I’ve heard a lot about this author’s writing so I was very excited to read my first book by this author and listen to the audiobook of A Map to the DoI’ve heard a lot about this author’s writing so I was very excited to read my first book by this author and listen to the audiobook of A Map to the Door of No Return: Notes on Belonging by Dionne Brand. Brand narrates and it’s great to listen to her recite her own words. This book was originally published in 2001 and still feels relevant today. Brand shares her experiences from her childhood in the Caribbean to living in Canada and African ancestry and the connection to place and history. It was interesting to read about the places in Toronto I’ve been to before like the Danforth. This line stood out to me: “writing is an open conversation�. I really enjoyed this insightful book and I’m very curious to read more of this author’s work now.
Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for my ALC!...more
I just finished reading Vantage Points: On Media as Trans Memoir by Chase Joynt and I loved this book! I listened to the audiobook read by the author I just finished reading Vantage Points: On Media as Trans Memoir by Chase Joynt and I loved this book! I listened to the audiobook read by the author and it was great to listen to him tell his own story. This book made me remember reading Marshall McLuhan: You Know Nothing of My Work! by Douglas Coupland back in 2013 and it’s referenced in this book. The medium is the message or the medium is still the massage is still relevant today. It’s very interesting to read about media from his trans perspective. So many amazing authors are referenced in this book including Douglas Coupland, Elliot Page, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Zoe Whittall and Judith Butler. I really liked this unique take on memoir.
Thank you to ECW Press Audio via NetGalley for my ALC!...more
I really enjoyed reading THE SACRED HEART MOTEL by Grace Kwan! This debut collection centres around placelessness and longing. I liked the grounding eI really enjoyed reading THE SACRED HEART MOTEL by Grace Kwan! This debut collection centres around placelessness and longing. I liked the grounding element of the motel housing these poems and traveling from the kitchen to the bar and the room to the fire escape. I really liked the use of spacing in V. WINTER and my fave poems are III. TIME, MY YEAR OF REST & EXPATRIATION and SACRED HEART. All three poems feature love and heart. I had the pleasure of attending their book launch and I loved the readings and learning more about how this book came about. It was so nice meeting Grace!
Thank you to the publisher and ZG Reads for my copy!...more
I finally read Seven Down by David Whitton and I’m glad it was a short read. This novel is written in interview style and features hotel workers talkiI finally read Seven Down by David Whitton and I’m glad it was a short read. This novel is written in interview style and features hotel workers talking about a secret operation. I really liked the Toronto setting (and the mention of Vancouver) and the social media references of Twitter and TikTok but I found the humour lacking and the writing style not for me.
I was really excited to read cop city swagger by Mercedes Eng because I loved her other book Mercenary English. I had the pleasure of attending the TaI was really excited to read cop city swagger by Mercedes Eng because I loved her other book Mercenary English. I had the pleasure of attending the Talon Books fall 2024 poetry books launch and her reading was so moving. I also had the pleasure of attending her event at the Vancouver Writers Festival and it was great to hear her discussion around these poems. I really appreciated the note at the beginning of this book as the topic is very heavy and I had to read these poems slowly over a few days. This book made me cry but it also gave me hope that care and attention is being brought to this subject matter in such a thoughtful, creative and meaningful way. This is not the first time that this author’s words have made me cry and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
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’m 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’m 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 “true reconciliation doesn’t happen once a year on a holiday�. I’m 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’s focus on storytelling, ancestry and friendships. And it’s so fun that Lawson’s playlists are included!
I finished reading A PERFECT DAY FOR A WALK: The History, Cultures, and Communities of Vancouver, on Foot by Bill Arnott last night and loved it! It’sI finished reading A PERFECT DAY FOR A WALK: The History, Cultures, and Communities of Vancouver, on Foot by Bill Arnott last night and loved it! It’s the perfect nonfiction November read for someone like me who lives in Vancouver! It was so fun to read about Bill’s perspective of Vancouver while also learning more about the history. It was interesting to read about the areas I’ve walked around so many times such as West End and Coal Harbour in downtown. I loved the inclusion of pictures which also showcased Bill’s perspective with his own photos and historical photos from the City of Vancouver archives. Some photos dating back to the 1910s. It was also so nice to meet Bill at the Vancouver Writers Festival last month at Granville Island!
Thank you to Arsenal Pulp Press and ZG Reads for my copy!...more
I really loved reading NO CREDIT RIVER by Zoe Whittall (thank you Bookhug Press and ZG Reads)! I was excited to read this poetry collection since I loI really loved reading NO CREDIT RIVER by Zoe Whittall (thank you Bookhug Press and ZG Reads)! I was excited to read this poetry collection since I loved her two other novels The Spectacular and The Fake. I loved the prose forms and how these poems were autofiction about her life experiences such as an intense breakup, writing life and relationships. I loved the wit and the interconnection between these poems and her novel The Spectacular. I loved this line: “If I always choose to read, my memoir will be mundane� and “finishing the internet� which made me laugh. I loved how one poem referenced an earlier poem. My fave poems are I Don’t Know Where I’m Flying Until I Get to the Airport and Layover in the Winnipeg Airport. This was one of my fave reads from last month and I’m very excited to read whatever Whittall writes next!
WE, THE KINDLING by Otoniya J. Okot Bitek comes out next year and I really enjoyed it! It’s a devastating story about three women in Uganda who survivWE, THE KINDLING by Otoniya J. Okot Bitek comes out next year and I really enjoyed it! It’s a devastating story about three women in Uganda who survived being taken when they’re young to become part of the Lord’s Resistance Army. This novel is sad but I loved the writing style. This author is a poet and once again I just love fiction written by poets. The use of language shines here. I loved this line on page 149: “Respect the elders in your community; they know far more than you will ever read about in books.� I loved the blend of folk tales, repetition, and lyrics. I’m very eager to read this author’s poetry now too!
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