Tag Archives: Canadian literature

5 Canadian books to look for this spring

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In just a few more days, it will officially–finally–be spring. That means I’m starting to picture myself getting out from under these blankets and taking my books to a patio or to the park. Here are a few CanLit titles coming out this spring that I can’t wait to take with me.

Coconut Dreams by Derek Mascarenhas (April 15)

I am not the biggest fan of short-story collections, but I’ve developed a particular fondness for collections where the stories are interconnected. Coconut Dreams is a collection of linked stories following a family and focusing on two siblings. The siblings are first-generation Canadians, and the stories explore their South Asian roots and the family’s experiences as new immigrants.

26 Knots by Bindu Suresh (May 1)

Bindu Suresh’s debut novel, 26 Knots, begins when two journalists meet while covering a fire in Montreal. One journalist falls in love with the other, while the other is in love with someone else…and that person is married to another. Described as being about love, betrayal and obsession, it sounds messy and complicated and very, very good.

Worst Case, We Get Married by Sophie Bienvenu, Translated by JC Sutcliffe (May 8)

Originally published in French, Worst Case, We Get Married is a novel in translation that follows a precocious 13-year-old girl in Montreal. The book is a confessional novel, written as the protagonist’s statement to her social worker, and it sounds like it is quite gritty. The novel was made into a film, but I haven’t seen it yet…and I won’t (at least not until I’ve read the book).

Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta (June 4)

Frying Plantain is about a Jamaican-Canadian girl struggling to find her identity as she grows up in Toronto’s Little Jamaica. These linked short stories follow the girl from elementary school to high school graduation and explore themes of discrimination, peer pressure, and family relationships. I am a sucker for a good coming-of-age story, and this debut sounds stunning.

Bunny by Mona Awad (June 11)

I seem to have a thing for dark humour in fiction…or at I least I do lately. Bunny–described as a darkly funny book–is a story about a grad student who abandons her only friend and gets in with a clique of popular girls. I eat up stories about outsiders, and I loved Mona Awad’s first book, 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, so I am super excited about this one.

Which CanLit titles are you looking forward to reading this spring? Any of these? Something else? I’d love to know.

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The Magnificent Six and the 2016 Giller Prize

Posted in authors, books, events, reading, readings, writers by
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Five of the six 2016 Giller Prize finalists (the sixth is behind that man!). From L-R, Emma Donoghue, Catherine Leroux, Zoe Whittall, Madeleine Thien, Mona Awad and the man blocking Gary Barwin.

How normal is it for a reader to get this excited about a literary prize? Because, truthfully, I haven’t really experienced this in the past. But tomorrow the winner of the 2016 Giller Prize will be announced, and I can’t wait to find out who wins.

I’ve read three of the six shortlisted titles (read my reviews of Mona Awad’s 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, Emma Donoghue’s The Wonder and Zoe Whittall’s The Best Kind of People), and all three are incredible books. But the reason I picked up each of these titles wasn’t because they made the shortlist. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book just because it was nominated for, or won, a prize. But when books are nominated, they obviously get some more publicity, so I’m more likely to hear about it. And no matter how I find out about a book, if it grabs me, I’ll read it.

Today I attended the Giller Prize Between the Pages event at Koerner Hall in Toronto. The six finalists read from their nominated books and discussed their work. After today, I wouldn’t be surprised if I pick up the three shortlisted titles I haven’t yet read (Gary Barwin’s Yiddish for Pirates, Catherine LeRoux’s The Party Wall and Madeleine Thien’s Do Not Say We Have Nothing). They all sound like great books.

The discussion portion of the event (moderated by actor and director Albert Schultz) was fun and insightful. I love hearing writers talk about writing. When Schultz asked the group if they were nervous, Donoghue answered that it’s easier now that the authors have spent some time together and have gotten to know each other. They approach these things “like a gang.” A gang of authors–what a beautiful idea.

Tomorrow should be a long day for the Giller Prize jury, as that’s when they will choose the winner. I’ve read only half of the shortlisted titles, and it would be difficult for me to pick from those three. I don’t imagine it will be easy for them to decide.

Watch it all go down tomorrow at 9 p.m. on CBC Television or via live stream on CBC Books…and read the books written by this wonderful gang of authors, the Magnificent Six.