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listersgirlHester Browne The Finishing Touches
Light fluffy book about a woman who was left on the doorstep of a finishing school, and having grown up there, as an adult is asked to help the school out when it's on the verge of closing. I have a soft spot for stories about makeovers (in this case, of the school) and was very entertained.
Cathy Marie Buchanan The Day the Falls Stood Still
A novel about class differences, heroism, and progress vs. nature, set at Niagara Falls around the first World War. I liked it.
Terry Fallis The Best Laid Plans
This was such a surprising delight. A Liberal speechwriter leaves politics for academia, except for just one thing: he agrees to find a Liberal candidate to run against the hugely popular Finance Minister in a permanently Conservative riding. He makes a deal with his Engineering prof landlord, trading the Liberal candidacy for a semester teaching the dreaded "English for Engineers". The agreement is based on the fact that there's no chance his candidate will win, except... It was very funny, and I like political insider-y stuff (the actual details of how Ottawa works). The writing was not always beautiful, but it made me laugh on the subway.
Anna Jane Grossman Obsolete
A collection of short essays on things from VCRs to cursive writing. Entertaining and some nice historical detail, but the tone varied pretty wildly from serious to facetious
Zoe Heller The Believers
Great stuff - a novel about a seriously dysfunctional family that has to confront itself after the patriarch has a heart attack.
Sadie Jones The Outcast
This book felt so much like a Canadian book set in the same era that I kept having to double check where it was set. Repeated mentions of "London" didn't help either. :D Good, but not awesome, story about a young boy growing up wrong (at least according to society) after his mother's death.
Brian Moore The Great Victorian Collection
Eh. A man dreams into creation an entire collection of (already existing) Victoriana and goes a bit crazy as a consequence. Interesting idea, but the book itself wasn't that great.
Alice Munro Too Much Happiness
Really excellent short stories. I rarely like short stories, but I love Munro's - somehow she manages to make them both have a story arc and feel complete in their smallness. Lovely.
Light fluffy book about a woman who was left on the doorstep of a finishing school, and having grown up there, as an adult is asked to help the school out when it's on the verge of closing. I have a soft spot for stories about makeovers (in this case, of the school) and was very entertained.
Cathy Marie Buchanan The Day the Falls Stood Still
A novel about class differences, heroism, and progress vs. nature, set at Niagara Falls around the first World War. I liked it.
Terry Fallis The Best Laid Plans
This was such a surprising delight. A Liberal speechwriter leaves politics for academia, except for just one thing: he agrees to find a Liberal candidate to run against the hugely popular Finance Minister in a permanently Conservative riding. He makes a deal with his Engineering prof landlord, trading the Liberal candidacy for a semester teaching the dreaded "English for Engineers". The agreement is based on the fact that there's no chance his candidate will win, except... It was very funny, and I like political insider-y stuff (the actual details of how Ottawa works). The writing was not always beautiful, but it made me laugh on the subway.
Anna Jane Grossman Obsolete
A collection of short essays on things from VCRs to cursive writing. Entertaining and some nice historical detail, but the tone varied pretty wildly from serious to facetious
Zoe Heller The Believers
Great stuff - a novel about a seriously dysfunctional family that has to confront itself after the patriarch has a heart attack.
Sadie Jones The Outcast
This book felt so much like a Canadian book set in the same era that I kept having to double check where it was set. Repeated mentions of "London" didn't help either. :D Good, but not awesome, story about a young boy growing up wrong (at least according to society) after his mother's death.
Brian Moore The Great Victorian Collection
Eh. A man dreams into creation an entire collection of (already existing) Victoriana and goes a bit crazy as a consequence. Interesting idea, but the book itself wasn't that great.
Alice Munro Too Much Happiness
Really excellent short stories. I rarely like short stories, but I love Munro's - somehow she manages to make them both have a story arc and feel complete in their smallness. Lovely.