What I've been reading
I keep on neglecting this in favour of www.goodreads.com. However, I know that some people use my list for book recs, so I should catch up.
1. Await your reply- Dan Chaon- I think Dan Chaon is a fantastic, nuanced writer and I'll read any of his future books. However, I shouldn't have read this book while travelling because I missed a lot. I was also rather frustrated by this book and should read it again. Still, I'd definitely recommend his book "You remind me of me."
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- I fall into the camp of people who are not crazy about this series. I just couldn't really get into it and felt it was contrived. Not sure why. My teen writers group seems equally divided on this title.
3. Generation A by Douglas Coupland- One of Coupland's better titles in recent years. This one dealt with a bunch of people who are all stung by bees after bees are extinct. If you liked his earlier titles, you'll probably enjoy this one.
4. The Last Woman by John Bemrose- A fairly typical story set in northern Ontario about a woman, her husband and her former lover. I love the way Bemrose writes and how he contrasted and explored some of the issues about native land claims in this book.
5. The Occupied World by Alice Major- Book of beautiful poems by a friend.
6. The Great Failure by Natalie Goldberg- Natalie Goldberg observes and reconciles herself with the fact that her zen teacher had affairs and her dad wasn't perfect. There was some moving stuff in here, but ultimately, it was flat and self absorbed.
7. White is for Witching- Helen Oyeyemi- Started off as a good gothic piece, and then fell flat. Disappointing.
8. In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, encounters with addiction by Gabor Mate- Explores the lives of addicts and why people become addicts. Gabor Mate is a dr who serves and treats patients in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, which is one of the poorest streets of Canada. Fascinating and very revolutionary, but I give it a mixed review because the book is somewhat bloated. Still, this is eye opening.
9. The Chief Factor's daughter by Vanessa Winn- Reviewed this for Quill and Quire- A historical story about the chief factor's doctor living in colonial Victoria. Some interesting facts about Canadian history, but suffered from lack of story.
10. Virunga the passion of Dian Fossey by Farley Mowat- I became very interested in Dian Fossey after watching the movie version of her life, starring Sigourney Weaver. This book illuminated and outlined more of her life, but still felt bloated and a bit drawn out.
11. Under this unbroken sky by Shandi Mitchell- A story about early Ukrainian prairie settlers. A story about family, breaking apart and ultimately madness. There's some beautiful writing in here too.
12. Ja No Man by Richard Poplak- This autobiographical book looks at the author's experiences growing up as a white child under apartheid. Fascinating and well worth a look.
13. Amphibian by Carla Gunn- One of my favourite books this year! The narrator is 9-year-old Phineas Walsh, an animal lover and extremely sensitive child who is concerned about environmental issues. Deals with his fears about his family falling apart and his concerns about the environment. I related A LOT to this narrator and cried a lot while reading this underrated treasure.
14. Food Incorporated participant guide by Karl Weber- A collection of interesting essays that accompany the film. It can be read alone or can supplement the film. I really liked this idea and wish that other documentary filmmakers would make a tie-in book too. Nice concept.
More later. I'll write some more this week.
1. Await your reply- Dan Chaon- I think Dan Chaon is a fantastic, nuanced writer and I'll read any of his future books. However, I shouldn't have read this book while travelling because I missed a lot. I was also rather frustrated by this book and should read it again. Still, I'd definitely recommend his book "You remind me of me."
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- I fall into the camp of people who are not crazy about this series. I just couldn't really get into it and felt it was contrived. Not sure why. My teen writers group seems equally divided on this title.
3. Generation A by Douglas Coupland- One of Coupland's better titles in recent years. This one dealt with a bunch of people who are all stung by bees after bees are extinct. If you liked his earlier titles, you'll probably enjoy this one.
4. The Last Woman by John Bemrose- A fairly typical story set in northern Ontario about a woman, her husband and her former lover. I love the way Bemrose writes and how he contrasted and explored some of the issues about native land claims in this book.
5. The Occupied World by Alice Major- Book of beautiful poems by a friend.
6. The Great Failure by Natalie Goldberg- Natalie Goldberg observes and reconciles herself with the fact that her zen teacher had affairs and her dad wasn't perfect. There was some moving stuff in here, but ultimately, it was flat and self absorbed.
7. White is for Witching- Helen Oyeyemi- Started off as a good gothic piece, and then fell flat. Disappointing.
8. In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, encounters with addiction by Gabor Mate- Explores the lives of addicts and why people become addicts. Gabor Mate is a dr who serves and treats patients in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, which is one of the poorest streets of Canada. Fascinating and very revolutionary, but I give it a mixed review because the book is somewhat bloated. Still, this is eye opening.
9. The Chief Factor's daughter by Vanessa Winn- Reviewed this for Quill and Quire- A historical story about the chief factor's doctor living in colonial Victoria. Some interesting facts about Canadian history, but suffered from lack of story.
10. Virunga the passion of Dian Fossey by Farley Mowat- I became very interested in Dian Fossey after watching the movie version of her life, starring Sigourney Weaver. This book illuminated and outlined more of her life, but still felt bloated and a bit drawn out.
11. Under this unbroken sky by Shandi Mitchell- A story about early Ukrainian prairie settlers. A story about family, breaking apart and ultimately madness. There's some beautiful writing in here too.
12. Ja No Man by Richard Poplak- This autobiographical book looks at the author's experiences growing up as a white child under apartheid. Fascinating and well worth a look.
13. Amphibian by Carla Gunn- One of my favourite books this year! The narrator is 9-year-old Phineas Walsh, an animal lover and extremely sensitive child who is concerned about environmental issues. Deals with his fears about his family falling apart and his concerns about the environment. I related A LOT to this narrator and cried a lot while reading this underrated treasure.
14. Food Incorporated participant guide by Karl Weber- A collection of interesting essays that accompany the film. It can be read alone or can supplement the film. I really liked this idea and wish that other documentary filmmakers would make a tie-in book too. Nice concept.
More later. I'll write some more this week.