My reading this year has a different rhythm. Some year-long projects require only a few pages of reading each week, a chapter maybe. In contrast, reading for work requires bursting through backlists in a week or two. In between, some books have sprawled in that territory between lackadaisical and
This morning, the 23rd edition of Canada Reads program launches. I’ve missed the voice of a career writer in the program in recent years and now, with Heather O’Neill’s inclusion (whose Lullaby for Little Criminals was a previous Canada Reads winner) as a champion, my affection for the program’s
Nominated for the Writers' Trust Prize for Non-Fiction in Canada, Tanya Talaga's book explores the situation which led to the deaths of seven Indigenous high school students in the Thunder Bay area, five of them in the rivers surrounding Lake Superior. The sense of northern community which might be
A detective haunted by past cases left unresolved or unhappily resolved? This offers a terrific launching pad for storytelling. Pocket Books - S&S, 2016 Particularly when the detective is no longer in an official capacity and has more time on his hands to ruminate and regret. "There’s not a
How many times have I fallen for this trick? A Stephen King novel opens with a vividly sketched scene, of ordinary and likeable people going about the business of their everyday lives, when disaster strikes, and someone dies. Gallery Books - S&S, 2016 Mr. Mercedes is no different.
