One of my 2017 reading goals is to read more short stories. Readers seem to have a love 'em or hate 'em relationship with short stories (especially short story collections) but I fall firmly into the love 'em category. Particularly in my life right now, I enjoy being able to finish a whole story in… Continue reading Book Review: Barrelling Forward by Eva Crocker
Father Dowling is a young Catholic priest in a city parish. One day he happens to meet two young women, prostitutes, and begins a sort of friendship with them. His love for them is strong - perhaps even Christ-like - but shockingly naive and his increasing single-mindedness and involvement in their lives becomes distorting and… Continue reading Book Review: Such is My Beloved by Morley Callaghan
Kevin Chong writes about a Vancouver I recognize. While the city isn't necessarily a major player in the novel, it's an important background and well-evoked with a few simple settings and descriptions. And though this is what drew me to read Beauty Plus Pity I enjoyed the novel greatly for its characters and plotting. Malcolm… Continue reading Book Review: Beauty Plus Pity by Kevin Chong
I plucked this novel off the library shelf based solely on the fact that the blurb on the cover was from Esi Edugyan, an author whose work I admire. While the story didn't quite live up to my expectations it was still an interestingly-told tale. Our narrator is Ashe, fifteen years old, and the story… Continue reading Book Review: I Carried You Home by Alan Gibney
In post-Civil War Texas, the world is still a rough and lawless place. Information spreads slowly and divides run deep and dangerous. Captain Kidd - a veteran of two wars and a witness of more - travels from town to town and reads the news. In our world of instant information it's difficult to imagine… Continue reading Book Review: News of the World by Paulette Jiles
Having read Room a few years ago, this is my second read from Emma Donoghue. Although vastly different stories they share a powerful sense of tension and showcase how compelling a writer Donoghue is. Lib Wright arives in a tiny, rural Irish town, hired from England as a private nurse for exactly two weeks. Trained… Continue reading Book Review: The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
I picked this book up several times, read the blurb on the back, and put it back before I finally decided to read it. What turned me off was the description of the main character, Harriet, as "11 going on 30"; in general, I don't enjoy stories about overly precocious, wise-beyond-their-years children. What eventually turned… Continue reading Book Review: On the Shores of Darkness, There is Light by Cordelia Strube
Steven Price was one of my favourite professors when I was in university. I took a few courses with him, including a grammar class that remains one of the most practical courses I've ever studied. All that to say, I was biased to like By Gaslight before I even started it. However, I didn't particularly… Continue reading Book Review: By Gaslight by Steven Price
I'm not sure why I haven't read many short story collections this year but that seems to be what happened. I'm happy to make amends with Leesa Dean's debut collection. For me, the mark of a good short story is one which, when it ends, causes me to pause and look around for a minute… Continue reading Book Review: Waiting for the Cyclone by Leesa Dean
Joseph Boyden is easily one of the best Canadian writers currently being published and I'm a big fan. His latest offering is much shorter than his three previous works - I read Wenjack in two sittings over a couple of days - but brings forth all his familiar talent. What sets this brief story apart… Continue reading Book Review: Wenjack by Joseph Boyden
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