Hi everyone, and welcome to the 2nd Roundup for the Canadian Book Challenge #3. What books did you read for the challenge this month? In the comments below, please leave a link to all your Canadian book reviews for the past month (and yes, you need to review it to count!) Just a reminder: please leave a link to the review posts themselves and not simply to your blog. Also, let me know how many books you've read for the challenge (i.e., the total number of Canadian books read in July and August combined) so that I can update the standings in the sidebar.
I assume many of you will also want to join Carl's 3rd RIP Challenge as well. Don't think you can fit another challenge in? Not to fear (heh), you can always combine books. Not that Canada's known for horror, but you might want to consider some of these:
The Unholy Canadian 13- Muwahahaha...
1. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
2. High Spirits by Robertson Davies
3. Boo! by Robert Munsch
4. The Golden Leg and Other Ghostly Campfire Tales by Dale Jarvis
5. The Night Inside by Nancy Baker
6. Mojo: Conjure Stories by Nalo Hopkinson
7. Dining With Death by Kathleen Molloy
8. The Killing Circle by Andrew Pyper
9. The Nobody by Jeff Lemire
10. One Hand Screaming by Mark Leslie
11. The Oxford Book of Canadian Ghost Stories edited by Alberto Manguel
12. The St. Andrews Werewolf by Eric Wilson
13. Frozen Blood by Joel A. Sutherland
Any other suggestions?
Another project I'm working on is a Timeline of Canadian Literature. What events in Canada's literary history should be marked? The birth of Farley Mowat? (May 12, 1921) The founding of Harlequin? (May 1949) When Carol Shields became the only person to win both the Giller and the Pulitzer? (1993 and 1995, respectively). I'd love your help on this one. Suggests as many benchmarks as you wish.
And finally, please take the time to follow the links and read one another's reviews. The Canadian Book Challenge is all about celebrating, exploring and promoting Canadian books. That can only happen if we talk.
39 comments:
I've read 4 more Canadian books in August:
1. Tales From The Farm: Essex County Vol. 1 by Jeff Lemire
2. Drumheller Dinosaur Dance by Robert Heidbreder and illustrated by Bill Slavin and Esperanca Melo
3. Galore by Michael Crummey (check out my interview with him!)
4. White Bird Black Bird by Val Wake
That brings my total so far to 6, which makes me a Lobster Pot.
I read two this month:
1) Grey Seas Under by Farley Mowat
2) Skim by Mariko Tamaki.
I've read one:
Polly Evans's Mad Dogs and an Englishwoman: Travels with Sled Dogs in Canada's Frozen North
That brings my total to two.
As for the timeline - what fun! Will have to think about that for a bit.
For a grand total of three:
Blue Water: A Tale of the Deep-Sea Fishermen by Frederick William Wallace
Halifax: Warden of the North by Thomas H. Raddall
and (also for Critical Monkeys)
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock
I didn't have a chance to post last month, so my total for this month is the same as my grand total: 3.
Our Life Together - Jean Vanier
http://katesbookcase.blogspot.com/2009/08/our-life-together-jean-vanier.html
The Orange Trees of Baghdad - Leilah Nadir
http://katesbookcase.blogspot.com/2009/08/orange-trees-of-baghdad-leilah-nadir.html
The Outlander - Gil Adamson
http://katesbookcase.blogspot.com/2009/08/outlander-gil-adamson.html
(Sorry - I don't know how to do the fancy links.)
I met Leilah Nadir on Saturday at the Sleeping Giant Writers' Festival, and managed to get my copy of The Orange Trees of Baghdad signed!
One for me:
Bashful Bob and Doleful Dorinda
I've read 5 more:
No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay
Still Life
by Louise Penny
The Bishop's Man by Linden MacIntyre
Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
This brings my total to 10!
I would include No Time for Goodbye (and any Linwood Barclay book really) and Still Life (and the rest of that mystery series which I havent' read yet) as worthy Canadian RIP novels. Mystery and suspense.
I've read two more Prairie novels, bringing me to 3 in total.
Lunaby Sharon Butala
Blue Becomes You by Bettina von Kampen
Oh dear, I've been bad. While I "read" five more books this month bringing me up to 11 books "read", I've only managed to review two more (both read last month) but here they are:
4. Rhymes with Useless by Terence Young
5. Home Schooling by Carol Windley
So my grand total is now five.
I read Yellowknifeby Jack Zipp in August.
I'm on board as a Timbit with Consumption by Kevin Patterson.
I read one this month
How Like and Angel by Margaret Millar
http://conestogo.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-like-and-angel-by-margaret-millar.html
This brings me to 3 total
Hi John,
My three books for August:
Overall book #3 for Ariel -
Ladies And Gentlemen The Bible!
By Jonathan Goldstein
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Ladies-And-Gentlemen-The-Bible-Jonathan-Goldstein/978014305654-555120-Review.html
Overall book #4 for Ariel -
The Book of Negroes
By Lawrence Hill
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Book-of-Negroes-U-S-Title-Someone-Knows-My-Name-Lawrence-Hill/978155468156-556037-Review.html
Overall book#5 for Ariel -
A Secret Between Us
By Daniel Poliquin
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/A-Secret-Between-Us-Daniel-Poliquin/978155365272-557376-Review.html
Thanks a lot,
Ariel
Did you get my last two reviews? I'm not sure, you haven't updated the standings.
For the timeline, Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders was the first book by a Canadian author to sell over a million copies. It was published in 1893.
I have read 2 books so far, the second was read in August:
1) Fearsome Particles by Trevor Cole and
2) Turtle Valley by Gail Anderson-Dargatz
I've read two more both by Kenneth Oppel
Airborn (http://nosebook.mapledesign.ca/2009/08/book-review-airborn-by-kenneth-oppel-a-perfect-ten/#content)
and Skybreaker (http://nosebook.mapledesign.ca/2009/08/book-review-skybreaker-by-kenneth-oppel-another-ten/#content)
Sorry, I'm not sure I could make the links with really screwing it up!
I read 3 Canadian novels this month which brings my total to 6.
Asylum (Andre Alexis), Miss Elva (Stephens Gerard Malone) and The Naked Island (Bryna Wasserman). The reviews are on my blog under Canadian Novels. I would love to be able to create links for you (or even be able to underline the titles for you) but I really am new to the internet and have not figured out how to do it. I even googled to try to figure it out but I think I need someone to sit down and show me in person. So until I can find a willing soul... I also answered the Favourites questions ... Atwood's name kept appearing --- go figure... and finally as a suggestion for John's "Unholy Canadian 13 List", I would like to recommend Night Runner by Max Turner. It is a book for young adults and a sequel will be out sometime in April ... if all goes well. I hope to find some inspiration from your reviews as to my September reading. Thanks fellow Canuck bookworms!
Hi everyone, Wow that's a lot of reviews! Good job.
Just a few comments--
Kate: The way you've done the links is fine, but if you want to do the fancy links, here's how
"Here's is my (a href="link") review (/a)" now just replace the soft brackets with those pointy ones.
Gavin: Great book, but the author is Steve Zipp (he's also a participant here-- see above).
Corey: No, I didn't and I apologize. My email notification hasn't been working properly and I didn't realize you'd left them. I'll update your standings asap.
Lynn: I haven't even heard of it. Go figure! Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Scrat: Note my comment to Kate above, but replace the word link with the actual link of each review. If you're unsure where to find the link, right click on the time at the bottom of each post where it says "Posted by Scrat at 12:32 pm." Adding the links, while maybe intimidating at first, will become easy and it'll bring more traffic to your blog.
I read 2 complete books this month and a few part books. Knucklehead and other Stories by W. Mark Giles; and Crow Lake by Mary Lawson. My reviews are here: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A8DCLMKNZV7NV/ref=cm_pdp_rev_all?ie=UTF8&sort%5Fby=MostRecentReviews
That brings my total to 3 books read and enjoyed!
I did read one book in August for this challenge (albeit it wasn't finished until Aug 31).
Appropriately, I read Gail Bowen's Verdict in Blood this time. I say appropriately because the action starts on the Labour Day weekend in Regina at the Saskatchewan and Manitoba CFL matchup. That's one thing I love about reading Canadian fiction. There's always references that only make sense to another Canadian (and sometimes only to another person from that province).
I've read two books this month:
Skinny by Ibi Kaslik
Beauty Tips From Moose Jaw by Will Ferguson
For your Timeline project - how about the publish date for Microserfs by Coupland. (I only know the year 1995)
Thanks for the tip on embedding links - I'll play around with it and if it works, try it for next month :-)
Oops! I meant Yellowknife by Steve Zipp. I guess that's what happens when I post before having my coffee.
I've read 3 more books, making my grand total 4 books altogether.
The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Haunted by Barbara Haworth-Attard (works for the RIP challenge)
Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay
As to the Canadian timeline, I'm sure John Buchan (ie Baron Tweedsmuir) author of "The 39 Steps" should be noted as being Canada's Governor General from 1935-1940 where he died in office.
Checking in late but here I am! One this month for a total of 2! Looks like he was popular this month. I too read Fear the Worst by Lindwood Barclay,
Shoot - meant to leave this with the previous comment. I really haven't read a lot of horror but I really don't know anyone who hasn't eard of Kelley Armstong. I am lucky enough to be going to a Reader's Advisory workshop in October where she will be speaking!
Only two!
-Atmospheric Disturbances
-The Toss of a Lemon
So that's three including July, I will go post that now.
I read two Canadian books in August:
http://www.purple4mee.com/2009/08/book-boomers-retire-guide-for-financial.html
http://www.purple4mee.com/2009/08/book-always-fresh-2006-ron-joyce.html
Hey John,
The Can Lit Time Line sounds like a very interesting project. At the same time, it could be a really daunting task just to decide what is considered significant enough to be included. Have you thought of classifying it by themes of significance? One could link major literature milestones with Canadian historical landmarks. e.g. "The two solitudes" and the time of the unique identity conflict of Canadian; "English Patient" winning of Booker Prize and the first Canadian getting this award.
Just a thought.
Cheers,
Ariel
My total is two:
1. Unless by Carol Shields
2. View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro
My first book for the challenge: here
Sorry, I meant to put the title of the book, not 'here' as the link! The book is Remembering the Bones by Frances Itani.
3rd one up: Generation A, by Douglas Coupland
http://shelf-monkey.blogspot.com/2009/09/monkey-droppings-generation-by-douglas.html
I've got 2 Canadian books in total now, and I think the first one got missed, so I'll add it again:
What They Wanted -
http://rockinbookworms.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-they-wanted-donna-morrissey.html
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures -
http://rockinbookworms.blogspot.com/2009/09/bloodletting-miraculous-cures-vincent.html
One more, I think this makes five:
Marvellous Hairy, By Mark A. Rayner
Sorry, four.
5th done.
the Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
A couple more reviews for me:
Year of the Flood:
http://kirbc.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/the-year-of-the-flood-by-margaret-atwood/
Word Nerd:
http://kirbc.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/word-nerd-by-susin-nielsen/
Thanks!
JK
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