The Book Mine Set

Book discussion blog with a Canadian bias.

Friday, May 31, 2013

The 6th Canadian Book Challenge- May Round Up (Sticky Post— Scroll down for most recent post)



How to add your link:
1. Click on the icon above
2. Add a link to your review. (Please link to your specific review, not an entire webpage.)
3. Add your name and in parentheses the title of the book, such as John Mutford (Anne of Avonlea)
4. In the comment section below, tell me your grand total so far. (ex. This brings me up to 1/13)

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OpenID cmriedel said...

Hello fellow countrymen & guests! It is STILL snowing in Manitoba as I write. Hopes are high that we'll garden soon!

I have finished 14 books, fulfilling the key challenge and reaching higher. :) Yours, Carolyn. www.CMRiedel.WordPress.com

Wednesday, 01 May, 2013  
Blogger Peggy Ann said...

The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery makes 8 for me John!

Thursday, 02 May, 2013  
Blogger Jules said...

Finally caught up n reviews, now at 56.

Saturday, 04 May, 2013  
Blogger Nicola Mansfield said...

Now at 43.

Saturday, 04 May, 2013  
Blogger Mary R. said...

Twenty-six (which was excellent!) is my 10th book read and reviewed.

Saturday, 04 May, 2013  
Blogger Swordsman said...

It has been awhile but book just posted book 14

Monday, 06 May, 2013  
Blogger Swordsman said...

CM Riedel- Snowing???!!!

Monday, 06 May, 2013  
Blogger Nicola Mansfield said...

Posted book #44.

Wednesday, 08 May, 2013  
Blogger Shannon (Giraffe Days) said...

#22 - Henderson’s Spear by Ronald Wright. Excellent book!

Wednesday, 08 May, 2013  
Blogger sam lamb said...

added 3: see the child by david bergen, the only snow in havana by elizabeth hay and ru by kim thuy. that brings me up to 11/13!

Thursday, 09 May, 2013  
Blogger Braedonnal MacInnis said...

Finished number 12; Time is running out for #13 ...

Friday, 10 May, 2013  
Blogger Braedonnal MacInnis said...

Finished number 12; Time is running out for #13 ...

Friday, 10 May, 2013  
OpenID canadianbooksblog said...

Hi John,

I got reading Canadian poetry last months and part of this month so far.

I am at 60/13.

Take care,
Irene Roth

Saturday, 11 May, 2013  
Blogger Faith Hope Cherrytea said...

added 14th to May's list. Fantastic new to me Canadian AB author. 1st in the Danforth's of Lancashire with 2nd book due to release July 1st..
Downtown Abbey and unique writing style made for great Saturday reading :)
thanks John for the work you put into this annual challenge!

Sunday, 12 May, 2013  
Blogger John Mutford said...

Faith Hope Cherrytea: Thanks!

Sunday, 12 May, 2013  
Blogger John Mutford said...

47 for me

Tuesday, 14 May, 2013  
Blogger Mary R. said...

I just linked my 11th review post. I am participating in the Bout of Books 7 readathon this week and finishing as many Canadian Book Challenge books as possible is my goal.

Tuesday, 14 May, 2013  
Blogger Eric P said...

Galore is my 21st (and probably last) review of the 6th Challenge.

Tuesday, 14 May, 2013  
OpenID canadianbooksblog said...

Hi John,

I just posted my 61st review.

Take care,
Irene

Wednesday, 15 May, 2013  
Blogger Faith Hope Cherrytea said...

HapPy to have a #15 to add to May :)
Canadian Murray Pura's 'Majestic and Wild' on Canada's wilderness

Wednesday, 15 May, 2013  
Blogger Barbara Bruederlin said...

I just reviewed Douglas Coupland's Player One, which takes me all the way up to 4. Hurray, beer status at last!

Thursday, 16 May, 2013  
OpenID canadianbooksblog said...

Hi John,

I just posted my 63rd book review. That is 63/13.

Take care,
Irene Roth

Thursday, 16 May, 2013  
Blogger Debbie Rodgers said...

I'm sorry to have taken so much space on this month's post. I've posted everything Canadian I've read since last July 1st - 34 titles.

I promise I'll keep up to date from now on.

Friday, 17 May, 2013  
Blogger Shannon (Giraffe Days) said...

#23 Under Budapest by Ailsa Kay. Great book!

Friday, 17 May, 2013  
Blogger Mary R. said...

Anne of Green Gables brings me to 12/13. I'm so glad I signed up as I am really enjoying the books for this challenge.

Saturday, 18 May, 2013  
Blogger Nicola Mansfield said...

Checking in with 45 now.

Sunday, 19 May, 2013  
Blogger raidergirl3 said...

I don't know if I've linked them all, but The Firebird was my 18th book for the challenge.

Monday, 20 May, 2013  
Blogger gypsysmom said...

I just added 4 more links bringing my total up to 33. I wonder if I can make it to 39 before the end of June?

BTW John I noticed that you still have me listed under 4 books read as well as 13 or more.

Monday, 20 May, 2013  
Blogger Debra Wilson said...

I've reached Kraft Dinner level!!!

Monday, 20 May, 2013  
OpenID canadianbooksblog said...

Hi John,

I am at 65/13.

Take care,
Irene

Wednesday, 22 May, 2013  
Blogger John Mutford said...

48 for me.

Thursday, 23 May, 2013  

Friday, May 24, 2013

Reader's Diary #1006- James Howe: Return to Howliday Inn

Continuing to read James Howe's Bunnicula series to my son, I'm now into unfamiliar territory. Sort of. I had only read the first three books as a child and Return to Howliday Inn is the fourth. However, it is a return to a familiar setting, with similar plots, and so it's not remarkably different.

We're still enjoying them, mind you. We've always appreciated Howe's humour and wacky personalities. In fact, whereas the first Howliday Inn book (the 2nd in the series) was a bit of a let down, the return was an improvement. On Howe's end, the pacing was better and the abundance of new characters were defined more. On my end, I think I did a better job keeping all the voices straight. (I even channeled the Howells from Gilligan's Island for one particular couple.) Once again, I enjoyed the literary references. In previous novels, Howe has introduced young readers to classic horror and mystery stories. In this one, Shakespeare's Hamlet plays a significant role.

Though I'm starting to wish there was perhaps an underlying story arc that would bring the books together more or at least give the series more of a sense of purpose. It's not quite stale yet, but with just two books left, I'd have figured a closure would have at least been hinted at by now.

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Thursday, May 23, 2013

Sweet Georgia Brown! I'm a globe trotter!

Or at least an international book blogger.

Blogger Loni said...

Thanks for the shout out!

Friday, 24 May, 2013  
Blogger raidergirl3 said...

yes, thanks for mentioning me too. Nice article John. I always liked that picture, but didn't realize they were actually your books. Very cool shelves.

Friday, 24 May, 2013  

Reader's Diary #1005- McKay Jenkins: Bloody Falls of the Coppermine


In 1913, two Catholic priests by the names of Jean-Baptiste Rouvière and Guillaume Le Roux, had set out to convert a group of Inuit in the high Arctic, near Coppermine, known again today by its traditional name Kugluktuk. The Bloody Falls usually refer to a waterfall where explorer Samuel Hearne witnessed a massacre of 20 Inuit men, women and children at the hands of Dene men. While Jenkins references that event, his title Bloody Falls of the Coppermine is more of a double entendre; besides recalling the massacre near the waterfalls, Jenkins also uses falls as in falls from grace. Father Rouvière and Le Roux were murdered by a couple of Inuit men named Uluksuk and Sinnisiak.

While I expected the topic to be fascinating, my skepticism was triggered very early on. Near the beginning of the book and in several cases throughout, he refers to the language of the aboriginals in the area as Inuit. It's been my understanding that the people were Inuit, their language was either Inuktitut or Innuiqatun*. But while I lived in Nunavut for 6 years (and to the best of my knowledge Jenkins has never), I certainly don't claim to be an expert. Maybe it's acceptable in some circles, I reasoned, to refer to the Inuit languages simply as Inuit. Still, it started me doubting other facts in the book. It certainly wouldn't be the first time an author misrepresented the north.

Fortunately I came upon a review of Bloody Falls of the Coppermine, written by someone who's knowledge on these matters I do trust: Kenn Harper. Harper is a writer and historian who also speaks Inuktitut and has lived in Nunavut for 30 years. While Harper does point out some inaccuracies in the book (most of which I missed), he still, thankfully, says that the "essential details" are accurate.

I say thankfully, because I quite enjoyed the book. The story details alone are compelling enough, with equal doses of wilderness adventure and courtroom drama, but I especially enjoyed the underlying themes of psychology versus sociology. So often people then as now like to generalize based on the actions of a few. It was apparently easy for people to use the actions of Uluksuk and Sinnisiak to prove some point or other about the Inuit culture. Likewise, people judged (favourably and unfavourably) the actions and mission of the priests, based solely on Rouvière and Le Roux. Yet as Jenkins shows, even these 4 men had remarkably different personalities. If Uluksuk was so different than Sinnisiak, if Rouvière was so different than Le Roux, it would be certainly hard, not to mention potentially wildly inaccurate, to claim that all Inuit were the same or that all priests were the same.

Bloody Falls of the Coppermine is a fascinating, albeit tragic, tale from our history.

(*There are other Inuit languages and dialects than these.)

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Monday, May 20, 2013

Reader's Diary #1004- Binnie Brennan: Absolution

If the image to the left conjures up emotions or memories beyond keeping your pants up, the impact of the first paragraph in Binnie Brennan's "Absolution" will undoubtedly be even greater for you than it was for me. Fortunate as I was to have avoided corporal punishment in my youth, I still found the opening to this story powerful and sickening and it certainly did the job of setting the mood for what was to follow.

"Absolution" is basically the coming-to-terms of four brothers with their strict, cold, religious, and abusive upbringing. I've been a brother but haven't had a brother, so I cannot say for sure that Brennan "got it right" but it at the very least felt authentic.

The ramifications for the brothers' harsh upbringing are as you would expect. Even the brothers who found success in some spheres of life (marriage, careers) still suffer from the legacy of their shared childhood. There's at least some sense of relief that at least they have been loyal to each other, but at several points even that threatens to break under the strain on a weak foundation.

At first the only issue I had with the story was the narrator's mother. I thought that while Brennan clearly wished for her to be a significant character, so much attention was put on the brothers and even their father, that her small part seemed to fade into the background and I didn't quite get it. However, when I went  back to read the final scene again, I finally appreciated the understated importance of the character (or at least one of her actions).

(Did you write a post for Short Story Monday? If so, please leave a link in the comments below.)

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Friday, May 17, 2013

The Weekly Book Question- Your favourite Farley Mowat books

Farley Mowat has been almost as controversial as he has been prolific. But as I'm trying to keep the Weekly Book Questions on a positive note, I'll focus on the latter, prolific side of things. This week's Weekly Book Question:  
What is your favourite Farley Mowat book of all time? 

How the voting works: You may vote for up to three books, but please indicate your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice. Your first choice will be assigned 6pts, your second will be 4pts, and your third 2pts. (If you pick more than one but don't indicate your favourite, I'll be assigning them a point based on the order you've told me your choices.)

To help you make your choice, here's Mowat's complete bibliography:

  • People of the Deer (1952; revised 1975) 
  • The Regiment (1955) 
  •  Lost in the Barrens (1956) (Also published as Two Against the North
  • The Dog Who Wouldn't Be (1957) 
  • Coppermine Journey: An Account of a Great Adventure Grey Seas Under: The Perilous Rescue Missions of a North Atlantic Salvage Tug (1959) 
  • The Desperate People (1959; revised 1999) 
  • Ordeal by Ice (1960) 
  • Owls in the Family (1961) 
  • The Serpent's Coil: An Incredible Story of Hurricane-Battered ships the Heroic Men Who Fought to Save Them (1961) 
  • The Black Joke (1962) 
  • Never Cry Wolf (1963) 
  • West-Viking (1965) 
  • The Curse of the Viking Grave (1966) 
  • Canada North (1967) 
  • The Polar Passion (1967) 
  • This Rock Within the Sea: A Heritage Lost (1968) 
  • The Boat Who Wouldn't Float (1969) 
  •  The Siberians (1970) 
  •  Sibir: My Discovery of Siberia (1970) 
  • A Whale for the Killing (1972, revised 2012) 
  • Tundra: Selections from the Great Accounts of Arctic Land Voyages (1973) 
  • Wake of the Great Sealers (1973) 
  • The Snow Walker (1975)  
  • Death of a People-the Ihalmiut (1975)
  • Canada North Now: The Great Betrayal (1976) 
  • And No Birds Sang (Farley Mowat) (1979, revised 2012) 
  • World of Farley Mowat (1980) 
  • Sea of Slaughter (1984) 
  • My Discovery of America (1985) 
  • Virunga: The Passion of Dian Fossey (1987) 
  • Woman in the Mists: The Story of Dian Fossey (1987) 
  • The New Founde Land (1989) 
  • Rescue the Earth!: Conversations with the Green Crusaders (1990) 
  • My Father's Son (1993) 
  •  Born Naked (1994) 
  • Aftermath: Travels in a Post-War World (1995) 
  •  The Farfarers: Before the Norse (1998 - Reprint 2000) 
  • The Alban Quest The Search for a Lost Tribe (1999) 
  • Walking on the Land (2000) 
  • High Latitudes: An Arctic Journey (2002) 
  • No Man's River (2004)
  •  Bay of Spirits: A Love Story (2006) 
  • Otherwise (2008) 
  • Eastern Passage (2010)

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Blogger Barbara Bruederlin said...

I've really only read a handful of Farley Mowat books. Never Cry Wolf was the one that stuck with me the most, so it gets my vote.

Friday, 17 May, 2013  
Blogger John Mutford said...

I'll go with Lost in the Barrens. The fact that I still remember loving it, though it was read to me all the way back when I was in grade 4, says a lot. (Though I wonder if it would still hold up today!)

Friday, 17 May, 2013  
Blogger Nicola Mansfield said...

I've read Owls in the Family numerous times so that is #1.

then:
2. Never Cry Wolf
3. Lost in the Barrens

Friday, 17 May, 2013  
Blogger raidergirl3 said...

1. OWLS IN THE FAMILY!!



2. Lost in the Barrens (I didn't like it much in gr 8 when we read it, but I still remember it, so it was memorable after all)

That's all I got for Mowat. He may be prolific, but I haven't read much by him. I thought I liked The Dog who Wouldn't be, but I tried to reread it recently and couldn't finish.

Friday, 17 May, 2013  
Blogger gypsysmom said...

#1 The Boat Who Wouldn't Float (hilarious)
#2 A Whale for the Killing (an indictment of the human race)
#3 People of the Deer (he was so young and passionate)

Sunday, 19 May, 2013  
Blogger John Mutford said...

The results are in! (using the above votes and Twitter responses:

1st place: Lost in the Barrens
2nd place: Owls in the Family
3rd place: Never Cry Wolf
4th place: The Boat Who Wouldn't Float
5th place: A Whale for the Killing
6th Place: People of the Deer

Friday, 24 May, 2013  

Canadian Authors Missing in Action- Results

There's a scene in This is Spinal Tap when the band is delighted to hear one of their old classics on the radio. Their mood is crushed however when the dj comes on the air afterwards and saying that Spinal Tap is in the "'Where Are They Now?' file." It's sad because they hadn't retired.

Hopefully this is not the case with the authors who we nagged last week when I asked you "Which (living) Canadian authors have you missed the most?" referring to authors whose last published works you felt were way too long ago. We know it's not the case with the 2nd place author, Joseph Boyden. His latest novel The Orenda is scheduled to come out in September. But what about the author we missed the most...

1. Andrew Davidson- 5 year's since The Gargoyle (One of my favourite books from that year, by the way)

Joseph Boyden, as we said above came in 2nd place. For third there was a 4 way tie for Jacqueline Baker, Alexi Zentner, Dianne Warren, and Ann-Marie MacDonald. In fourth, you were equally missing Steve Zipp, Alistair MacLeod. And finally, Bernice Morgan, Jessica Grant, and Dalene Flannigan are being missed.

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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Reader's Diary #1003- Julie Doucet: My New York Diary


I first came across this book when I was planning my March break trip to New York. Looking for Canadian books with a New York connection, I was pleasantly surprised not only to find a graphic novel that fit that description but one that was also critically acclaimed.

My New York Diary is actually a collection of 3 autobiographical stories: "The First Time," Julie in Junior College," and the third and longest story of which the collection shares its name.

Writing-wise,  "My New York Diary" is the strongest of the lot with more of a story arc (arguably a coming-of-age story, though Julie is at that point a young adult). The other two stories felt tacked on. As a character, I question whether or not Julie was presented in a self-deprecating way or if she wasn't just irritating. She made some pretty rash decisions and the only evidence that there was any reflection on those choices and their consequences seemed to be the book itself. The only people more annoying than her were the men she surrounded herself with.

The artwork saved the book. Highly stylized, the characters are all somewhat stunted in appearance with slightly oversized heads. They reminded me of Bratz dolls, but presumably without the chlamydia. The backgrounds are typically done in heavy black ink resulting in a woodcut look. But my favourite aspect of the drawings was the detail in the setting. As a child I was always attracted to pictures (drawings and photos) of dumps. I loved to see what treasures I could find from my sanitary safety zone of home. The only thing I liked more than looking at such photos was drawing my own. (Every junkyard I drew had to have a broken lamp, an old tire, a boot and an apple core. The rest could be miscellaneous colourful lumps, but those four items were staples.) Luckily, the characters in "My New York Diary" ranged from grossly untidy to borderline hoarders. Each panel was a veritable smorgasbord of trashy details. Cluttered tables, stuff strewn over the floor, fridge magnets. If the story wasn't really holding my attention, I at least had those distractions to occupy my time.

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Monday, May 13, 2013

Reader's Diary #1002- Carol Shields and Anne Giardini: A Wood

Yesterday I reviewed Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf, which in hindsight, may not have been the Mother's Daysiest of choices. So today, hoping to rectify that, I found "A Wood," a short story written by Anne Giardini, with her mom Carol Shields.

"A Wood" is a very subtle piece. In fact, through talking about the varying colours found in an elderly character's hand depending on the light, the authors subtly address subtlety. It's oxymoronic metafiction, kids!

"A Wood" is about an elderly woman named Elke, her son, and her companion. At one point Elke asks herself, "why has she always allowed herself to be encircled like this?" as if feeling smothered by others around her. What is clear to the reader however is that Elke has encircled others just as much. It is obvious that Elke is loved and warrants love with her protective nature. People need her. As much as Elke's question implies someone who has given away her soul for others, I sense that it is a fleeting moment. With her music, Elke does escape her confines. It's a telling moment when she picks up her violin and plays from the fifth bar. "Why can't you start anything at the beginning?" her companion Loretta asks. Because she can, because this is Elke's time.

(Did you write a post for Short Story Monday? If so, please leave a link in the comments below.)

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Blogger Loni said...

"A Wood" sounds like a really interesting story. I've read some of Shields' short stories, I'll have to get a hold of this one too.

I read a story I'm not sure I liked this week...
http://loniseye.blogspot.ca/2013/05/enids-near-canadian-adventure-by-peggy.html

Monday, 13 May, 2013  
Blogger John Mutford said...

Loni: You don't have to search far! Click on the title in the first paragraph.

Monday, 13 May, 2013  
Blogger Loni said...

Bah! I totally thought that just linked to the preview, not the whole story.

Tuesday, 14 May, 2013