Tag Archives: CanLit

5 Canadian books to look for this spring

Posted in book preview, books by

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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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That Time I Loved You shares the secrets of a suburban community

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What I read

That Time I Loved You by Carrianne Leung

What it’s about

This collection of linked stories takes place in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough in the 1970s after a spate of suicides in the community. Each story centres on one of the neighbours–adults and children–and provides a glimpse of their various experiences during this time.

Why I picked it up

I came across That Time I Loved You while browsing in my local indie bookstore. I was initially drawn by the title and cover image. Then I pulled it off the shelf and read the first sentence: “1979: This was the year the parents in my neighbourhood began killing themselves.” I didn’t need to read any further to know I was walking out of the store with this book.

What I liked about it

I didn’t realize That Time I Loved You was a book of linked stories until I got it home. (It says so in the book flap, but I guess I skimmed over that part.) Short stories and essays have been speaking to me lately. Maybe that’s because it’s summer, and it’s nice to have a book that’s easy to pick up and put down. The linked stories mean you get a book you can dip in and out of while still allowing you to immerse yourself into one group of characters, the way you can with a novel.

I loved how reading each story resembled wandering through the streets and peering through the windows of the houses, seeing who and what was inside. The reader learns about the secrets that the neighbours keep from each other. I loved the suburban setting being a character in itself–how the landscape affected the characters in different ways. I finished this book earlier this week, so it’s not incredibly strange that I’m still thinking about it. But I believe these characters and their experiences will stay with me for a long time.

These stories touch on many serious issues (racism, homophobia, sexual abuse, mental illness, alcoholism, infidelity). However, it doesn’t feel like a heavy book: There is lightness and joy and humour in these stories, too.

You’ll want to read it if…

This is a great choice if you are interested in character over plot, if you want to learn the secrets and get into the heads of the people you read about. Also, if you’re a fan of novels but want to try the short story genre, this book is a great entry point.

Recommended refreshments

A glass of spiked punch that the neighbourhood kids drink during a party in the book’s final story. (Just remember to go easy. You don’t know how much alcohol is in there.)

The sweet taste of The Ghost Orchard by Helen Humphreys

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What I read

The Ghost Orchard by Helen Humphreys

What it’s about

The Ghost Orchard‘s subtitle is The Hidden History of the Apple in North America. It’s not that this subtitle is inaccurate, but it doesn’t cover everything the book is about. Sure, Humphreys delves into details about the history of the fruit (which is much more fascinating than I expected), but the book is also partly a memoir.

Humphreys was inspired to write this book when she found the White Winter Pearmain variety growing near her home. At the same time, a friend of hers was in the process of dying.

In The Ghost Orchard, Humphreys starts with the apple but moves beyond it, creating a book about relationships, friendship, art and the human connection with nature.

Why I picked it up

I’ve read several of Humphreys’ books (I’ve also written about Wild Dogs), and so far I have liked everything I’ve read. There was a good chance I was going to pick this one up at some point. While browsing in the bookstore at IFOA this year, I saw The Ghost Orchard and read the first couple of pages. Sucked in by Humphreys’ writing style, I bought the book that evening.

What I liked about it

The book is broken up into five main sections, and one of these sections is about Robert Frost. Frost is one of my favourite poets, so I sort of expected to like this part as soon as I saw the heading. This section beautifully described Frost’s personal relationship with apples as well as his close friendship with poet Edward Thomas.

There is also a section on the United States Department of Agriculture watercolour artists. Here, Humphreys tells of the lives of the artists who used to paint apples before photographers ran them out of jobs. She also brings in stories of her grandfather, who used to paint pictures of plants for seed catalogues. It’s a job I’d never thought of, and I appreciated these stories of art and artists.

But the main thing I liked about this book is what I like about all of Humphreys’ books: her gorgeous prose. She writes so beautifully. It’s no surprise that she is not only a non-fiction writer and a novelist, but also a poet.

You’ll want to read it if…

Readers who will enjoy The Ghost Orchard the most are ones who like nature, or at least have an appreciation for it. It’s for readers who might be intrigued by the history of the apple, but who are even more fascinated by people and human relationships. And if you’re looking to develop more of an appreciation for agriculture, this might do the trick, too.

Recommended refreshments

This is too obvious. However, venture outside of your local grocery store to get your apples! For the ultimate refreshment, visit an orchard. Pick your apples off a tree! I must agree with Humphreys and Henry David Thoreau: The apple tastes best when it’s eaten outdoors.

(I know; it’s getting cold. A mug of hot apple cider while reading by the fire is also a good option.)

Be Ready for the Lightning: a riveting sophomore novel

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What I read

Be Ready for the Lightning by Grace O’Connell

What it’s about

Veda has always been close with her brother, Conrad. Even when Conrad begins getting into fights–behaviour that is inexplicable even to him–Veda is by her brother’s side, taking care of him. But when one of Conrad’s fights results in Veda getting injured, she leaves her hometown of Vancouver and moves to New York for a fresh start. It’s here, in Manhattan, that Veda ends up taken hostage while travelling on a city bus.

But this isn’t a novel that just follows a series of events. It’s a story about a brother and sister, a group of lifelong friends, and a thirty-something woman who comes to recognize her own power and strength.

Why I picked it up

I read O’Connell’s debut novel, Magnified World, when it came out a few years ago. O’Connell has been on my radar since then. When I read the first page while browsing in Book City on the Danforth, I was sucked in, and so, of course, I bought the book.

What I liked about it

This novel grabbed me and didn’t let go. There are a lot of things that happen, and even though I was often surprised, the story remained believable.

The way O’Connell structured the novel was wise, too. The story weaves between time periods–from Veda’s life before the hostage situation to after–which played a part in keeping me hooked.

As far as the characters go, not only was I interested in the sibling relationship between Veda and Conrad, but I also liked how the story followed a group of friends and how their dynamic changed from childhood into adulthood.

You’ll want to read it if…

Be Ready for the Lightning is a quick read and a book you won’t want to put down until you get to the end. It’s a great summer read (and there’s still a bit of the season left). Fans of thrillers and suspense novels will enjoy this book. It’s full of dramatic moments, and the scenes on the bus are particularly cinematic. But it’s also a great choice if you’re interested in reading about sibling relationships and friendships and exploring those dynamics. And if you’re a supporter of CanLit, this is a novel you’ll be happy to pick up, too.

Recommended refreshments

Pancakes, like the ones Veda’s friend Al makes for her and his wife when Veda is staying with them in Manhattan. (And if you can have a friend make them for you, too, that’s even better.)

10 books by Canadian writers for Canada Day

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Canada has produced many fantastic writers and lots of amazing books. For Canada Day, I’m sharing a few of my personal favourite books written by Canadian writers.

20170701_103732Lemon by Cordelia Strube

This coming-of-age tale follows Lemon, a teenaged girl who doesn’t fit in at home or at school. Unapologetic and witty, Lemon is a character you can’t help but root for.

20170701_103704Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill

This novel tells the story of a 13-year-old girl growing up on the streets of Montreal. Still a child, she must deal with her father’s drug habit and learn how to survive.

20170701_103721One Bird’s Choice by Iain Reid

This memoir, about Reid moving back in with his parents in his 20s, is both humourous and touching–a very entertaining read.

20170701_103519Life After God by Douglas Coupland

Published in the 1990s, this book of short stories gives glimpses into various Gen-X lives and is filled with lines and passages I’ve returned to over the years.

20170701_103613Natural Order by Brian Francis

This novel, about a woman in her 80s reflecting on her life and the mistakes she has made, is beautiful and heartbreaking. You’ll want to keep a box of tissues nearby.

20170701_103454Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

This novel is about an Ojibway man and his story of being forced into a residential school, his gift for playing hockey, and the racism that follows him throughout his life. The book deals with difficult subject matter that is important to read.

20170701_103745The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall

In this novel, Whittall does an excellent job of giving the perspectives of the family members of someone accused of a crime.

20170701_103604That Summer in Paris by Morley Callaghan

Callaghan’s memoir about his friendship with Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald begins in Toronto before moving to Paris. I picked this up for the story about writers in Paris, but I found it’s actually a very moving account of friendship and how even those friendships that only last a short time can affect us for our lifetimes.

20170701_103630The Last of the Crazy People by Timothy Findley

This haunting novel tells the story of a boy whose family is disintegrating around him and the horrific conclusion he comes to about what must be done about it.

20170701_103638The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys

This beautiful novel takes place in the Second World War, and alternates the perspectives between an English officer in a German POW camp, his wife back in England and his sister.