I intuitively gravitate towards Canlit. A third of the books I read last year were been penned by Canadian writers and I’m aiming to be an Igloo for The Canadian Book Challenge.

Not only does that feel suitably wintry (and I’m writing this on a wintry Canadian afternoon, the sky the colour of tin and snowflakes cascading past the window like they’re auditioning for a Christmas Eve TV special). But I want to focus on a single writer and with Ethel Wilson’s 6 books and 4 related works, that’s my total sum. (If you want to see the specific list, click the Continue Link below.)

If there’s a challenge like this next year, and I jump on the dogsled earlier, then I will probably choose a writer or a theme with more pages to turn. But that’s not to suggest that I’m settling with Ethel Wilson: no way! I read Swamp Angel a few years ago and was so impressed that I made a mental note to collect the rest of her books and now I need to shift from ‘mental note’ to ‘mental action’ and read them! And I love the idea of reading “everything” even on a smaller scale like this. (Whisper: because of course I can’t read everything)

Hmmm…that’s not entirely honest because while I did make a mental note, I also made an actual list because of course that’s something I adore: book lists. (But you probably already knew that.) It’s right up there on the List of Things I Love, just above: book spreadsheets. (Which you probably also knew, or guessed.)

I can’t help it…some people think I have a problem, but I maintain that I can quit anytime…it’s only that I’d go crazy if I did. But fortunately I have the next novel on my Ethel Wilson list to distract me for a spell. Here’s the list, and I actually read her first novel over the holidays, so I’ll be posting about it soon. [Edited to add: here.]
Ethel Wilson Reads for 2010
Hetty Dorval (1947)
The Innocent Traveller (1949)
The Equations of Love (1952)
Swamp Angel (1954)
Love and Salt Water (1956)
Mrs. Golightly and Other Stories (1961)
Ethel Wilson: Stories, Essays and Letters (1985)
Ethel Wilson by Desmond Pacey
The Other Side of Silence: A Life of Ethel Wilson by Mary McAlpine
Ethel Wilson: A Critical Biography by David Stouck