True Reconciliation: How to Be a Force for Change by Jody Wilson-Raybould has been on my tbr for a couple years now and I鈥檓 so glad I finally read it.True Reconciliation: How to Be a Force for Change by Jody Wilson-Raybould has been on my tbr for a couple years now and I鈥檓 so glad I finally read it. This is essential reading! I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by the author. I liked the straight forward writing. This book delves into the history of the Indian Act and residential schools and the colonization of Canada. I liked the inclusion of a reading list and this line that 鈥渢rue reconciliation doesn鈥檛 happen once a year on a holiday鈥�. I鈥檓 eager to read her new book too! I already got a copy!
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada Audiobooks via NetGalley for my copy!...more
I loved reading BEAST by Richard Van Camp last month! This YA horror was the perfect October read! I was so excited to read this book since I loved hiI loved reading BEAST by Richard Van Camp last month! This YA horror was the perfect October read! I was so excited to read this book since I loved his short story collection Moccasin Square Gardens and it was so lovely that Moccasin Square Gardens is mentioned in this book too. I loved the 1986 setting and all the fun music and movie references such as Mr. Roboto and The Outsiders. The grotesque description of the dead one was just the right amount of horror. I liked how the main character, seventeen year old Lawson, is dealing with so much as a teen; his crush, his grief of losing his mother, his connection to his Dogrib community in the Northwest Territories and upholding the treaty between his band and the Chipewyan. I loved this novel鈥檚 focus on storytelling, ancestry and friendships. And it鈥檚 so fun that Lawson鈥檚 playlists are included!
I was so eager to read Prairie Edge by Conor Kerr because I loved his other two books Avenue of Champions and Old Gods. This is a very sad novel! It鈥檚I was so eager to read Prairie Edge by Conor Kerr because I loved his other two books Avenue of Champions and Old Gods. This is a very sad novel! It鈥檚 about two friends, Ezzy and Grey, who capture bison from a national park and then set them loose in downtown Edmonton. I really enjoyed the dual POV and the Canadian setting. I also enjoyed the fast pace of the novel and Ezzy鈥檚 Aunt May as a grounding character. I鈥檇 be eager to read Kerr鈥檚 next book!
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada via NetGalley for my ARC!...more
I loved these stories!! LAST WOMAN by Carleigh Baker is a stunning short story collection! I was so eager to read this since I love CanLit and short sI loved these stories!! LAST WOMAN by Carleigh Baker is a stunning short story collection! I was so eager to read this since I love CanLit and short stories. Of course I loved the mentions of Vancouver and Granville and East Hastings. There鈥檚 this stand out line in the story Co-op 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to live in Vancouver.鈥� which is so true! I really enjoyed all 15 stories. There鈥檚 the Billionaires story which is told in 3 parts that鈥檚 really fun as it鈥檚 set in the future. Baker writes women extremely well as these stories featured such great, compelling female characters. This is one of my favourite collections this year!
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada via NetGalley for my ARC!...more
I really enjoyed reading A SEASON IN CHEZGH鈥橴N by Darrel J. McLeod! I was so excited to read this debut novel since I loved his memoir. I absolutely lI really enjoyed reading A SEASON IN CHEZGH鈥橴N by Darrel J. McLeod! I was so excited to read this debut novel since I loved his memoir. I absolutely loved the setting in this novel! It鈥檚 set in a remote northern Dekelh community and Vancouver. The main character, James, goes to Granville Island so I took this book on my walk to Granville Island one day. I read this novel earlier this year and I loved how the seasons changed as I was reading. I really enjoyed the complexity of the characters and the strength and tenderness of the writing. I can鈥檛 wait to read more of McLeod鈥檚 fiction!
Thank you to Douglas & McIntyre for my gifted review copy!...more
I鈥檝e read so many amazing Indigenous books this year including now IN SEARCH OF APRIL RAINTREE by Beatrice Mosionier. This novel was originally publisI鈥檝e read so many amazing Indigenous books this year including now IN SEARCH OF APRIL RAINTREE by Beatrice Mosionier. This novel was originally published in 1983 and follows the lives of two M茅tis sisters, April and Cheryl, in the 1960s who are taken from their home and put into two different foster homes. Their lives take different paths and there is sadness, tragedy, love and perseverance. I appreciated the content warning at the beginning as there were some very hard parts to read that were very emotional. I enjoyed the straight forward writing and the audiobook narrator Michaela Washburn was really great. I loved the moments when April was very self aware and Cheryl was so smart. This is an important book that is still very relevant to today. The author鈥檚 note at the end was very touching. This is a novel that will stay with me. . Thank you to ZG Reads and Highwater Press for my gifted review copy of the new 40th anniversary edition!...more
My most anticipated book of 2024 was COEXISTENCE by Billy-Ray Belcourt since I loved A Minor Chorus so much I read it five times. I was so lucky to reMy most anticipated book of 2024 was COEXISTENCE by Billy-Ray Belcourt since I loved A Minor Chorus so much I read it five times. I was so lucky to receive this galley from my friend Cameron and I just read it for the second time because it鈥檚 so moving. This is one of my fave books! I鈥檓 in awe of how beautiful this writing is where each sentence is tender. I loved the themes of family, motherhood, love, grief, men in love and Queer Cree joy. I loved all ten stories and this book made me cry more than once. I love the poetic use of language and how each story is emotional in its own way. I鈥檓 a proud member of the BRB fan club as commemorated by this bracelet that I made.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for my ARC!...more
I couldn鈥檛 put down AND THEN SHE FELL by Alicia Elliott! I loved this book and read it in two days! It鈥檚 about a young Indigenous woman, Alice, whose I couldn鈥檛 put down AND THEN SHE FELL by Alicia Elliott! I loved this book and read it in two days! It鈥檚 about a young Indigenous woman, Alice, whose new life with her husband, Steve, and baby daughter, Dawn, away from her Mohawk community isn鈥檛 what she thought it would be. I loved the Toronto setting and the beginning when Alice is young mentions Jennifer Lopez, Nelly Furtado and a Razr phone. I loved all the pop culture and makeup references. I loved the storytelling in this book. I loved the chapter titles, including Alice鈥檚 writing of the Haudenosaunee creation story and that ending!! The ending made me cry. I felt like I went through so many emotions while reading this book from sadness, shock, joy, horror, amusement and awe. This is a spectacular debut novel and one of my fave books of 2023! During the audience Q&A at Word Vancouver we were asked for a book recommendation and this book was mine!
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for my ARC!...more
I loved KUKUM by Michel Jean translated from the French by Susan Ouriou! This novel is about Michel Jean鈥檚 great-grandmother, Almanda Fortier, who marI loved KUKUM by Michel Jean translated from the French by Susan Ouriou! This novel is about Michel Jean鈥檚 great-grandmother, Almanda Fortier, who marries an Innu man and chronicles her life over the years. It was interesting to follow her journey from beginning as an outsider in the Innu community and learning their lifestyle of hunting, canoeing and speaking Innu-aimun. I loved how she was forthright in her decisions and had strong family values. Over the years she experiences many hardships such as losing a child and colonial oppression. I found the end quite emotional. I loved the inclusion of pictures and how this heartfelt book is a lasting monument to Michel Jean鈥檚 family.
Thank you to House of Anansi for my gifted review copy!...more
My last nonfiction read was KILLING THE WITTIGO: Indigenous Culture-Based Approaches to Waking Up, Taking Action, and Doing the Work of Healing by SuzMy last nonfiction read was KILLING THE WITTIGO: Indigenous Culture-Based Approaches to Waking Up, Taking Action, and Doing the Work of Healing by Suzanne Methot. I鈥檓 not the intended audience for this book but I still learned from it. This book is for young Indigenous people and those who work in the helping professions. I really appreciated the care that is evident with a disclaimer at the beginning along with a welcoming and flashback protocol for when you鈥檙e feeling overwhelmed. There are some hard topics that are prefaced with trigger warnings. I liked how the writing and layout appeals to younger readers with bold graphics, straightforward language and personal anecdotes from a couple young Indigenous people. I read this book quite slowly because of the heavy subject matter. There are additional resources at the end. I鈥檓 glad to have this book in my collection so that I can refer back to it. I would love to read some own voices reviews too.
Thank you to ECW Press for my gifted review copy!...more
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