tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51567114763290865062024-02-28T16:43:17.672-07:00Lindy Reads and Reviewsteen novels, comics, children's books, adult fiction, nonfiction... you name it!Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.comBlogger1360125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-43400101921963927002023-12-28T14:27:00.002-07:002023-12-28T15:31:59.881-07:00Best Books of 2023<p> <span> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7i97TLg9yg7vCOvJrin3fuxNJJaFeXURkk6TLi6f7avEcew0q6dpQ6rlkW1i7L-a4VvSXKxhG8cGMj7WQDP2FbV0EW3OX-hwyM7KqBff1jIWiygPk-5kzKI7tOYYIxr_6N6Q_drja5kDmryNydFd1vXydYPP0H6CJAHIAJ0pTixR0F0yNQ_UAmJBFzxU/s320/year%20in%20books%202023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="286" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7i97TLg9yg7vCOvJrin3fuxNJJaFeXURkk6TLi6f7avEcew0q6dpQ6rlkW1i7L-a4VvSXKxhG8cGMj7WQDP2FbV0EW3OX-hwyM7KqBff1jIWiygPk-5kzKI7tOYYIxr_6N6Q_drja5kDmryNydFd1vXydYPP0H6CJAHIAJ0pTixR0F0yNQ_UAmJBFzxU/s1600/year%20in%20books%202023.jpg" width="286" /></a></span></div><span><br /> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">When you read as much as I do, it's especially hard to narrow down favourites. For context, I read more than 400 books in 2023 and I gave 156 of those 5 stars on Goodreads. Out of those, I chose 36 favourites. Nineteen are by Canadian authors, 12 are in audiobook format, 5 are in comics format, 8 are in translation, 27 are by women or nonbinary authors, at least 8 of them are by queer authors and 7 are by Indigenous authors. All of which reflects the kinds of books I prefer to focus on.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> Another thing that I noticed is that the books I read in tandem with other people tend to be the ones that left a lasting impression. Seven of my favourites were buddy reads.</span><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span> I've placed these 36 books in categories below. And while I was doing that, I managed to narrow these down a top ten, which I will list at the very end of this post.</span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;">Top 6 Nonfiction:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">6 - <b><i>Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma</i></b> by Claire Dederer (audiobook)<br />5 - <b><i>Ultra Processed People: The Science Behind Food that Isn't Food</i></b> by Chris Van Tulleken (audiobook)<br />4 - <b><i>My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World's Deadliest Migration Route</i></b> by Sally Hayden (audiobook)<br />3 - </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World</i></b> by John Vaillant (audiobook)<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">2 - </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town and the Road to Reconciliation </i></b></span><span style="font-size: large;">by Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Douglas Sanderson</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">1 - <b><i>No Friend but the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison</i></b> by Behrouz Boochani, translated by Omid Tofighian (audiobook)</span></p><p><span style="color: #800180; font-size: large;">Best Memoirs:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Thick Skin: Field Notes from a Sister in the Brotherhood</i></b> by Hilary Peach<br /><b><i>Namwayut - We Are All One: A Pathway to Reconciliation</i></b> by Chief Robert Joseph (audiobook)</span></p><p><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;">Best Graphic Memoirs:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Sunshine</i></b> by Jarrett Krosoczka<br /><b><i>The Talk</i></b> by Darrin Bell</span></p><p><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Best Re-reads:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Gender Queer</i></b> by Maia Kobabe<br /><b><i>Monkey Beach</i></b> by Eden Robinson</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;">Best Play:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Angels in America </i></b>by Tony Kushner (full cast audiobook)</span></p><p><span style="color: #800180; font-size: large;">Best Poetry:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Knife on Snow</i></b> by Alice Major</span></p><p><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;">Best Novella:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Foster</i></b> by Claire Keegan (audiobook)</span></p><p><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Best YA:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Those Pink Mountain Nights</i></b> by Jen Ferguson (audiobook)</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;">Best Picture Book:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Wolf Suit</i></b> by Sid Sharp</span></p><p><span style="color: #800180; font-size: large;">Best Children's Chapter Book:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Runaways</i></b> by Ulf Stark, translated by Julia Marshall</span></p><p><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;">Best Graphic Novel for Kids:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Frizzy</i></b> by Claribel Ortega and Rose Bousamra</span></p><p><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Best Graphic Novel for Adults:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Waiting</i></b> by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, translated by Janet Hong</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;">Best Novels in Translation:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Permafrost</i></b> by Eva Baltasar, translated by Julia Sanches<br /><b><i>Tomb of Sand</i></b> by Geetanjali Shree, translated by Daisy Rockwell</span></p><p><span style="color: #800180; font-size: large;">Best Mid-20th-Century Modern Classics in Translation:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Tin Flute</i></b> by Gabrielle Roy, translated by Alan Brown<br /><b><i>Alberta Alone </i></b>by Cora Sandel, translated by Elizabeth Rokkan<br />(with an honorable mention: <b><i>Krane's Cafe</i></b> by Cora Sandel, translated by Elizabeth Rokkan)</span></p><p><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;">Best Historical Fiction:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Vaster Wilds</i></b> by Lauren Groff (audiobook)<br /><b><i>Held</i></b> by Anne Michaels (audiobook)<br /><b><i>The Lost Century</i></b> by Larissa Lai</span></p><p><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Best Novels by Indigenous Authors:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>A Grandmother Begins the Story</i></b> by Michelle Porter (audiobook)<br /><b><i>And Then She Fell</i></b> by Alicia Elliott (audiobook)</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;">Best Canadian Novels:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>We Meant Well</i></b> by Erum Shazia Hasan<br /><b><i>Your Driver Is Waiting</i></b> by Priya Guns</span></p><p><span style="color: #800180; font-size: large;">Top Five I Loved Because of Their Innovative Style:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">5 - <b><i>Denison Avenue</i></b> by Christina Wong and D Innes<br />4 - <b><i>A Study for Obedience</i></b> by Sarah Bernstein<br />3 - <b><i>With or Without Angels</i></b> by Douglas Bruton<br />2 - <b><i>Osebol: Voices from a Swedish Village</i></b> by Marit Kapla, translated by Peter Graves<br />1 - <b><i>Mercy Gene</i></b> by JD Derbyshire</span></p><p><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">And now [drum roll] my top ten favourites of 2023:</span></p><p><span><span style="font-size: large;">10 - <b><i>Mercy Gene</i></b> by JD Derbyshire</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">9 - <b><i>Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town and the Road to Reconciliation </i></b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;">by Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Douglas Sanderson<br />8 - <b><i>And Then She Fell</i></b> by Alicia Elliott (audiobook)<br />7 - <b><i>Wolf Suit</i></b> by Sid Sharp<br />6 - <b><i>We Meant Well</i></b> by Erum Shazia Hasan<br />5 - <b><i>The Talk </i></b>by Darrin Bell<br />4 - <b><i>Tomb of Sand</i></b> by Geetanjali Shree, translated by Daisy Rockwell<br />3 - <b><i>Alberta Alone</i></b> by Cora Sandel, translated by Elizabeth Rokkan<br />2 - <b><i>Your Driver Is Waiting</i></b> by Priya Guns<br />1 - <b><i>No Friend but the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison</i></b> by Behrouz Boochani, translated by Omid Tofighian (audiobook)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-89058710842153889732023-11-30T06:40:00.001-07:002023-11-30T06:47:23.623-07:00November 2023 Reading Stats and Booktube Uploads<p><span style="font-size: large;">Still settling in to our new home in Victoria -- we moved six weeks ago. I read lots of picture books and books by Indigenous authors this month.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjJeFDkwG8-ga7DFlPgP-07nD1VnrQHYlds4f5XaDFm0efRfU5iqTHmH51eMD89-HK9FTwDmCh4mf6XajAwlkElGBbcgNkcAaeWBVGG9ICHy1UNJr0yU_CnNwoEH9yivd6JS_e3yeGOhzd_29M9Ofm07Jk5M66FIIRmykRX-lbt-wZoczzzMlP33-K0E/s362/november%20stats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="362" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjJeFDkwG8-ga7DFlPgP-07nD1VnrQHYlds4f5XaDFm0efRfU5iqTHmH51eMD89-HK9FTwDmCh4mf6XajAwlkElGBbcgNkcAaeWBVGG9ICHy1UNJr0yU_CnNwoEH9yivd6JS_e3yeGOhzd_29M9Ofm07Jk5M66FIIRmykRX-lbt-wZoczzzMlP33-K0E/w425-h363/november%20stats.png" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTX4Lw3-itjyc_GcFcSipv62XdRyJ9lVwOC5Oqh92VWJwVV6UwUZSK9qyq1j037wRk3ImiF75pTMlyGCJPz_Z8ikbzMhCFUayxS9sX5G006qFyxM81Fry0QPT2o9UX71B5eKIMtpzxUm3wa2AI90vCWgbPui1yQ_GoeG-V0l9FxioKM0d24RjnO81y8g/s595/november%20covers%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="595" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTX4Lw3-itjyc_GcFcSipv62XdRyJ9lVwOC5Oqh92VWJwVV6UwUZSK9qyq1j037wRk3ImiF75pTMlyGCJPz_Z8ikbzMhCFUayxS9sX5G006qFyxM81Fry0QPT2o9UX71B5eKIMtpzxUm3wa2AI90vCWgbPui1yQ_GoeG-V0l9FxioKM0d24RjnO81y8g/w482-h414/november%20covers%201.png" width="482" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjd4_hAeHqXzaPECctAffvE2xZcqhi2uBbIoseGDjGskXOJYFbnQgazpYU-xGX2t9LpeyLA-5JT1__JMhewe2PDwaulJsD8W79SaHgIbKWlbjZ49228_K1mcXczT7hQKjJ9ZEIN_mOLxVUvw2_Q694v2WetFavuqXcfjXLCaaJb3nQdE5xa_UrS-ieef4/s588/november%20covers%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="588" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjd4_hAeHqXzaPECctAffvE2xZcqhi2uBbIoseGDjGskXOJYFbnQgazpYU-xGX2t9LpeyLA-5JT1__JMhewe2PDwaulJsD8W79SaHgIbKWlbjZ49228_K1mcXczT7hQKjJ9ZEIN_mOLxVUvw2_Q694v2WetFavuqXcfjXLCaaJb3nQdE5xa_UrS-ieef4/w471-h310/november%20covers%202.png" width="471" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;">Favourite books in November (in alphabetical order):</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Adversary</i></b> by Michael Crummey</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>And Then She Fell</i></b> by Alicia Elliott; audiobook read by Jenna Clause and Cherri Maracle</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Bea Wolf</i></b> by Zach Weinersmith and Boulet</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Denison Avenue</i></b> by Christina Wong and Daniel Innes</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Do You Remember</i></b> by Sydney Smith</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The English Understand Wool</i></b> by Helen DeWitt</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Farm & Folk Quilt Alchemy: A High-Country Guide to Natural Dyeing and Making Heirloom Quilts from Scratch</i></b> by Sara Larson Buscaglia</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Genderqueer</i></b> by Maia Kobabe</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Like Smoke, Like Light</i></b> by Yukimi Ogawa</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things</i></b> by Dan Ariely; audiobook read by Simon Jones</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>My Brilliant Friend: The Graphic Novel</i></b>; from the novel by Elena Ferrante; adapted by Chiara Lagani and Mara Cerri; translated by Ann Goldstein</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Mysteries</i></b> by Bill Watterson and John Kascht</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Pink Mountain Nights</i></b> by Jen Ferguson; audiobook read by Julie Lumsden, Aaliya Warbus, Kimberly Woods & Shaun Taylor-Corbett</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Sunshine: How One Camp Taught Me About Life, Death and Hope: A Graphic Novel</i></b> by Jarrett Krosoczka</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Unearthing: A Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets</i></b> by Kyo Maclear; audiobook read by the author</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Upstream: Selected Essays</b></i> by Mary Oliver; audiobook read by Hala Alyan, Joy Sullivan & Kate Bear</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Did Not Finish: <b><i>Chain-Gang All-Stars</i></b>. My emotions have been close the the surface this month and this story about imprisoned queer women fighting each other to the death for the entertainment of others was just too visceral, especially in audiobook format.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsoHBJbC5Ch8TFRuXhT0AnCZy2VF3TrTqrnsxtSUbdNw7iMOtLiqIugCyY2nrC-_FicEoCUI3PPJyfn7optWzC7RVgVa6pBn74Fdke9l_Z2JlC91WiTs6rQaIYgazje-HQg7EXJyhuRaqG8EgCOKHz8VDmYqPdvFkL0Yhb2DlhNt2M1uyp93HRRe2nk0/s2850/chain-gang%20all-stars.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2850" data-original-width="1866" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsoHBJbC5Ch8TFRuXhT0AnCZy2VF3TrTqrnsxtSUbdNw7iMOtLiqIugCyY2nrC-_FicEoCUI3PPJyfn7optWzC7RVgVa6pBn74Fdke9l_Z2JlC91WiTs6rQaIYgazje-HQg7EXJyhuRaqG8EgCOKHz8VDmYqPdvFkL0Yhb2DlhNt2M1uyp93HRRe2nk0/s320/chain-gang%20all-stars.jpeg" width="210" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Reading event participation: </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nonfiction November - 13 books</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ernaux-vember - 1 book</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Indigenous Heritage Month - 7 books</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Read Across Canada Challenge - </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span><span> </span>The Adversary by Michael Crummey for Newfoundland (October)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Nothing yet for Yukon (November) but I <i>plan</i> to read Care Of by Ivan Coyote<br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Booktube Uploads:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/XzCKPZUgnCQ" target="_blank">Which Is the Best Canadian Picture Book?</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/ZXMPVeql6ks" target="_blank">Friday Reads November 3</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/H2oJJhcu4ho" target="_blank">Friday Reads November 10</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/x3K-R-2fkis" target="_blank">Recent Reads November 18</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/i3QvKXuAvMM" target="_blank">I Overcame Flagging Motivation & Filmed Another Video</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><br />Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-83522573606012518932023-11-01T09:53:00.000-06:002023-11-01T09:53:01.526-06:00October 2023 Reading Stats and Booktube Uploads<p> <span style="font-size: large;"> I saw a difference in my reading that reflects the stress of moving from Alberta to BC this month: mainly that I was fussier about what caught my interest (and abandoned three books), and also was more interested in visual narratives. Another thing is that I only made three YouTube videos in October; just not enough time for everything!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RWpt1pz_7A44NuZTGWNr9jZbDUXNYfKJKl4cCGKWMj7Wwi29wpriwDXGXKQKvqQ2-vLjvHSb7M-hAOYq9mJV8uhIJhlnnv7ghX0VsvLZ4fymqR8AYq4DFGvzztEWgTWsaS7UghGwkXwrsJQCPx-npZsDi7o3tWYNtrAJQezlCjDy0ltiq6SUJoIr9_o/s356/October%20stats.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="356" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RWpt1pz_7A44NuZTGWNr9jZbDUXNYfKJKl4cCGKWMj7Wwi29wpriwDXGXKQKvqQ2-vLjvHSb7M-hAOYq9mJV8uhIJhlnnv7ghX0VsvLZ4fymqR8AYq4DFGvzztEWgTWsaS7UghGwkXwrsJQCPx-npZsDi7o3tWYNtrAJQezlCjDy0ltiq6SUJoIr9_o/w446-h390/October%20stats.png" width="446" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>Best books that I read in October (in alphabetical order):</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Lizzy and the Cloud</i></b> by Eric Fan and Terry Fan</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century</i></b> by Kim Fu</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Vaster Wilds</i></b> by Lauren Groff; audiobook read by January LaVoy</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>A Stone Is Most Precious Where It Belongs</i></b> by Gulchehra Hoja; audiobook read by Sarah Suzuk</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Namwayut--We Are All One: A Pathway to Reconciliation</i></b> by Chief Robert Joseph; audiobook read by Dr Evan Adams</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Women of the Fur Trade</i></b> by Frances Koncan</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Boys Weekend</i></b> by Mattie Lubchansky</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Western Lane</i></b> by Chetna Maroo</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The House</i></b> by Paco Roca; translated by Andrea Rosenberg</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Wrinkles</i></b> by Paco Roca; translated by Erica Mena</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>A First Time for Everything</i></b> by Dan Santat</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Wolf Suit</i></b> by Sid Sharp</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>111 Trees: How One Village Celebrates the Birth of Every Girl</i></b> by Rina Singh and Mariana Ferrer</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Boobies</i></b> by Nancy Vo</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>When You Can Swim</i></b> by Jack Wong</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUoedjisXenVmosmYE9ghBiItCExTT7Sc9I99gw7YGa_z0BT7bjdIC0jt9vRy6V3WhKLfLyO52OE_EZCwdSP23IUMunOLvEL6YY-thU_Xlib2Iu1-W_csZaDooNDxYkguXL3ZMvIL1AvhRFW67kIGKSH3Hr2eNk9Vug24T11KApl7_V6avu3lhn_zKcN4/s585/October%20covers%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="585" height="439" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUoedjisXenVmosmYE9ghBiItCExTT7Sc9I99gw7YGa_z0BT7bjdIC0jt9vRy6V3WhKLfLyO52OE_EZCwdSP23IUMunOLvEL6YY-thU_Xlib2Iu1-W_csZaDooNDxYkguXL3ZMvIL1AvhRFW67kIGKSH3Hr2eNk9Vug24T11KApl7_V6avu3lhn_zKcN4/w498-h439/October%20covers%201.png" width="498" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisf8tf8M8T3Q3sAtqDEZpNfE85UhIvP-FmfIehBengQV9SCJPcOgE52u812NUhkO_R0r3TluPyq73UPTEEpJlI7e3wasJCEsH-1gvDUXggnPC4oru1I4j7O2iaTF18wDSjBA9-CR9AwmHxKPrSuhFihIs8K3Yh5nxyjUYEo2tvWWr2uYEpclSsQRHHEeQ/s583/October%20covers%202.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="131" data-original-width="583" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisf8tf8M8T3Q3sAtqDEZpNfE85UhIvP-FmfIehBengQV9SCJPcOgE52u812NUhkO_R0r3TluPyq73UPTEEpJlI7e3wasJCEsH-1gvDUXggnPC4oru1I4j7O2iaTF18wDSjBA9-CR9AwmHxKPrSuhFihIs8K3Yh5nxyjUYEo2tvWWr2uYEpclSsQRHHEeQ/w496-h111/October%20covers%202.png" width="496" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">DNF:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEmNqwaygmuF-seLo7JDvZfbnz3mDUqIZvxxVgx2GZU4uz02BWlbVF9NHQ2fJOK3skRw0LsRRpMj-Kr4x0juqYkXIfVoR5xPYjDGD13644LT9PdDiJ7F3KxaSpy9bysqJsetLEIb9Vwe1fttwUy0zyyG4Y7lgjOgEVhYFf-2EOLQHvuzGthNahdI7op0/s291/October%20DNF.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="131" data-original-width="291" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEmNqwaygmuF-seLo7JDvZfbnz3mDUqIZvxxVgx2GZU4uz02BWlbVF9NHQ2fJOK3skRw0LsRRpMj-Kr4x0juqYkXIfVoR5xPYjDGD13644LT9PdDiJ7F3KxaSpy9bysqJsetLEIb9Vwe1fttwUy0zyyG4Y7lgjOgEVhYFf-2EOLQHvuzGthNahdI7op0/s1600/October%20DNF.png" width="291" /></a></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Booktube Uploads:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://youtu.be/qc7hOdhZuVo" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Friday Reads October 6</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://youtu.be/gPpgNtruR5A" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Friday Reads October 20</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://youtu.be/jk5S6H5Q8YA" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Friday Reads October 27</span></a></div><br /><p></p>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-72300211824567627992023-10-24T09:11:00.000-06:002023-10-24T09:11:18.797-06:00September 2023 Reading Stats and Booktube Uploads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0cmvEj73-uKlD1FdcN39GUctHqIW6OkALntaZEbr8TTpPkjISA5X9JLhuMa5EFFvlcayGwy8_maJtfQXejHKyqZO1XFnJX0Zs0RJa1rP8eYma22jmOgYIA8lt5lFIKWPYT3LULPiQk5tlNZ8a2FHLc45-OxZD95MjyWDjaq6zS0Wiv7ql0OgdEQzLy0/s354/september%20stats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="354" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0cmvEj73-uKlD1FdcN39GUctHqIW6OkALntaZEbr8TTpPkjISA5X9JLhuMa5EFFvlcayGwy8_maJtfQXejHKyqZO1XFnJX0Zs0RJa1rP8eYma22jmOgYIA8lt5lFIKWPYT3LULPiQk5tlNZ8a2FHLc45-OxZD95MjyWDjaq6zS0Wiv7ql0OgdEQzLy0/w408-h357/september%20stats.png" width="408" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: large;">Best Books in September (in alphabetical order by title):</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Big</i></b> by Vashti Harrison</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Double Life of Benson Yu</i></b> by Kevin Chong</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Elf Dog and Owl Head</i></b> by MT Anderson</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Ephemera: A Memoir</i></b> by Briana Loewinsohn</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Everything in Its Place: A Story of Books and Belonging </i></b>by Pauline David-Sax and Charnelle Pinkney Barlow</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>A Hero Ain't Nothin But a Sandwich</i></b> by Alice Childress</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Loop Tracks</i></b> by Sue Orr; audiobook read by Vanessa Rhodes</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Skull</i></b> by Jon Klassen</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Study for Obedience</i></b> by Sarah Bernstein</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Supergirl: A Woman of Tomorrow</i></b> by Tom King and Bilquis Evely</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>We Meant Well</i></b> by Erum Shazia Hasan</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJMynZTHq2vUwSPXLR4Dma5Z0tpnuXHeyaeFedqPqYVSGDvmmQJa1cdvKbrn_h2Y6YEVc1wjlB2Bf6gQurcPyINOXhfB4Rp2NwtS_4-3Z8SBMCzouTwbVpKYLw3mudeqWwETVQb3V7-BxuCTmx7jfidmP65C9vszmkiipQwTvUO8p-r6Qgq1QWg6m7mU/s588/september%20covers%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="588" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJMynZTHq2vUwSPXLR4Dma5Z0tpnuXHeyaeFedqPqYVSGDvmmQJa1cdvKbrn_h2Y6YEVc1wjlB2Bf6gQurcPyINOXhfB4Rp2NwtS_4-3Z8SBMCzouTwbVpKYLw3mudeqWwETVQb3V7-BxuCTmx7jfidmP65C9vszmkiipQwTvUO8p-r6Qgq1QWg6m7mU/w543-h484/september%20covers%201.png" width="543" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2mwOlaLby15XjnQjpRzEbMejhhRCG6Iywe5rf9HYPDFak6I2qMuwGnjlP1YOWxZEE9xFh8FRE5RkfXo3ZqGBigV7-j1My_h_GE6Rdn2jtK0E-XfMvskTSsbC-2w6v9b2Kc8rZPRfGf-3inDj0vUg7II1tA5B_SvZz30PApj2O3fOvTQKFTnx51jDN-A/s388/september%20covers%202.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="133" data-original-width="388" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2mwOlaLby15XjnQjpRzEbMejhhRCG6Iywe5rf9HYPDFak6I2qMuwGnjlP1YOWxZEE9xFh8FRE5RkfXo3ZqGBigV7-j1My_h_GE6Rdn2jtK0E-XfMvskTSsbC-2w6v9b2Kc8rZPRfGf-3inDj0vUg7II1tA5B_SvZz30PApj2O3fOvTQKFTnx51jDN-A/w370-h127/september%20covers%202.png" width="370" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> DNF: <b><i>I Only Read Murder</i></b> by Ian Ferguson</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Booktube Uploads in September:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/wwMujAP5WW0" target="_blank">Friday Reads September 1</a></span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/XtpSlncgqqE" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">My 2023 Giller Prize Longlist Wishlist</span></a></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/dWLliu8f7zk" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Friday Reads September 8</span></a></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/BTacJSpYidY" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">8 Plays in 5 Days: A Theatre Festival Binge Vlog</span></a></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/q1ddc-dcLac" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Shawn and Lindy talk about the 2023 Giller longlist</span></a></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/dWN3nBSId7g" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Friday Reads that took forever to upload</span></a></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/VQlJw155sYs" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Recent Reads September 26</span></a></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/VP7P1VUU3VQ" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Friday Reads September 29</span></a></p>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-76054897022555440542023-10-24T07:58:00.002-06:002023-10-24T09:13:24.490-06:00August 2023 Reading Stats and Booktube Uploads<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgswht_5wijgVgclVCai8NrZwL9KvAZlXUbQnkTdGp37vXt2FVWjnBkjoyQ-j-WObVeaiRsJl9xJWDsKUPbrccvT2gSb14dipDTTWEHg1USrgC1JU6y_3jjlh6oeRd82PUG7ji3N2kbbPT8_nTe0YbnrSyZ_6uNZFQw3zyxx3xu6L6LK_mQ9vsTZort528" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="386" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgswht_5wijgVgclVCai8NrZwL9KvAZlXUbQnkTdGp37vXt2FVWjnBkjoyQ-j-WObVeaiRsJl9xJWDsKUPbrccvT2gSb14dipDTTWEHg1USrgC1JU6y_3jjlh6oeRd82PUG7ji3N2kbbPT8_nTe0YbnrSyZ_6uNZFQw3zyxx3xu6L6LK_mQ9vsTZort528=w461-h348" width="461" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Best books in August, in alphabetical order by title:</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Blacksad: They All Fall Down</i></b> part 1 by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Buzz, Sting, Bite: Why We Need Insects</i></b> by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson; translated by </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Flung Out of Space: Inspired by the Indecent Adventures of Patricia Highsmith</i></b> by Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>A Grandmother Begins the Story</i></b> by Michelle Porter; audiobook read by a full cast of 14 performers</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>In a Strange Room: Three Journeys</i></b> by Damon Galgut</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth</i></b> by Zoe Thorogood</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Mercy Among the Children</i></b> by David Adams Richards</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Night Ship</i></b> by Jess Kidd; audiobook read by Fleur De Witt and Adam Fitzgerald</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Paradise</i></b> by Abdulrazak Gurnah; audiobook read by Chukwudi Iwuji</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Tin Flute </i></b>by Gabrielle Roy</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Tomb of Sand</i></b> by Geetanjali Shree</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOdLFS3_uRUYxMGIVfqD_SgR2uMd2EW7jAfT8SZzdeSiSLj3BIQckPeoD2ho3RkA3d6aHB2-B13NjuKpQTsf_I9hFQDxVXCrCChZx2jkAAM3yfcUG4HxRK-4jgEzsHV_YL1S6mtiK25LfKQCsQNUF7mm30XKTdR42RwVt-KtRGjC0Q0ADBUotZieeg7Y/s583/august%20covers.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="583" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOdLFS3_uRUYxMGIVfqD_SgR2uMd2EW7jAfT8SZzdeSiSLj3BIQckPeoD2ho3RkA3d6aHB2-B13NjuKpQTsf_I9hFQDxVXCrCChZx2jkAAM3yfcUG4HxRK-4jgEzsHV_YL1S6mtiK25LfKQCsQNUF7mm30XKTdR42RwVt-KtRGjC0Q0ADBUotZieeg7Y/w543-h484/august%20covers.png" width="543" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;">DNF: Nomad Century by Gaia Vince</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">Booktube Uploads in August:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/6ER2x1fPnuo" target="_blank">Friday Reads August 4</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Skkiz6K8QU8" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Friday Reads August 11</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://youtu.be/CMEpKSpsy1M" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Friday Reads August 18</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://youtu.be/L8F5g9aYFX0" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Friday Reads August 25</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-75235295234557978922023-09-03T12:29:00.001-06:002023-10-24T09:16:37.564-06:00July 2023 Reading Stats and Booktube Uploads<p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjja4MWkI5xrsJ5oUMi_ltvxHNpqGZvdL1MfXzuI5CJxqhx3Areyh-68u0ayvasOH7JSWBKhkj8ROeF5-38keQEvjpos8cdcpPSvwCWFaIlsagXiF7Wm_C_rxIPMB06YQ2fZYpcn8Aa8foPrJoPnkKIL-mB_U4l_7L2kvBfQTDaEJFkDSs9DzCSG78Wvtc/s331/July%20stats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="331" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjja4MWkI5xrsJ5oUMi_ltvxHNpqGZvdL1MfXzuI5CJxqhx3Areyh-68u0ayvasOH7JSWBKhkj8ROeF5-38keQEvjpos8cdcpPSvwCWFaIlsagXiF7Wm_C_rxIPMB06YQ2fZYpcn8Aa8foPrJoPnkKIL-mB_U4l_7L2kvBfQTDaEJFkDSs9DzCSG78Wvtc/w424-h392/July%20stats.png" width="424" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />My favourite books in July were all nonfiction:</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast</i></b> by John Vaillant; audiobook read by Alan Carlson</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Truth Telling: Seven Conversations About Indigenous Life in Canada</i></b> by Michelle Good; audiobook read by Megan Tooley</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Ultra-Processed People: The Food We Eat that Isn't Food and Why We Can't Stop</i></b> by Chris van Tulleken; audiobook read by the author</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Rehearsals for Living</i></b> by Robyn Maynard and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The High Desert</i></b> by James Spooner</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Strong Female Character </i></b>by Fern Brady; audiobook read by the author</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>La grosse laide / My Body in Pieces</i></b> par / by Marie-Noelle Hebert (translation by Shelley Tanaka)</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdtFutEFRfjgSqrTuMDdxSNnxhIApyiJ7t81g3jUv6CULN0epnFl89860LZiJwCJ7Y2b74wpg_n117r766H3bqVq5QyMghj4EtJtsJJnvHMHhZaheJZA0mIs7n0Vujrvifn26MvuJistXiQ5PbDcQqaaAoR8Ka4Dv7vYbpicvi31VRd88t3T5SFG4kr8/s586/July%20covers.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="586" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdtFutEFRfjgSqrTuMDdxSNnxhIApyiJ7t81g3jUv6CULN0epnFl89860LZiJwCJ7Y2b74wpg_n117r766H3bqVq5QyMghj4EtJtsJJnvHMHhZaheJZA0mIs7n0Vujrvifn26MvuJistXiQ5PbDcQqaaAoR8Ka4Dv7vYbpicvi31VRd88t3T5SFG4kr8/w529-h468/July%20covers.png" width="529" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">DNF's:</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZFTyfJy3Xj026FGheFG3cyuv6zdSVqhSKu8gj8BNlQyvqInHdLhxu_Ph8_HwR4Tn0f6bNOqMIhKpikuD-sZAWjz0sqDh2YhNmL4i5MPQ5hmIUcSuLRpEFLER2JD5nR8rUfMEg3itxiOlsktp7cUsFQw5MOwqx1u6MIxYm0i-sCwD2YsTKyTr5vEdGnE/s208/July%20DNF.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="208" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZFTyfJy3Xj026FGheFG3cyuv6zdSVqhSKu8gj8BNlQyvqInHdLhxu_Ph8_HwR4Tn0f6bNOqMIhKpikuD-sZAWjz0sqDh2YhNmL4i5MPQ5hmIUcSuLRpEFLER2JD5nR8rUfMEg3itxiOlsktp7cUsFQw5MOwqx1u6MIxYm0i-sCwD2YsTKyTr5vEdGnE/s1600/July%20DNF.png" width="208" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Booktube Uploads in July:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/NnHn6-L35_U" target="_blank">Friday Reads July 7</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/twxczenkIUQ" target="_blank">A Wildfire Smoky Friday Reads on July 14</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/nG8ol2Qd-DI" target="_blank">Lindy and Shawn Discuss With or Without Angels by Douglas Bruton</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/dliQwlnKikI" target="_blank">Friday Reads July 21</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/_-l-Bjfsebk" target="_blank">Friday Reads July 28</a></span></p>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-8977118427357843892023-09-01T18:42:00.001-06:002023-10-24T09:18:04.164-06:00June 2023 Reading Stats and Booktube Uploads<p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ijtN1XU9r9KUabY9z2MjBjAFCBnOB4FytJQ6yd2tRqrkFB42cqtAdWSwVf1ZDExqomIN--AP0ZjYNfMu4gso2toQdfCOFP2FAYsaiXnyzWpW9357OufvEdtRnlw7zSWHWHJh9KJhk8gcRt7X_s60zC_3Zjq0qQ2-VxlNGRUokWtqRpz7Ok4w-zJN69c/s580/june%20covers%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="580" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ijtN1XU9r9KUabY9z2MjBjAFCBnOB4FytJQ6yd2tRqrkFB42cqtAdWSwVf1ZDExqomIN--AP0ZjYNfMu4gso2toQdfCOFP2FAYsaiXnyzWpW9357OufvEdtRnlw7zSWHWHJh9KJhk8gcRt7X_s60zC_3Zjq0qQ2-VxlNGRUokWtqRpz7Ok4w-zJN69c/w488-h216/june%20covers%201.png" width="488" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43Dt6Y9cz4KmIROyfh8sF1YtAW3TlK8Rl1oGJEQXXt2-eoO3aCQj1VeGE1jFXgSoGQ6quRwt05moEEjGe6VQW9XWv6kqCqpIYas1N-3P26jYTnw6A3pF1tfTR6by2Gg02PsujsZeJgY7KSTxE9vJ2jNyuf8_9YH1-Y4D5odXjQpji8z0tR-uKxt85uLY/s585/june%20covers%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="585" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43Dt6Y9cz4KmIROyfh8sF1YtAW3TlK8Rl1oGJEQXXt2-eoO3aCQj1VeGE1jFXgSoGQ6quRwt05moEEjGe6VQW9XWv6kqCqpIYas1N-3P26jYTnw6A3pF1tfTR6by2Gg02PsujsZeJgY7KSTxE9vJ2jNyuf8_9YH1-Y4D5odXjQpji8z0tR-uKxt85uLY/w474-h424/june%20covers%202.png" width="474" /></a></div><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Best books that I read in June</b>:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Angels in America</i> by Tony Kushner; audiobook read by the cast of the National Theatre's 2018 Broadway revival</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>With or Without Angels</i> by Douglas Bruton</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Mercy Gene: The Man-Made Making of a Mad Woman</i> by JD Derbyshire</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ordinary Notes</i> by Christina Sharpe</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice</i> by Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes and Dawud Anyabwile</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma</i> by Claire Dederer; read by the author</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Forget My Name</i> by Zerocalcare; translated by Carla Roncalli di Montorio</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Love in the Library</i> by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Yas Imamura</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkpqsP0Vid2EEin1WMoPAe5Kf9Y5oEgHSuE4_X7-_4sKTseXKNK3tm8sJuB1kZuZLT1jwhlZco2pNTlktTWHwNhh3ddNKyeaUAkYkAdzP7U372a75m5HJA-58Ydx158JHeQJX9Dh6awIUqMTsruyMbG6nmCtKIEMs9YLc5srQABB4FhbmxNQLFstUwNk/s332/june%20stats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="332" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkpqsP0Vid2EEin1WMoPAe5Kf9Y5oEgHSuE4_X7-_4sKTseXKNK3tm8sJuB1kZuZLT1jwhlZco2pNTlktTWHwNhh3ddNKyeaUAkYkAdzP7U372a75m5HJA-58Ydx158JHeQJX9Dh6awIUqMTsruyMbG6nmCtKIEMs9YLc5srQABB4FhbmxNQLFstUwNk/w429-h386/june%20stats.png" width="429" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Booktube uploads in June:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/ul1bVH4yT9Y" target="_blank">May Wrap-up and Friday Reads</a></span> (June 2)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/NPSQewpkENU" target="_blank">Friday Reads June 9</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/iqxSNEBFDMw" target="_blank">Recent Reads June 13</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/YRmiBSwGlN0" target="_blank">Friday Reads with a Surprise Guest June 16</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/-Bzgg1D0ojE" target="_blank">Shawn Visits Lindy with Book Gifts June 17</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/ePQHM8j1QVQ" target="_blank">Recent Reads June 21</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/E7h2Mc0x-Bw" target="_blank">Friday Reads June 23</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/DBs18DN74Lc" target="_blank">Mid-Year Reading Check-In June 29</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/vgl1aHfw2Os" target="_blank">All Queer Edition of Friday Reads June 30</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-23469489441094993742023-09-01T07:37:00.006-06:002023-12-02T20:43:49.880-07:00Tim Hortons References in Literature 2023 edition<p><span style="font-size: large;">A continuation of my ongoing collection of literary references to Canada's ubiquitous coffee chain. Zalika Reid-Benta's <i>River Mumma</i> gets to go first because there's a map of Toronto in it that shows the particular location of the Tim's mentioned in her novel.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1O9O8DzpfoqSLIeHvb8bF9Z2sW9LkQA_QwX7u6Mmq2OjJeDObTv4vh7CscJxRidNPp5y0EX_UIPTZhPSsjwWX_AflLnVa3vWrC8twyJcWaP82k7PAAGeMiykNFlW6m0DuRSTZfAgVff57KfvZcVXyAbJwSuvbrcOYLe4P7nHizSPhUJkdjKs38nAf3k/s2100/IMG_7107.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1575" data-original-width="2100" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1O9O8DzpfoqSLIeHvb8bF9Z2sW9LkQA_QwX7u6Mmq2OjJeDObTv4vh7CscJxRidNPp5y0EX_UIPTZhPSsjwWX_AflLnVa3vWrC8twyJcWaP82k7PAAGeMiykNFlW6m0DuRSTZfAgVff57KfvZcVXyAbJwSuvbrcOYLe4P7nHizSPhUJkdjKs38nAf3k/w467-h350/IMG_7107.jpg" width="467" /></a></div><br /><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OAjhVKmxwqEjeFK9vs3Ii99lXx_9QXJuy_b8o19zZ5yeTVS6vpcjEWyXreVr7_WXGFJcnbZbHS5GBrjGv8o-iXR7aOBh9UK5KGH-HC47iPMBjgYgUlnlf9xE1k_potTx1mxq-se-G9ZpGtfgXUB5ajvjFFTXnf3exXqrI7blineXKfBrerKDqIo1C74/s400/river%20mumma%20reid%20benta.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="279" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OAjhVKmxwqEjeFK9vs3Ii99lXx_9QXJuy_b8o19zZ5yeTVS6vpcjEWyXreVr7_WXGFJcnbZbHS5GBrjGv8o-iXR7aOBh9UK5KGH-HC47iPMBjgYgUlnlf9xE1k_potTx1mxq-se-G9ZpGtfgXUB5ajvjFFTXnf3exXqrI7blineXKfBrerKDqIo1C74/s320/river%20mumma%20reid%20benta.jpeg" width="223" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">“I need a phone. I don’t care whose. I just need to look<br /> something up.”</span></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"> “What’s wrong with your phone?” said Mars.</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"> “It got wet. So can I just—“</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"> “Dropped it in the sink?” asked Heaven.</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"> “No—“</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"> “Oh, damn,” said Mars. “The toilet?”</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"> “I fell in the river behind my building last night, OK? Or I didn’t, I don’t know.” Alicia motioned frantically with her hand. “I was kinda blem still.”</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"> “Bro, what?”</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"> “Is that why your hair is already starting to frizz? It hasn’t even been a full twenty-four hours, Alicia.”</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"> “What, you and my mom have a WhatsApp group or something? Just lend me a phone, yah.”</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"> “Not me, my data plan sucks,” said Mars. “Maybe you can hop on real quick when we get in the radius of a Tim’s or something.”</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: large;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - <span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Finally, Mars spoke. “I’m really trying my best not to lose my shit, and I’m not doing a good job. So what’s going on, Leish?”</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Alicia looked around the store, at the eyes that were on them but not actually looking at them. “OK, first, someone has to order something or we’re going to get kicked out.”</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"> “No one gets kicked out of Tim’s,” said Mars, leaning back in his chair. “Mans can hijack a bus, bring it to Tim’s for a coffee, and still not get kicked out.”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>River Mumma</i> by Zalika Reid-Benta</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">_______________________________________________________</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsM9rYqocMnrTz8GktbjElnNCtWEFHMytrmhPY9TwbGebr_D8UbGnIESYi8kSaczNG6v_EIqKiOsteDZOMWShZiErPdLdamm6UcErN1sVn3BCUDVjZHY3C9sAoZ1O02rw03SR9Jr8Jc53-0AUgLQvwFyRpyU49JJYyvaXg4WjDdPuaRFRPtaUgRTocLgk/s499/running%20down%20a%20dream%20candy%20palmater.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsM9rYqocMnrTz8GktbjElnNCtWEFHMytrmhPY9TwbGebr_D8UbGnIESYi8kSaczNG6v_EIqKiOsteDZOMWShZiErPdLdamm6UcErN1sVn3BCUDVjZHY3C9sAoZ1O02rw03SR9Jr8Jc53-0AUgLQvwFyRpyU49JJYyvaXg4WjDdPuaRFRPtaUgRTocLgk/s320/running%20down%20a%20dream%20candy%20palmater.jpeg" width="214" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><br /> </span>Motley Crue announced a show in Toronto at the SkyDome (now known as the Rogers Centre) as part of the Dr Feelgood tour. I had to go. I called my friend Kelly, who lived in Toronto, and asked if she would go with me. I then called my mom to ask if I could buy two tickets on her credit card. Those two things secured, I had to figure out how to come up with the money to buy a plane ticket to Toronto. I looked in the newspaper, which was what we did back then to find a job, an apartment or what movies were playing at the theatre. I saw that Tim Hortons right across from my apartment was hiring for the back shift. I applied and got the job. I would be working from eleven at night until seven in the morning, which would give me just enough time to shower and get over to The Body Shop for 9:00 a.m. The pay was $4.35 per hour, minimum wage. When added to the five dollars an hour I was getting paid at The Body Shop, I thought I could save enough for my airfare.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">from: Scene 7: The one where I meet an even bigger mistake at Tim Hortons</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span> </span>It also shocked me how coddled some of these young lawyers were. They would be devastated if their free parking space was two blocks away from the building. One of the yound associates had a total meltdown one evening because someone had taken her lunch out of the fridge. I mean a real meltdown. I was in my office when I heard the crying. She was in the hallway and some otheryers were around her consoling her. I thought someone close to her had died. I stood there stunned when I realized all this was about someone eating her Lean Cuisine. Jesus, did these people have no sense of real turmoil? I thought of some of the people who I had worked with at Tim Hortons, trying to raise kids on minimum wage and deciding between paying the rent or buying groceries. But for this privileged young woman, someone taking her lunch out of the fridge (ironically, a common occurrence I covered on my radio show years later) was a complete disaster to her.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">from: Scene 10: The one where I meet some mean girls</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Running Down a Dream</i> by Candy Palmater</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">_______________________________________________________</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvprrAeBo2Yg6vWmdH65iKPi456XoFlB2O5DFclCiYWLlDq_F_0x8xMUz2ga-svIzj2XPoo2EubT1-meHybVb8wjl2TJexI4D_UabUZhxSLj3PKs5UIW8JDyFuq90gjAmpS9mIJUHd2piqnO5pJ42UlgC5nTAJaZrzbLJRJHwgn7EjCg70oyevyWcUfX4/s1000/call%20of%20the%20red%20winged%20blacbird%20tim%20bowling.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvprrAeBo2Yg6vWmdH65iKPi456XoFlB2O5DFclCiYWLlDq_F_0x8xMUz2ga-svIzj2XPoo2EubT1-meHybVb8wjl2TJexI4D_UabUZhxSLj3PKs5UIW8JDyFuq90gjAmpS9mIJUHd2piqnO5pJ42UlgC5nTAJaZrzbLJRJHwgn7EjCg70oyevyWcUfX4/s320/call%20of%20the%20red%20winged%20blacbird%20tim%20bowling.jpeg" width="213" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> I nodded, and did exactly what hockey players -- especially Canadian hockey players -- are still widely celebrated for. That is, I toughed it out, I gritted my teeth against the pain and went looking for the number of the guy who'd... except there wasn't any obvious enemy. In a real dark night of the soul, perhaps, the enemy never has a face or a number. And perhaps it is this primitive simplicity of the hockey code that explains its grip on the Canadian psyche? Perhaps the "eye for an eye," or, much more aptly, the "tooth for a tooth" logic, and the Darwinian dog-eat-dog philosophy <i>are</i> the Canadian value system? But if so, how to beat what lacks a jersey and a number? Tim Horton, drunk and weary at the end of his career, driving off the highway, or Jean Beliveau, graceful and celebrated all his life long, gritting his teeth against the Reaper. Derek Boogaard downing painkillers against the concussive goon whose jabs never weaken, or Guy Lafleur, in court, wondering what a father can ever do to help his son.<br /> The questions, the doubt, would not begin for decades, of course. At five, climbing up from the grainy surface of a frozen slough, I merely smelled the tobacco and beer, and I <i>trusted</i>.<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">"Initiation," <b><i>The Call of the Red-Winged Blackbird: Essays on the Common and Extraordinary</i> by Tim Bowling</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">_______________________________________________________</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5c1OlIU0q5OGWFtOPal1G96pu_fa_nK5FelWBBawBmplEws80tVW6xFIAtPq2lpSoXF8mhEr_eb6D4GHA3oN5F_GLpj6fpJznUF0URwnar5s8zmhbwshf_PJDdnIQ1WuFFq4wtC36fi30QhXaxY605GPFTeitBK87W4uUKfPXanZrLQGbeQnvoFvyI0U/s2700/bellevue%20square.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5c1OlIU0q5OGWFtOPal1G96pu_fa_nK5FelWBBawBmplEws80tVW6xFIAtPq2lpSoXF8mhEr_eb6D4GHA3oN5F_GLpj6fpJznUF0URwnar5s8zmhbwshf_PJDdnIQ1WuFFq4wtC36fi30QhXaxY605GPFTeitBK87W4uUKfPXanZrLQGbeQnvoFvyI0U/s320/bellevue%20square.jpeg" width="213" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> <span style="font-family: arial;">Jimmy ran his palms over his cheeks. "I wanna date myself."<br /><span> He hadn't shaved in ten months. He told me whenever he got clean-shaven, it meant he'd reached the height of recovery and soon they'd have to turn him out.<br /></span><span> Sitting by the windows, we share our four weekly donuts. I've offered to go to the schmancy place on Queen with their bacon & Cap'n Crunch donut, but he wants Tim's.<br /></span><span> Jimmy takes the apple fritter, the Boston cream, and the chocolate-glazed. I take the maple dip. Now that we're friends, we know each other's favourites. I always leave the chocolate-glazed for him, even if I pick first. I can get one any time.</span></span><br /></span><p></p><p><span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Bellevue Square</i> by Michael Redhill</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">_______________________________________________________</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0HAZelX-FxogxbBxa85hNeRbc8B3xrhbBWmPAo16Z7QjSrfvI12vLwhabacezd2Zvy7_bcPUwHnHUfjxP-i5drkCtW1Ji7qI7axlFo9wwJMbUEXgRUlJhRK3N9FUbR5AkgpsDrE-JxKEZFU1oledWsJfrKw0i9SRR2uYbnwTFJ6tI1prc1mSVleCdMs/s400/story%20of%20us%20catherine%20hernandez.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="269" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0HAZelX-FxogxbBxa85hNeRbc8B3xrhbBWmPAo16Z7QjSrfvI12vLwhabacezd2Zvy7_bcPUwHnHUfjxP-i5drkCtW1Ji7qI7axlFo9wwJMbUEXgRUlJhRK3N9FUbR5AkgpsDrE-JxKEZFU1oledWsJfrKw0i9SRR2uYbnwTFJ6tI1prc1mSVleCdMs/s320/story%20of%20us%20catherine%20hernandez.jpeg" width="215" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span> "You know how those people are," you said, grabbing the box.<br /></span><span> Ma's cheeks flushed. Those people? Really? She took a deep breath to calm herself down and said, "You know, Liz. I hired her through word of mouth. I heard she's the best of the best."<br /></span><span> Your face shifted. "How is she the best of the best?"<br /></span><span> "She ... she worked at the house of the ... the president?"<br /></span><span> "The president of what?"<br /></span><span> Ma backpedalled. She had forgotten Canada didn't have a president. "I mean, the prime minister."<br /></span><span> "Really? Which one?"<br /></span><span> "The one ... right now."<br /></span><span> "You're kidding me." Ma hated this Canadian expression, which forced her to repeat herself.<br /></span><span> "Really. She's the best of the best."<br /></span><span> Justin barged in through the front door with his arms full. "Morning, MG! I got doughnuts from Tim Hortons. Hope you're hungry."</span><br /></span><p></p><p><span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Story of Us </i>by Catherine Hernandez</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">_______________________________________________________</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvoFI07-r7JgRtlE5kr5icFTiRs0TfpvH6f4WUBVuKmT5hrH1vxvMB05a1-H6Ff1l2hpbW2xvUCwreZz3ahVw8asvq_5GktelbouOmUPBGe_LfpFhU7p0Gkt2GoPvjU-Qh5v_D9GLSVFYQKMKmMCKO0_h5pY7JnVB7l9VV6QblkpBW66TnolZKctYoQA/s400/jade%20is%20a%20twisted%20green%20tanya%20turton.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvoFI07-r7JgRtlE5kr5icFTiRs0TfpvH6f4WUBVuKmT5hrH1vxvMB05a1-H6Ff1l2hpbW2xvUCwreZz3ahVw8asvq_5GktelbouOmUPBGe_LfpFhU7p0Gkt2GoPvjU-Qh5v_D9GLSVFYQKMKmMCKO0_h5pY7JnVB7l9VV6QblkpBW66TnolZKctYoQA/s320/jade%20is%20a%20twisted%20green%20tanya%20turton.jpeg" width="207" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><br /> <span style="font-family: arial;">At the Tim Hortons, the cashier was much more pleasant than expected when Jade ordered her French Vanilla and croissant in English. Jade had visited Montreal many times, but never alone. Even though she'd taken the mandatory classes up to grade nine, she still spoke no more French than what had been taught in grade three. Once, during a previous trip, a waitress had refused to take her order in English, and she couldn't figure out is the issue was her race or language limitations, as a white woman at a nearby table ordered in English with no issues. Montreal was like that -- beautiful and friendly some moments, cold and isolating at others.</span></span><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span><b><i>Jade Is a Twisted Green</i> by Tanya Turton</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">_______________________________________________________</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85ME8l-7diidg7uwfVjPYWqxuQaZa3eartbDr6VaFWRiOMyf2rjUL4Lu-qTDB-13-7aXzjr9NjpKZjmi-f1_mPzQ_MqiD4SgMf6KZymvnniqicDwMeI8dPL7sINWast3JLJrQTVz-7S4quxQdr17ySDE-YgDnNEibnaMiuQhht4Ko37soIURRG8NkSNY/s400/firewater%20harold%20johnson.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="253" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85ME8l-7diidg7uwfVjPYWqxuQaZa3eartbDr6VaFWRiOMyf2rjUL4Lu-qTDB-13-7aXzjr9NjpKZjmi-f1_mPzQ_MqiD4SgMf6KZymvnniqicDwMeI8dPL7sINWast3JLJrQTVz-7S4quxQdr17ySDE-YgDnNEibnaMiuQhht4Ko37soIURRG8NkSNY/s320/firewater%20harold%20johnson.jpeg" width="202" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><br /> When I first started thinking about alcohol and its costs, I found a forensic anthropologist. This was a man who had the tools and expertise to determine the total costs. I phoned him to set up a meeting and we met at a Tim Hortons. I explained to him in detail what I hoped he would do. I told him I would help to publish his findings and offered to coauthor any report. I offered to assist in any way that I could, but please, would he do the math? Would he come up with the numbers?<br /><span> I wanted to find out many things. How many deaths were the direct result of alcohol? What percentage of accidents? How many cancers? How many heart attacks? How many suicides? Could he determine how much shorter a child's life would be because the parents were drinking and not providing proper nourishment during the child's formative years? What is the cost to society for one child with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder during that child's life, due to the increased cost to education, should he require a special needs tutor, the cost to social services because he would have problems getting employment, the increased cost to policing when he messed up, to corrections because the justice system has no alternatives but to send him to jail? And the increased cost to health care, including mental health?<br /><span> Near the end of our two-hour meeting, I was nearly begging, but he refused to undertake this research. I couldn't understand why. Was it too difficult? Too time-consuming?<br /><span> But, when we were leaving, standing outside in the parking lot, he admitted that he still liked to take a drink now and then.<br /><span> Because I have been unable to obtain precise numbers of what alcohol costs us as a society, and what the statistics are for alcohol-related deaths, I have been forced to estimate. My estimate remains at one in two. That is, every second person in this Treaty 6 territory is going to die from an alcohol-related death, whether they drink or not. And, I have come to believe this estimate might be low.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span><span><span><span><span><span><i>Firewater: How Alcohol Is Killing My People (and Yours)</i> by Harold R </span></span></span></span></span></span><span>Johnson</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span>_______________________________________________________<br /><span><br /><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlcakIZxH3oli-NY_8qthCueAXFr4mW82NPbGMi--kgIw77Yu1M_mC8dCA764S8iRERKNU1jMPxz3LkAYlPl0EupIMUMeHnje2Ol8VJ742LkC6RtiOu7PIEd1cwnxIBFg9moCRZ4X3ADHeSFsnZ5KGWIc4jl9nCg9abIj9ZQ4CGMnUqg_F7TXHj9Y_ts/s2550/pageboy%20elliot%20page.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlcakIZxH3oli-NY_8qthCueAXFr4mW82NPbGMi--kgIw77Yu1M_mC8dCA764S8iRERKNU1jMPxz3LkAYlPl0EupIMUMeHnje2Ol8VJ742LkC6RtiOu7PIEd1cwnxIBFg9moCRZ4X3ADHeSFsnZ5KGWIc4jl9nCg9abIj9ZQ4CGMnUqg_F7TXHj9Y_ts/s320/pageboy%20elliot%20page.jpeg" width="207" /></a></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><span> <span style="font-family: arial;">In the winter, I looked forward to snow days. The suspense, sitting on the edge of my mom's bed next to the radio, wishing desperately, dreaming of snow forts and snowmen. I would close my eyes, listening to the CBC radio host recite a list of school cancellations, to the soothing voice.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /><span> </span>Snow day mornings were absolute heaven. My mom and I had a ritual. I would sit in a purple plastic sled and she would pull me through the snow. The destination? Tim Hortons. Marching along, crunch, crunch, her boots sinking, everything covered in white, icicles like spears.<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> "I'll have a medium with double cream and just a pinch of sugar, not very much, thanks," I would mouth my mom's order at Tims in the mornings on the way to school while she leaned her head out the car window, neck reaching for the drive-three speaker. For me, I liked the hot chocolate.<br /></span><span> The sound of the little sled brushing the snow underneath, the steady glide through the barren landscape, offered tranquility, a sense of togetherness. Shut your eyes and you're flying through the universe.</span></span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><b><i>Pageboy: A Memoir</i> by Elliot Page</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span>_______________________________________________________</span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCiAbUkuKI9inukinBcj9xx8xcDL79hpWcmjbZOAH48dj5MosgULcklcUnb9eSOUsNHL2G63i_dB1QwZXJuuL8A4yrT_A6vXcsjT_qQQqygVFvoiVuy2bP3DM1KrVa_U3CPT9bPKwnRb2IGlrbBAUnd71tGdROBubAND9mw7Fazhn6TqSqOsdUSR1gFQ/s2400/mercy%20gene%20jd%20derbyshire.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCiAbUkuKI9inukinBcj9xx8xcDL79hpWcmjbZOAH48dj5MosgULcklcUnb9eSOUsNHL2G63i_dB1QwZXJuuL8A4yrT_A6vXcsjT_qQQqygVFvoiVuy2bP3DM1KrVa_U3CPT9bPKwnRb2IGlrbBAUnd71tGdROBubAND9mw7Fazhn6TqSqOsdUSR1gFQ/s320/mercy%20gene%20jd%20derbyshire.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><span><br />Once you've gone mad, you know the way</span></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span><span> It was 3 a.m., and they did ask, but still, going through the Timmy Ho's drive-thru to grab doughnuts and coffees with the paramedics driving me all the way out to the Chilliwack hospital because the psych ward at St Paul's downtown was stacked to the brim with nutbars and loony tunes was unnecessarily surreal. I mean, come on, there's a time and a place for double-doubles and chocolate glaze, and it's probably not when you've got a suicidal basket case shelved on the gurney in the back. What's true is that they likely couldn't have considered such an early morning snack with any other kind of patient rattling around in the back, and they were sock-monkey tired--five overdoses and one ridiculous car crash already that shift--and I was like a free ride. And also, for the record, I was saying over and over again, "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay." They didn't get that I was saying it to try to keep the voices calm and carry on because I was scared shitless, thinking a person like me doesn't want to end up in a place like Chilliwack, which is more or less exactly what the physiotherapist said to me when she shook me awake to throw the medicine ball around with the other caw caw cawrazies at 6 a.m.: "A girl like you doesn't want to end up in a place like this."</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><b><i>Mercy Gene: The Man-Made Making of a Mad Woman</i> by JD Derbyshire</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><span><span><span>_______________________________________________________</span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFreLCQKpEjblH3_LEBvQVXUEoO3usoeJgaMBhNJKy04I9ffBQeu48w5Qyj2M0WxGqDFhCIrU_Mz5YLWGK44eYqeFq-2zOtXIcAP1OHET7E_cq6vFIPkURuVVljJR3M4WrqYqthrjWs9tVI--GEz9aHw3lTzcChE4pr82Hscel76t-DqAdyv40ES15UXA/s1000/wonder%20world%20kr%20byggdin.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="625" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFreLCQKpEjblH3_LEBvQVXUEoO3usoeJgaMBhNJKy04I9ffBQeu48w5Qyj2M0WxGqDFhCIrU_Mz5YLWGK44eYqeFq-2zOtXIcAP1OHET7E_cq6vFIPkURuVVljJR3M4WrqYqthrjWs9tVI--GEz9aHw3lTzcChE4pr82Hscel76t-DqAdyv40ES15UXA/s320/wonder%20world%20kr%20byggdin.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Shit. How is it Sunday already? If Abe had to book a back-up preacher to pick me up, he'll be annoyed. He's wearing his church suit, so maybe he just cut the sermon a little short and skipped after-service fellowship in the foyer. I can taste that scalding caffeinated sludge at the back of my throat.<br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Thankfully, there's an extra-large coffee from Timmy's and a crumpled paper donut bag wedged into Abe's cup holder, so that's one less reason for him to resent me. I'm jealous of the old man. He got to pregame this encounter with his beverage of choice and I didn't. I couldn't afford any of those tiny bottles of booze on the flights over here, so I'll need to conserve my energy until I can get to a liquor store. I want to ask him to stop somewhere in the city so I can stock up but don't because I can't stand the thought of the quiet judgement that would follow.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>Wonder World</i> by KR Byggdin</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">_______________________________________________________</span></p><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjNPof2DKmeiEishEAI6VrDCn1H8ZfFby49t3z667UXx4EX-2ijjn9Dp8_X2krprd7ipFN0-vcRw0DnEg6dfWYkiS-3gkg7qZCrJo1BSeHmuz_jwRX8cQ38TQDcYday3kJloy2oldnXqMRKdcdrAZVf1fqtqsYaC8uc-RzR99DFNYRzhr0SmKXjJNH2k/s2400/really%20good%20actually%20monica%20heisey.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjNPof2DKmeiEishEAI6VrDCn1H8ZfFby49t3z667UXx4EX-2ijjn9Dp8_X2krprd7ipFN0-vcRw0DnEg6dfWYkiS-3gkg7qZCrJo1BSeHmuz_jwRX8cQ38TQDcYday3kJloy2oldnXqMRKdcdrAZVf1fqtqsYaC8uc-RzR99DFNYRzhr0SmKXjJNH2k/s320/really%20good%20actually%20monica%20heisey.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div><br /> Over the past few weeks, Simon had been lecturing me with increasing frequency about my alleged "aversion to kindness." He cocked his head with a pensive expression, and I could see that we were in danger of repeating the waterfall situation.<br /></span><span> To sum up: Simon had a car. When he first told me this, I'd said, "Of course you do," and he'd looked at me quizzically and I had not elaborated. It was an old, beat-up Volkswagen Golf in a subdued dark green, with scratchy carpeted seats and gummy cupholders. Occasionally he would pick me up and take me on a kind of drive-through buffet, hitting up Tim Hortons for a breakfast sandwich, McDonald's for hash browns and coffee, and Wendy's for a shake to dump our coffees into, something 6Bites had recently termed a "dirtbag affogato."</span><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><b><i>Really Good, Actually</i> by Monica Heisey</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">_______________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoRcIhzEloyx23r1WWKuMeNzVNq7n4jUYYiSWnANt8eYlg_EAed2c6LZeamyjgpkJ2lpwagvrs5wug5Rgkvh6qv2Rh4WyvJ24q2QhPgqxgHoA_JvkW7hFyeMi46xNJEK_F0_qwPOpPABPHDXj_FxXJDJ3_pAB1bu4oJdlpn8zAk8f8trgGzBgBe8OFNw/s400/Reproduction%20Ian%20Williams.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoRcIhzEloyx23r1WWKuMeNzVNq7n4jUYYiSWnANt8eYlg_EAed2c6LZeamyjgpkJ2lpwagvrs5wug5Rgkvh6qv2Rh4WyvJ24q2QhPgqxgHoA_JvkW7hFyeMi46xNJEK_F0_qwPOpPABPHDXj_FxXJDJ3_pAB1bu4oJdlpn8zAk8f8trgGzBgBe8OFNw/s320/Reproduction%20Ian%20Williams.jpeg" width="214" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: verdana;">The source of the dog whistle was not in the hospital room, as Riot previously thought, nor in the Tim Hortons where he removed himself to avoid Faye. It was coming from inside of him.</span></span><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><b><i>Reproduction</i> by Ian Williams</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">_______________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLwwY9Gv-bOCH0PZDt9ocaZG9fIQMHnzEXxz3YT84BriofTtX7sqf8sO-sh4O9OZ5C-gbIB75YJy1HV42KSpQ1YVZntlq1ThfOPoE1kPjHU9b0y1ssOaktIEkZIRQ316HaHSdFK6HPl39pWZO3plf8fbO9_iccBTuLEovSKcjaoCaYg2XHm8JBqwHUYE/s400/Mercy%20Among%20the%20Children%20David%20Adams%20Richards.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLwwY9Gv-bOCH0PZDt9ocaZG9fIQMHnzEXxz3YT84BriofTtX7sqf8sO-sh4O9OZ5C-gbIB75YJy1HV42KSpQ1YVZntlq1ThfOPoE1kPjHU9b0y1ssOaktIEkZIRQ316HaHSdFK6HPl39pWZO3plf8fbO9_iccBTuLEovSKcjaoCaYg2XHm8JBqwHUYE/s320/Mercy%20Among%20the%20Children%20David%20Adams%20Richards.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">By early March the accusations Gerald Dove had made against McVicer’s Works mounted. The incidences of allergy, cancer, and miscarriage among our community were eight times the provincial or national average.</span><p style="font-size: x-large;"></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">There were weekly meetings at the one-room schoolhouse, and I went to them. The highway</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> was dark, the stars out at seven. I walked across the new bridge and down the old Bowie Road to the school. It was well lighted, and you could see your breath even though it was crowded. People drank coffee in Tim Hortons cups. There were ice crystals inside the window, and everyone kept on their hats and gloves.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>Mercy Among the Children</i> by David Adams Richards</b></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;">_______________________________________________________</span></div><div><span><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRA9kneYPjq9n2NJE7Y16AheXbR67LBz0IUL5YncaHCH-HgugZwhfKaU_ZXf3UVTpiOlQbjZdKvA2ReSb04YkfAQm2GGUi5KqFxUEDa0oXMI44ClhmpeeLyxTmdAJmwqdvT0Se2ly1fGHGzgohsE0KZ5yshV1DVwmiIdJ5RVH41ytdHS2TP2zMwvxYlh4/s1000/The%20Broken%20Heart%20of%20Winter%20Judy%20LeBlanc.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRA9kneYPjq9n2NJE7Y16AheXbR67LBz0IUL5YncaHCH-HgugZwhfKaU_ZXf3UVTpiOlQbjZdKvA2ReSb04YkfAQm2GGUi5KqFxUEDa0oXMI44ClhmpeeLyxTmdAJmwqdvT0Se2ly1fGHGzgohsE0KZ5yshV1DVwmiIdJ5RVH41ytdHS2TP2zMwvxYlh4/s320/The%20Broken%20Heart%20of%20Winter%20Judy%20LeBlanc.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Uncle Derry, who never stopped talking, gave Lise all the specs on his beloved ’63 Porsche convertible as they drove out to the old house. A broken heater and the raw, early morning air forced Lise deeper into her flimsy West Coast jacket and the cigar-reeking scarf Uncle Derry had wrapped around her neck. Woofers crouched in the back seat, his overlarge head swaying between the two of them, tongue hanging out and breath foul with the smell of liver. They passed small desolate [Cape Breton] communities consisting of little more than a gas station, a Tim Hortons or a 7-Eleven along a secondary highway. The convertible seemed out of place amongst pickups and muscle cars, but everything was out of place this morning and had been since she’d arrived [from Victoria]. Her imagination leapt to Daniel: in a drug-induced stupor, or knocked unconscious after a drunken brawl, police surrounding the house while inside he held a woman such as herself, a mommy figure, hostage. The worst, the very worst, would be absence, the house empty with no sign of him. Depending on the outcome, she could leave tonight, couldn’t she? Go back to, what, the bakery, her inadequate life, her persistent ache for her son?</span><p style="font-size: x-large;"></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>The Broken Heart of Winter</i> by Judy LeBlanc</b></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Times;">_______________________________________________________</span></span></p><div style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScef5F5qRUgPjhb6fVFBh8XIrSk09vesnDe7WnUf50HNGb44ETHUVbI8IxR08EoONLdh8jE69tGbXxbU3aY2Xb6qIUsWbscAYZ1Z18n0ABxiK7AD6hDpp9FmAcHV1DPHqr8itCQTf35vzFYQLK1Z2fqp2I5Ifnn63zDVfTGDBMA4afq7wnK-Hyu_L6xQ/s2560/The%20Adult%20Bronwyn%20Fischer.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1707" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScef5F5qRUgPjhb6fVFBh8XIrSk09vesnDe7WnUf50HNGb44ETHUVbI8IxR08EoONLdh8jE69tGbXxbU3aY2Xb6qIUsWbscAYZ1Z18n0ABxiK7AD6hDpp9FmAcHV1DPHqr8itCQTf35vzFYQLK1Z2fqp2I5Ifnn63zDVfTGDBMA4afq7wnK-Hyu_L6xQ/s320/The%20Adult%20Bronwyn%20Fischer.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"> In North Bay, the bus stopped, and I walked around the parking lot looking for my dad’s car. When I found him, he got out and hugged me. I pressed my hands against his back. I felt his nose against my hair, the soft whistle of his breaths against my head. When his arms loosened, he held me out in front of him, as though making sure I’d come back in the same condition I’d been left.</span><p style="font-size: x-large;"></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span> </span>He said, “Look at you. You’re a big-city girl now.”</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span> </span>I mumbled no, no, and then asked him how his drive had been.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span> </span>Not far from the station, we stopped at a drive-through and he ordered a large black coffee and a box of timbits. He asked me if a wanted a hot chocolate, and I said I was okay.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span> </span>The roads were good, my father said, though it had snowed quite a lot the few days before. Even so, he turned on the radio, which updated us on the road conditions as we drove upon them.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span> </span>“Would you pass me a honey glazed?”</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span> </span>The box of doughnuts was in my lap. I picked through them. Hard icing flaked onto his jacket collar.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>The Adult</i> by Bronwyn Fischer</b></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Times;">_______________________________________________________</span></span></p><p style="font-size: x-large;"><span><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHb9P9s0XTt4_FNRmlEJGduJmypwlknJiKhhYpdy8ZFNMtr52AWiD6vMGWlSagcPEm4Ronr3JfWW6i3h1G96fXwnitS882IhtcwKY9_ggN-1g9sm-XyPOeqmHmu8gm6ac2nIRwnuEecdMrqj60WA-vBT_BY7EvHUQMZ7ivbx16FJxVHaoOn6jZPHCdmf4/s500/circle%20vermette.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHb9P9s0XTt4_FNRmlEJGduJmypwlknJiKhhYpdy8ZFNMtr52AWiD6vMGWlSagcPEm4Ronr3JfWW6i3h1G96fXwnitS882IhtcwKY9_ggN-1g9sm-XyPOeqmHmu8gm6ac2nIRwnuEecdMrqj60WA-vBT_BY7EvHUQMZ7ivbx16FJxVHaoOn6jZPHCdmf4/s320/circle%20vermette.jpeg" width="213" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"> My stepsister Faith is doing great. She's still in Alberta and a supervisor at a Tim Hortons now. She sends me cat videos instead of texts. Sometimes I think she's making fun of me with them but I still like them. She has a boyfriend, of course. A nice-looking guy who always wears those big plaid hunting jackets. Dad had one for a while but Nikki hated it so I think she gave it away. This guy though, he wears it in every picture, and smiles big. Faith looks like she's drowning in him, probably is. Everyone has a person but me.</span><p style="font-size: x-large;"></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="font-size: x-large;"><span><b><i>The Circle</i> by Katherena Vermette</b></span></p><p style="font-size: x-large;"><span>_______________________________________________________</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk45FVXbbn1ggsaEm_3uvt1uh7lmi2DmFXoEBbGCcCiJ93aQMaoIzBHFmJ-HwJKIoiMc7061_k-2TN_XdgCl81pBKH2FfS0Y7bkndrOkv-gBUg_8_RQmyYfMVVKVTGk83C37Nn8dRWzG-kJfFC7CJ5NSWSihxJzA2WSUZN5ZOs1VaRZjG9JiMbsOCwpHU/s2100/chrysalis%20varghese.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk45FVXbbn1ggsaEm_3uvt1uh7lmi2DmFXoEBbGCcCiJ93aQMaoIzBHFmJ-HwJKIoiMc7061_k-2TN_XdgCl81pBKH2FfS0Y7bkndrOkv-gBUg_8_RQmyYfMVVKVTGk83C37Nn8dRWzG-kJfFC7CJ5NSWSihxJzA2WSUZN5ZOs1VaRZjG9JiMbsOCwpHU/s320/chrysalis%20varghese.jpeg" width="251" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;">Farrah gave her memory stick to Carol, who gave it to her assistant, who set it up to play Farrah's presentation on the projector screen.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;">"There's coffee," Carol said, waving her hand in the direction of a table in the corner, where a spouted box of Tim Hortons coffee and a platter of pastries sat mostly untouched.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> <span> "I'm okay, thanks," Farrah replied, holding up her Starbucks cup. "Got my chai latte right here."<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> Carol wrinkled her nose. "Too sweet for me," she said. "But it must be nice to have a little taste of home for you."<br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> Farrah laughed in the noncommittal way that all non-white women learn to master. Inside her chest, the Fist from which she had learned to hide, in heels and pearls and linen and silk, and all the other camouflage handed down to her by parents who knew what it was to be a target, began to tighten.</span><br /><p style="font-size: x-large;"></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b>'Stories in the Language of the Fist,' in <i>Chrysalis</i> by Anuja Varghese</b></span></p><p style="font-size: x-large;"><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Times;">_______________________________________________________</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAu4j0XZv88lA7xWvLsl-S0eadDUW1vQAz1pKi0jPCrzTEZUjLAXHJE4Cm1k4EzgbAu77YGYqEWL0GWFe0fOGT_RHEEnRVcdgFOkP_zh542mJNEei1vSV2LbqtJ8WyNJDMEXQDwccfk0RLSVXJvjMVj9nTEVAaxcVPkvoKAO9E78m7y6qaVSgAKXXK_vo/s2700/denison%20avenue%20innes%20wong.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAu4j0XZv88lA7xWvLsl-S0eadDUW1vQAz1pKi0jPCrzTEZUjLAXHJE4Cm1k4EzgbAu77YGYqEWL0GWFe0fOGT_RHEEnRVcdgFOkP_zh542mJNEei1vSV2LbqtJ8WyNJDMEXQDwccfk0RLSVXJvjMVj9nTEVAaxcVPkvoKAO9E78m7y6qaVSgAKXXK_vo/s320/denison%20avenue%20innes%20wong.jpeg" width="213" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> I sat in front of the window.</span><p style="font-size: x-large;"></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span> </span>I looked around. There were a couple of us on our own, sitting at the few tables, each with a coffee, a pineapple bun, an egg tart, or a bao. The man behind me was reading the <i>Sing Tao</i> and I suddenly wondered where in Chinatown the bak who sold the <i>Sing Tao</i> outside Hat Moon Low, before it closed and was boarded up, moved to. Every morning he meticulously rolled the newspapers in half, wrapped them with an elastic band, and sold them throughout the day. He usually sold out by two or three in the afternoon. And at his feet sat his coffee in a black-and-dark-brown paper cup from Fu La Wa, sometimes from Ding Dong, or Tim Hortons. Occasionally, he'd bring his portable radio with him, listening to the news.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>Denison Avenue</i> by Daniel Innes and Christina Wong</b></span></p><p style="font-size: x-large;"><span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Times;">_______________________________________________________</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zEcSgv1oO7v6n52_j0mJY-1bDklIrUMON3NoQgN7bIAuW199mlUjwyi3f6W6X8JVPRkA6mMReBFW_gf39zsZsFtGIedG_mxwvCpNtnVNQuitD-1x5mPJvhS3WtF-RoWphzVCiAa8X-rzcGfHazoyt0zm5IgGL-U5Eo7gxPHkq4x3JVH8clYauzptAbw/s500/rick%20mercer%20road%20years.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zEcSgv1oO7v6n52_j0mJY-1bDklIrUMON3NoQgN7bIAuW199mlUjwyi3f6W6X8JVPRkA6mMReBFW_gf39zsZsFtGIedG_mxwvCpNtnVNQuitD-1x5mPJvhS3WtF-RoWphzVCiAa8X-rzcGfHazoyt0zm5IgGL-U5Eo7gxPHkq4x3JVH8clYauzptAbw/s320/rick%20mercer%20road%20years.jpeg" width="211" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The [fishing trip] invite went out to [Michael] Ignatieff and [Bob] Rae. Now this was a very interesting competition. They had been, for most of their lives, best of friends. Ignatieff famously helped Bob when he was fighting depression as a young man. At the time when people understood very little about that condition, Ignatieff was there for him. They both had impressive careers, and they were each supportive of the other. But now, politics and ambition had come between them. They were now decidedly not-close.</span><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span> How exciting was that? It was downright Shakespearean. It would make a great piece. The only question out of the gate was which one would drown the other.</span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span> Unfortunately, no sooner had the invite gone out, when we hit a snag. Ignatieff wanted to see samples of my work. Not surprising. He had spent the last 20 years living outside of Canada. He famously stated that he returned to Canada regularly to receive honorary degrees.</span><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I knew someone in the Ignatieff camp and he confessed that the real concern wasn't with who I was, but with what I might say. Ignatieff, who was somewhat sensitive to the fact that he had lived outside Canada for so long, was worried I might pull on that thread. His camp was worried that I might give him a pop quiz on Canada and ask him some tough questions like: "What's a double-double?" and "Who's your favourite Canadian recording artist, Steve Fonyo or Terry Fox?"</span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span> Ignatieff said no. He was going to run a classic frontrunner campaign and hide.</span><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-size: x-large;"></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><p style="font-size: x-large;"><span><b><i>The Road Years: A Memoir, Continued </i>by Rick Mercer<span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></b></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></span></p><p style="font-size: x-large;"><span>_______________________________________________________</span></p></span></div></span></div>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-89835525065926966482023-05-31T16:40:00.001-06:002023-05-31T16:42:06.302-06:00May 2023 Reading Stats and Booktube Uploads<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDXJeP9niCttBcemahKsf6ch3FGkmj-sryj4gRT2Jm6p6mUjl2_J7mmFIg8RRfLvjyvmy7MXYOYNPuiJjlu_ScJGigoXCp5JlGPvaVOrAWwN0d-14iqRSSIkJSpGqsf3H0z3GjO8phIsgWVsd9v2-Kp7UOhHHV8W8aGjQ9A3pwCr0WWQwyjiydgMF/s603/may%20covers%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="603" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDXJeP9niCttBcemahKsf6ch3FGkmj-sryj4gRT2Jm6p6mUjl2_J7mmFIg8RRfLvjyvmy7MXYOYNPuiJjlu_ScJGigoXCp5JlGPvaVOrAWwN0d-14iqRSSIkJSpGqsf3H0z3GjO8phIsgWVsd9v2-Kp7UOhHHV8W8aGjQ9A3pwCr0WWQwyjiydgMF/w585-h508/may%20covers%201.png" width="585" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxK6xFm9o_r6r4ClJwPbXEUhYqzH6XV5QrnA6FWqe7oIyxFxhWIQRv_jWxrbhMoe5MqfpUB1K1tOI0-xSQYMoEYA4lebvntXsC1NLy8hEHFTgLZHP9haBlU7goDx-WFlq2C8W0NxZ--CVMl2okbjcL4XUSmRH2FqVEmJsi4yJ6nlOrmVPWF985P8Np/s196/may%20covers%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="137" data-original-width="196" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxK6xFm9o_r6r4ClJwPbXEUhYqzH6XV5QrnA6FWqe7oIyxFxhWIQRv_jWxrbhMoe5MqfpUB1K1tOI0-xSQYMoEYA4lebvntXsC1NLy8hEHFTgLZHP9haBlU7goDx-WFlq2C8W0NxZ--CVMl2okbjcL4XUSmRH2FqVEmJsi4yJ6nlOrmVPWF985P8Np/s1600/may%20covers%202.png" width="196" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTOdSVbWj1o6KDzSPPaQ-qObnb2AW3eLIMwpW2XBkOlEcQNQUc3_8muUUhS32Zp3yE17ZIiMeZJb7CeVczmW0_0kvbS773X98lYNJiRItBi0obbh4dwZ84f3_BMerRJVOgWz9FDIYFIz_StgQoCmWMeEmshUZ3cBrtjir4EUWqLmd-y7Eimx8vXoe/s343/may%20stats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="343" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTOdSVbWj1o6KDzSPPaQ-qObnb2AW3eLIMwpW2XBkOlEcQNQUc3_8muUUhS32Zp3yE17ZIiMeZJb7CeVczmW0_0kvbS773X98lYNJiRItBi0obbh4dwZ84f3_BMerRJVOgWz9FDIYFIz_StgQoCmWMeEmshUZ3cBrtjir4EUWqLmd-y7Eimx8vXoe/w428-h393/may%20stats.png" width="428" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-size: large;">Best books in May (in alphabetical order):</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Bandit Queens</i></b> by Parini Shroff</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation and the Loss of Aboriginal Life</i></b> by James Daschuk; audiobook read by JD Nicholsen</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Firewater: How Alcohol Is Killing My People (and Yours)</i></b> by Harold R Johnson; audiobook read by Kairyn Potts</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Knife on Snow</i></b> by Alice Major</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Monstress</i></b> Book 1 (Issues 1-18) by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World's Deadliest Migration Route</i></b> by Sally Hayden; audiobook read by Aoife McMahon</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>My Rainbow</i></b> by Trinity Neal, DeShanna Neal and Art Twink</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Old Herbaceous: A Novel of the Garden</i></b> by Reginald Arkell</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Osebol</i></b> by Marit Kapla<br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Varjak Paw</i></b> by SF Said</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Wild & Precious: A Celebration of Mary Oliver</i></b>; audiobook read by Sophia Bush and others</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Wild Geese</i></b> by Martha Ostenso</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Your Driver Is Waiting</i></b> by Priya Guns</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">---------------------------------------------------</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;">May readathons on booktube:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mental Health May</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">I read 8 books in which mental health was an important element: <b><i>Any Other City</i></b> (PTSD; suicide); <b><i>Jade Is a Twisted Green</i></b> (suicide; anxiety); <b><i>My Fourth Time, We Drowned</i></b> (depression; PTSD; assorted other mental illnesses); <b><i>Wild & Precious</i></b> (suicide; various mental health issues); <b><i>Wild Geese</i></b> (CTSD); X-Gender (OCD); <b><i>Your Brain on Art</i></b> (various mental health issues); <b><i>Your Driver Is Waiting</i></b> (situational depression)</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>May of the Moderns</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">I read 1: <b><i>Wild Geese</i></b>. (I thought Old Herbaceous would fall into this category too, but it wasn't published until 1950.)</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Misery May</b> (Thomas Hardy readathon)<span> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Return of the Native</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Read Across Canada Challenge:</b> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Ontario - <b><i>Jade Is a Twisted Green</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Manitoba (catching up from April) - <b><i>Wild Geese</i></b></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Asian Heritage Month</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> I read 6: <b><i>Bandit Queens</i></b>; <b><i>Carmilla</i></b>; <b><i>Monstress</i></b>; <b><i>Varjak Paw</i></b>; <b><i>X-Gender</i></b>; <b><i>Your Driver Is Waiting</i></b><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Naturalists Book Club - X </b>(fail)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b>Anything by Sonia Shah - I planned to listen to The Next Great Migration but didn't get to it yet<br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">---------------------------------------------------</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">My goal to read more from my own shelves:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>I read 8 (5 were acquired in 2023)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">---------------------------------------------------</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Booktube uploads:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/7zlOfgD3c1w" target="_blank">April Wrap-Up</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/ooLDx6L0V3c" target="_blank">Friday Reads May 12</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/7AJlmnnjz8s" target="_blank">Friday Reads May 19</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/BSXVojEMOzs" target="_blank">Friday Reads May 26</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-32368113941283950332023-04-30T19:03:00.004-06:002023-05-01T05:16:19.074-06:00April 2023 Reading Stats and Booktube Activity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuGTNDrJ_hBl6AaZjjmB_irFDZh7oKtVcD5wycTN9PEAUBbL6AS3IvjESYO6qYHjZNtThdnb101vtssi41B3xeLf82Cqja8dqPVOys4TX6YXgqR02zQF7vsQUUYnkbUMsfAAUgND8gTjIL8IZ8TAsTKxol9TbEy9JLjWLpbki2tXh-85sZJVRq6OD/s331/april%20stats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="331" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuGTNDrJ_hBl6AaZjjmB_irFDZh7oKtVcD5wycTN9PEAUBbL6AS3IvjESYO6qYHjZNtThdnb101vtssi41B3xeLf82Cqja8dqPVOys4TX6YXgqR02zQF7vsQUUYnkbUMsfAAUgND8gTjIL8IZ8TAsTKxol9TbEy9JLjWLpbki2tXh-85sZJVRq6OD/w394-h361/april%20stats.png" width="394" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: large;">I went through a lot of books this month! Out of 51, these are the best (in alphabetical order):</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>A Is for Bee: An Alphabet Book in Translation</i></b> by Ellen Heck</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Birnam Wood</i></b> by Eleanor Catton</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Brown Girls</i></b> by Daphne Palasi Andreades</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Butts: A Backstory</i></b> by Heather Radke; audiobook read by Emily Tremaine</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Old Babes in the Woods: Stories</i></b> by Margaret Atwood</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Permafrost</i></b> by Eva Baltasar; translated by Julia Sanches</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Remember</i></b> by Joy Harjo and Michaela Goade</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Tender Narrator</i></b> by Olga Tokarczuk; translated by Jennifer Croft and Antonia Lloyd-Jones</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Thick Skin: Field Notes From a Sister in the Brotherhood</i></b> by Hilary Peach</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Third Person</i></b> by Emma Grove</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Thistlefoot</i></b> by GennaRose Nethercott; audiobook read by January Lavoy</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Unraveling: What I Learned About Life From Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool and Making the World's Ugliest Sweater</i></b> by Peggy Ornstein; audiobook read by the author</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Wash Day Diaries</i></b> by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Welcome to St Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure</i></b> by Lewis Hancox</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>What Feelings Do When No One's Looking</i></b> by Tina Oziewicz and Aleksandra Zajac; translated by Jennifer Croft</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlEeQgVQQ19PDGhEuW-KLsHcDxrbV0xatJ2Ae671K_SgmPvRhleFRn-9KY934kfAYXLgGFESECZmGRBwqjQm-fw2zXITSmc8NhShgBErYz77vLlM9X_wo7wd4q7RNdsxTReBjUESXGCh8RaDQucG40_xtkeau-UbEJVyipuwl4sVxi5o9nPOWMS5d/s591/april%20covers%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="591" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlEeQgVQQ19PDGhEuW-KLsHcDxrbV0xatJ2Ae671K_SgmPvRhleFRn-9KY934kfAYXLgGFESECZmGRBwqjQm-fw2zXITSmc8NhShgBErYz77vLlM9X_wo7wd4q7RNdsxTReBjUESXGCh8RaDQucG40_xtkeau-UbEJVyipuwl4sVxi5o9nPOWMS5d/w559-h496/april%20covers%201.png" width="559" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujQw2u1e-wp_ESXa1QjFpFnQ7NRWjkblKwQBLp5cwKIgsZfkatHsHm7KQfJhfMdwZXpyiQb0FgtbZ-IdZlP4ZfOs7XjLu3FNsMqQrgna6J49r2pk3lsgsz1pAv5zuzMXMG-0LfSs6AUupIqOxNCQBEog0WUU0-s8Od5tVay9q392NcLMh9Tbp6XbX/s588/april%20covers%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="588" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujQw2u1e-wp_ESXa1QjFpFnQ7NRWjkblKwQBLp5cwKIgsZfkatHsHm7KQfJhfMdwZXpyiQb0FgtbZ-IdZlP4ZfOs7XjLu3FNsMqQrgna6J49r2pk3lsgsz1pAv5zuzMXMG-0LfSs6AUupIqOxNCQBEog0WUU0-s8Od5tVay9q392NcLMh9Tbp6XbX/w565-h502/april%20covers%202.png" width="565" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IkpK0emvCmYnkXCLkXnt8jBFc-4lNeFCi2-_8DMLp912DmcZPiGBa41nXoM-BGgCvKSeSUputwJB9q1N7N6DvETdY75VpcnZKFWVM97ZgYaqdTo-dnJATtQcXFTmhqSDHTMIivQsdi4O_H1IurbJyB8l8YVo4dE6uRCa9JB0YmccfsjQ4JY9Qevj/s294/april%20covers%203.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="131" data-original-width="294" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IkpK0emvCmYnkXCLkXnt8jBFc-4lNeFCi2-_8DMLp912DmcZPiGBa41nXoM-BGgCvKSeSUputwJB9q1N7N6DvETdY75VpcnZKFWVM97ZgYaqdTo-dnJATtQcXFTmhqSDHTMIivQsdi4O_H1IurbJyB8l8YVo4dE6uRCa9JB0YmccfsjQ4JY9Qevj/s1600/april%20covers%203.png" width="294" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">These are the two I didn't finish:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6LjlZTayTCbOEkgU-Dd2tNIaaXBH87XyZEVKMD5RuVOZeAr2iMiYYETbOnk8ie5AQwYDVYM8lPrRgosNk0Re-o33Rgo1QGc-v10Jle3j6L8DTK7IOWvphNeqgqbZ6SWTVRzRQ-dwUsKR6NKzcXRk12rfx8k7H8diHK039VBB3dKCyzdcUq1NXqoi/s228/april%20dnf.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="228" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6LjlZTayTCbOEkgU-Dd2tNIaaXBH87XyZEVKMD5RuVOZeAr2iMiYYETbOnk8ie5AQwYDVYM8lPrRgosNk0Re-o33Rgo1QGc-v10Jle3j6L8DTK7IOWvphNeqgqbZ6SWTVRzRQ-dwUsKR6NKzcXRk12rfx8k7H8diHK039VBB3dKCyzdcUq1NXqoi/s1600/april%20dnf.png" width="228" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>April readathons on booktube:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Trans Girl April - I read 13 books by trans and nonbinary authors</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Picture This - I read 14 picture books (actually more, but I didn't count them all)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">People April - I read 10 books of memoir or biography, including the group read, <i>The Five</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read Across Canada - Manitoba - I haven't yet read the one I chose (<i>Wild Geese</i>)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">My goal to read from my own shelves: I read 4 (all purchased in 2023)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Booktube uploads:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/euPGbGIHGeY" target="_blank">Recent Reads April 5</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/pN4mp_TZ8Nk" target="_blank">Friday Reads April 7</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/_05KiTIc21Q" target="_blank">Recent Reads April 12</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/9L8Bo6ccxn8" target="_blank">Picture Books for Adults (and some for kids of all ages)</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/gfQP97BNdjE" target="_blank">Recent Reads April 19</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/kG_zfOnaWsU" target="_blank">Friday Reads April 21</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/K5Va1GLItBA" target="_blank">Recent Reads April 25</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/0HxNAbWRU2c" target="_blank">Friday Reads April 28</a></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-70433210746582367732023-04-06T13:34:00.000-06:002023-04-06T13:34:18.318-06:00March 2023 Reading Stats and Booktube Uploads<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDD3isb5Bkf1a3q5aVuu6t__5QENpHdUq0AsmCA5KP-J2AJPf70MOZq0K_vG6IMeVlI1kMfAqrxpEPRPzSYHJvrJNxcFfmoNW7URet9zGCJwTSnd4amIGE1tDRfSquPMQ0p4Ro0rp3EoSmiyLgFFufYhDdhNcGRN4QVW4HgGmVJBDZb1ZjIyA2zTy/s349/March%20stats.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="349" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDD3isb5Bkf1a3q5aVuu6t__5QENpHdUq0AsmCA5KP-J2AJPf70MOZq0K_vG6IMeVlI1kMfAqrxpEPRPzSYHJvrJNxcFfmoNW7URet9zGCJwTSnd4amIGE1tDRfSquPMQ0p4Ro0rp3EoSmiyLgFFufYhDdhNcGRN4QVW4HgGmVJBDZb1ZjIyA2zTy/w459-h434/March%20stats.png" width="459" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsH3_4BG0w-3b3vvX_yb9zobeF0F8scaipnJYPG6jZirWdh1o2jv3b1D46rJNOYg7hoyIOVC1Sb39nA-phocmzYKuqSmqrKFA4R2p_BTvZFpICa027SxyVMrGNUtlbyzBHI8vy66J6ZbTxs-y8IlYBic96aaYD4GTIz-ubdulAAFQfX5Vhu1VRtMSY/s690/Feb%20covers%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="690" height="405" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsH3_4BG0w-3b3vvX_yb9zobeF0F8scaipnJYPG6jZirWdh1o2jv3b1D46rJNOYg7hoyIOVC1Sb39nA-phocmzYKuqSmqrKFA4R2p_BTvZFpICa027SxyVMrGNUtlbyzBHI8vy66J6ZbTxs-y8IlYBic96aaYD4GTIz-ubdulAAFQfX5Vhu1VRtMSY/w617-h405/Feb%20covers%201.png" width="617" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk56jOpu7bnSCK1Lgtk9vnT9LjVnNbBz1bnZvFphf_9gMa_JvxCCp55c2vYnv3WykC-JJCqS__OMTRxZL04Zs9OEdhF1x_1Jjxld0bLXuNS7d-KWsSdoqtoicsAwEDVoMhh-rajPhAeLSds9zpQQGSVGXZxuGHOsq3BFjLDTTcTX0m4KY37dgt6U4h/s689/Feb%20covers%202.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="689" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk56jOpu7bnSCK1Lgtk9vnT9LjVnNbBz1bnZvFphf_9gMa_JvxCCp55c2vYnv3WykC-JJCqS__OMTRxZL04Zs9OEdhF1x_1Jjxld0bLXuNS7d-KWsSdoqtoicsAwEDVoMhh-rajPhAeLSds9zpQQGSVGXZxuGHOsq3BFjLDTTcTX0m4KY37dgt6U4h/w623-h282/Feb%20covers%202.png" width="623" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Best Books of March:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Alberta Alone</i></b> by Cora Sandel; translated by Elizabeth Rokkan</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Lost Century</i></b> by Larissa Lai</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Thank You, Mr Nixon: Stories</i></b> by Gish Jen</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>I Have Some Questions for You</i></b> by Rebecca Makkai; audiobook read by Julia Whelan and JD Jackson</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World</i></b> by Virginia Postrel; audiobook read by Caroline Cole</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Antigone Rising: the Subversive Power of the Ancient Myths</i></b> by Helen Morales</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Hijab Butch Blues </i></b>by Lamya H; audiobook read by Ashraf Shirazi</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Ma and Me: A Memoir</i></b> by Putsata Reang</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Free: A Child and a Country at the End of History</i></b> by Lea Ypi; audiobook read by Rachel Babbage and the author</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Power of the Powerless</i></b> by Vaclav Havel, translated by Paul Wilson</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>This Strange Visible Air: Essays on Aging and the Writing Life</i></b> by Sharon Butala</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">_________________________________________________</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Booktube Uploads in March:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/KI5gbHDHNTk" target="_blank">Friday Reads March 3</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/8CeyDSZD6Hg" target="_blank">Friday Reads March 10</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/ttyev5abdGA" target="_blank">Recent Reads March 14</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/GVVGea6ZkwI" target="_blank">Friday Reads March 17</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/W1GOIN9WilE" target="_blank">Friday Reads March 24</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/6J0c_Vn360I" target="_blank">Victoria Travel Vlog</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Books I Did Not Finish:</span></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujwkhh9KrLVoVwnyL7QQAKhbNkX6GTHiyKvPPAzoyUjSSFCGGQa3z0kH120R78VSYQPCEEZpqGeku0Gib5vlTreCPzEzsVqYvR6hW6VoB0UZMkBhgIDtoivOw8o5DWLJReKqR0_mkNazopbvl8Dso4BjQUJJNSf6OiPkOLTmk40P1FvHrVe3rhlZs/s233/March%20DNG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="148" data-original-width="233" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujwkhh9KrLVoVwnyL7QQAKhbNkX6GTHiyKvPPAzoyUjSSFCGGQa3z0kH120R78VSYQPCEEZpqGeku0Gib5vlTreCPzEzsVqYvR6hW6VoB0UZMkBhgIDtoivOw8o5DWLJReKqR0_mkNazopbvl8Dso4BjQUJJNSf6OiPkOLTmk40P1FvHrVe3rhlZs/w451-h286/March%20DNG.png" width="451" /></a></div><br />Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-9449054317890413972023-03-13T08:24:00.000-06:002023-03-13T08:24:13.020-06:00February 2023 Reading Stats and Booktube Uploads<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQrPRCqpi4hC-BF-GhyfEmR6mvHldGd8rP19fc30lmtfmMtSRtiItf9LFkE-E7JSnUSfaaJOj4N3OJohKjUO9xEefvbmnP8fBFXfsxfS31hV2iLkInL9JWo0k0IXMDPcHGvww3FOfWE6OpCNvt240AHtwnrqE6tfMz7KCjweN9vh478V2QDWt-B39/s661/feb%20covers%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="661" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQrPRCqpi4hC-BF-GhyfEmR6mvHldGd8rP19fc30lmtfmMtSRtiItf9LFkE-E7JSnUSfaaJOj4N3OJohKjUO9xEefvbmnP8fBFXfsxfS31hV2iLkInL9JWo0k0IXMDPcHGvww3FOfWE6OpCNvt240AHtwnrqE6tfMz7KCjweN9vh478V2QDWt-B39/w627-h417/feb%20covers%201.png" width="627" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5ikKOScVb0RNTfEZZADcnwu61WKfggJX9trsHGEX8TkNw7NIc6KGe8A9YUFOwatoVujD4OfHNG32uHxZWI206iY4afcCmi3mjTFiyFNXuwpmfrzypZMJvHhFQdTjjsPXV27GhHFA1h-5VgRcIFtCkl7s-iKB6tzT6BjYoV7jPINF990SJA-EfgSC/s662/feb%20covers%202.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="662" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5ikKOScVb0RNTfEZZADcnwu61WKfggJX9trsHGEX8TkNw7NIc6KGe8A9YUFOwatoVujD4OfHNG32uHxZWI206iY4afcCmi3mjTFiyFNXuwpmfrzypZMJvHhFQdTjjsPXV27GhHFA1h-5VgRcIFtCkl7s-iKB6tzT6BjYoV7jPINF990SJA-EfgSC/w628-h269/feb%20covers%202.png" width="628" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-lw8nGZuIZSHACRaun95d50FwPLScGmYZmFKomd0xXUq5w39jbaCtVykodCrc1kMTEEJ9R3XhSZi6e6CPkcvfj9bAamB91OEWz7RCybpyWxyHeZYm8tVS2wPhUxRFPG_Cuk-kOhW_eEvzpWVBmOqbf9Ep3lj1zOWdKuIKYQq4H_tty4awEg5sJOo/s369/Feb%20stats.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="369" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-lw8nGZuIZSHACRaun95d50FwPLScGmYZmFKomd0xXUq5w39jbaCtVykodCrc1kMTEEJ9R3XhSZi6e6CPkcvfj9bAamB91OEWz7RCybpyWxyHeZYm8tVS2wPhUxRFPG_Cuk-kOhW_eEvzpWVBmOqbf9Ep3lj1zOWdKuIKYQq4H_tty4awEg5sJOo/w543-h494/Feb%20stats.png" width="543" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Best Books of February 2023</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Outer Harbour: Stories</i></b> by Wayde Compton</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol";"><span style="font-size: medium;">Highly imaginative, interlinked stories set in 2001-2025—styled as a radio transcript, journalistic reporting, real estate promotion, & a series of posters, as well as more conventional fiction narratives—that come together almost like a novel. Vancouver is a character in these stories that are mostly about biracial artists addressing racialized class conflict, anti-immigration attitudes, & police violence. Published in 2014, it still feels fresh.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>Knight Owl</i></b> by Christopher Denise</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol";"><span style="font-size: medium;">In this children‘s historical fantasy picture book, a small but plucky owl realizes his dream and becomes a knight. There‘s plenty of foreshadowing—dragon imagery is on almost every page—until Owl comes face to face with a massive dragon. Funny, sweet and inspiring. A Caldecott Honor recognizes the charming art, which rewards careful examination to find jokes and surprises.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>Lessons in Chemistry</i></b> by Bonnie Garmus; audiobook read by Miranda Raisin</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol";"><span style="font-size: medium;">I had put off reading this because of the cover, even though it was on lots of “best of 2022” lists, including Barack Obama‘s. My mistake! Loved the main character so much! And the humour. And the early 60s setting. And the clever dog. And the fierce feminism. So good!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Waiting</i></b> by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim; translated by Janet Hong</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol";"><span style="font-size: medium;">In 1950 when the war started, people fled from northern Korea in such numbers and such haste that hundreds of thousands of family members were separated. This poignant graphic novel addresses that issue, and the sustaining hope that loved ones will once again be reunited. Two timelines: a daughter‘s present-day concerns for her elderly mother‘s wellbeing, as well as the dramatic events of the past. Stark, expressive black and white art.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures</i></b> by Sabrina Imbler; audiobook read by the author</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol";"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ed Yong calls Sabrina Imbler‘s queer memoir “transcendental.” I agree. I love the way this nonbinary Chinese American science journalist filters fascinating aspects of sea creatures through a personal lens. They are full of wonder for the natural world, and can also make correlations to their own issues relating to such things as body image, autonomy, adaptability, racism, street safety, and a sense of community.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>How Not to Spill</i></b> by Jessica Johns</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I first read this in 2020 and wrote: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol";"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nêhiyaw (Cree) writer Jessica John‘s‘ first poetry collection is only 40 pages, so it didn‘t take long for me to read through it twice. And I will read through it again, because I can‘t get enough. “My ceremony is facetiming my nieces & nephew every sunday.” From badass grandmothers to dreams about MySpace, love letters, warnings and doorways: these are poems about holding on to joy and beauty no matter what. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol";"><span style="font-size: medium;">I picked it up again before reading Johns' debut novel, <i>Bad Cree</i>.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>A Bigger Picture: My Fight to Bring a New African Voice to the Climate Crisis</i></b> by Vanessa Nakate</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol";"><span style="font-size: medium;">Part memoir, part manifesto: Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate addresses this book mainly to youthful readers, but I found it inspiring. Courage is contagious. She shares her experiences with burnout, racism (cropped out of an AP photo when she attended a conference in Switzerland) & overcoming her own shy awkwardness. Her delivery is earnest, there‘s an impressive array of facts, and there are concrete suggestions for individual actions.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Terraformers</i></b> by Annalee Newitz; audiobook read by Emily Lawrence</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol";"><span style="font-size: medium;">A refreshing change for me: the idea that humans will still be around in 59,000 AD, working to keep all living things in balance on a terraformed planet. Very queer, anti-capitalist, uplifting solarpunk, told in three interconnected novellas over a vast timespan. Audiobook read by Emily Lawrence includes music and other sounds. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>Frizzy</i></b> by Claribel Ortega and Rose Bousamra</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol";"><span style="font-size: medium;">This wonderful graphic novel for children addresses systemic racist bias towards “good” hair by presenting a wholly sympathetic character, Marlene, who hates the weekly salon visits her mother deems necessary in order to straighten her wild curls. The tone of the narrative is humorous (despite serious topics), the resolution is celebratory, the characterization is relatable and the vibrant art is very appealing.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Sometimes They Sang</i></b> by Helen Potrebenko</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This had been sitting on my shelves unread and so I picked it up for the Read Across Canada Challenge. So glad that I did! Witty, fiercely feminist and oriented towards workers' rights. It was published in 1986 and stands up well to the test of time.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i>Man Made Monsters</i></b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> by Andrea Rogers; audiobook read by DeLanna Studi and Lane Factor</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol";"><span style="font-size: medium;">18 loosely interconnected stories touch on incidents across 200 years in a Cherokee family—beginning in 1839 and ending in 2039. Each one has a monstrous or horror element (vampire, werewolf, medical experimentation, ghosts, zombies, deer woman or other supernatural creatures). Author Andrea Rogers is queer and Cherokee. Her bracing stories have queer characters and address Indigenous issues like forced relocation, residential schools and MMIW.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Sentimentalists</i></b> by Joanna Skibsrud</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol";"><span style="font-size: medium;">“I don‘t believe in ghosts. I just think about them sometimes.” This is a haunting, lyrical, fragmented novel about history and how trauma affects subsequent generations. Napoleon is a veteran of the Vietnam war. In the final year of his life, his daughter seeks to know him better, and what happened when he was a soldier. There are no clear answers, but the emotional resonance rang through me like a bell.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Homie</i></b> by Danez Smith</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I reread this nonbinary poet's collection for Feminist Book Club, having previously read it in March 2020. This time I had a deeper appreciation and understanding. Smith expresses rage at the injustices in society and also celebrates the joy of being part of a Black queer community.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Talk</i></b> by Alicia Williams and Briana Mukodiri Uchendu</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol";"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jay is an African American child, telling us about his life from early childhood into pre-adolescence. One day his parents & grandparents give him ‘the talk‘ —about the dangerous realities of racism. Afterwards: “The family reassures me that I‘ve done nothing wrong & no, I‘m not to blame.” Their “eyes say that I‘m the beat of their hearts” and “the joy in their smiles.” A powerful, important picture book with warm, poignant illustrations.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Booktube links:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/ITofJsLCf3A" target="_blank">Friday Reads February 3</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/moSPzkLCvDM" target="_blank">Friday Reads February 10</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/UdKmlhex4E0" target="_blank">Recent Reads February 14</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/T1y-1yQq5mk" target="_blank">Friday Reads February 17</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/KSukn-3Pufk" target="_blank">Friday Reads February 24</a></span></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Reading challenges, buddy-reads and readathons in February:</b></span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Black History Month - I read 9 books by Black authors</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Book Naturalists Book Club - <i>A Bigger Picture</i> by Vanessa Nakate</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Read Across Canada: Alberta - <i>Sometimes They Sang</i> by Helen Potrebenko</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Buddy-read <i>The Sentimentalists</i> with Melissa and Sarah</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Started buddy-reading <i>Alberta Alone</i> with Maya on Feb 9</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Reading what I already own: I read 2 from my shelves; one was a gift more than 10 years ago, the other I purchased in 2022<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-43945786494776670862023-02-01T10:30:00.003-07:002023-02-04T08:51:22.181-07:00January 2023 Reading Stats and Booktube Uploads<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">January favourites:</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxA82O9SwWYcFb1WDrVM_S4nhdTmxcCKHAA5CvrvqsKHQZqxWIuK_XJ76xmOzt-f_4cSIwBWOaMKfso1CgZmDd_xdYWgeXlCE46G0pVXhDH5kLRDDeRCOV41kOpW7V5k8_sU0XD8ux7nDCgcHVkVONPeAXMdt0UXgSMauvzeXkTgVindl_X9c9J7Ht/s607/jan%20best%20.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="607" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxA82O9SwWYcFb1WDrVM_S4nhdTmxcCKHAA5CvrvqsKHQZqxWIuK_XJ76xmOzt-f_4cSIwBWOaMKfso1CgZmDd_xdYWgeXlCE46G0pVXhDH5kLRDDeRCOV41kOpW7V5k8_sU0XD8ux7nDCgcHVkVONPeAXMdt0UXgSMauvzeXkTgVindl_X9c9J7Ht/w556-h476/jan%20best%20.png" width="556" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation</i></b> by Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Douglas Sanderson</span><div><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">A breath of hope for the future of Indigenous-NonIndigenous relations in Canada. I want every Canadian to read this.</span></div><div><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>No Friend but the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison</i></b> by Behrouz Boochani; translated by Omid Tofighian; audiobook read by a full cast<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I tried this in print last year but got bogged down in the extensive translator notes at the beginning. This time, I listened to the audio, performed by 10 different narrators, including Richard Flanagan (who wrote the foreword) and Omid Tofighian, who translated the work from Farsi. Kurdish Iranian refugee Behrouz Boochani was illegally imprisoned by the Australian government. This book was smuggled out in text messages on a contraband phone. An AMAZING call for justice for asylum-seekers everywhere.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Monkey Beach</i></b> by Eden Robinson<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">A supernatural mystery and a coming-of-age, set in a contemporary Haisla community on British Columbia's west coast. It's the third time I've read this and it gets better every time.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Ain't Burned All the Bright</i></b> by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin; audiobook read by a full cast<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The print edition -- which consists of a verse narrative composed in three long sentences, set within stylized collage art created by Jason Griffin -- was my favourite YA book last year. It's about a boy coming to terms with the challenges of our world, including the Covid-19 pandemic and police brutality against Black bodies. I wasn't sure how it would translate to audio but it works. It REALLY works! There are two performances, one by author Jason Reynolds, followed by a full cast version. The audio edition also includes a conversation between the two Jasons.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Foster</i></b> by Claire Keegan; audiobook read by Aoife McMahon<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">A small girl spends the summer with childless relatives in rural Ireland. From that unprepossessing outline, Claire Keegan has crafted a perfect novella about family secrets and the acquisition of wisdom. Beautiful and haunting.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us</i></b> by Rachel Aviv; audiobook read by Andi Arndt<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">The connection between mental illness diagnosis and identity is explored with great sensitivity in this audiobook, beginning with the author's own experience of being diagnosed with anorexia nervosa at age six.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Perdido Street Station</i></b> by China Mieville; audiobook read by John Lee <br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">This epic fantasy is a wild and wondrous ride, fully deserving of the many awards it has garnered. I was fully immersed in a steam-powered world shared by humans, bird people, insect people, frog people, cactus people and conscious metal constructs, and their love, loyalties and betrayals. 24 hours in audiobook, superbly performed by John Lee.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Ten Days In a Mad-House</i></b> by Nellie Bly; audiobook read by Rebecca Gibel<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">A classic work of investigative journalism: Nellie Bly writes movingly of the shocking abuses she witnessed and experienced during her time undercover in a mental asylum. It was 1887; she was 23. Once inside, she acted as she normally did outside, but every doctor dismissed her claim to sanity and attempts to advocate on behalf of patients who were being mistreated. Her exposé yielded an investigation and improvements, a laudable achievement.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Hotline</i></b> by Dimitri Nasrallah<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I had this on my shelves ever since it made the Giller longlist, then was spurred to pick it up because it's in the running for Canada Reads. Wow! I fell hard for the wonderful central character, widowed Muna, who escaped the Lebanese civil war in the 1980s by emigrating to Montreal with her young son. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Cold Enough for Snow</i></b> by Jessica Au<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">It‘s cold and rainy in Japan in October, where the Chinese Australian narrator is travelling with her elderly mother. “[Writing] was the only way that one could go back and change the past, to make things not as they were, but as we wished they had been, or rather as we saw it.” The simple, self-reflective prose style of this novella grew on me until, by the end, I absolutely loved it and the way it left me feeling melancholy yet satisfied.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Creature: Paintings, Drawings, and Reflections</i></b> by Shaun Tan<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">A collection of essays and gorgeous narrative artwork from a prodigiously talented Australian artist, Shaun Tan. There‘s something for every reader of every age when you open one of his books, including this one.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Call of the Red-Winged Blackbird: Essays on the Common and Extraordinary</i></b> by Tim Bowling<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The first 74 pages contain nine philosophical essays, including "Should I Really Read <i>The Remains of the Day</i> in What Remains of My Days?" The second part is a long essay (195 pages)--"The Hermit's Smoke"--about the author's conflicted desire for solitude. Edmonton author Tim Bowling is considered a writer's writer, meaning that his language is exquisite. I really enjoyed his ruminations.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Waves</b> by Ingrid Chabbert and Carole Maurel; translated by Edward Gauvin<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">A graphic novel that sensitively portrays a lesbian couple and their anguish after a stillbirth, and then the subsequent journey towards emotional wellbeing, based on Ingrid Chabbert's own experiences. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>A qui appartiennent les nuages?</i></b> by Mario Brassard and Gerard Dubois<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Told from the viewpoint of a woman looking back on a traumatic time in her childhood during un unspecified war, this deeply moving Canadian graphic novel with vintage-style art captures the uncertainty of memories. When she was 9, she was afraid to fall asleep because every time she woke up, more of her world was destroyed. When she did sleep, it was always the same terrible dream of a line of people walking. Her family eventually joined the line. An English translation is now available. </span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Age 9 to adult.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement</i></b> by Angela Joy and Janelle Washington<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Angela Joy‘s outstanding picture book biography and history book is summed up by the subtitle: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement—and truly does justice to its subject. Distinctive papercut art by Janelle Washington manages to capture the love, dignity and strength. Lots of helpful back matter too. Ages 8 up. Adult readers: this would be a good book to pair with Percival Everett‘s The Trees.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Pink, Blue, and You!: Questions for Kids about Gender Stereotypes</i></b> by Elise Gravel with Mykaell Blais<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">This appealing Canadian picture book about gender stereotypes is well-suited to its audience: children from preschool through to Grade 2. Author/illustrator Elise Gravel received the Rights and Freedoms Award in Quebec for “raising awareness and popularizing complex and sometimes taboo subjects among children.” Gravel worked with trans educator Mykaell Blais.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Three Billy Goats Gruff </i></b>by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">“I love goat! Let me count the ways.”</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol";" /><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I love authors who sneak in some exposure to Elizabeth Barrett Browning to preschoolers.</span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br />As expected from this brilliant duo—Barnett and Klassen—this picture book retelling is hilariously clever. It follows the traditional pattern, with surprises. The convention of the troll‘s poetic manner of speech has him fretting over what rhymes with strudel. The trick played on him by the first two goats becomes, in the troll‘s mind, his own doing. Goat number three </span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">is astonishingly huge. There‘s another big, bigger, biggest towards the end. Etc. Kidlit fun!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Maybe: A Story About the Endless Potential in All of Us</i></b> by Kobi Yamada and Gabriella Barouch<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol" style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">An award-winning picture book with whimsical, dreamy illustrations and an inspirational message for all ages. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Still This Love Goes On</i></b> by Buffy Sainte-Marie and Julie Flett<br /></span><span face="-apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Buffy Sainte-Marie says writing the song that has been made into this picture book was like “taking photos with my heart of the things that I see on the reserve.” Cree-Métis illustrator Julie Flett has contributed her gorgeous collage artwork. Sheet music is included at the end. This book is a celebration of nature and community, and a treasure for readers of all ages.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0k3BPWD-xo7qg0ZEgUXp4oauLmHwq-gUmvyMlXQHDF4aEaESlluDrXeGnuJYJrKBXneX7kP0n21wRFqpyTwofCy_XdOpwDAvPEeaemxVRly42R7GzYFqQiZeGSaIk2e3CCTC4_7aFMaTM1la2cX9V1_e1_2SudM-j4rDrcZLfJtlYJdTh8xKlEiA/s369/Jan%20stats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="369" height="499" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0k3BPWD-xo7qg0ZEgUXp4oauLmHwq-gUmvyMlXQHDF4aEaESlluDrXeGnuJYJrKBXneX7kP0n21wRFqpyTwofCy_XdOpwDAvPEeaemxVRly42R7GzYFqQiZeGSaIk2e3CCTC4_7aFMaTM1la2cX9V1_e1_2SudM-j4rDrcZLfJtlYJdTh8xKlEiA/w541-h499/Jan%20stats.png" width="541" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">My goals for 2023 include reading more from my shelves. In January I read 4 books that I had purchased in 2022 and 2 that I purchased this month, so I'm happy about that. I also reread one that was gifted to me about 20 years ago. Woohoo!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Another goal is to continue to focus on Indigenous authors. I read 9 books by Indigenous or mixed authors in January. Good job, me.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">These are the two I gave up on, because, in both cases, I wasn't in the right mood:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7wJ0dq4hOZAh50HD0gSQ6MC2dlZOKxKEiCGs_48BGSDaX9p11P5ZJe2wbeilfaHGLYHX3ubyNQ0wnGJJLvawshy_oF0jVSUXqyMODttPL6DUodd4SJpCtBP0BpHu2w786vALezXb0L4YFfxXhDOlnoFOv16ESY2qAeN0tfKXLnrifhIyE-dCK9Pk/s281/jan%20dnf.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="281" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7wJ0dq4hOZAh50HD0gSQ6MC2dlZOKxKEiCGs_48BGSDaX9p11P5ZJe2wbeilfaHGLYHX3ubyNQ0wnGJJLvawshy_oF0jVSUXqyMODttPL6DUodd4SJpCtBP0BpHu2w786vALezXb0L4YFfxXhDOlnoFOv16ESY2qAeN0tfKXLnrifhIyE-dCK9Pk/w383-h232/jan%20dnf.png" width="383" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Booktube uploads in January:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://youtu.be/8CzLzgIxYlE" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Looking Back on 2022</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://youtu.be/MKIfJyE1O7E" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Nonfiction Favourites of 2022</span></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://youtu.be/VpK0lollNp0" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Fiction Favourites of 2022</span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/IN2V4zCIkBc" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Friday Reads January 6</span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/o-pqONYPXYc" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Recent Reads January 10</span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/ZAl-Pap2vlM" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Friday Reads January 13</span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/j9jaZPkbUNY" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Recent Reads January 17</span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/j9jaZPkbUNY" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Friday Reads January 20</span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/nR_UEi_Nk9E" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Recent Reads January 24</span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/dTsHh7X923U" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Friday Reads January 27</span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/OOxKqIcXvwM" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Recent Reads January 31</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Book clubs and buddy-reads:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Valley of the Birdtail - with Kathy R</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Monkey Beach - with Kathy R</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Boat Number Five - with Shawn the Book Maniac</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Homegoing (previously read, not in January) - Feminist Book Club</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Braiding Sweetgrass, YA edition, plus Does My Body Offend You? - YA Book Club</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">How to Read Now (previously read, not in January) - Lesbian+ Book Club</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Reading challenges:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Read Across Canada (January is BC + nature): The Call of the Red-Winged Blackbird. (Monkey Beach would have fit this prompt also)</span></div><p><br /></p></div>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-32188415701525704522022-12-31T16:17:00.006-07:002023-01-08T18:58:01.139-07:00Annual Reading Stats 2022<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2v-jCF_hMJ_7ISYSMAVr8RadF0RwC8HuhvUM4M81RdbbWVUVI0A7fjKZB1aag2C6QZeVYsPQzwc2whBcQ0DrH7p-jlJKcPhqO6i6rCFwD3B83Rv5X-dTHuy1RBmnC75X_nqg2uVu15WxNsyVmpESkD2yURo3zKAXrG9Y-FFk0O5R_du9G9cWDY2v/s588/2022%20year%20in%20review.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="386" height="662" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2v-jCF_hMJ_7ISYSMAVr8RadF0RwC8HuhvUM4M81RdbbWVUVI0A7fjKZB1aag2C6QZeVYsPQzwc2whBcQ0DrH7p-jlJKcPhqO6i6rCFwD3B83Rv5X-dTHuy1RBmnC75X_nqg2uVu15WxNsyVmpESkD2yURo3zKAXrG9Y-FFk0O5R_du9G9cWDY2v/w435-h662/2022%20year%20in%20review.png" width="435" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGvTl29NZPVoMS8GIXKwiafeHh_3SSbrBKLnCP5xXX9TETr-w6dJ3tCDEx1qAOx2-__-LdWs8BzxdJCPaNRcrW4J7UFBDGXNhwd-6QEwYZPJlqleKbbjOHR7QMpZ4O40qMzcw_VOi2fHmsvybf2Ugeylpmuxiy8EcT8k3LfpblJ4EPwBdoU3qa4Sh/s537/2022%20year%20in%20review%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="366" height="646" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGvTl29NZPVoMS8GIXKwiafeHh_3SSbrBKLnCP5xXX9TETr-w6dJ3tCDEx1qAOx2-__-LdWs8BzxdJCPaNRcrW4J7UFBDGXNhwd-6QEwYZPJlqleKbbjOHR7QMpZ4O40qMzcw_VOi2fHmsvybf2Ugeylpmuxiy8EcT8k3LfpblJ4EPwBdoU3qa4Sh/w440-h646/2022%20year%20in%20review%202.png" width="440" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span>I like to look back on my reading at the end of the year, to see how well I'm doing in regards to my goals, which are to prioritize books authored by women, </span><span>Indigenous, P</span><span>eople of Colour, queer, and Canadian. In my efforts to read diversely, I also look for works in translation. I aim to maintain fluency by also reading books written in French. To that end, here are my stats in tasty pie charts:</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWqwxw7zZ9hQQLkcf1G27dB4NI9q70ig1vXW1Bq7LOnwbUjfvuWBeOcqoql8aGj25oZpEoo5XIhwa5h0TnyiIx82JOywzNgDDjorfiCH_KDJ0lppqdoCC4j-43sRZ17NNYgBRlTpjP6veYAbA-TV5h2qFgFVvf7KD-GCijAXLAwacPHUN2BteAd9W/s675/pie%20canadian.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="675" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWqwxw7zZ9hQQLkcf1G27dB4NI9q70ig1vXW1Bq7LOnwbUjfvuWBeOcqoql8aGj25oZpEoo5XIhwa5h0TnyiIx82JOywzNgDDjorfiCH_KDJ0lppqdoCC4j-43sRZ17NNYgBRlTpjP6veYAbA-TV5h2qFgFVvf7KD-GCijAXLAwacPHUN2BteAd9W/w469-h385/pie%20canadian.png" width="469" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7X8F1Fr-LPX17Dbi04xP_tg4ATLoQlRwFsIYVGOnqLErI7e80cukVI7z10h_hnuXXpcoSiLQgAyBhe6A8WVE9aq-vFrypr-BZ5UIvZRJ_oVWhW0YQImtkVyYHq2NXCObeCCo7uoCk3PXBZOk52OT7dfROCakRXJMYmBokNjrtKEdy_FmqA7DD7s5/s704/pie%20queer.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="704" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7X8F1Fr-LPX17Dbi04xP_tg4ATLoQlRwFsIYVGOnqLErI7e80cukVI7z10h_hnuXXpcoSiLQgAyBhe6A8WVE9aq-vFrypr-BZ5UIvZRJ_oVWhW0YQImtkVyYHq2NXCObeCCo7uoCk3PXBZOk52OT7dfROCakRXJMYmBokNjrtKEdy_FmqA7DD7s5/w532-h418/pie%20queer.png" width="532" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQ-kORKL9DX9nygoSwO6MZlGuxR3i8qAldHMFEPMcSuTV1kLNTWbWr4hR8O9b_6puxjjcxVuVqH8uRJUOTy3aJr7HpV9o7DPj-WaoiS2y4SuZtBX126xa_CNvOdKvAu1A2l_6y3B1P-gzoYYWdGZ3xOPrtN-L2WNNgpxHiZTZHwb0URlOn_0meyxp/s722/pie%20indig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="722" height="421" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQ-kORKL9DX9nygoSwO6MZlGuxR3i8qAldHMFEPMcSuTV1kLNTWbWr4hR8O9b_6puxjjcxVuVqH8uRJUOTy3aJr7HpV9o7DPj-WaoiS2y4SuZtBX126xa_CNvOdKvAu1A2l_6y3B1P-gzoYYWdGZ3xOPrtN-L2WNNgpxHiZTZHwb0URlOn_0meyxp/w548-h421/pie%20indig.png" width="548" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWjdbwK22QoC9faHBxVGTdPtF72bsqq8WHlAiOV-CkOtoMh-Bwa4fBSkrwqXu_z6-OGpGgwm8PSPrf3lx1jD4ElRRyZUz9k47y7H7pXa4LpulCUJX_LbRKHZ7FT3BjKkoV9OyfRXiBqayPCS6AS2TD9yPp7o-LdyE8kcOH9YNG-O1H39XZXMWP3pF/s687/pie%20language.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="687" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWjdbwK22QoC9faHBxVGTdPtF72bsqq8WHlAiOV-CkOtoMh-Bwa4fBSkrwqXu_z6-OGpGgwm8PSPrf3lx1jD4ElRRyZUz9k47y7H7pXa4LpulCUJX_LbRKHZ7FT3BjKkoV9OyfRXiBqayPCS6AS2TD9yPp7o-LdyE8kcOH9YNG-O1H39XZXMWP3pF/w556-h432/pie%20language.png" width="556" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">*translated from 17 different languages</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUL-bm0d-cKDA1JRIifVVTAxqiM26fnwD7k8sMme3tCUos8rlk-eegG0Dppyvp4y4tdpZSY78siXId97A98bqistzFXkrNreP1_rTfs44ny-rvCa462khbuBcIoi0OFcfQaCV-suOyoHo5Gqw0Qe3Nt74v92wG29-FydJNvHUrIiLOnjd_VxHc5_U-/s725/pie%20screens%20audio.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="725" height="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUL-bm0d-cKDA1JRIifVVTAxqiM26fnwD7k8sMme3tCUos8rlk-eegG0Dppyvp4y4tdpZSY78siXId97A98bqistzFXkrNreP1_rTfs44ny-rvCa462khbuBcIoi0OFcfQaCV-suOyoHo5Gqw0Qe3Nt74v92wG29-FydJNvHUrIiLOnjd_VxHc5_U-/w563-h401/pie%20screens%20audio.png" width="563" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrbaofgHJPlFJajn_kMt_HwjqUb8NnTiUEfV7N0q2bTokSLaYhGrKc5Omkb4KdUGTE5JOSQI3-ulmU6DRnS1-FEbw9LADULnoXJQ0uo880GB8WfGZUyBl-xGoj5fX7n8QkGdMg7v9ooZioV7cGQQ5LJZSUyDLEfU2QfUAPMOIgrznyXajKx6lpNyj/s706/pie%20formats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="706" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrbaofgHJPlFJajn_kMt_HwjqUb8NnTiUEfV7N0q2bTokSLaYhGrKc5Omkb4KdUGTE5JOSQI3-ulmU6DRnS1-FEbw9LADULnoXJQ0uo880GB8WfGZUyBl-xGoj5fX7n8QkGdMg7v9ooZioV7cGQQ5LJZSUyDLEfU2QfUAPMOIgrznyXajKx6lpNyj/w559-h443/pie%20formats.png" width="559" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEAt366ej-VfQe_9ixlNpFtwAS2bImNoUB2JghRvbacgrsYfHnxXZcR2j6NxUT8XtwOj7qPbFlGucgYLSRPLyCB-p_qLrhKSCLzEnIdu3e3JaxZFsJq6zOp-QfY-tUuUKg8LR2biiCGpBAKMmw6W3gVUtvbaTSV4RNUTI46xN8-xhbTDLjzcn0gW8/s748/pie%20audience.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="748" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEAt366ej-VfQe_9ixlNpFtwAS2bImNoUB2JghRvbacgrsYfHnxXZcR2j6NxUT8XtwOj7qPbFlGucgYLSRPLyCB-p_qLrhKSCLzEnIdu3e3JaxZFsJq6zOp-QfY-tUuUKg8LR2biiCGpBAKMmw6W3gVUtvbaTSV4RNUTI46xN8-xhbTDLjzcn0gW8/w567-h418/pie%20audience.png" width="567" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsA9bQsn4kTKGhc3QDKPz-Rdm6DCYxE1Y74aZ627TnDdEQERsTSTnigRQyDCAlKv9qTYaCJVFWHUFpK0dSsdjMFwIsVcQ5drjke7YBJWjOHzYTdW_Vfnyxk8WWk0Fh2RK07r-JR5ZTnsssy9n8ArGDamPQD2Z-xXf-KOdGvzkFqsvaIs1eY2QY8XEe/s697/pie%20literary%20format.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="697" height="407" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsA9bQsn4kTKGhc3QDKPz-Rdm6DCYxE1Y74aZ627TnDdEQERsTSTnigRQyDCAlKv9qTYaCJVFWHUFpK0dSsdjMFwIsVcQ5drjke7YBJWjOHzYTdW_Vfnyxk8WWk0Fh2RK07r-JR5ZTnsssy9n8ArGDamPQD2Z-xXf-KOdGvzkFqsvaIs1eY2QY8XEe/w564-h407/pie%20literary%20format.png" width="564" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0d65Ux5D06wGm21NxZ2XsTFAmK-fPzA4Lmo5uMwX8FS0a3eEKxGoidMQQcrKO0R_jTUe7PrMpbN9Z7Wo7UjTfaTicQio9rczVacJShAl8UgZV-yXwncb4fDyQ1nK4yt-3_EdJvZJODGzRfySzo9yMuXCspG-L-Rjwyfi5UA7SRz-7WraBVPLwAUJb/s692/pie%20cis%20male.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="692" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0d65Ux5D06wGm21NxZ2XsTFAmK-fPzA4Lmo5uMwX8FS0a3eEKxGoidMQQcrKO0R_jTUe7PrMpbN9Z7Wo7UjTfaTicQio9rczVacJShAl8UgZV-yXwncb4fDyQ1nK4yt-3_EdJvZJODGzRfySzo9yMuXCspG-L-Rjwyfi5UA7SRz-7WraBVPLwAUJb/w529-h396/pie%20cis%20male.png" width="529" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gi12gBkpC70KHuf5UDyqu94CT39HrIDnK43jLcwfWbigtLr7zuKNqxccpuc52Dr_tEY9e0h7DvIOK51rAEBA8WAJbktNXMBdLS6x3IwM3_mN15HUi-th8BUPYIEXgj6yxC_6EFXaAAY2nno1w4BZP8m8j1aIVYTv6-Cx8Sv2wpqXzkMjUhyrsns_/s758/pie%20source.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="758" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gi12gBkpC70KHuf5UDyqu94CT39HrIDnK43jLcwfWbigtLr7zuKNqxccpuc52Dr_tEY9e0h7DvIOK51rAEBA8WAJbktNXMBdLS6x3IwM3_mN15HUi-th8BUPYIEXgj6yxC_6EFXaAAY2nno1w4BZP8m8j1aIVYTv6-Cx8Sv2wpqXzkMjUhyrsns_/w544-h403/pie%20source.png" width="544" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br />A couple more interesting stats: <br />I re-read 10 books that I'd previously enjoyed <br />and abandoned (did not finish) 19.</span></div><br />Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-62426490088223836782022-12-31T10:21:00.002-07:002022-12-31T10:26:36.064-07:00December 2022 Reading Stats and Booktube Uploads<p>Nineteen out of the 42 books that I finished in December were so good that I gave them 5 stars on Goodreads. That's what I call an excellent reading month! My favourite books are listed below, roughly in order of preference, starting with the best.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2Svdfqq40py_9m1IXgPIbscKkA-R_-6t2hK1QbagKgzEZcIKj4vbWt0_Jhrhw6MT0_EzV3JSaXBfSXH_kaerSWf6hkgu0zKVEfeet-2oSX5pF_kQpoMT7po0HuWQH2KVJhm_y8-jlXLXK5S_fphuvIsHw36HY06kjz3Bvq96cPjQE_u4ltFEf2G4/s734/dec%205%20stars.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="734" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2Svdfqq40py_9m1IXgPIbscKkA-R_-6t2hK1QbagKgzEZcIKj4vbWt0_Jhrhw6MT0_EzV3JSaXBfSXH_kaerSWf6hkgu0zKVEfeet-2oSX5pF_kQpoMT7po0HuWQH2KVJhm_y8-jlXLXK5S_fphuvIsHw36HY06kjz3Bvq96cPjQE_u4ltFEf2G4/w578-h383/dec%205%20stars.png" width="578" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Fayne</i> by Ann-Marie MacDonald</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Kurangaituku</i> by Whiti Hereaka</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Eddy, Eddy</i> by Kate De Goldi</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Short Story Advent Calendar</i>, edited by Michael Hingston</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey</i> by Florence Williams, audio read by the author</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country</i> by Louise Erdrich</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Amazona</i> by Canizales</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Why Indigenous Literatures Matter</i> by Daniel Heath Justice, audio read by the author</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Rebent Sinner</i> by Ivan Coyote, audio read by the author</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water</i> by Angie Cruz, audio read by </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Demon Copperhead</i> by Barbara Kingsolver, audio read by Charlie Thurston </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Thrust</i> by Lidia Yuknavitch</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Maya's Song </i>by Renee Watson and Bryan Collier</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Somewhere Sisters: A Story of Adoption, Identity, and the Meaning of Family</i> by Erika Hayasaki</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Charlie Muskrat</i> by Harold Johnson</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Invisible Siege: The Rise of Coronaviruses and the Search for a Cure</i> by Dan Werb, audio read by Jason Culp</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Marriage Portrait</i> by Maggie O'Farrell, audio read by Genevieve Gaunt</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Indelicacy</i> by Amina Cain</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Rehearsals for Living</i> by Robyn Maynard and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, audio read by the authors</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">-----------------------------------------------------------<br />My stats for December:</span><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixszZPv79duZyO07EqXJufgBHQbJNzX9t5Sd_o5ITqwNwVBOQ7feNFldsfBCBPndmFPnkeB6f_yp0SdWARVCj3zj_08S-Cnc_WNyieut46nL54H9k3eDZROUT_03300Fl-tUAsXlCUC8dkzTOkQLlxQK9p3-_WYe5RMBYBbgolDMcDVcAggNtMJ9S8/s357/Dec%20stats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="357" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixszZPv79duZyO07EqXJufgBHQbJNzX9t5Sd_o5ITqwNwVBOQ7feNFldsfBCBPndmFPnkeB6f_yp0SdWARVCj3zj_08S-Cnc_WNyieut46nL54H9k3eDZROUT_03300Fl-tUAsXlCUC8dkzTOkQLlxQK9p3-_WYe5RMBYBbgolDMcDVcAggNtMJ9S8/w492-h433/Dec%20stats.png" width="492" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There were two that I did not finish, and in both cases it was because I could tell that it was the wrong time for me to be reading that book, not because I didn't like it:</span><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUlBpS-EWu6D_WTTZEpB2AXY3fm_3rQgZ49yR4pAIOAzhygwDxEkbVfV3A1KYTXsHJhTMWtTwabC4s37TyFpsJiMKJ_FUfELpU80rcAJGkmk41kSbMgiSRNba0J6eLXc30olsnz7lEvJt0IWzXP0wt99V0NBZLeQJPP50XDL4_M8XeVS9Wg_DCEUf/s260/dec%20dnf.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="260" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUlBpS-EWu6D_WTTZEpB2AXY3fm_3rQgZ49yR4pAIOAzhygwDxEkbVfV3A1KYTXsHJhTMWtTwabC4s37TyFpsJiMKJ_FUfELpU80rcAJGkmk41kSbMgiSRNba0J6eLXc30olsnz7lEvJt0IWzXP0wt99V0NBZLeQJPP50XDL4_M8XeVS9Wg_DCEUf/s1600/dec%20dnf.png" width="260" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Booktube uploads:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/TFeOuMUmLTI" target="_blank">December 2 Friday Reads</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/tqwxs96weOk" target="_blank">December 3 Indigenous Reads</a><br /><a href="https://youtu.be/Pcq2xqnNSl4" target="_blank">Vlogmagram</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/PZlgWZxPBU4" target="_blank">December 9 Friday Reads</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/f_h0Uz1Vx0o" target="_blank">December 16 Friday Reads</a><br /><a href="https://youtu.be/w6yJf4e_cOk" target="_blank">December 23 Friday Reads</a><br /><a href="https://youtu.be/SZwLZN6ul6E" target="_blank">December 26 Recent Reads</a><br /><a href="https://youtu.be/5nCDUKp_J8g" target="_blank">December 30 Friday Reads</a></span></div><br />Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-79487273607180632312022-12-27T12:15:00.000-07:002022-12-27T12:15:41.082-07:00Timmies 2022<p><span style="font-size: large;">Here are a dozen new literary references to Tim Hortons, which is my idiosyncratic ongoing personal project. For previous collections, <a href="https://lindypratch.blogspot.com/search/label/Tim%20Hortons" target="_blank">click here</a>.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqK-2ZOT6DGjBHuR5gGG9oRO5rHXSMaYu_oIdfE83Ku9kO17up_dcYbSRGE8fji9ZyRw71NJqbOJmnVsR0qcdDWlb3mDChdmkCebsu6_nxY-IDWDzEe0F6dWQXC19RcHHSXyiyoMfoV0TfxI1DGv59spE0jHy4vw14wPN6gYDe6s4m135TA2qJv3VL/s4032/Ducks%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqK-2ZOT6DGjBHuR5gGG9oRO5rHXSMaYu_oIdfE83Ku9kO17up_dcYbSRGE8fji9ZyRw71NJqbOJmnVsR0qcdDWlb3mDChdmkCebsu6_nxY-IDWDzEe0F6dWQXC19RcHHSXyiyoMfoV0TfxI1DGv59spE0jHy4vw14wPN6gYDe6s4m135TA2qJv3VL/w516-h387/Ducks%202.jpg" width="516" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4URwVDiMLZeYrfFIZJmVp8IHZ9jTGeRjcLOKmAirtwJ8Q_eHZ2HqZx1Wbv6gMvERHfxUMyzGCAmGsue1sgN6YdeZZuX0V3OklOsXEMaVWYOx7hPmevZJlpoVSFejyySVOvTRgruAFs3iuTTlPmFMGwPAqArFCpzxHKN4NmHu2J1OJJki1G-2yV1b/s4032/Ducks%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2238" data-original-width="4032" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4URwVDiMLZeYrfFIZJmVp8IHZ9jTGeRjcLOKmAirtwJ8Q_eHZ2HqZx1Wbv6gMvERHfxUMyzGCAmGsue1sgN6YdeZZuX0V3OklOsXEMaVWYOx7hPmevZJlpoVSFejyySVOvTRgruAFs3iuTTlPmFMGwPAqArFCpzxHKN4NmHu2J1OJJki1G-2yV1b/w528-h294/Ducks%201.jpg" width="528" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands</i></b> by Kate Beaton</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">----------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY42cim96VWHKtKrxXP2OeY5izRIgaKme_GeGr3Y8xAAApXmTfSOFo2hYs79P0rD3xdQ4FAy8a2eAyPyk91opjY-VSLBMIXjeYnJQYPh9lBHC8J6mkWM6aQ20gb6HrOZroI8_V9xb7wlBu4FNglVqBwNwe_-B6dmneaXZ_tM-xzVXIle91vO5l3T3h/s4032/jon%20claytor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="505" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY42cim96VWHKtKrxXP2OeY5izRIgaKme_GeGr3Y8xAAApXmTfSOFo2hYs79P0rD3xdQ4FAy8a2eAyPyk91opjY-VSLBMIXjeYnJQYPh9lBHC8J6mkWM6aQ20gb6HrOZroI8_V9xb7wlBu4FNglVqBwNwe_-B6dmneaXZ_tM-xzVXIle91vO5l3T3h/w379-h505/jon%20claytor.jpg" width="379" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Take the Long Way Home</i></b> by Jon Claytor</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">----------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnopECAcRyeESIOX0EEnjMkxT0xwI_sVp_MsosX-W9YLrD1l25JiMAJvuQm4zuM8100N3DbV0RJkVUwVe14KSVOJPIeCytmagbErqPaUiA2DcmgKcBqgFiN7sI7OaUDxy7AaSEJx1QpWOTsYMK_qu4YpjDXqCnNcp6oKr7wzqVEPqt-zeqDL_5LmzJ/s499/this%20has%20always%20been%20a%20war.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnopECAcRyeESIOX0EEnjMkxT0xwI_sVp_MsosX-W9YLrD1l25JiMAJvuQm4zuM8100N3DbV0RJkVUwVe14KSVOJPIeCytmagbErqPaUiA2DcmgKcBqgFiN7sI7OaUDxy7AaSEJx1QpWOTsYMK_qu4YpjDXqCnNcp6oKr7wzqVEPqt-zeqDL_5LmzJ/s320/this%20has%20always%20been%20a%20war.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">There </span></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">was no place to put the trash - no bins, no Dumpster - and pickup was every other week. If you put trash outside, Bugsy [the racoon] got into it, so there was just an industrial-sized communal bag in the kitchen. With three people living there - sometimes four or five, as there was always a rotating cast of girlfriends and buddies and other persons of various origins washing up on our couch or on the floor - it piled up quickly, and the house often had the wet, rotten smell of hot garbage.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><span> One night I took the trash out, but the bag was too full and too heavy; it ripped as I tried to take it down the porch stairs, spilling garbage down over the steps. I ran inside, cursing, to get a broom and a dustpan, but when I came back out I stopped, confused; there appeared to be mounds of white rice all over, cups and cups of it.</span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><span> I leaned in closer to examine it. It wasn't rice - it was maggots. Thousands and thousands of writhing, fat, white maggots which, disturbed from the warm, edible loam of the trash, were now wriggling all over the deck and down the stairs.</span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><span> Horrified, I raced inside, grabbed a bottle of bleach and poured it, raw, over the mess; the larvae writhed in agony as they died and the smell of bleach and garbage was so unbearable I staggered back into the apartment and vomited in the kitchen sink. After that we started sneaking our garbage, one household bag at a time, into the unlocked Dumpster behind the Tim Hortons several blocks away, disposing of it at night when no one was around.</span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>This Has Always Been a War: The Radicalization of a Working-Class Queer</i></b> by Lori Fox</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">----------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WTwRS2cs4YE2P7BnXNvO5TmOYtJCRrBJGRwKCI5pTeNhOLz39sClaV0A4UyANpiIh-JB1ZD11DDE4RhH-4UYQFJBPyz2Hk_5Ye4KCBHtiMKhJ3accoBk1XGwP82HdweNIHPcAoc5rCHCZJG92Oo0oKD_azgxdsZdhCnD9eBwILKJK6Pdgl-ot68A/s400/agatha%20of%20little%20neon.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="261" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WTwRS2cs4YE2P7BnXNvO5TmOYtJCRrBJGRwKCI5pTeNhOLz39sClaV0A4UyANpiIh-JB1ZD11DDE4RhH-4UYQFJBPyz2Hk_5Ye4KCBHtiMKhJ3accoBk1XGwP82HdweNIHPcAoc5rCHCZJG92Oo0oKD_azgxdsZdhCnD9eBwILKJK6Pdgl-ot68A/w172-h263/agatha%20of%20little%20neon.jpeg" width="172" /></a></div><br /> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">We didn't know much about addiction, about homelessness, but we knew how it could look. We'd watched a man nod into his own lap in the Tim Hortons on Abbott Street, had seen kids hawk lone red and white carnations in plastic sleeves to drivers on the interchange offramp. We'd heard the spellbound murmurs of the woman who sat all day at the bus shelter on Fillmore. </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"> We offered these people things we thought they'd want. Some days, one said yes to a cheeseburger, or a filet o fish, or a hot coffee, and other days, no one wanted anything but whatever coins and cash we had.</span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Agatha of Little Neon</i></b> by Claire Luchette</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">----------------------------------------------------------------------</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span> </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DAANKk08upgcj7AOga2HO-uL97GtQ0lGiEGPc7ZJc5vv6Cjhu25tscCGU_kG8Y3wlNPZy-74WQkRY_PlDl4yyeHVPLTGe9sHpxwklIAgl9x7HFuqTxaDlPHcG2sMA3DQdm4zZSFsYWGipPDVBq96Ea2migr7IPqeNQCavD31ioGSRw65wxx8KTos/s1000/taobao.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DAANKk08upgcj7AOga2HO-uL97GtQ0lGiEGPc7ZJc5vv6Cjhu25tscCGU_kG8Y3wlNPZy-74WQkRY_PlDl4yyeHVPLTGe9sHpxwklIAgl9x7HFuqTxaDlPHcG2sMA3DQdm4zZSFsYWGipPDVBq96Ea2migr7IPqeNQCavD31ioGSRw65wxx8KTos/w172-h258/taobao.jpeg" width="172" /></a></div> </span><span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">"What's that?' she said, picking up a different wad of papers.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #660000;"> <br /></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span> </span>"Some stories I'm writing."<br /></span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span><span style="color: #660000;">"Don't you have anything better to do?"<br /></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span> </span>"Well, not really." I shuffled some of my other papers, hiding them out of sight. Our whole group had culture and language classes during the day, and I was about to start my calligraphy homework.<br /></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span> </span>"You wrote this?" She cleared her throat and began reading from one of the papers: "'Our first kiss was in a twenty-four-hour Tim Hortons. She came back from the restroom and' blah blah blah."</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span> </span>Holly looked up from the paper with a frown, her shoulders sagging, heaving air out of her lungs like she had finished a marathon.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><span> </span>"Aren't you going to keep reading?" I said. "That's just two lines."</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><span> </span>"More than enough." She handed the papers back to me.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">'The Bicycle Thief,' in <b><i>Taobao: Stories</i></b> by Dan K Woo</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">----------------------------------------------------------------------</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7Vymeb2Q_hWXb2LJL9CO-8d92LXqJiodjUeIwPYh7MQi1xAXTzYWWI7u-5k7q_SuqnjFwdaBuxHxe_qlywCpzJ_jyR0uYu9FqjluF9VzSFLv5vuZVglpEgNjLLJzfAo3rZX8DH1acYS32QHVGjtctt2C2VscG1xfO9Joh9_CtrOh3lK4yiUDiyZ8/s2707/broken%20places.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2707" data-original-width="1808" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7Vymeb2Q_hWXb2LJL9CO-8d92LXqJiodjUeIwPYh7MQi1xAXTzYWWI7u-5k7q_SuqnjFwdaBuxHxe_qlywCpzJ_jyR0uYu9FqjluF9VzSFLv5vuZVglpEgNjLLJzfAo3rZX8DH1acYS32QHVGjtctt2C2VscG1xfO9Joh9_CtrOh3lK4yiUDiyZ8/s320/broken%20places.jpeg" width="214" /></a></div> <span style="color: #800180;">It would be nice to cut the place some slack, really it would, but the trio of young mothers she faced off with was the last straw. Sprawled on a bench beside the</span></span><span style="color: #800180;"> [Hope, BC] town square, they were chatting and smoking up a storm, keeping half an eye on their youngsters in the sandpit, when Charlotte pulled up and asked through the lowered window of her idling SUV where a person could get a decent latte.<br /></span></span></span><span style="color: #800180;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">"Whaddya mean decent?" rasped the fat platinum blonde. Pack a day minimum was Charlotte's bet.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><span style="color: #800180; font-size: large;"><span> "I don't know. Someplace with good espresso. Maybe independently owned?"</span><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span style="color: #800180; font-size: large;"><span> The blonde pursed her lips, her pencil-thin eyebrows sharp vees, and drew deeply on her cigarette.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span style="color: #800180; font-size: large;"><span> What? Too many syllables? Charlotte brought it down a notch. "As long as it's not Tim Hortons, I'm easy."</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span style="color: #800180; font-size: large;"><span> Three sets of eyes hardened. The blonde elbowed the skinny one beside her, who flicked her butt to the ground and withdrew into the hood of her black sweatshirt. "Hey, why you driving around looking for lattes?" Platinum asked. "Like, don't ya know there was an earthquake?"</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="color: #800180; font-size: large;"><span> For the life of her Charlotte couldn't connect the two comments, so she chose to ignore them. "If you could just tell me where the nearest cafe is."</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #800180;"> Again Platinum jabbed her friend's bony side. "Back the way you came, lady, right beside the gas station off the highway. Unless you want McDonald's, you'll hafta drink Tims like the rest of us." Her eyes widened innocently, but her mouth twisted into a smirk.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Broken Places: A Novel</i></b> by Frances Peck</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">----------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFE46waBBZV1qlWZvEG_GjLdknllmWvbIa14iG-pKWIVLNv81Vz31SwHAXJlmZGiyqdDIfBvi_qicHyoXX9HClJht--JX6wfwio4mNX-w2fXyx8SKKT5mB0apaP9MIGyT8OuJfn36w1a_ZsIzB4wfrSITC0e7DQKWaxB26xrWi-HuQJfqxv-fg8vbM/s400/ezra's%20ghosts.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="258" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFE46waBBZV1qlWZvEG_GjLdknllmWvbIa14iG-pKWIVLNv81Vz31SwHAXJlmZGiyqdDIfBvi_qicHyoXX9HClJht--JX6wfwio4mNX-w2fXyx8SKKT5mB0apaP9MIGyT8OuJfn36w1a_ZsIzB4wfrSITC0e7DQKWaxB26xrWi-HuQJfqxv-fg8vbM/s320/ezra's%20ghosts.jpeg" width="206" /></a></div><br /> <span style="color: #45818e;">My father felt the vehicle shake from the intersecting mid-city track spines. The old coal town grids remained part of the roadway, holding up traffic now and then for flour cars and even causing a few traffic deaths. He watched familiar landmarks and their darkened corridors and intersections pass by in the gloom. The dingy old mill, Overpass #1, Overpass #2, Emmett Card's Dodge Chrysler dealership, the first shopping mall ever built in Ezra, the northside Safeway converted into the Garfield Hockey Arena, the Ninth Avenue bridge and traffic circle, the roof of the homeless shelter down the slope near the old train junction, McDonald's, Tim Hortons, Walmart, Chinatown, and the three-storey boarding house. Arteries led out to the endless spill of fields -- wheat, canola, potatoes, mustard, barley. Where urban ended and rural began in Ezra was a mystery.</span></span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">'Ghostfly' in <b><i>Ezra's Ghosts</i></b> by Darcy Tamayose</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">----------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZQcqYgtTUTinYTHvYsZSqyv7ndRBl-y-FPzBc-3LuMnrueiaQKK9FZl9o2nX19sRkQ3hqHvCWqry6rwGdSOtmL1t2aNB_0OMM9mvwPUQr64Q0q_llzl7IbyYPz0uQffg6NagLnAVqS83jfPrDkhrK8pUf7TNOZyi6WHeb1p6vQD2JIBiGfOTHr9K/s2380/city%20of%20pigs%20forget.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2380" data-original-width="1540" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZQcqYgtTUTinYTHvYsZSqyv7ndRBl-y-FPzBc-3LuMnrueiaQKK9FZl9o2nX19sRkQ3hqHvCWqry6rwGdSOtmL1t2aNB_0OMM9mvwPUQr64Q0q_llzl7IbyYPz0uQffg6NagLnAVqS83jfPrDkhrK8pUf7TNOZyi6WHeb1p6vQD2JIBiGfOTHr9K/w276-h427/city%20of%20pigs%20forget.jpeg" width="276" /></a></div> The air was cold in the shadow of the tall buildings along King, but when I stepped into a patch of sunlight, it was summer again. The great rust bulk of Scotiabank rose like a megalith, flanked by the black standing stones of the TD Canada Trust and pale phallus of BMO. I walked past antique stores and Thai restaurants, cathedrals and parks and shops selling Persian rugs, and payday-loan companies, and ragged men urinating against trees. I walked past the warehouses on the rail line, where the slaughterhouses had stood when Toronto was still called Hogtown past identical burger restaurants competing for business on opposite street corners, past grocery chains and ATMs and the old St. Lawrence Market, where people had been bought and sold, and the flatiron building that was the same as the one in New York, only smaller. I walked past a vodka bar called "Truth" and a park named for a colonial administrator and a cafe named for a hockey player and a performing arts centre built entirely of rubble, and in the colonnades I heard my own footsteps echo back into the centuries, back into Italy and Spain and the British Empire. [...] Above it all, the syringe of the CN Tower punctured the blue vein of the sky.</span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>In the City of Pigs</i></b> by Andre Forget</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">----------------------------------------------------------------------<br /></span><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOINcY5FjIV58JXt4g1bi6Cm7kacbz00z1T0Wv_xXfBwucuW83mW5Ewrxqo5E5zZ_suCzS-slshxwjPWEUId_lXf9_F7MhdRjPG2AITkUJwTUzMXHYwAxhY_l0UDi2MGJiH7gJK3LepHoASyBEC0IKKixQU5M9xGQC8FW-1B8tPFLPXJRgz00y5Tc/s2764/bodies%20of%20light.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2764" data-original-width="1807" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOINcY5FjIV58JXt4g1bi6Cm7kacbz00z1T0Wv_xXfBwucuW83mW5Ewrxqo5E5zZ_suCzS-slshxwjPWEUId_lXf9_F7MhdRjPG2AITkUJwTUzMXHYwAxhY_l0UDi2MGJiH7gJK3LepHoASyBEC0IKKixQU5M9xGQC8FW-1B8tPFLPXJRgz00y5Tc/s320/bodies%20of%20light.jpeg" width="209" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><br /> <span style="color: #741b47;">Black Friday, and we'd left Jeff's parents' to drive to Ontario after Thanksgiving. I didn't need to be back for work until the next night. He hadn't been to Niagara since he was a kid. We'd been looking forward to it for weeks.<br /></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"> The Surfside Inn was right on the Welland River, between a water treatment facility and a Tim Hortons. Old-timey sign on the roof, triangular planter boxes stuck with fake flowers between each room. The timber on the exterior was painted a shocking blue, the brickwork the colour of clotted cream. Jeff protested only a little before relenting. Through he didn't understand my affection for outmoded, cheesy Americana -- It just reminds me of being a kid, he'd say -- he had no more appetite for chain hotels than I did.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Bodies of Light</i></b> by Jennifer Down</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">----------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIjPCVQFVu_uZZYSX2ges-s2itePHv7zCPq1H2jCAcf8t0tzdPX9oLNIDTv8FXL0HFEEWA9anBESnOpzpfeHVGAwtpwEaBdYMBsXTdXdAtEYlQ6VpslkC7tNohU50Updy3rt7ARllxYsajn_T7WvU0QnVdWxF63gGbdbPvO0xCJzNukSAdmGfHn5v/s400/half%20bads%20in%20white.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="276" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIjPCVQFVu_uZZYSX2ges-s2itePHv7zCPq1H2jCAcf8t0tzdPX9oLNIDTv8FXL0HFEEWA9anBESnOpzpfeHVGAwtpwEaBdYMBsXTdXdAtEYlQ6VpslkC7tNohU50Updy3rt7ARllxYsajn_T7WvU0QnVdWxF63gGbdbPvO0xCJzNukSAdmGfHn5v/s320/half%20bads%20in%20white.jpeg" width="221" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><br /> <span style="color: #073763;">O Tauro maxed out at a buck twenty-five an hour and turned the radio knob until he got Rock 95 and blasted it nice and loud. The two of us hummed along and he butted a third or fourth or fifth cig into the hot clipping Highway 11 winds. We took an exit and joined a procession of cottagers who arrived on the north side of Sunshine City, where a morass of corner gas stations and townhouse rows, apartments and plazas greeted us. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #073763;"><span> </span>We continued along to West Street, where a convenience store, a doughnut shop, a Little Caesars, a store called Big Apple, and other unassuming businesses formed a semicircle plaza. The only place that had any consistent traffic besides the gas station was a slow burning Timmys drive-thru and a stucco-themed KFC beside it.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Half Bads in White Regalia: A Memoir</i></b> by Cody Caetano</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">----------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09adKkqAgT7PCJgsqtJN6tWhSBqIFBrVJ9hfbk3i2VB7HKcVKFB-AYsgzVCXE03OQEJsfUWTKhXBV63xbawMTmWmm349-Kzz-PRncP8zwNb1CdesCAKhtB3-MTP_dclAPxspzK3Hdi7KUOadwNR_4XNtKxWDNLxHAXg9A9Jb0DzKYDAW2643H9ywa/s2550/summer%20of%20bitter%20and%20sweet.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09adKkqAgT7PCJgsqtJN6tWhSBqIFBrVJ9hfbk3i2VB7HKcVKFB-AYsgzVCXE03OQEJsfUWTKhXBV63xbawMTmWmm349-Kzz-PRncP8zwNb1CdesCAKhtB3-MTP_dclAPxspzK3Hdi7KUOadwNR_4XNtKxWDNLxHAXg9A9Jb0DzKYDAW2643H9ywa/s320/summer%20of%20bitter%20and%20sweet.jpeg" width="212" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span><br /> <span style="color: red;">After Bonnyville and to-go coffees from Timmys, we scoop south, down to Wainwright, and while we catch our breath from running from the parking lot to get close enough for our photo, we admire the big, fake bison. It's here because the real bison used to be here, and it's massive, and it makes me sad. But there's no time for sadness, to think about what we did to this earth, and the things living here. To think about what it was like when we were at the front of this thing, when we were on our first date, and not at the end.</span></span><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Summer of Bitter and Sweet</i></b> by Jen Ferguson</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">----------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEQI-oxQajkhV65Ikbj7gkWIfsf_dqQBPAGFq17oteGfQWsJO3huEg07i0pqc_Fw29Hm7aRF-ib96M9bWevn0TznFWr-XeipHhnsVDdX7ZKD6C72_5yK001rnWci_3bRTXGZSL1wyeQmjv3klUQD_eZxg-VPyx9KJK7uLt-7hPl5bkwgZBStX4T8f/s400/western%20taxidermy.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEQI-oxQajkhV65Ikbj7gkWIfsf_dqQBPAGFq17oteGfQWsJO3huEg07i0pqc_Fw29Hm7aRF-ib96M9bWevn0TznFWr-XeipHhnsVDdX7ZKD6C72_5yK001rnWci_3bRTXGZSL1wyeQmjv3klUQD_eZxg-VPyx9KJK7uLt-7hPl5bkwgZBStX4T8f/s320/western%20taxidermy.jpeg" width="207" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> <span style="color: #274e13;">I suggested we meet at Timmy Ho's.<br /></span><span style="color: #274e13;"> "Timmy Ho's?" the <i>Posner </i>impersonator queried, as if he was some guy from Chicago who had never heard of the place.<br /> "Yes. Tim Hortons on Sixth."<br /> "All right," he said, after a pause.<br /> What did he think, I was going to suggest Starbucks and blow my grant money on a venti mocha frappuccino with him taking notes?<br /> Mr <i>Posner</i>'s cover was so blown. Plus that fake American accent was plain goofy. In any event, my dog noticed a squirrel on the windowsill and started barking incessantly. I couldn't hear anything else so I hung up.</span><br /></span><p></p><p><span><span><span style="font-size: large;">'Vacuuming the Dog,' in <b><i>Western Taxidermy</i></b> by Barb Howard</span></span></span></p>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-4608974067055705342022-11-30T11:10:00.005-07:002022-11-30T11:11:57.522-07:00November 2022 Reading Stats and Booktube Uploads<p><span style="font-size: large;">An Indigenous readathon called Skoden took place on booktube in November and I joined in with enthusiasm. I usually read a few books by Indigenous authors every month, but this month I read 21! That's more than half of the 40 books I read in November. I'm pleased to say that I learned a lot and also enjoyed the many new perspectives offered by reading a wide variety of Indigenous literature. See my video links below for further details.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Here are this month's stats.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvukCDunfl0tFgzmYNwJJDgNfWfP5qUC2D0k16GSx7TJL3dNytvsu_u0fzCNCkHVEH_CfeFqCG2CdnJmLO5-yclfVmIUw8cCoPyWCLpz8VQnnJBRRsyuHrwfKxTA-0MJtrhuoiqCtyLCBU8Zh1dYE7I_2Evy-wE3VWMmdAPB1jD-nNgugDSjkqpbb/s359/Nov%20stats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="359" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvukCDunfl0tFgzmYNwJJDgNfWfP5qUC2D0k16GSx7TJL3dNytvsu_u0fzCNCkHVEH_CfeFqCG2CdnJmLO5-yclfVmIUw8cCoPyWCLpz8VQnnJBRRsyuHrwfKxTA-0MJtrhuoiqCtyLCBU8Zh1dYE7I_2Evy-wE3VWMmdAPB1jD-nNgugDSjkqpbb/w437-h391/Nov%20stats.png" width="437" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Here are the covers of all 40 books that I finished in November.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviLB83hZUQtP50A7Q_7oXfet2wfPX6Ay2ZQkNu89Tktab6Yhsu0Im8qxqCGlUBGuWciaZW36c-J2ZptK0wPUe9buetGbWFl0LoWgvvMzDpYU_BrQ5ESbI4WV1ACANH0bMmTLZkdvZx8hNSyk4RZHoUmcqMCAf8ZAfFjXfqbVhgAtNy2v84xttD0gU/s659/Nov%20covers%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="659" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviLB83hZUQtP50A7Q_7oXfet2wfPX6Ay2ZQkNu89Tktab6Yhsu0Im8qxqCGlUBGuWciaZW36c-J2ZptK0wPUe9buetGbWFl0LoWgvvMzDpYU_BrQ5ESbI4WV1ACANH0bMmTLZkdvZx8hNSyk4RZHoUmcqMCAf8ZAfFjXfqbVhgAtNy2v84xttD0gU/w517-h344/Nov%20covers%201.png" width="517" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHoYo1xUR-4inTCGEhHLZZscG-aokGdu0wmTUazw2zufO2RGJOcjIKkIlZ-4NsD1CeZb3UQpBJaua5e1uXEIUYh93pnG_z2SW99d0MGWktdDCF2pjhU_6-E6HfFRkrTgJkMJmTaD9jCvXKDbbNO7O3eA3Ltr-gfdH0f2Li95HjmytPaZ15NiG2ild/s666/Nov%20covers%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="666" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHoYo1xUR-4inTCGEhHLZZscG-aokGdu0wmTUazw2zufO2RGJOcjIKkIlZ-4NsD1CeZb3UQpBJaua5e1uXEIUYh93pnG_z2SW99d0MGWktdDCF2pjhU_6-E6HfFRkrTgJkMJmTaD9jCvXKDbbNO7O3eA3Ltr-gfdH0f2Li95HjmytPaZ15NiG2ild/w517-h347/Nov%20covers%202.png" width="517" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DqsUUrIQOhZV46VjmUV9ychU3FjLyGAuuQJvwpkXjszxPRhHyvftMe1GX8onwMi35a2JeLs4LzF1sY2uL3C7B-vZuSlj_kvIkbDEZl09S0zCPGiOxkUjlpiP0zAkTcJniYYrasLGBWcGLjD58uHssJFAxf9ZQQXusAEROvuQVLAj6RcQ3K56NkCB/s437/Nov%20covers%203.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="153" data-original-width="437" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DqsUUrIQOhZV46VjmUV9ychU3FjLyGAuuQJvwpkXjszxPRhHyvftMe1GX8onwMi35a2JeLs4LzF1sY2uL3C7B-vZuSlj_kvIkbDEZl09S0zCPGiOxkUjlpiP0zAkTcJniYYrasLGBWcGLjD58uHssJFAxf9ZQQXusAEROvuQVLAj6RcQ3K56NkCB/w446-h156/Nov%20covers%203.png" width="446" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />These are the eleven best books of the month:</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands</i> by Kate Beaton</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies</i> by Maddie Mortimer</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>This Place: 150 Years Retold</i> by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm; David Robertson; Richard Van Camp; Katherena Vermette; Chelsea Vowel and others</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>H of H Playbook</i> by Anne Carson, translation and adaptation of <i>Heracles</i> by Euripides</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Our Colors</i> by Gengoroh Tagame, translation by Anne Ishii</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Power of Story</i> by Harold R Johnson </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Rave</i> by Jessica Campbell</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Summer of Bitter and Sweet</i> by Jen Ferguson </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School</i> by Sonora Reyes</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Swim Team</i> by Johnnie Christmas</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>What It's Like to Be a Bird</i> by David Allen Sibley</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">------------------------------------------------------------<br />The two books I tried and then abandoned in November:<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qgsMC93ae60QiFswbGH9YRUKw4_fzW8K78lJH7R1uQViQ_1meG3fWnlySAIsTfEoJVBtUeqIAbYax5n6Gx3aYgeNleq4zKGzn6UtiNMjxMD13-AOVxNrKkJxlrMfna7vrbphlNVrgwPlxl4fNKul_CR5XvvwzHlOZHaHUnwqaYdW8oCd1vlBXoGT/s247/Nov%20DNF.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="247" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qgsMC93ae60QiFswbGH9YRUKw4_fzW8K78lJH7R1uQViQ_1meG3fWnlySAIsTfEoJVBtUeqIAbYax5n6Gx3aYgeNleq4zKGzn6UtiNMjxMD13-AOVxNrKkJxlrMfna7vrbphlNVrgwPlxl4fNKul_CR5XvvwzHlOZHaHUnwqaYdW8oCd1vlBXoGT/s1600/Nov%20DNF.png" width="247" /></a></div>____________________________________________________________<p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Links to booktube videos I uploaded in November:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/K8XNZvmed7I" target="_blank">Finalists for Canada's GG Award for Fiction 2022</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/ALS9me5jiIU" target="_blank">Friday Reads Nov 4</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/LLGM0qXyVOk" target="_blank">Friday Reads Nov 11</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/QplemqF8hIk" target="_blank">Indigenous Reads Nov 12</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/9uxfYeYImD8" target="_blank">Friday Reads Nov 18</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/ERiY3LDFZNg" target="_blank">Recent Reads Nov 22</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Eg7NkZyK5t8" target="_blank">Friday Reads Nov 25</a></span></p>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-62607681915075914732022-11-01T07:04:00.004-06:002022-11-01T07:06:23.434-06:00October 2022 Reading Stats and Booktube Uploads<p><span style="font-size: large;">Grateful as I have been for online events during the covid pandemic, I was so happy to attend the Vancouver Writers Fest in person this year. I went to 8 events and walked a lot. Vlogs of my Vancouver biblioadventures are linked at the bottom of this post.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">These are my favourite books of October:<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw51T-dXA6BC-jBFnQKETHJe47CEiaEbjPNA5ByY_sMRcT6f2CTZtxnb6ty4rUzXqgbWctmd8AiRXkUmZDdx5apkLzafIARNaiYZTG1ol73BUpzBLkQC_V3xiZ4yuF5Iyy_W2QeaGoDb1-3M4GVbt4esRpfmUu0oVJOyBvmP_PN4n7MRs78lV7cFDQ/s700/Oct%20all%20the%20best.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="700" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw51T-dXA6BC-jBFnQKETHJe47CEiaEbjPNA5ByY_sMRcT6f2CTZtxnb6ty4rUzXqgbWctmd8AiRXkUmZDdx5apkLzafIARNaiYZTG1ol73BUpzBLkQC_V3xiZ4yuF5Iyy_W2QeaGoDb1-3M4GVbt4esRpfmUu0oVJOyBvmP_PN4n7MRs78lV7cFDQ/w586-h254/Oct%20all%20the%20best.png" width="586" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Alberta and Freedom</i></b> by Cora Sandel</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Our Wives Under the Sea</i></b> by Julia Armfield</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>What a Mushroom Lives For: Matsutake and the Worlds They Make</i></b> by Michael Hathaway</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Attack of the Black Rectangles</i></b> by Amy Sarig King, audiobook read by Pete Cross, Jane Yolen, AS King, Maggi-Meg Reed et al</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Finding Edward</i></b> by Sheila Murray</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Aki-Wayn-Zih: A Person as Worthy as the Earth</i></b> by Eli Baxter </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mina</i></b> by Matthew Forsythe</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Time Zone J</i></b> by Julie Doucet</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Here are my October stats:<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-xwXJnfUuqdmRwO76LFA8fIPVf-0knjAomrVY_f-ytp7d9OVCrVVNRVY7r4-LqEuZmrebZgJXYBvBs4pEQHjFqOXTM5rTBfdkDG93V95YisvON3TnKNB6v9H7M6c9o0i6IcGoQZh9c8rEEqWUf6bYl69yRuQGPbG7b2O_wldUz8uFIkNocSyyCjV/s351/Oct%20stats.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="351" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-xwXJnfUuqdmRwO76LFA8fIPVf-0knjAomrVY_f-ytp7d9OVCrVVNRVY7r4-LqEuZmrebZgJXYBvBs4pEQHjFqOXTM5rTBfdkDG93V95YisvON3TnKNB6v9H7M6c9o0i6IcGoQZh9c8rEEqWUf6bYl69yRuQGPbG7b2O_wldUz8uFIkNocSyyCjV/w452-h412/Oct%20stats.png" width="452" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Covers of the 30 books I finished:<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-rnlAjLiBvRqbTDqzbTxP7PRHxp86g3sBnKKoM2wv24PFtFG_V9_F3-0gFr0nwFiem1W1OXLsIrJVu6W29i7B2mDodhTPF3F5oAqLP2LBUFPyZwdtjA7soCr20P7zMI37SqqCZidHtuAEQ2IpqMc1U2e65hDxsqg03LV0RTseKsbAmVc_SeEXuSz/s670/oct%20covers%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="670" height="447" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-rnlAjLiBvRqbTDqzbTxP7PRHxp86g3sBnKKoM2wv24PFtFG_V9_F3-0gFr0nwFiem1W1OXLsIrJVu6W29i7B2mDodhTPF3F5oAqLP2LBUFPyZwdtjA7soCr20P7zMI37SqqCZidHtuAEQ2IpqMc1U2e65hDxsqg03LV0RTseKsbAmVc_SeEXuSz/w668-h447/oct%20covers%201.png" width="668" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JoFoBetXVPcsja3PBWy_G9vpEM6hExKnomabrzGO_mTrOo3V0JNfHMd7QaAX5dfDwG-njsvbAm9GdNed2p41Eh45-1CuuH6GAB74mHujcgypUNnj8cgziULfECz7PkH2-nilXR3r975A_SQ4D_AipQfo505DV9emnyz-QGKeCAXWPpUhhICb7CKD/s671/oct%20covers%202.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="671" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JoFoBetXVPcsja3PBWy_G9vpEM6hExKnomabrzGO_mTrOo3V0JNfHMd7QaAX5dfDwG-njsvbAm9GdNed2p41Eh45-1CuuH6GAB74mHujcgypUNnj8cgziULfECz7PkH2-nilXR3r975A_SQ4D_AipQfo505DV9emnyz-QGKeCAXWPpUhhICb7CKD/w668-h303/oct%20covers%202.png" width="668" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is the only book I bailed on in October (not in the right mood):</span></div></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOynJ_clUdmUQO9_eJ9thNSZyMg2pEUncPx4X_rb4rfqOfF68M6CpQ0gN_L1PcbJnQPjMWrhadXgnjwN6536kD6OuXQ3OhakM62b4Ip3X2QboGrd_YaVeVJ_V4yd-0ow4WddKvlimC7XV3xZ4KCyB_Gk5Lm9alQNC05Hr2zK8ndbinNSIbttda9nOq/s400/Oct%20DNF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOynJ_clUdmUQO9_eJ9thNSZyMg2pEUncPx4X_rb4rfqOfF68M6CpQ0gN_L1PcbJnQPjMWrhadXgnjwN6536kD6OuXQ3OhakM62b4Ip3X2QboGrd_YaVeVJ_V4yd-0ow4WddKvlimC7XV3xZ4KCyB_Gk5Lm9alQNC05Hr2zK8ndbinNSIbttda9nOq/w125-h191/Oct%20DNF.jpeg" width="125" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Uploads on my booktube channel, <b>Lindy's Magpie Reads</b>:</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/w7ax7gZw5S8" target="_blank">Friday Reads Oct 7</a></span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/M-ofeQjfcH8" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Friday Reads Oct 14</span></a></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/gHRU9rpAtgI" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Whateverday Reads Oct 16</span></a></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/QfA_TP9wn0E" target="_blank">Vancouver Biblioadventures 1</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/p2_8q759D80" target="_blank">3 minutes of highlights from a 3-hour walk through Stanley Park</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/u39qpjpCVXU" target="_blank">Vancouver Biblioadventures 2</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/ZqbCVbIl5nc" target="_blank">Vancouver Biblioadventures 3</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/OIkXi6n2q_o" target="_blank">Vancouver Biblioadventures 4</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/_pDYlclKXiM" target="_blank">Vancouver Biblioadventures 5</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/JecTcbJWD-g" target="_blank">Vancouver Biblioadventures 6</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/UiqRiDxdV3Q" target="_blank">Friday Reads Oct 28</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/K8XNZvmed7I" target="_blank">Fiction Finalists for Canada's GG Awards</a></span></p>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-80773129543470526962022-10-01T08:55:00.002-06:002022-10-01T08:55:56.392-06:00September 2022 Reading Stats and Booktube Links<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Having placed pressure on myself to read as many Giller-eligible titles as possible, I was missing the variety that I usually have in my reading life. No picture books, no poetry, few graphic novels, not enough nonfiction and fiction in translation. I'm determined to change that next month! Still, in the final week of September, I read five 5-star novels, so I finished the month feeling good.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WfI2R71LAypKcxq6LMmUy81_SuHmpL462OnX7BGZTOWe-e22AinKVXV9A-oU1VbxPQZ3WiYzvgqWux3UStRTvpOXkekv4hiy7MWCWUZWHDQBtVaNMC9i50adMpN0fhIWmTFxD4YrYB-VN4TdIszjJZt-xL6udeKl4ff7tPNu9shiTu3cZdvJE2le/s896/Screen%20Shot%202022-10-01%20at%208.08.46%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="896" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WfI2R71LAypKcxq6LMmUy81_SuHmpL462OnX7BGZTOWe-e22AinKVXV9A-oU1VbxPQZ3WiYzvgqWux3UStRTvpOXkekv4hiy7MWCWUZWHDQBtVaNMC9i50adMpN0fhIWmTFxD4YrYB-VN4TdIszjJZt-xL6udeKl4ff7tPNu9shiTu3cZdvJE2le/w426-h256/Screen%20Shot%202022-10-01%20at%208.08.46%20AM.png" width="426" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Giller shortlist was announced on September 27 and it is a strong one, even though some of my favourites aren't on it. (Alexander MacLeod's <i>Animal Person</i> didn't even make the longlist!) Anyway, I've read all five and am considering which one I think deserves to receive top honours.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">These are the best books that I read in September:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaKaH-_om789onM7ehFaPqcgA3fAKFsCZPhyA9tKablCd0bSu6Q4FiqkdOpJ3D-t2oEm8NVc9aTlbcLdm6fXfcHwaZkvmimN4g4gTkmnucX_RUoHlKUz9Yrv0tTYzzd33IiTAwSgIZP416xI-w1GsFfcnnoCMKYBwaj4XVsMsbDve9l18Joa95PnS/s737/sept%20best.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="737" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaKaH-_om789onM7ehFaPqcgA3fAKFsCZPhyA9tKablCd0bSu6Q4FiqkdOpJ3D-t2oEm8NVc9aTlbcLdm6fXfcHwaZkvmimN4g4gTkmnucX_RUoHlKUz9Yrv0tTYzzd33IiTAwSgIZP416xI-w1GsFfcnnoCMKYBwaj4XVsMsbDve9l18Joa95PnS/w522-h249/sept%20best.png" width="522" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">My September stats:</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1I72x5nWfp3xzxBE3OHi_aizQ0t8i7uwjNpJSIrc4oXvFIW8YE6lLGSClBV8CDBfZ-KpSTp_sPduHnJfdUIYpXEML9M7BgntwjWNcpzdMMvhlV8J1-t_36r-dyiD1yVEPPULo6DkDcuFAZw-lmBPvz2o5JJ2gnHub-pPg1Vxs1YpWdPKwTziimfG/s348/September%20stats.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="348" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1I72x5nWfp3xzxBE3OHi_aizQ0t8i7uwjNpJSIrc4oXvFIW8YE6lLGSClBV8CDBfZ-KpSTp_sPduHnJfdUIYpXEML9M7BgntwjWNcpzdMMvhlV8J1-t_36r-dyiD1yVEPPULo6DkDcuFAZw-lmBPvz2o5JJ2gnHub-pPg1Vxs1YpWdPKwTziimfG/w435-h393/September%20stats.png" width="435" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Covers of the 26 books I read in September:</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGlfLPLv73Wvn9iZiR3NFtT5DG4TZ9lcK625Jc347Vh1h_PzL-KuX0sclf3M0QoDJAcgJO2Pjd06cC_ZXsU_qhfx9iN_zO6TvSIC8bNQCnTU8JQZPKaHZjjfcLfekS9POY1yOOsRl_6hzNHwaZDVvmWlqmby_z7TYIQiTXxOEJoyUD9jgp3NVhHiB/s670/sept%20covers%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="670" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGlfLPLv73Wvn9iZiR3NFtT5DG4TZ9lcK625Jc347Vh1h_PzL-KuX0sclf3M0QoDJAcgJO2Pjd06cC_ZXsU_qhfx9iN_zO6TvSIC8bNQCnTU8JQZPKaHZjjfcLfekS9POY1yOOsRl_6hzNHwaZDVvmWlqmby_z7TYIQiTXxOEJoyUD9jgp3NVhHiB/w587-h389/sept%20covers%201.png" width="587" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lK61nm6ZBo2ozmdm5PJsNOr01bCdxm88B2-UmBhCF_osW0_h4w0RN4wLVX1f473OMMTL2QdKCTVc5I3XMrEdOT-3Gm0RIq-e00-PS550IAftR4YTUzvCvFgshQDZO4qwSmzK8B8JMMCHPZvH4HI9GyKFpfGcsicnx1YJT0qk-lNQv2LRT6cmkftQ/s665/sept%20covers%202.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="665" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lK61nm6ZBo2ozmdm5PJsNOr01bCdxm88B2-UmBhCF_osW0_h4w0RN4wLVX1f473OMMTL2QdKCTVc5I3XMrEdOT-3Gm0RIq-e00-PS550IAftR4YTUzvCvFgshQDZO4qwSmzK8B8JMMCHPZvH4HI9GyKFpfGcsicnx1YJT0qk-lNQv2LRT6cmkftQ/w582-h258/sept%20covers%202.png" width="582" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Booktube videos I created during the month of September:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/40LlfHjTPEU" target="_blank">Friday Reads September 2</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/YaVN3sJ6LdQ" target="_blank">My Picks for the Giller Longlist</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/rofLiTmumZo" target="_blank">Shawn and Lindy chat about the Giller longlist</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Huybx1g5oxo" target="_blank">Magpie Maniacs: Shawn and Lindy share recent reads (September 10)</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/5bAStez1M38" target="_blank">Friday Reads September 16</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Fv9BjJLLIGw" target="_blank">Friday Reads September 23</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/XDrR7Z1j36Y" target="_blank">Western (and beyond) Canon Book Tag</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/hKOKSC_xcAQ" target="_blank">Friday Reads September 30</a></span></div><p><br /></p>My sole DNF in September is one audiobook that I gave up on halfway through (because it would be better in print):<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJo_oNOBpG3ZNFEwIlWpAebMvG1g-ahyFkGJgvboR0j5K1MSuf-I9FLnfxzdUODmg_a6oEDB78f3iXGAC934m2t0bNeA3GgJYwid7I9AS4BUJpW6yK02o5oOaRdBZlLYyXL00S9fZepoIEOkfhmw6ema2lOV23ncRUotks7ULHN30XTiusNfIvnb_/s475/sept%20dnf%20neuroscience%20of%20you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJo_oNOBpG3ZNFEwIlWpAebMvG1g-ahyFkGJgvboR0j5K1MSuf-I9FLnfxzdUODmg_a6oEDB78f3iXGAC934m2t0bNeA3GgJYwid7I9AS4BUJpW6yK02o5oOaRdBZlLYyXL00S9fZepoIEOkfhmw6ema2lOV23ncRUotks7ULHN30XTiusNfIvnb_/s320/sept%20dnf%20neuroscience%20of%20you.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><br />Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-27595700138615422872022-09-04T14:58:00.002-06:002022-09-04T14:59:20.000-06:00My Personal Picks for the 2022 Giller Longlist<p><span style="font-size: large;">I've been shadowing the Giller again this year and have read 36 eligible books so far. (P<a href="https://lindypratch.blogspot.com/search/label/shadow%20giller" target="_blank">revious Shadow Giller</a> coverage.) Time is running out because the official longlist will be announced in two days, on Tuesday September 6. Instead of trying to guess which books the esteemed <a href="https://scotiabankgillerprize.ca/media-resources/" target="_blank">official jurors</a> will choose, I've gone ahead with my own selections, ignoring everything I haven't read, including those that are yet to be published. (The official cut-off date is September 30, 2022.)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Here's my top dozen:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfC39hsa-45eCbDlvxsBvcAwhiBamQNXKc3oWy8H7TDvMUoSPfPAVmtUSA6prZ5t1olZpSEndxA2Eb3RB8qyr1RE-GEBWc-haDUPPm7PvQKuKt4SG7J6u188xXpiPtP-DsamCySbsqDfyvBlh9EABJ_uedTAsWfjQqKwr5SULM-Fs3NbsAYSIBZ0B/s748/My%20giller%20longlist.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="748" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfC39hsa-45eCbDlvxsBvcAwhiBamQNXKc3oWy8H7TDvMUoSPfPAVmtUSA6prZ5t1olZpSEndxA2Eb3RB8qyr1RE-GEBWc-haDUPPm7PvQKuKt4SG7J6u188xXpiPtP-DsamCySbsqDfyvBlh9EABJ_uedTAsWfjQqKwr5SULM-Fs3NbsAYSIBZ0B/w652-h300/My%20giller%20longlist.png" width="652" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: large;">And here's a link to a video I made about this: <a href="https://youtu.be/YaVN3sJ6LdQ" target="_blank">My Giller Prize Longlist</a></span></p>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-60525952304103892282022-08-31T16:30:00.001-06:002022-09-02T15:03:58.940-06:00August 2022 Reading Stats and Booktube Links<p><span style="font-size: medium;">I decided to read as many Giller-eligible titles as I could in August and I'm pleased with how that turned out: 11 out of the 30 books that I finished this month fall into that category. As far as predictions go, however, I am throwing my hands in the air. I recognize that many of the books this year that are stand-outs for me are not every reader's cup of tea. So, instead of trying to predict what the judges will choose for the Giller longlist next week, I will soon put together my personal favourites. Watch for it!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Highlights from August reads, starting with two Giller possibilities:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Ezra's Ghosts</i> by Darcy Tamayose</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Remnants</i> by Celine Huyghebaert, translation by Aleshia Jensen</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">These next two are on the Booker longlist:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Colony by Audrey Magee</i>, audiobook read by Stephen Hogan</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Trees</i> by Percival Everett</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I only read three nonfiction books in August. This is the one I've been telling everyone about:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration</i> by Sarah Everts, audiobook read by Sophie Amoss</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Kae Tempest's long poem is a reread and also a re-listen (I did both):</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Let Them Eat Chaos</i> by Kae Tempest</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I checked a digital edition of this graphic novel out from the library and read it three times:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>A Gift for a Ghost</i> by Borja Gonzalez, translation by Lee Douglas</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">And lastly, a wonderful Indigenous picture book about a two-spirit child:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>47,000 Beads</i> by Koja Adeyoha, Angel Adeyoha and Holly McGillis</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDWmmZPFArJUVlOaX-2l59ilpt2p77rV_16bsXvGfLQ1uqtIGJPyWwMtpklutKu33o4xtLM6LYT1ajBlAzRgT2oDbbnkIcnVIs_raY-cG3Ncq4GkUITnhTDtMnHSICTGQfjyAkX96EMRm4O7FCnDg4ivmi-ZwkDisq35gWxYrZuNbJVkqdpRSBi_6/s736/aug%20covers%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="736" height="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDWmmZPFArJUVlOaX-2l59ilpt2p77rV_16bsXvGfLQ1uqtIGJPyWwMtpklutKu33o4xtLM6LYT1ajBlAzRgT2oDbbnkIcnVIs_raY-cG3Ncq4GkUITnhTDtMnHSICTGQfjyAkX96EMRm4O7FCnDg4ivmi-ZwkDisq35gWxYrZuNbJVkqdpRSBi_6/w599-h401/aug%20covers%201.png" width="599" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIARgUtvd6g0j0-M4RnTCJSKDOTREyvxaW9OHOzzhnAkK40aW9a0aoAe8x1NRfqr-Hj3xVaxfTiKvc9tOdIr1j3YVFc244r5W0Oi0keD9CUzlOFK1cR9SyyiZHpUa1hvOexKBHUyn9nRL_kN8FCh2Gu8s7bS4A9CPEJzAf_9nsPye0GzlB7BImV4YE/s739/aug%20covers%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="739" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIARgUtvd6g0j0-M4RnTCJSKDOTREyvxaW9OHOzzhnAkK40aW9a0aoAe8x1NRfqr-Hj3xVaxfTiKvc9tOdIr1j3YVFc244r5W0Oi0keD9CUzlOFK1cR9SyyiZHpUa1hvOexKBHUyn9nRL_kN8FCh2Gu8s7bS4A9CPEJzAf_9nsPye0GzlB7BImV4YE/w608-h277/aug%20covers%202.png" width="608" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dXtWV8frETHu7WugFKhkoaHmAx7AxkQpzTO4M2zyutJqEXR3ZB8MUiq5Pyq5MrGVN0vtydR6z9vnJR5UGADes3PLjSPFv9hGGSQHb5DS6u1HWfb7zbrd-7MI46Q0bmvi_EfJDQuvTi4mPSlq95hV0JSlwtP8gnwaSEIHKe2kHa79aU5kUuPCDSLH/s373/aug%20stats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="373" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dXtWV8frETHu7WugFKhkoaHmAx7AxkQpzTO4M2zyutJqEXR3ZB8MUiq5Pyq5MrGVN0vtydR6z9vnJR5UGADes3PLjSPFv9hGGSQHb5DS6u1HWfb7zbrd-7MI46Q0bmvi_EfJDQuvTi4mPSlq95hV0JSlwtP8gnwaSEIHKe2kHa79aU5kUuPCDSLH/w438-h368/aug%20stats.png" width="438" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Did Not Finish: <i>Siren Queen</i> by Nghi Vo</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Booktube video links:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/qUHBWRoQNlg" target="_blank">Friday Reads August 5</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/oSO7GoFGF_Q" target="_blank">Friday Reads August 12</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/BeWtrno8-KQ" target="_blank">Folk Music and Fiction Pairings</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/FyRzLluPVT4" target="_blank">Faking It Booktube Tag</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/FEAQI2JqPH4" target="_blank">Friday Reads August 19</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/zZTjWUOTuig" target="_blank">I chat about a cookbook: One Pot, Pan, Planet by Anna Jones</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/sUEmZhkiQhY" target="_blank">Friday Reads August 2</a>6</span></div><div><br /><div><p><br /></p></div></div>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-40062414538306605692022-08-17T12:56:00.004-06:002024-02-28T10:09:55.785-07:00Literary Trepanations, again<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>It's been a while since my last post about trepanations encountered in my reading. (<a href="https://lindypratch.blogspot.com/2017/10/a-year-of-literary-trepanations.html" target="_blank">You can find it here.</a>) Do you need these like a hole in the head? Perhaps, but here they are, anyway. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>The Animals in the Country</b></i> by Laura Jean McKay</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDiForWtkxwUP4DHkOUr8-yszacAh2IaUvUU-7AwjDS8Hk66q5jfjRjyBJ8nNHHr9mNi-f_Tc-e02cZgnhtYRDUIakx0gJEmhSAApaaAbEFm48YrG65FM7ZptnYGvIa09uHH6YG2uk0o5qMW7IF4Pp1-if-MoeAwUFdflDCoPMe3VQrtlPxU3lvU1HXkw/s458/animals%20in%20that%20country%20laura%20jean%20mckay.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDiForWtkxwUP4DHkOUr8-yszacAh2IaUvUU-7AwjDS8Hk66q5jfjRjyBJ8nNHHr9mNi-f_Tc-e02cZgnhtYRDUIakx0gJEmhSAApaaAbEFm48YrG65FM7ZptnYGvIa09uHH6YG2uk0o5qMW7IF4Pp1-if-MoeAwUFdflDCoPMe3VQrtlPxU3lvU1HXkw/s320/animals%20in%20that%20country%20laura%20jean%20mckay.jpeg" width="210" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><br /> </span>"You're registered, all official. Here's a couple of armbands. Not compulsory, just a handy reminder that you've been diagnosed correctly. Okay? Next, thanks."<br /><span> </span>"Wait up. I'm <i>sick</i>. I need medical support."</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>"The doctors are busy with the psychotic," the nurse says quietly. "Those who are displaying psychotic tendencies, in danger of trepanning, talking to insects et cetera." We glance down the line to where the little girl is pawing at the ground. "Are you talking to insects?" The nurse is up in my face now, filling the world.<br />--------------------<br /><span> </span>One of the people outside runs her mouth along the windshield of the flat front of the van, leaving a trail. The dust we've collected on all the roads browns her teeth like she's been chowing down on chocolate cake. She wanders off. Ange is always telling Kimberly not to stare at different people, but I'm staring.<br /><span> </span>"What's wrong with her?"<br /><span> </span>The man makes a rat-a-tat motion on his noggin. "Bless them. Our do-it-yourselfers can get excited, turn nasty."<br /><span> </span>"Do-it-yourself what?"<br /><span> </span>"Do-it-yourself trepanning. Hand drill to the skull, relieve the pressure caused by the flu. Stops all the critters talking to you. You must have seen the video. I can do it for you, if you want."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Golden Compass: The Graphic Novel</i> </b>by Philip Pullman, adapted by Stephane Melchoir and Clement Oubrerie, translated by Annie Eaton</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLAmHNXtxttYGJHoSmiryfV4J56ha4IgJ8qaZbGNg7p68Lyc42okLu7EoCGU1Go9icEpDxrbhAw3mGXuUVc9V8MfQ77cv3VJLmdNT706zTAyQTJ41GC3z4gr1yVeeC-jiZ8-li7SlBtk/s1080/trepanning+golden+compass+clement+oubrerie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLAmHNXtxttYGJHoSmiryfV4J56ha4IgJ8qaZbGNg7p68Lyc42okLu7EoCGU1Go9icEpDxrbhAw3mGXuUVc9V8MfQ77cv3VJLmdNT706zTAyQTJ41GC3z4gr1yVeeC-jiZ8-li7SlBtk/w448-h448/trepanning+golden+compass+clement+oubrerie.jpg" width="448" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">------------------------------------------------------------</span><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Fight Night</i></b> by Miriam Toews</span></p><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQBrRI_ubEl-w6kH7SlCj5dx-Oyg8oDOXLS-hg0fsOswg0sdvwzeuKTO0N4x8SoYj3ULxIHIzn_H-aL2cukuqgs8xfPPzaQ1wxWP52EUxc37VTp0Gm1l1XGbKIw0WB_9RNOBZ4C5NKCvdS0r_WlstOUldSRIEfocDNXnQoL2GYJ3sVRkDO49MHQHmS9s/s450/fight%20night%20miriam%20toews.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="292" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQBrRI_ubEl-w6kH7SlCj5dx-Oyg8oDOXLS-hg0fsOswg0sdvwzeuKTO0N4x8SoYj3ULxIHIzn_H-aL2cukuqgs8xfPPzaQ1wxWP52EUxc37VTp0Gm1l1XGbKIw0WB_9RNOBZ4C5NKCvdS0r_WlstOUldSRIEfocDNXnQoL2GYJ3sVRkDO49MHQHmS9s/w122-h188/fight%20night%20miriam%20toews.jpeg" width="122" /></a></span></div><span><br /> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Grandma is trying to find someone who will drill a hole in her head because she's heard that's the most effective way of getting rid of trigeminal neuralgia, which is nicknamed the suicide disease because it's the most painful physical experience a human being can have and you just want to kill yourself. But nobody wants to drill a hole into Grandma's head because of her age. They stop drilling holes into people at around age sixty. Remember that, Swiv! Grandma said.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Matrix</i></b> by Lauren Groff</span></p><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpnqmLKgVN6TgeNJYZWqhORF8G_jCDJrH8aFqO_RBle2hVfdX2-1QIvCBAP8oGnpOUI-4SBFl7aUConrcdPdzh9L4fYHuLttQVDdA5DF9o0MuMC-nlX2HYIv58NlrRufuvQV2WL0lg7aGhdg9rnEBXGpi-Aj-NVdj7vu1uzsrj0CIMOsLRRqoTFswHaU/s454/matrix%20lauren%20groff.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="300" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpnqmLKgVN6TgeNJYZWqhORF8G_jCDJrH8aFqO_RBle2hVfdX2-1QIvCBAP8oGnpOUI-4SBFl7aUConrcdPdzh9L4fYHuLttQVDdA5DF9o0MuMC-nlX2HYIv58NlrRufuvQV2WL0lg7aGhdg9rnEBXGpi-Aj-NVdj7vu1uzsrj0CIMOsLRRqoTFswHaU/w177-h269/matrix%20lauren%20groff.jpeg" width="177" /></a></span></div><span><br /> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">But there is a disease in the grain, or perhaps it is cursed by the devil, and after eating it, some dance uncontrollably and sing naked in the streets. Others scream with terrified visions. Others go stiff and barely breathe.<br /><span> </span>Nothing can drive out the disease. Not praying, not bathing them in holy water, not tying them to their beds, not leaping out from the night to frighten them, not holding them by the ankle in the cold river, not beating them around the head with a yew branch, not burying them crown to toe in warm manure, not hanging them upside down from a high tree and spinning them until they vomit, not drilling a tiny hole through their skulls to let the bad humours out of the brains.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Air Year</i></b> by Caroline Bird</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVdGrNhcibFuhtqGV8-H7iWmizN8hzAAq3_O_8hJzSgbZqWJcqHxmSZI9p2mMXP1tRwXaVHL8MVP996t5pGVLb-ynnTgSVR2Wf5P2ZtNb5BPFP4Jf9-UnSnf-kp_ExFubrE4WNULoX55P4oBPExLZiLFWBqY8H9uxzmTuRWBRY3I941N6i4x7r0yTrVo/s400/air%20year%20caroline%20bird.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="250" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVdGrNhcibFuhtqGV8-H7iWmizN8hzAAq3_O_8hJzSgbZqWJcqHxmSZI9p2mMXP1tRwXaVHL8MVP996t5pGVLb-ynnTgSVR2Wf5P2ZtNb5BPFP4Jf9-UnSnf-kp_ExFubrE4WNULoX55P4oBPExLZiLFWBqY8H9uxzmTuRWBRY3I941N6i4x7r0yTrVo/w118-h190/air%20year%20caroline%20bird.jpeg" width="118" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />It's like being a windmill in a vacuum<br />packed village. Weekends are the worst.<br />The taste of nothing is like licking dew off plastic.<br />Floppy soul, they call it. Slack spirit. Neurological<br />pins and needles. Someone has drilled a hole in the crown<br />of my head, inserted a funnel, emptied<br />molten margarine into my plumbing. [...]</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />-from the poem 'The Deadness'</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p><b style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Haven</i></b><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">by Emma Donoghue</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajZRZx70Dx1QpOY8Oj9F9kwlmZ8VMfGpM_vmWAqgjNSiityRH2bwJlARqgxmceJMXT7KOhDix7WdUXcHnzFUwjvp1TeMWCBQquuVogbv0SNQEPNK8l3mgv_QQ51LOnK7Km4x00aMFeOys3tTqiVreHuqEjQdQDAdsRSc7Q4oRLtWEML6Hoj1NId-VTWc/s411/haven%20emma%20donoghue.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="274" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajZRZx70Dx1QpOY8Oj9F9kwlmZ8VMfGpM_vmWAqgjNSiityRH2bwJlARqgxmceJMXT7KOhDix7WdUXcHnzFUwjvp1TeMWCBQquuVogbv0SNQEPNK8l3mgv_QQ51LOnK7Km4x00aMFeOys3tTqiVreHuqEjQdQDAdsRSc7Q4oRLtWEML6Hoj1NId-VTWc/s320/haven%20emma%20donoghue.jpeg" width="213" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><br /> </span>Cormac's fingers go up to the little crater above his left ear. "A slingstone stove my head in."<br /></span><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">"In battle?"<br /><span> </span>That seems too grand a word for it. "Well, we were disputing with another clan. The blow sent me out of my senses.<br /><span> </span>But my brother's wife had heard the Christians had strong medicine" -- he almost said <i>magic</i> -- "so my people brought me to Cluain Mhic Nois. A monk called Fiach, he saved me."<br /><span> </span>"How?" Artt asks.<br /><span> </span>"Cut the scalp and peeled me like an apple. With a hand drill he bored holes until the smashed piece came right off. Then he sewed the skin back over the hole, and poulticed me with herbs, and prayed till my fever broke."<br /><span> </span>"You were quite well again?"<br /><span> </span>"Better than before, in fact, <i>Deo gratias</i>." Cormac makes a cross on his forehead. "Wits a bit sharper and memory roomier."</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Mad Honey</i></b> by Katie Welch</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdfjf3H4naw6yJ8FJuBgqbdJo-e_Rlvj0G7zHGDl9IDRy22uriGj0MysfmgqXGkDKZdOJZ3KDwcmqwubJBKji92zBqPJqckx8563TONztqfA6KTGOM4ZR2A_K-sBGURerOrCIrLJ-fWt9OKU7FsApor4zoECgBFC1_PEkrq6ZndMlLEWmtgGwbNdY-cU/s400/mad%20honey%20katie%20welch.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdfjf3H4naw6yJ8FJuBgqbdJo-e_Rlvj0G7zHGDl9IDRy22uriGj0MysfmgqXGkDKZdOJZ3KDwcmqwubJBKji92zBqPJqckx8563TONztqfA6KTGOM4ZR2A_K-sBGURerOrCIrLJ-fWt9OKU7FsApor4zoECgBFC1_PEkrq6ZndMlLEWmtgGwbNdY-cU/w82-h124/mad%20honey%20katie%20welch.jpeg" width="82" /></a></span></div><span><br /> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">He leaned over and kissed her neck. She swung around, hair delicately brushing his face, kissed him full on the lips, and returned her attention to the front of the hall. Beck stared at the back of her head, wishing he could burrow through her soft brown hair, trepan her skull and examine her thoughts.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">------------------------------------------------------------</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGQ61pupGQJevUd7pThFfW8B0TfSBwZRpejlhKkYhhT01BuRr0oeE7lcTWohsvpLIfn2TnfW_KvNOBwwd5HnA6w9fy6CvnnFEMtrJDt0hQXxopGtwOgIUA-z_thObIgEKNIs9aHM2CFWCAjDtOhyfwPh-9N7cEXigOGx3abFm3f9sTcB2ncvwms0xpTk/s400/bellevue%20square%20michael%20redhill.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGQ61pupGQJevUd7pThFfW8B0TfSBwZRpejlhKkYhhT01BuRr0oeE7lcTWohsvpLIfn2TnfW_KvNOBwwd5HnA6w9fy6CvnnFEMtrJDt0hQXxopGtwOgIUA-z_thObIgEKNIs9aHM2CFWCAjDtOhyfwPh-9N7cEXigOGx3abFm3f9sTcB2ncvwms0xpTk/w124-h187/bellevue%20square%20michael%20redhill.jpeg" width="124" /></a></div><span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Bellevue Square</i></b> by Michael Redhill</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span>Be serious, Jean. You have just looked into the woman's brain. What did you see?<br /> Just meat. Red and yellow and white meat, like you'd see in a butcher's window.<br /> We used a medical auger. It's like a drill. We put a three-quarter-inch hollow bit on it. The bone popped right out.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">------------------------------------------------------------</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Black Wine</i></b> by Candas Jane Dorsey</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></span></p><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8cWuT96a_6a5QI-_DdjLb-M8AKeNFm6z2-PTZ7MSFBjW4YRJ-CjeDN6QtCdXVegP3t0bSZ23vIe5XqPVDAW3HG2W9wY69e04CnkLVKWNI1tA7sYmvAmqGu-zQsmIg9gwObh0gQ2WjN_R1gSYDbtyMKqVp2Ec0jSfAUMPsCtGJny69Lb4a3CMqTuFr-E/s446/black%20wine%20candas%20jane%20dorsey.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="300" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8cWuT96a_6a5QI-_DdjLb-M8AKeNFm6z2-PTZ7MSFBjW4YRJ-CjeDN6QtCdXVegP3t0bSZ23vIe5XqPVDAW3HG2W9wY69e04CnkLVKWNI1tA7sYmvAmqGu-zQsmIg9gwObh0gQ2WjN_R1gSYDbtyMKqVp2Ec0jSfAUMPsCtGJny69Lb4a3CMqTuFr-E/w141-h210/black%20wine%20candas%20jane%20dorsey.jpeg" width="141" /></a></span></div><span><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;">"Here's the imaging of your head," says the medsar. "See where the dark patches are? That's scar tissue. Then these places here are the recent surgery."<br /><span> "Trepanned," says Essa.<br /><span> "That's the old name," says the medsar. "But we don't do it with an auger anymore. Brace and bit. Barbaric." She doesn't look at Essa, only at the image she holds up against the sunny window. "Then, here's the area of healing. Your brain has established these alternate pathways here, see? We didn't disturb that area much."<br /></span><span> Essa is too polite to say she can't see why those yellow areas are any different from the other yellow areas which are, it seems, healthy tissue.</span></span></span></span><p></p><p><span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">------------------------------------------</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>The Future</i></b> by Catherine Leroux, translated by Susan Ouriou</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe799cdPBpu6UbKo5qc04ZgVEv5IIflsvv1LjQCLnOY-03KUOeKUrnS22QU-x7vLoUT2wHEgh-3OKyjy8JreY_1Mutxj7cEJ2IJynWwYLBpiv9Bt0nGoXbdKDi_v5ThTsboh-7CmVg6CIM9jEDMXAGxCHJkS-mirKnFCwWnVaf8jTJD6n2rVv9IgUyPOE/s472/future%20catherine%20leroux.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="300" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe799cdPBpu6UbKo5qc04ZgVEv5IIflsvv1LjQCLnOY-03KUOeKUrnS22QU-x7vLoUT2wHEgh-3OKyjy8JreY_1Mutxj7cEJ2IJynWwYLBpiv9Bt0nGoXbdKDi_v5ThTsboh-7CmVg6CIM9jEDMXAGxCHJkS-mirKnFCwWnVaf8jTJD6n2rVv9IgUyPOE/w134-h211/future%20catherine%20leroux.jpeg" width="134" /></a></span></span></span></div><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">After Judith's death, Cassandra started getting headaches. And every time her sister tells her to shut up, there's a stab of pain, like a heart beating against bone. Finally understanding why trepanation exists, she dreams of piercing her skull. If only the bone in her forehead could be perforated to free the hurt like air from a balloon, pus from an abscess. </span></span></span><p></p><p><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">[updated February 2024]</span></span></span></p>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-80663192910066221382022-07-31T10:46:00.001-06:002022-07-31T10:46:38.787-06:00July 2022 Reading Stats and Booktube Links<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31UvcBmJGqFJJONXOa13DL4WB1PIFq3OJAJZSk5R23YBAxZ26XK3n8rAmUYoGQwk3rz4xPe7-kLYZB_yNS3eEwfXcg5ae5lCrS-bggBzNMpJfwTph9MQNCQfcoUN9ZTr7AxU2hR4MVfGNDmbOchvIbHJ46GDF_QcDfogbm8aEVgWdxvbwV7y-4wrb/s744/July%20covers%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="744" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31UvcBmJGqFJJONXOa13DL4WB1PIFq3OJAJZSk5R23YBAxZ26XK3n8rAmUYoGQwk3rz4xPe7-kLYZB_yNS3eEwfXcg5ae5lCrS-bggBzNMpJfwTph9MQNCQfcoUN9ZTr7AxU2hR4MVfGNDmbOchvIbHJ46GDF_QcDfogbm8aEVgWdxvbwV7y-4wrb/w654-h428/July%20covers%201.png" width="654" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRR_CoYBjcbkiEq3sisYLdmMwbsAIHcLT3Ce6Fo7uZmM3vLsdFsCfG8rhs4jEPjS0Q2GYfLjzXAv7XJMZNjgRbbZ5-TpOMwwZrrImPPnoahh8LS_zK2wUFI3LWcmxuoFUwSARdttZJYCZ8aQQEABBv-TFmVPkfaQWeg-PsmRy_vBgMgjfj-jHC2KZ/s743/July%20covers%202.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="743" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRR_CoYBjcbkiEq3sisYLdmMwbsAIHcLT3Ce6Fo7uZmM3vLsdFsCfG8rhs4jEPjS0Q2GYfLjzXAv7XJMZNjgRbbZ5-TpOMwwZrrImPPnoahh8LS_zK2wUFI3LWcmxuoFUwSARdttZJYCZ8aQQEABBv-TFmVPkfaQWeg-PsmRy_vBgMgjfj-jHC2KZ/w652-h426/July%20covers%202.png" width="652" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhud3ySZrdPb-4Iy9DsG_1d3O2cynbKkDRFCBO-G6ar0mkbenNEtoX2hf1yAUjwXszaeesuaeZ7ytXqBpcNAXFHYzoRegH7V76iUpjcRdD_fhdTJU1LsjtQLoDqSlKS2hXXxNMkp0D1LjAFnNWq8xJvmgYNBcXmeGafvbELUrKng1ZtgsrdkrBP_irj/s365/July%20covers%203.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="365" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhud3ySZrdPb-4Iy9DsG_1d3O2cynbKkDRFCBO-G6ar0mkbenNEtoX2hf1yAUjwXszaeesuaeZ7ytXqBpcNAXFHYzoRegH7V76iUpjcRdD_fhdTJU1LsjtQLoDqSlKS2hXXxNMkp0D1LjAFnNWq8xJvmgYNBcXmeGafvbELUrKng1ZtgsrdkrBP_irj/w352-h163/July%20covers%203.png" width="352" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: large;">Lots of queer books and lots of Canadian authors this month. <br /></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Here are the all-star reads:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>My Volcano</i></b> by John Elizabeth Stintzi</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Spear</i></b> by Nicola Griffith, audio read by the author</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Small Things Like These</i></b> by Claire Keegan, audio read by Aidan Kelly</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Greta and Valdin</i></b> by Rebecca K Reilly</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Kaikeyi</i></b> by Vaishnavi Patel, audio read by Soneela Nankani</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Avenue of Champions</i></b> by Conor Kerr</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Rental Heart and Other Fairy Tales</i></b> by Kirsty Logan</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir</i></b> by Jon Claytor</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>But I Live: Three Stories of Child Survivors of the Holocaust </i></b>edited by Miriam Libicki</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>How Beautiful </i></b>by Antonella Capetti and Melissa Castrillon</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Nour's Secret Library</i></b> by Wafa Tarnowska and Vali Mintzi</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">These last three are all rereads:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Small Way: Poems</i></b> by Onjana Yawnghwe</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Sita's Ramayana</i></b> by Samhita Arni and Moyna Chitrakar</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Ramayana: Divine Loophole</i></b> by Sanjay Patel</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The one that I didn't finish this month is a good book for the right readers (teens):</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip36g7R-qkB5pVAjutju8e-VNFGxwxKy4An-dpm78rLP9YbLOpqoYf17AIucD85gL7xg9vlty4OP7gULQX3JZMxfMzeeDchY5HhftcANSyjOqwkpYGxXrF9F7C-IFIQ_UZoelBtXuChvyq4SzHwohI9FNMjRwB7agLD_Ps2V5r172mzNLCsipm86zf/s400/july%20DNF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="282" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip36g7R-qkB5pVAjutju8e-VNFGxwxKy4An-dpm78rLP9YbLOpqoYf17AIucD85gL7xg9vlty4OP7gULQX3JZMxfMzeeDchY5HhftcANSyjOqwkpYGxXrF9F7C-IFIQ_UZoelBtXuChvyq4SzHwohI9FNMjRwB7agLD_Ps2V5r172mzNLCsipm86zf/s320/july%20DNF.jpeg" width="226" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_92g0zRvwSpCALaOx08UtZeoMVVzdDX_dCaN-RkeBfvqFxBrZu-gjwD5Cv27K_V9FFcyt6PYr09wAl1S2A45NMxg1S1h4s2wTt2KGp8xjW3nm1Qe9VDJ5O-LVOxVdjkkdLqbpMkqsRS6Jbth9X9Ah0frnLvzMu1_XofrQWvLTk6hPEUcOkSXLUip/s352/July%20stats.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="352" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_92g0zRvwSpCALaOx08UtZeoMVVzdDX_dCaN-RkeBfvqFxBrZu-gjwD5Cv27K_V9FFcyt6PYr09wAl1S2A45NMxg1S1h4s2wTt2KGp8xjW3nm1Qe9VDJ5O-LVOxVdjkkdLqbpMkqsRS6Jbth9X9Ah0frnLvzMu1_XofrQWvLTk6hPEUcOkSXLUip/w478-h420/July%20stats.png" width="478" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Booktube videos:<br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Sq21eeBFfmo" target="_blank">Friday Reads July 1</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/XO9dLINXROc" target="_blank">Friday Reads July 8</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/g35Ck1C2ws0" target="_blank">Friday Reads July 15</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/_RwhAEoa0Ks" target="_blank">Friday Reads July 22</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/LDARReM_P1I" target="_blank">Friday Reads July 29</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/yObjzyOpFfU" target="_blank">Saturday Reads July 30</a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-23612490280658057102022-07-15T07:21:00.004-06:002022-07-27T12:45:01.315-06:00Samples of Recent Canadian Writing, Via Tim Hortons References<p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: left;">My project - collecting references in Canadian literature to Tim Hortons - continues. See </span><a href="https://lindypratch.blogspot.com/search/label/Tim%20Hortons" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">prior posts here.</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_LgRYoWYnnIzOVBdubuumHAYvEk6akcawt8YslGh8MR0iaxc7Wcwao063H1VVCe_xeSs5IctsWjLB3sbPjtLfwdB9zls8YWMUOUU5_Y8Apsnjh-dE0qyiVrQchOfzjmCatTXy1J-fhhmhH_EM6bBOVS9dBL-CUuFJXiYlaqMeFlrc0Cxv0Ea5BF4/s567/Tim%20hortons%20covers.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="567" height="453" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_LgRYoWYnnIzOVBdubuumHAYvEk6akcawt8YslGh8MR0iaxc7Wcwao063H1VVCe_xeSs5IctsWjLB3sbPjtLfwdB9zls8YWMUOUU5_Y8Apsnjh-dE0qyiVrQchOfzjmCatTXy1J-fhhmhH_EM6bBOVS9dBL-CUuFJXiYlaqMeFlrc0Cxv0Ea5BF4/w592-h453/Tim%20hortons%20covers.png" width="592" /></a></div></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> <span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial;">Cory swung his prize daughter into the passenger seat of his car. Now was his chance to warm it up. Get it nice and toasty; point all the vents toward his princess, and blast hot air at her. As the windows defrosted, Cory ran his rough hands, his dirt-stained hands, through her frozen strawberry blond hair and sobbed openly. Through his wailing he blubbered,</span></span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial;"> "We're gonna pass by Timmy Ho's and get you a hot chocolate. Warm you right up. Daddy loves you. Were you in there for long, Laura? I'm really sorry. I would have come sooner, but Mommy just called me." He wasn't sure how much she understood, but her gaze was steady on his weepy eyes.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><b><i>Scarborough</i></b> by Catherine Hernandez</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">___________________________________</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> <span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;">Sunday, October 25<br /></span></span><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;"> I'm driving south on Main Street. A Black Woman waits to cross outside a Tim Hortons. She's wearing snowpants although its not very cold by Canadian standards. New immigrant? I feel ashamed at this snap assumption.</span><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #800180; font-size: large;"><b><i>Disorientation: Being Black in the World</i></b> by Ian Williams</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">___________________________________</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span> <span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: arial;">My second job was at Tim Hortons: more yelling. The owners were a husband and his wife; the husband did spot checks to make sure we kept the bathrooms locked, and then yelled at his sixteen-year-old workers about "crack whores" and needles when we didn't. Once, I cried after the wife yelled at me; my supervisor told me not to let her catch me crying, or things would get worse. (I try to picture, now, being in my forties or fifties and screaming at teens; I can't picture it.)</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-------------------</span></p><p><span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> When I worked at Tim Hortons in the early 2000s, the milk and cream came in ten-litre sacs with built-in spouts. The sacs were rectangular, made of clear plastic, slick with condensation. They were heavy, difficult enough to carry from the fridge to the front of the store that the only real way to do it was to hug the sac against your chest. The whole rest of the day after replacing the cream or milk, I'd smell waves of soured dairy emanating from my striped polycotton blend shirt. This smell returned a few days after Sinclair was born.</span><br /></span></span></p><p><span><span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-------------------</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span> Tim Hortons was the worst job I'd ever had, and <i>Ad</i></span></span><i>busters </i>was the second-worst. One of my first tasks was to read through a book the magazine was producing and offer feedback; I came across a picture of a desert with one line floating mid-air, something like, "It takes a thousand years to produce one inch of soil." When I flagged it for fact-checking, a senior editor told me not to bother: the page had appeared in the magazine before, the same concern had been raised, and the publisher didn't care if it was true. The greater truth was that it sounded good. And that it <i>felt</i> true.</span></p><p><span><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b><i>Like a Boy But Not a Boy: Navigating Life, Mental Health, and Parenthood Outside the Gender Binary</i></b> by Andrea Bennett</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-size: medium;">___________________________________</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: arial;">But for all of Canada's territorial instincts and actions around the stories told here, in its denials of a proper voice for Indigenous peoples it has ruined any chance at telling its own story truthfully and completely. Indigenous communities are as crucial to the story of this place as their English and French counterparts, so in attacking the narrative sovereignty of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples, Canada has torn a hole in itself. That absence is the root of this nation's ongoing identity crisis. As it attempts to fill the void with hockey, Tim Hortons, and jean jackets, it ignores the truth that what has been and remains missing from Canadian culture are the stories of Indigenous peoples, the stories that have been told on this land for thousands of years.</span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><i><b>Unreconciled: Family, Truth and Indigenous Resistance</b></i> by Jesse Wente</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">___________________________________</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> <span style="color: #2b00fe;"> <span style="font-family: arial;">I take a taxi to the Northern Store to buy groceries. We drive to another house to collect a family of four on their way to a birthday party. In the car, we make small talk about our favourite types of cake. In the Cree spirit of egality, all the taxis operate like buses: the cars pick up as many passengers as possible, with everyone paying four dollars regardless of the destination.<br /></span></span></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Hungry, I decide to stop at one of the local stores a few metres away to grab a chocolate bar and coffee. Most of the stores sell Tim Hortons with Coffee Mate. I stand by the counter, and sip.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><b><i>Invisible North</i></b> by Alexandra Shimo</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">___________________________________</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: arial;">His mother who might say anything, who had the capacity to startle with drilling questions, or flummox with shards of raw honesty that made people see themselves in new ways, his mother could only think to ask where Lily got her dress.<br /></span><span><span style="font-family: arial;"> Lily had said, Online. A one-word answer that did nothing to crack the bizarre electricity between his date and his mother, both inert, unable to move. Lily was into girls, but she and Xavier had been partners on a science project, and they fell into going to the prom together without really talking about it much, because she was such a laugh.<br /></span><span><span style="font-family: arial;"> I expect you to take care of him tonight, his mother blurted. I expect you to make sure, she was telling Lily, that nothing bad happens to him or to you. I trust you in this. Do you think you're able to do that? It was a bizarrely sexist thing for his mother to say. Stella had gone to her prom in a dress that had been strategically ripped and torn, a pair of army boots. It had been necessary to make sure neither of the grandmothers heard about it.<br /><span> Lily's face instantly became the way Lily's face usually was, full of being up for anything. Her face had been as still as a lake, and glassy with the too-dramatic makeup, because she seemed to think she owed something to the dress, which had cost a fortune of her own money from working the counter at Tims. But his mother had busted out of the doleful stillness that had taken over her face, and instead here was his mother's ordinary rapacious need for intimacy or cutting the crap.<br /></span><span> That's exactly what I plan to do, Lily said. I'm going to keep an eye, don't you worry. I has every intention of making sure we has a good time.</span></span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b><i>This Is How We Love</i></b> by Lisa Moore</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">___________________________________</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Now we line up in cars at the drive-thru as we double-double down,<br />while our ahistorical children play under the backyard tree<br />(those darling digital citizens of our wombs).<br />Meanwhile, broadcast across glass, phosphor, cerium, plastics, copper,<br />tin, zinc, silicon, gold & chromium: The spectacle of human migration,<br />displacement as entertainment industry,<br />kitten videos as news of the day,<br />plus the variation, mutation, competition & inheritance of memes<br />despair has become --<br />"things have to be named properly."</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">from 'Nothing Beside Remains' <br /><b><i>Nothing Will Save Your Life</i></b> by Nancy Jo Cullen</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">___________________________________</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Inside the Tim Hortons, a cat is the least of anyone's worries. It's packed in there. One side of the eating area has been completely taken over by homeless people. They're spread out on the benches and on the floor, under tables and in the aisles. Prairie and I find a spot under one of the only free tables and settle in. I use my backpack as a pillow. It's uncomfortable as fuck and the floor is sticky, covered in something that's definitely not double-double. But shit, it could be, too. At this point, I'm tired and my mind is clogged from eating only scraps and smoking cigarettes all day. I put Prairie right next to me. I'm not worried about anyone taking her since everyone here has their own problems to deal with. At this moment, we all just want to get through the night and this cat is the only thing bringing me any sort of comfort.<br /><span> I never truly sleep in a situation like this. I'll get a bit of rest and then I'm awake again, constant vigilance, you know. Never comfortable. Cold and sticky, fluorescent lights burning down, and a stream of people from the university hospital and kids from the residence buildings coming in for coffees and Timbits. They all avoid looking at our little camp. Which is probably for the best, as I don't want to see anyone I might be in a class with. It's already embarrassing enough having a cat in class. Now I have a cat and I'm sleeping on the floor of the Tim Hortons. Classic fuck-up right here.</span></span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><b><i>Avenue of Champions: A Nove</i>l </b>by Conor Kerr</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">___________________________________</span></span></p><br />Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156711476329086506.post-86957291233184400982022-07-05T08:01:00.002-06:002022-07-25T17:07:24.475-06:00June 2022 Reading Stats and Booktube Links<p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Best books of June:</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory</i> by Sarah Polley</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Scary Monsters</i> by Michelle de Kretser</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Woman Running in the Mountains</i> by Yuko Tsushima</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>How High We Go in the Dark</i> by Sequoia Nagamatsu</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Chouette</i> by Claire Oshetsky</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>I Was Better Last Night: A Memoir</i> by Harvey Fierstein; audiobook read by the author</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ain't Burned All the Bright</i> by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vnmmpxXWfGUKJA5vFv7iJm9BlWD-NHlDWlTlvaJdSQwdqSr-CR3jBm_VMzETAPC1jVlfHWqkm2kOb58Zu-j66eq63JKvzE3g5MOHMF8zxtvx0CB2HyLTQ7G19uvkz_qmUM0OBy3hbQSy0VS8QOqeYzUq2fsOOJBJW8NLOzI8NzSNrjC3Xr3kLkGv/s752/June%20covers%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="752" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vnmmpxXWfGUKJA5vFv7iJm9BlWD-NHlDWlTlvaJdSQwdqSr-CR3jBm_VMzETAPC1jVlfHWqkm2kOb58Zu-j66eq63JKvzE3g5MOHMF8zxtvx0CB2HyLTQ7G19uvkz_qmUM0OBy3hbQSy0VS8QOqeYzUq2fsOOJBJW8NLOzI8NzSNrjC3Xr3kLkGv/w590-h387/June%20covers%201.png" width="590" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYJYgUY7fAZ-MfVGgyRIvSCox6sUj2yMz9e_zL2ZIoAYKqj516_PtqKW5buKRJ68nMkG2rzGhAp5uuXtLrXevo3ah6_bbV4MUT2A3LOZnOU6lYT4D8tPKPGQsPnRFW01Ckm-ihj6yBKrBApf_USb0tHTywvZaGofknBHRg2luGLQ5SWEWOKHC4v_F/s734/June%20covers%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="734" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYJYgUY7fAZ-MfVGgyRIvSCox6sUj2yMz9e_zL2ZIoAYKqj516_PtqKW5buKRJ68nMkG2rzGhAp5uuXtLrXevo3ah6_bbV4MUT2A3LOZnOU6lYT4D8tPKPGQsPnRFW01Ckm-ihj6yBKrBApf_USb0tHTywvZaGofknBHRg2luGLQ5SWEWOKHC4v_F/w585-h258/June%20covers%202.png" width="585" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4j-i9CYYX1dmAoV_cFZzCxEgMXJvAA8_OoJhYokimWkQi6JBQD-zYokl3QZSeJXfcQA-aY_S9SzXKaTSmB2pZ2pox2CnjE11jOQbv5IrfHupa3OYH_h0MQVNzF8c1Yqiw-p7s1i4G81IOuAkZkJyzzzq0WXB3H_ZlLwNoupQ69J27S3DEVuBv0iS9/s366/June%20stats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="366" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4j-i9CYYX1dmAoV_cFZzCxEgMXJvAA8_OoJhYokimWkQi6JBQD-zYokl3QZSeJXfcQA-aY_S9SzXKaTSmB2pZ2pox2CnjE11jOQbv5IrfHupa3OYH_h0MQVNzF8c1Yqiw-p7s1i4G81IOuAkZkJyzzzq0WXB3H_ZlLwNoupQ69J27S3DEVuBv0iS9/w458-h390/June%20stats.png" width="458" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Did not finish:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhco9nWrUN5zyr5McRBoOW1eUWjf0JXmGxEkE3P_xpogIau9eCmUSyk9-IY_YpK3PWFzHjrsfRAcHxubVEGkco9YvVNb4h12k7J8aMJxEf3YyoDAPQsamJiODudnlGqvgjAK6NBJMeyJ1Xuj7skhBgaYr5EHCruEcNYEqUNUI9AlGP6gzIjrZ_2scn6/s405/June%20DNF.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhco9nWrUN5zyr5McRBoOW1eUWjf0JXmGxEkE3P_xpogIau9eCmUSyk9-IY_YpK3PWFzHjrsfRAcHxubVEGkco9YvVNb4h12k7J8aMJxEf3YyoDAPQsamJiODudnlGqvgjAK6NBJMeyJ1Xuj7skhBgaYr5EHCruEcNYEqUNUI9AlGP6gzIjrZ_2scn6/s320/June%20DNF.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Weekly Reading Wrap-Ups on Booktube:</b></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/pH7bwJQ1CpU" target="_blank">Friday Reads June 3</a> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/eNQdQ8GH_cU" target="_blank">Friday Reads June 10</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/ImX-AFgaznA" target="_blank">Friday Reads on Tuesday June 14</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/TFDPTmi81cM" target="_blank">Saturday Reads on June 25</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Other videos I uploaded in June:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/5IbaYIl5WnI" target="_blank">Yukon Road Trip</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/BWnphz9ju7A" target="_blank">Mid-Year Freak Out Tag</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/wiBJO5r5qY0" target="_blank">Yukon Farm Vlog</a></span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Lindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10394647553208708858noreply@blogger.com0