesty and humility. Her reviews are more about how the books make her feel - and it is her skill as a writer that conveys those feelings so well. I definitely enjoy reading her reviews, and I have more than once picked up an author based on her recommendation alone. Her second book of short stories, <i>The Big Dream</i>, is slated to be <i>Do Not Talk About Book Club</i>'s April selection in 2013.<br />
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8. Finally, I'll leave you with a post from <i><a href="http://www.themillions.com/2013/01/my-new-years-resolution-read-fewer-books.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+themillionsblog%2Ffedw+%28The+Millions%29" target="_blank">The Millions</a></i>. <a href="http://www.themillions.com/" target="_blank"><i>The Millions</i></a> is another collective of contributors writing on wide-ranging topics. Its posts are also wide-ranging, everything from simple link posts to long format reviews, recollections, and interviews. Michael Bourne's wrap-up post is about a goal that most readers avoid: "read fewer books." He is an obsessive list-keeper, having recorded all of the books he has read since 2000. This year, however, he'll read less; be less obsessive about keeping the lists, and enjoy the books: "and if I see a nice, fat doorstop of a novel I want to read, I won’t stop to check whether I’m far enough ahead for the year to give up the two or three weeks it’ll take to read it. I’ll just read the damn thing."<br />
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I listed these blogs because I read everything that they post. They are extremely interesting, and every time I read a new post, I am reminded how much I love reading what other people have to say about books. I guess that's my 2012 Year in Reading: I read a lot, I blogged a lot, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. </div>
Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-57832452328233010692013-01-23T08:00:00.000-06:002013-01-23T08:00:15.808-06:00Review: Alias GraceMargaret Atwood's <i>Alias Grace</i> is a tour de force of historical fiction. Set in 1859, Atwood draws from actual newspaper articles, court records and second-hand accounts to tell the story of Grace Marks after she was tried and convicted for her involvement in the murders of her former employer and his housekeeper. Atwood uses various devices to tell the story - actual articles, excerpts from the writings of Susanna Moodie, who interviewed Ms. Marks several years after her imprisonment, and letters, both actual and fictional. The fictional letters come from Dr. Simon Jordan, as he travels to Kingston to meet Grace and study her mental state. Dr. Jordan is a young doctor focusing on mental illness and he is convinced that Grace can be rehabilitated if she can access her memories of the event for which she was convicted and show remorse. Thus we learn about Grace's story as she tells it to Dr. Jordan, from the time she was a young girl in Ireland to the point of her arrest and trial.<br />
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Atwood also tells the story of Dr. Jordan, providing a bird's eye view on life in Canada in the mid-19th century: the facts of the lower classes and the prices they pay to provide for the upper class; the constant political tension and its effect on all classes; and the breakdown of the servant class in the absence of rigid social norms. Between his perspective as an upper class doctor travelling at his leisure and Grace's life of harsh servitude, Atwood captures a vision of life in the burgeoning frontier of Canadian society. <br />
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This novel is an excellent read. It is long and exhaustive but not exhausting - Atwood's prose is fantastic and poetic as always, and the dual storylines of Grace and Dr. Jordan are compelling to the end. Even though we know how Grace came to be imprisoned, there are many details that were not known; it is this story, the story of Grace as an individual rather than a patient or prisoner, that captures the reader's interest. As well, though we do not hear Dr. Jordan's story first-hand through to the end, we are thoroughly invested nonetheless.<br />
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Atwood also draws together many of the themes she so often touches upon in her written work. She manages to bring forward issues of feminism, both in the 19th century and present day, isolation, wilderness, free thought, and, of course, Canadian identity. The underlying political tension during this period in time, the failure of the Upper Canada Rebellion, is always present. Many of the characters are judged prematurely due to their supposed political affiliation, and any troublemaker is deemed a rebel. Even Dr. Jordan comes under suspicion by asking about Grace and her supposed accomplice. It is an interesting time in Canadian history: just prior to confederation but still closely tied to British interests and affected by American politics. It is an aspect of the novel that brings us closer to the characters as Atwood recreates the tension and turmoil of daily life that was felt by citizens of that time.<br />
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A highly recommended read, and a must for fans of Canadian literature.Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-39248557400517360162013-01-22T18:40:00.003-06:002013-01-22T18:40:30.879-06:00Book Riot Likes Margaret AtwoodRebecca at <i>Book Riot</i> recently read Margaret Atwood's <i><a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Other-Worlds-Sf-Human-Imagination-Margaret-Atwood/9780771008412-item.html?ikwid=in+other+worlds&ikwsec=Home" target="_blank">In Other Worlds</a></i>, which is her recent collection of essays about science fiction writing.<i> Book Riot</i> likes it, calling <i>In Other Worlds</i> "essentially a memoir of Atwood’s reading life." Read more of the review at the link below.<br />
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<a href="http://bookriot.com/2013/01/22/margaret-atwood-says-its-ok-to-read-whatever-you-want/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bookriot%2FWlRy+%28BOOK+RIOT%29" target="_blank">Margaret Atwood Says It’s OK to Read Whatever You Want</a><br />
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<br />Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-22808991395621879082013-01-05T08:00:00.000-06:002013-01-05T08:00:08.390-06:00Resetting The Month PostLast month was a pretty busy month for me, it turns out, and <i>Arcadia </i>didn't quite make it. My review of November's book club pick, <i>Alias Grace</i>, didn't quite make it either. So I'm just going to bump everything back a month: look for my review of <i>Alias Grace</i> shortly, and read <i>Arcadia </i>for January!Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-19414608659602899832013-01-02T08:00:00.000-06:002013-01-02T08:00:07.184-06:00New Year's Book PredictionsWith each passing calendar year, the tendency is to make resolutions or set new goals for the coming year. While I don't usually make resolutions, I feel that a few reading resolutions are in order. This month, I will outline a couple of these modest goals that I will set for myself in 2013. <div>
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1. Read a Zadie Smith novel. </div>
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My wife is always a little surprised that I haven't read any Zadie Smith novels yet - she always assumes that I have read Zadie Smith before. So I guess it makes sense for me to finally read a Zadie Smith novel. </div>
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We own the first three, and <i>NW</i> just came out this September. I think I will start with the one that catapulted Smith into the international literary scene: <i>On Beauty</i>. Look for it in a review in 2013! <br />
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Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-18139374689579547422012-12-26T10:48:00.000-06:002012-12-26T21:23:53.526-06:00My Favourite Books of 2012Here it is: my top five of 2012. I read a tonne of books this year, at least, relative to last year, and I tried to read as many 2012 titles as I could. But I had a huge backlist of titles sitting on my bookshelf that I wanted to read - things like <i>Alias Grace</i> and <i>Motherless Brooklyn</i>, or catching up on Jasper Fforde. I did manage to read a solid number of new titles this year, which made me feel that I accomplished something: I could read the reviews as they came out instead of waiting until I read the book, and I could make recommendations based on the type of reader rather than going by other reviews or recommendations. Which brings me to my #5:<i> In One Person</i> by John Irving. <br />
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John Irving is not for everyone. He has a specific style, honed through 40 years of writing. Readers who like him, like him a lot. Those who don't, well, I don't think they ever will. In One Person is for those who like John Irving. It revisits many of the themes he uses consistently: New England, absent father, extraordinary coincidence, sexual discovery and, of course, wrestling. Irving takes on the AIDS epidemic as his main character, Billy Abbott, goes through a sexual discovery in a private high school in New Hampshire and becomes a novelist who writes about his experiences (another Irving theme). Billy then faces the AIDS crisis in the early 80s and watches helplessly as many of his friends and former lovers pass away. Irving writes in his usual blunt style, pulling no punches about the physical and emotional havoc the disease has on both those affected, their families and the survivors. Billy even wrestles with survivor's guilt after visiting hospice after hospice. Of course, the foreshadowing and repetition of both themes and phrases in the novel make Irving's characters seem familiar, since we've seen these things before in other novels. But it doesn't make this novel any less interesting, and a compelling read for those who know and love Irving. If you haven't read John Irving before, start with <i>A Prayer For Owen Meany</i>, then <i>The World According to Garp</i>. If you make it that far, your next read is your choice, and the world of John Irving will open up for you.<br />
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Now, when I look at top picks lists for a given year, or "the best books I've read this year" and that sort of thing, I am looking for recommendations for my reading list. I want to know what books I may have missed in 2012 that I should read. Or, alternatively, what books can I move from my "maybe" pile to my "tbr" pile - case in point, <i>Gone Girl</i>. I didn't really think it would appeal to me, and I avoided reading it for a long while. But after reading about it in several blogs and bestseller lists, I decided to give it a try, and it paid off. It's my number 4 book of 2012: <i>Gone Girl</i> by Gillian Flynn.<br />
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<i>Gone Girl</i> broke many of the expectations readers had for genre fiction: it's a suspense novel, it's a police procedural, it's a psychological thriller, it's a relationship book. It is all of those things put together, and it works. The book begins with Nick Dunne returning home to discover a tossed house and a missing wife. What has happened to Amy, and on their fifth wedding anniversary no less? Flynn uses an alternating narrator device to tell the story of Nick and Amy Dunne and the reader must piece together the story of their marriage and the current predicament. But who is telling the truth? Whose version of events can we trust? Can we trust either of them? The result is a challenging read and one of the better ones of 2012.<br />
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A pet peeve of mine when I read "best of" lists or more specifically "best books read" lists is that many blogs and sites will present you with a list of books that aren't from 2012 at all, but a list of books <i>read </i>in 2012; a reader catches up on a classic, or that award winner from last year that didn't make the cut in the calendar year. While I appreciate reviews of great books and I am always interested in recommendations, December is not the time to rave about <i>Anna Karenina</i> or <i>Catcher in the Rye</i>. I want to know what books from the past year I should read; I already know about classics that everyone else has read and written about. Perhaps January is the month for recollecting your reading habits, while December is the month to add to your to be read pile for 2013. Just remember to review them in January 2014, not the following December. Hence, my #3 pick for 2012 is not <i>The Art of Fielding</i> by Chad Harbach but <i>The Headmaster's Wager</i> by Vincent Lam.<br />
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Vincent Lam's first novel is a labour of love - five years spent researching and writing a book that has close ties to his own family's history. The novel focuses on Percival Chen, a Chinese citizen living in Saigon before the proper involvement of the American Military in Vietnam. We hear about how he came to Saigon before the end of the Second World War, fleeing Hong Kong just in time to avoid the Japanese invasion. However, the Japanese also made it to Saigon, and Chen must find a way to thrive in an occupied country. He manages to survive the Japanese occupation, as well as the French, and we follow as he struggles to make his fortune as a headmaster of an English Academy as the Americans arrive. The story continues through to the end of the Vietnam War, when the occupiers change once again from American to Communist North Vietnamese. Along the way, Chen is tortured, blackmailed, bribed, and pressured, but he continues to have his eye on earning enough to return to his native China and raise his son in a traditional way - that is, the China he remembers, before the war and before the Cultural Revolution. So much changes for Chen throughout the novel and the reader watches and he searches for ways to adapt - and often fails to do so quickly enough to save his dream for the future or prevent the ones he loves from getting hurt. Lam's prose is crisp and precise, as always, and in Chen, he has created a memorable character whom the reader comes to care for even though he is continually the author of his own demise.<br />
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Another trend in "best of" lists in 2012 was avoiding the big names in literature that published in 2012. Zadie Smith, Ian McEwan, Michael Chabon, Hilary Mantel, Alice Munro, Richard Ford, and Junot Diaz all published books in 2012. However, the majority of "best of" lists have left these authors in the cold, instead going for smaller presses, genre titles or obscure authors. This may or may not be warranted, as I have not read all of the aforementioned authors' books, but I did read Junot Diaz's <i>This is How You Lose Her</i>, and it is my #2 of 2012.<br />
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Diaz's book is a collection of short stories focused on Yunior, the narrator in Diaz's previous book, <i>The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao</i> (which I still have to catch up with). We read about Yunior's arrival in New York City with his family, about his brother's death, about breaking up with his (many) girlfriends. The resulting snapshot of the Dominican community in NYC is Diaz's greatest achievement, as he brings his reader inside this insular world within a world. The stories are heartbreaking and poignant, and Yunior is by no means a sympathetic character. But we appreciate the view he provides.<br />
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Finally, the last trend in 2012 publishing was smaller titles making a big impact. First time authors or authors not accustomed to the international stage made a big impact in both awards lists and best of lists (Booker winner Hilary Mantel notwithstanding). In Canada, the three big awards were handed out to three different authors of thus far limited exposure or success. <i>The Purchase</i> by Linda Spalding won this year's Governor General's Award for Fiction. Although she is Michael Ondaatje's partner, she has not been a noticeable name on the literary scene. The Scotiabank Giller winner was Will Ferguson's <i>419</i>. Even though Ferguson is a household name in Canada - he has won the Stephen Leacock Prize for Humour 3 times - but this is his first foray into "serious" literature. His look at the new Nigeria and its global impact struck a chord with readers and critics alike, and was a contender for my top five this year. My #1, however, was also the winner of the Rogers Writers' Trust Prize for Fiction: <i>Siege 13</i> by Tamas Dobozy.<br />
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Another short story collection, Dobozy's account of the Hungarian community in Toronto and the inescapable past of the Russian siege of Budapest during the Second World War is an incredible read. He takes the reader into the basements and sewers of Budapest during the ill-fated winter of 1945, and we follow as those same people make a new life for themselves in Toronto. A few of the stories focus on the children and grandchildren of these people, but all pay close attention to the irrevocable effect of the siege on an entire country. A brilliant read and deserving winner - of both the Writers' Trust Prize and my top 5 list. <br />
<br />Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-53550126380113733272012-12-19T08:00:00.000-06:002012-12-19T08:00:12.289-06:00Aggregate list of best booksYesterday, I wrote about overlooked books in the top lists of 2012. I also mentioned the usual suspects that seemed to be on everyone's list. Flavorwire took that one step further, actually documenting the <a href="http://www.flavorwire.com/355928/the-books-that-made-the-most-best-of-2012-book-lists" target="_blank">books that appeared in several top lists of 2012</a>. The lists they chose are as follows:<br />
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<i>Publisher’s Weekly</i><br /><i>Slate</i><br /><i>TIME (Fiction)</i><br /><i>TIME (Nonfiction)</i><br /><i>Vogue</i><br /><i>The Washington Post</i><br />Book Riot<br />Amazon<br /><i>The Atlantic<br />Esquire<br />The Huffington Post<br />The New York Times<br />The Daily Beast<br />Newsday<br />Christian Science Monitor (Fiction)<br />Christian Science Monitor (Nonfiction)</i><div>
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This looks to be a fairly representative collection of American publications, spanning a wide range of reading interests, from commercial (Amazon) to industry (<i>Publisher's Weekly</i>), critical (<i>New York Times, Washington Post</i>) and general (<i>Vogue</i>, <i>Esquire</i>). It even polls a couple of blogs for good measure (Book Riot, <i>The Daily Beast</i>). The results aren't too surprising: Hilary Mantel's <i>Bring Up The Bodies</i> was the most listed book, appearing on 9 of 14 fiction lists. Other titles mentioned several times were <i>Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk</i> by Ben Fountain (7), <i>Gone Girl</i> (6), <i>This is How You Lose Her </i>(5), and <i>Arcadia </i>(4). It looks like I agree so far with several of these choices, though I have yet to read Mantel. </div>
Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-36647031140089531272012-12-18T08:00:00.000-06:002012-12-18T08:00:06.054-06:00Overlooked booksEveryone's seen the Best Books Lists of the year, and it's the usual suspects: Junot Diaz, Alice Munro, Lauren Groff, Dave Eggers, Hilary Mantel, Gillian Flynn, and others. <i>Book Riot</i>, however, put together a list of five <a href="http://bookriot.com/2012/12/07/top-5-most-overlooked-books-of-2012-2/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bookriot%2FWlRy+%28BOOK+RIOT%29" target="_blank">overlooked books of 2012</a>. All five are books that look promising.<br />
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The list is a response to <i>Slate's </i><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2012/11/underrated_books_overlooked_fiction_and_nonfiction_of_2012.html" target="_blank">similar list of 20 books</a>. As the title suggests, I haven't heard of any of them. Perhaps a few of these will make by tbr list for 2013.Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-13372519952329640582012-12-17T14:28:00.001-06:002012-12-17T14:28:57.568-06:00Reading List for December 22ndAs the Mayan calendar gives us just 5 more days to enjoy the world, a few blogs are posting Post-Apocalyptic reading lists. A good one comes from <a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/12/17/167158087/3-books-to-read-before-the-end-of-the-world" target="_blank">Ben H. Winters</a> at <a href="http://www.npr.org/series/three-books/" target="_blank">NPR books</a>:<br />
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<i>Decameron </i>by Giovanni Boccaccio<br />
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<i>Children of Men</i> by P.D. James<br />
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<i>On The Beach</i> by Nevil Shute<br />
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The first one in an interesting classic read: 10 Florentines sequestered from the rest of the village to wait out the Black Death. It will fulfill your "I should read more classics" compunction (although, if the world is going to end, you should read what you want). The second book also became a great movie, and is considered a pretty good science fiction novel from a pretty good mystery author. Put her in the same category as Atwood when it comes to blurring genre lines.<br />
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<a href="http://media.npr.org/assets/bakertaylor/covers/o/on-the-beach/9780307473998_custom-f065bfac072689e3f84c31e633daad5556ecdf7b-s2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/bakertaylor/covers/o/on-the-beach/9780307473998_custom-f065bfac072689e3f84c31e633daad5556ecdf7b-s2.jpg" width="209" /></a>The third book, <i>On the Beach</i>, was written in 1957, and looks to be the most interesting of the three:<br />
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"Standing tall among classics of Cold War nuclear-paranoia literature is this deeply felt portrait of an ensemble of heroes in southern Australia, waiting for the radiation cloud unleashed by a nuclear exchange to reach their shores. Stubbornly, heroically, they cling to their humanity — to politeness and small talk, to hunting and fishing and car racing, to family and friends and the possibility of love. The moral center is Cmdr. Dwight Towers, an American submarine captain — and now the de facto admiral of the U.S. Navy — who refuses to abandon his post, and refuses even a sexual liaison out of fealty to his wife, back home in Connecticut and certainly dead"</blockquote>
I am adding this one to my reading list this year - hopefully.<br />
<br />Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-57001051038119554402012-12-13T00:44:00.000-06:002012-12-13T00:45:31.694-06:00December's Pick: Arcadia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This December, we are picking <i>Arcadia </i>by Lauren Groff. It did not receive much attention from prize juries this year, but, as you can see below, it has made many end of year "best of" lists. Let's hope it lives up to the hype!<br />
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<a href="http://bookpage.com/interview/going-to-arcadia-with-flowers-in-their-hair" target="_blank">Book Page</a> <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2012/1203/10-best-books-of-2012-fiction/Arcadia-by-Lauren-Groff" target="_blank">The Christian Science Monitor</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/the-globes-top-29-picks-for-international-fiction-of-2012/article5597044/" target="_blank">The Globe & Mail</a> <a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/2012-best-of/section/fiction/" target="_blank">Kirkus Reviews</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2012/12/favorite_novels_5.html" target="_blank">Largehearted Boy</a> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2012.html?_r=0" target="_blank">New York Times</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/11/30/166251839/best-books-of-2012-the-complete-list" target="_blank">NPR</a> <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-10-best-books-of-2012/2012/11/16/fd937c5e-2eb3-11e2-9ac2-1c61452669c3_story.html" target="_blank">Washington Post</a>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528832608227020528.post-87380447847649910502012-12-11T23:58:00.001-06:002012-12-11T23:58:37.166-06:00<a href="http://bookriot.com/2012/12/05/10-ways-to-kill-your-book-club/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bookriot%2FWlRy+%28BOOK+RIOT%29" target="_blank">10 Ways To Kill Your Book Club</a><br />
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11. Don't post for several weeks.<br />
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<br />Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12284798928048268553noreply@blogger.com0