GB is a well-known Canadian mystery writer for the Detective John Cardinal series of books set in Algonquin Bay. The Hesitation Cut is entirely different, an extraordinary book from a psychological point-of-view: a story about obsession and an honest depiction of how prolonged despair can lead to suicide. Not a fun book but a worthwhile read.
Author: AJ
I Take You by Eliza Kennedy
This is a fun and very contemporary book about love and (in)fidelity, and gender roles. The secret to enjoying this book is to read about Lily’s exploits with a complete lack of judgement.
Landing Gear by Kate Pullinger
This book was on the CBC Canada Reads Long List. It is a fascinating story of a man who literally falls out of the sky onto a car in a parking lot, and the aftermath on a family in a London suburb. This seems an unlikely premise for a story but suspend disbelief and you will enjoy this book. KP previously wrote the very satisfying Mistress of Nothing, and I enjoyed listening to her talk at the Calgary Writer’s Fest in October 2014.
Introduction to 2016
Reading resolution for 2016: to read FEWER books by being more discriminating, in part by abandoning books that do not engage me. Some of you know that my past habit has been to just read more quickly when I am unengaged in a book so essentially I descend to skim reading which is a waste of my time and makes my inclusion of such a book fraudulent in relation to my book totals. So far in January, I did abandon one book!
15 Dogs by Andre Alexis
An inventive and imaginative book that is deserving of recent accolades (Governor General’s Award, Giller). Apollo and Hermes make a wager on the consequences of granting human consciousness to 15 dogs. In most cases, there is not much consequence in short lives terminated by violence. But in a few instances, there are very interesting passages about love versus loyalty, the impact of language, and the role of dominance.
Amy note: As seen at the Vancouver Writers Festival, 2015
Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling).
Cormoran Strike (what a perfect name for a PI) and his intrepid assistant Robin are targeted by a serial killer in this 3rd book in the CS series, which keep on improving. In addition to the serial killing, this book has some disturbing content about amputations. The Strike/Robin relationship is ever-complicated and a real treat to watch unfold.
Circling The Sun by Paula McClain
McClain is an excellent writer (The Paris Wife) and Circling The Sun is also a very good book – a fictionalized account of Beryl Markham’s life in Kenya in the 1920-30s. Beryl interacts with the characters from Out Of Africa – Karen Blixen, Denys Finch-Hatton, etc. The book is unabashedly romantic in the treatment of complicated human relationships and the mystery of Africa.
About Grace by Anthony Doerr
David has dreams that are premonitions of disasters, but the timing of the upcoming disaster is mysterious. He has a dream that his newborn daughter will drown in his arms during a flood, so he flees and the rest of his life is a train wreck. Very fine writing, especially contrasting life in the Caribbean and in Alaska. The view of the physical world (snow, insects, clouds, etc) is exceptional.
His Whole Life by Elizabeth Hay
This is a fabulous book, a quiet story told with perfect prose. An example: “Jim overheard and thought that he respected him enough to believe he meant what he said, and if he meant what he said, then how could he respect him?”. An insightful examination of relationships between: husband and wife, children and parents, best friends and siblings. Summers at an Ontario Lake alternate with the frenzy of NY; at its heart: this story is about the consequences of secrets and shame.
What David Read 