#IMWAYR June 24, 2024

Welcome! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.

We have had an abundance of guests in the last couple of weeks. My cousin visited and we celebrated our birthdays. Hers is in May, and mine is coming up. My baby brother arrives today and will be here to celebrate with my other baby brother who shares a birthday with me. Both my 'little' brothers are now over six feet... 

I haven't planted much new in the garden because I have been busy keeping the weeds under control, harvesting peas and greens and picking raspberries. When my cousin was here I found a recipe for raspberry daiquiris and between the 21 jars of jelly that we made and those drinks, I've almost cleaned out the frozen berries from last year.  

Here in Canada, June is Indigenous People's month. I've been trying to focus on Indigenous and Native American literature. I hope you find something here to enjoy. 

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.

PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Muinji'j Asks Why: The Story of the Mi'kmaq and the Shubenacadie Residential School by Shanika MacEachern, Breighlynn MacEachern, Zeta Paul (Illustrator) 🍁

This is more like an illustrated short story than a picture book because the pages are quite text heavy. 
Muinji'j comes home from school and tells her grandparents that her teacher wouldn't let her say anything about their stories of residential school. They sit together and the grandparents tell the history of colonization from their perspective. I really appreciate that not only do readers learn about the elders residential school experience, they also learn the historical context for why and how it came about. 

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS


This delightful book is chock full of all kinds of important information. The graphic novel format with different talking species makes it fun to read. It starts with a tree falling and beginning its new life as a nurse log. It explains what happens in the spring of the first year, then moves on to summer, year ten, when a new fir tree gets a foothold. Then it jumps forward to autumn, year 100 to show how the nurse log still supports a host of plants and animals. Meanwhile, that "fir tree grew tall with roots that stretched over the nurse log." Next we see the tree in the winter 500 years after it first toppled. The log has almost disappeared. The fir tree now reaches for the sky. In the spring, year 1000, there is no sign of the nurse tree. "In its place now, the giant fir tree stands and stretches to the sun." Finally, what happened to the original tree happens to this one, and the cycle begins anew. I read this to a group of grade 3/4's last week and they especially enjoyed seeing the change over time. 


This is the finale in a series I adore. Jaxon is a young black boy who was apprenticing to be a witch before he discovered his connection to a phoenix. Ultimately this book is about a search for peace between human and magical realms. In the previous book, the Supreme Council appointed Jaxon to be the ambassador to Palmara, (the magical realm.) He and his friends set out to negotiate with Sis, the Guardian there. They succeeded in destroying the enchanted bridge, but not before Scourge, a magic eating monster, crosses over into Palmara. He fought Sis, defeated her, but didn't finish her off.
Scourge claims that he wants to live among the rest of the inhabitants of Palmara in peace. Most don't believe him, but Vic, one of Jaxon's friends, believes it's possible and works with Scourge to find alternative sources of magic. 
Then Ol-Korrok shows up with nefarious plans of his own. He manipulates Scourge into going to the human realm and feasting on the magic there. Before the story is over, there is be a war between the witches and Scourge. 
I love that this series has a diverse cast of characters. While the first book focuses on Jaxon, the following stories highlight the roles his friends play. 
I was fascinated by Scourge's addiction to magic, and that Vic and his Spiders were able to remember a time in history when Scourge didn't need it. I hoped he could be redeemed, but Ol-Korrok's hold over him was too strong. 
I mostly enjoyed this, but aspects of the ending just didn't work for me. Ol-Korrok's transformation felt rushed and didn't make sense - especially given that he had barely finished encouraging Scourge to take the rest of the magical world on. 
Perhaps it is because I had a sister with mental health and addiction issues, but as I read this novel, I couldn't help but make parallels between Scourge's desire for magic, and an individual dealing with drug addiction, and even the crisis of addiction more generally. 

I adore the artwork in this book almost as much as I do the story itself. The story begins with a Japanese man coming to a northern museum to repatriate a suit of armor and sword. The curator is happy to return the armor to its family of origin, but the sword has been taken. A young boy who is visiting the museum takes the man to where the sword should be. A battle ensues and the Japanese man is badly hurt. They young boy gets the injured man to his grandmother who ends up healing him. Eventually she helps get the sword returned to him without bloodshed. 
I really appreciated that it is the elder who manages to bring peace and heal all the combatants. I especially loved these Dene Laws. 

This book takes a comprehensive look at the causes and consequences of inequality. It's fairly global in outlook but focuses primarily on OECD countries. I really like
the layout.  As you can see from the Table of Contents, it is organized into three main sections. The book is loaded with all kinds of text features to make the information easier to understand. It includes graphs, illustrations, labeled diagrams, side bars, and fact boxes. I appreciate that many of the latter tell the story of real people. Each Chapter has a section at the end called The Takeaway, that reviews the important ideas presented. It also includes a section called Learn More! that presents links to other places and people if you wish to expand your knowledge. 
The final section is important as it takes young readers through many ways that they can get involved in changing their world, even if they are too young to vote. 
If I was still working in the library, I would purchase a copy of this book. If I was working in a secondary school, I'd purchase two. 
 
ADULT/YA FICTION

5+ stars

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley & Isabella Star LaBlanc (Narrator)

Angeline Boully's first novel, Firekeeper's Daughter, was one of the best books I read in 2021. Warrior Girl Unearthed will be in my top 10 this year.
Perry Firekeeper-Birch is niece to Daunis, the protagonist from the first book. The story is set ten years later. Perry is into fishing, hunting, gardening and hanging out with elders and telling stories. A minor automobile accident ends up with her working as a summer intern to pay Daunis for the cost of the repairs. She starts out working in the tribal museum. A meeting at the nearby college introduces her to artifacts that ought to be returned to the band. Cooper Turtle, her mentor, tries to instil an ethical way of living in Perry, but she's impulsive, strong willed, and doesn't understand why things need to be done in a proper way if the ending is the same.
Perry and other interns end up planning a heist to take back a collection of stolen remains from a local white man. They soon learn that it's more dangerous than they first anticipated and that many people can't be trusted. 
I appreciate how much I learned about NAGPRA. I ended up searching to see what we have like it in Canada. I was delighted to see that recent changes to NAGPRA require institutions to obtain permission from tribes to display remains and cultural objects. This has forced museums to shut down Indigenous sections of their exhibits. Hopefully it will mean that those artifacts will be returned to their owners. Unfortunately, Canada has no such laws in place. 
I liked the bit of romance between Perry and another intern, Erik. It felt authentic and healthy. Most importantly, it was a minimal part of the story. 
Just like in the last book, I loved the elders. I especially enjoy the humour they bring. 


This book won the Giller Prize in Canada and was shortlisted for the 2023 Booker. It doesn't have a plot, but I couldn't put it down. When I finished it, I still wasn't sure what was going on. It's a dark book that examines power dynamics, racism, and groupthink. 
An unnamed, and unreliable, narrator leaves her job to go to some unknown countryside to live with her older brother. He expects her to submit to looking after him and his house. Not only does she do this, she seems to consider it an ideal she must achieve.
She is the youngest of a large Jewish family. It is never out in the open, but there are hints of what might have been a previous incestuous relationship between the two siblings. Neither of them are very likeable.
The local people fear her and hold her responsible for the unusual troubles of local livestock. It might be because she is Jewish, but the crafted gifts of greenery woven into men that she leaves on their doorsteps most likely exacerbates things. 
For me this book was a reminder of how dangerous group paranoia can be. In a different time the narrator could easily be accused of witchcraft. 


The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling September 28, 2021

I could not finish this book. It had too much sex and not enough story. I stuck around for longer that I should have because I wanted to know how the hex problem was resolved. I ended up giving up. 

CURRENTLY 

The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee June 2, 2016

A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return by Zeina Abirached, Edward Gauvin (Translator), Trina Robbins (Introduction) October 22, 2007

Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story by David Alexander Robertson & Scott B. Henderson (Illustrator) April 27, 2015 🍁

UP NEXT (MAYBE)

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu February 1, 2022 🍁

READING GOALS 

#MustRead2024 12/25 

NonFiction 18/24 one on the go

Canadian Authors 37/50 one on the go

Indigenous Authors 15/25 one on the go

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 114/200  

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#IMWAYR June 10, 2024

Welcome! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.


I hope you all had a fabulous reading week. I sure did!

I almost have the garden under control, but of course, this is always just a temporary illusion. We have started eating the lettuce and by next week this time we will be eating raspberries from the garden. I'm not really getting enough peas to make into a meal, but personally I prefer just picking them and eating them anyway. I purchased some more flower boxes at a yard sale so I get to go to the nursery again to find more things to plant. I'm considering just putting strawberries in them. My grandkids will be delighted. 

I needed motivation to do a good house cleaning so we had people over for supper on the weekend. 

I find that if I have a book in my head the time just flies by and I accomplish much more than I thought I would. What do people who don't listen to audiobooks do when they are cleaning house or gardening? 

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.

PREVIOUS BLOG POST

PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

Let's Go! by Julie Flett May 7, 2024 🍁

Let's Go pays homage to skateboarding, skateboarders, and their community. It's the story of a young boy who longingly watches the skateboarders "'cacussh! cacussh!" past his window. Eventually his mother brings him her skateboard from when she was his age. When he finally gets to the skate park, he is overwhelmed by so many riders on their boards. Then a couple of other boarders sit with him. They watch until they feel brave enough to join the crowd. Later on the boy supports another new boarder in the same way.
I appreciate that Flett shows us that it takes time and practice to get good at skateboarding. 
I also appreciated the author's note at the end of book where she talks about being inspired by her son and his skateboarding experience.

3.5 stars

The Sasquatch, the Fire and the Cedar Baskets by Joseph Dandurand & Dionne Paul (Illustrations) June 6, 2020 🍁

A lonely young sasquatch grows up on his own after the death of his parents in a flood. He forages for food and hangs out with bears during the salmon run. After he grows up he meets a young female sasquatch. The two of them pair up and have a child. The lady sasquatch created thousands of cedar baskets that they filled with water and left around the forest. When a forest fire eventually came, the sasquatch poured the baskets of water over it until the fire was out. 
I like the juxtaposition of traditional art with photographs of real life. These illustrations connect the story to the land and hints at all kinds of spirits the land holds. Although I like these illustrations, I think the story might just work better being read out loud to children. Joseph Danduand is a poet and gifted story teller. His words are all you really need. You can listen to him read this here. 

4 stars

Benny the Bananasaurus Rex by Sarabeth Holden & Emma Pedersen (Illustrator) April 4, 2023 🍁

The only thing Benny, the tyrannosaurus rex, likes more than dinosaurs, is bananas. He is warned that if he eats too many bananas he will turn into one. Benny isn't worried. He happily devours his bananas in many different iterations. From banana pancakes, to banana, peanut butter and bacon sandwiches, to tacos with fried bananas and banana peppers, Benny just can't get enough. Then one morning Benny wakes up and discovers he has turned into a bananasaurus rex! Benny couldn't be happier!
The book is a fun read. Both the illustrations and text are full of puns.

When you pick up a Kay O'Neill graphic novel, you know you will be immersed in an enchanted reality that includes a coming of age tale wherein truths about being human and living your best life will be revealed. They didn't let me down here. 
Anya is learning to be a Moth Keeper. The job entails looking after the lunar moths that allow the Night-Lily flower to bloom once a year. The flower is essential for her community to survive. Eventually Anya is capable enough to guard the lunar moths on her own. Then one night, she falls asleep and the moths go missing. I deeply appreciated that even though Anya blamed herself, the community did not. They saw it as their failure to support her when she needed them. I really wish the real world was more like this. 
As I read this book I realized that as much as I love graphic novels, I depend a lot on text. This book has pages and pages of wordless panels. I had to slow down and focus on what was happening in the images more than usual. I'm so glad to have been forced to do this. I think I appreciated Anya's loneliness and heartache more deeply because of it. 

5 stars

As I Enfold You in Petals (The Spirit of Denendeh #2) by Richard Van Camp, Scott B. Henderson (Illustrator), Nickolej Villiger (Letterer), Donovan Yaciuk (Colorist) April 25, 2023 🍁

Curtis, an Inuit young man realizes he has to get sober and heal himself. He knows that to succeed, he needs to heal his people. In order to do this, he needs the help of the little people. Before this, he must get a powerful crime leader on his side. Ultimately, in order to heal, they must all help each other. 
This is the second indigenous title I've read that talks about little people. I picked it up because when I was young, my Menominee grandmother used to talk about the little people. I thought she meant fairies and elves. Since then I've discovered that many Indigenous groups have stories of little people. 
The realistic artwork in this graphic novel is gorgeous.  A lot is packed into such a few pages. It's an emotional read that ends on a note of hope. I am impressed by how rich and complicated the characters are in such a short graphic novel. 


I enjoyed this book as much, if not more than Legends and Lattes. This one features a book store so I might have appreciated it a wee bit more. I especially loved the epilogue!
This prequel tells us more about Viv, the owner of the coffee shop in Legends and Lattes.  After being wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she was left behind in the village of Murk to heal. Viv ends up spending time in a rundown bookshop, befriending Fern, the owner, and helping her spruce up the shop and turn it into a thriving business. In the process Viv learns to love books and reading. She has a bit of a romance with the town baker, a dwarf named Maylee. When she is mostly healed, Viv, Gallina, another fighter, and a skeleton homunculus, head out into the country to deal with a nest of monsters. While away they discover evidence that the necromancer is much closer. 
I love that this series is populated mostly by women. There are some male characters, but all the significant ones are female. I love that it is about friendship, acceptance, and helping each other out. I appreciated the energy of the battle scenes. I adore the little griffin, Potroast, who brings humour into the tensest of moments. 


"Robert Morris Sapolsky is an American academic, neuroscientist, and primatologist. He is the John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor at Stanford University, and is a professor of biology, neurology, and neurosurgery. His research has focused on neuroendocrinology, particularly relating to stress."
I read Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will in January of this year. I have questioned the notion of free will since my teens, and in that book Sapolsky provided scientific reasoning that supported my thinking. I immediately put a hold on Behave at my local library.
In Behave, he explains in much greater detail the science behind why we do the things we do. Our understanding of human behaviour has come a long way since I took psychology courses at university in the 1970s! This brilliant book reads like a modern textbook outlining the multiple factors involved in why humans and other primates act the way they do. The short answers might be: it depends and it's complicated.
At 790 pages, (26 hours) it's a long book. I promise you it's worth it. Behave is one of, if not the best, nonfiction book I've ever read. I didn't want it to end. 
If this book isn't on your radar, it really should be. 



CURRENTLY

More Than Money: How Economic Inequality Affects Everything by Dyer, Hadley 🍁

The War of the Witches by Zetta Elliot  🍁

A Blanket of Butterflies by Richard Van Camp, Scott B. Henderson (Illustrator), Nickolej Villiger (Letterer), Donovan Yaciuk (Colorist) October 20, 2015  🍁

UP NEXT (MAYBE)

Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein  🍁

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu 🍁

READING GOALS 

#MustRead2024 12/25 

NonFiction 17/24 one on the go

Canadian Authors 32/50 three on the go

Indigenous Authors 12/25 one on the go

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 98/200  

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FIRST FRIDAY POETRY JUNE 2024

I'm joining Beverly A Baird & Linda Schueler in a "year long poetry practice – on the first Friday of each Month," when we, and anyone else who joins, writes a poem and pairs it up with a photo relating to it.

I had ideas about what to write about this month, and even managed to scribble down a line or two. Then yesterday, I took the backroad home from work.

There has been a lot of talk in our agricultural community about the devastation wrought to local farmers by the cold spell we had in January, but seeing it for myself was a painful eye opener.

The soft fruit trees have survived, although there will be no cherries, apricots or peaches this summer. The grapes, after two years of unusually extreme cold weather, have not fared so well. The annihilation of many local vineyards is nothing short of disaster for owners.


harbingers

not long ago
grape vines
flourished here

row upon row
of leafy abundance
crisscrossed
the valley steppes

now
gnarly black ghosts
haunt the landscape
miserable reminders
of a climate in crisis













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#IMWAYR JUNE 3, 2024

Welcome! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.

I've missed three reading updates. 

We've been busy. The garden is in, but not making much progress because the weather has been unusually cold this year. I've had to plant Swiss chard twice and am about to give up since the birds eat it as soon it sprouts. I tried putting in larger seedlings, but they devoured those too. I wish they would eat the mallow that I am constantly trying to eradicate from my garden!

Two of our granddaughters were here for a week. Then the rest of the crew arrived on the Victoria Day long weekend. They all went home on Monday, and on Tuesday my sister and I headed off for a week away with different groups of women friends. 

I'm pretty sure this isn't all I read: I read a lot with the grandkids when they were here, but didn't make notes of any of it. 

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.

PREVIOUS BLOG POST

PICTURE BOOKS


100 Chapatis by Derek Mascarenhas & Shantala Robinson (Illustrator) 🍁

While a young boy and his grandfather await the birth of his new sibling, they make 100 Chapatis. I loved that the boy's first chapatis are not round like his Pappa's, but his grandfather tells him they are the shape of India, just like his were when he first started making them. Pappa reflects on making 100 chapatis while waiting for the boy's birth. Not only are making 100 chapatis a good way to spend time, they end up being a handy thing to have on hand after the baby arrives. 
As a grandparent, I'm predisposed to like books like this one, but I think everyone will enjoy it.

MG FICTION


The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly & Ramón de Ocampo (Narrator)





If you like time travel books that are filled with important ideas about what it means to be human and live a full and rich life, then this is a book for you.
Michael Rosario might be worried about the upcoming new school year, but in the meantime, he's surrounded by people he loves, and who love him. He's got a hardworking mom who works three jobs. He spends quality time with Mr. Mosel, the caretaker at the housing complex where they live. All of us would be better people if we followed Mr Mosel's advice, “Before you go to sleep at night, ask yourself: was I the best person I could be today? If the answer is no, do better tomorrow.” He's got a crush on his babysitter, Gibby, but their relationship is strong and she is very supportive. When the two of them meet Ridge, a stranger hanging around the apartment complex, their lives begin to get weird. It turns out Ridge is a teen of about Gibby's age who is visiting from the future. Ridge teaches Gibby and Michael about the first state of being. 
All of these people help Michael to become braver and more confident. 


The Secret Language of Birds by Lynne Kelly & Ferdelle Capistrano (Narrator) April 9, 2024

Nina is staying with her aunt and helping out at the summer camp she runs. It's a positive experience for her because she and her aunt are both avid birdwatchers, and because she finds a sense of belonging with a group of girls. When the whole cohort of older girls campers head off to a supposedly haunted cabin, they see what might be a ghost. Nina thinks it's some kind of bird, but no birds of that size are established in that area. Eventually she comes to realize that two whooping cranes have built a nest on the local lake. Nina and her friends contact wildlife officials and work together to send updates and try to identify the two birds. Unfortunately, in order to do this, Nina and her friends have to break the camp rule about heading off into the wetland area unaccompanied by an adult.
Not only did I love Nina as a character, I was fascinated by all the scientific work described in the book.


Amy Mattes' exquisitely written debut novel has been nominated for a Giller Prize. Here in Canada, this is a big deal.
It is the coming of age tale of a Ines, a young girl from a small town in BC, who tries to escape her past by travelling cross country on a bus to Montreal, Quebec. She plans to reinvent herself, but is burdened by guilt and grief. Learning to love herself is much harder than she can fathom, but by the end of the book, despite all her tribulations, she's on her way. 

This book follows The Bear and the Nightingale. Like it, this is beautifully crafted.  
It's set in medieval Russia, a time and place where fairytales and old mythology are at odds with ever encroaching Christianity. Vasilisa, a girl with unique powers, has decried marriage and convent. After fleeing from her small village she rescues three young girls from bandits, and ends up posing as a boy in the the Grand Prince of Moscow's court. Disaster is inevitable. It's just a matter of who Vasilisa will take down with her when she is caught. 


I savoured this novel. It's a slow paced and comforting book about a woman who gets divorced and opens a bookshop. I learned a lot about toxic Korean attitudes towards work and success. In this book, most of the characters have eschewed those ideals (either deliberately or because they were unattainable) and are building different kinds of lives. I took this community of authentic characters into my heart and didn't want to let them go. I adored all the literary references. 

4 stars

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree & (Narrator)

I had never heard the term cosy fantasy before my niece recommended this book to me. It is the perfect definition. It's the sweetest story about starting over and finding and creating found family. 
Viv, an Orc, has decided to put her sword aside and start a coffee shop in the town of Thune. The characters she meets and employs: Cal, a hob, who helps her remodel the stable she purchased; Tandri, a succubus who helps run the shop; and Thimble, a rattkin with magical baking skills, are, like Viv herself, trying to build a new life despite what people think of them based on what they look like. I loved all of them as much as I loved how this medieval coffee shop came to be like a modern one.

4 stars

What Comes Echoing Back by Leo McKay Jr. June 6, 2023 🍁

This beautifully written book tells the story of two teens who have separately experienced horrific trauma. They connect in a music class and help each other deal with the shame and quilt as they begin to recover and heal. 

4.5 stars

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo (Author & Narrator) February 13, 2024

"Yangsze Choo brilliantly explores a world of mortals and spirits, humans and beasts, and their dazzling intersection. The Fox Wife is a stunning novel about a winter full of mysterious deaths, a mother seeking revenge, and old folktales that may very well be true."
Some people think foxes are similar to ghosts because we go around collecting qi, or life force, but nothing could be further than the truth. We are living creatures, just like you, only usually better looking . . .
I loved this book so much I didn't want it to end. It's told in two main voices: a young woman who is searching for the man who killed her daughter, and Bao, a detective with power to tell when people are lying. Bao has set off to find out who a frozen woman was and how she ended up there. Both of them are inextricably linked to the fox gods. I might have anticipated some of the ending, but other aspects were a delightful surprise.

4 stars

Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge & (Narrator)

I adored this book for lots of reasons. First, I'm a hard core fan of cosy mysteries and this one is delightful. Second, Julia Child is an important character as the best friend to Tabitha Knight, an American who has come to Paris to stay with her French Grandfather and Uncle (her two men).
After a party at the Child's house, a woman is found dead. It turns out she was stabbed with one of Julia's knives and had Tabitha's contact information in her pocket. Tabitha, with encouragement from her two men and Julia, sets out to find out who the murderer is. The handsome Inspector Merveille isn't impressed with her shenanigans. 
I really liked a lot about this book. I was absolutely engaged in the mystery and terrified with some of the foolhardy things Tabitha got up to. I loved all the cooking and food references. I appreciated the hint of romance (maybe) between the Inspector and Tabitha. 

"On mean Harp Bittlemore’s blighted farm, hidden away in the Backhills, nothing has gone right for a very long time. Crops don’t grow, the pigs and chickens stay skinny and the three aged dairy cows, Berle, Crilla and Dally, are so desperate they are plotting an escape. The one thing holding them back is the thought of abandoning young Willa, the single bright point in their life since her older sister, Margaret, ran away."
The older Bittlemores are the poster couple for dysfunctional parents. After numerous miscarriages, Mrs Harp convinced her husband to steal a baby for her. Since then their daughter, Margaret, ended up getting pregnant at 14, having the baby, running away from home and leaving her child behind. Willa is now 14, knows about her mother, and is starting to suspect something nefarious might have happened to her. 
Harp has deteriorated into a lazy, cruel drunk who only finds pleasure when he is torturing his livestock. Mrs Bittlemore enjoys baking, but not eating. She has become obese while Mr Bittlemore remains scrawny. They are both becoming unhinged. 
A new police officer is working to solve a long list of cold cases. She's searching to find out what happened to a baby kidnapped at birth twenty nine years earlier. Margaret has decided that it is time to return home and collect her daughter. They all show up on the day the Bittlemores set out on a killing spree. 
If you like dark, twisted, black humour, then this book is probably up your alley. My sister and I listened to it while we were travelling on our way to the coast and back. 

Michael E. Mann is a renowned climate scientist. He is responsible for the hockey stick graph showing the earth's increasing temperature since industrialization. He has been pilloried by the fossil fuel industry, but remains positive about the potential for change. In this book he "shows how fossil fuel companies have waged a thirty-year campaign to deflect blame and responsibility and delay action on climate change, and offers a battle plan for how we can save the planet." His is a mostly positive look at where we are at with respects to the battle to save the planet from climate change. I learned a lot about how fossil fuel industry strategies work to misinform, misdirect and deflect. He talks about how industry strategists ('inactivists') obstruct any action to make change. At the same time he accuses some  climate activists of doing the same thing. I applaud Mann's work. In spite of this, I am distressed by his dismissal of those who call for a green new deal. He claims that if climate activists want to get moderate Republicans on side working to mitigate the climate crisis, then proposals for change need to be more moderate. He's not a proponent of a new green deal and comes across as frustrated because some left wing climate activists disagree with carbon tax. I wish he had addressed how the last New Deal failed BIPOC, and revealed how he meant to ensure this wouldn't happen again. I think the issue is far more nuanced than he acknowledges. 

CURRENTLY

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert M. Sapolsky May 2, 2017

More Than Money: How Economic Inequality Affects Everything by Dyer, Hadley 🍁

UP NEXT (MAYBE)

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang May 16, 2023

READING GOALS 

#MustRead2024 11/25 

NonFiction 16/24 two on the go

Canadian Authors 28/50 one on the go

Indigenous Authors 8/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 98/200  

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Late September by Amy Mattes

"Ines, a grief-stricken skateboarder beginning to explore her sexuality, leaves behind her sheltered hometown on a Greyhound bus bound for Montreal. In awe of the city’s vibrancy, and armed with a journal and a Discman, Ines sets out to find a new way, befriending April, a latex-loving goth who gets her a job as a cam-girl. In the midst of a bar fight Ines meets Max, a magnetic skateboarder, whom she quickly falls for. As summer fades to fall Ines tries to uphold the bliss of their intoxicating summer, realizing that while she has escaped the confines of her small-town life, she cannot escape her past. The city changes and their romance darkens as Ines learns that Max is experiencing mental health challenges, all while a regular at the cam studio gets threateningly close. Ines learns that loving herself first requires trial and error―and that love is not always an innocent word."

It's no wonder that Amy Mattes' first novel has been nominated for the Giller Prize. 

It is an exquisite read. Her lyrical prose is raw with emotion. At times I was overwhelmed by the heaviness of guilt and grief that permeates her words. It triggered memories of losses in my own life. I wept for Ines and myself. I ended up having to take a break from reading. When I returned, I finished the book in one sitting.

Ines' younger sister drowned when she was a preteen. Even though she's not responsible, she's taken on guilt for her death. Reflecting on her parent's grief, she says, "I took the shrapnel from their wounds and made it my own." In an attempt to escape her past, Ines leaves her small town in BC to travel across the country to Montreal and reinvent herself.

In Montreal she befriends a number of fascinating characters. There's April, a university student who pays for her education by doing camera sex work. She connects with Felix and Maria, two skateboarders who take her under their wing. Her meeting with Max, a skateboarding videographer, has an ethereal, almost mystical quality. Ines thinks she has finally found someone who can love her. While Max does love her to the best of his ability, when his mental health deteriorates, his behaviour becomes abusive.

Ines is offered a job working alongside April as a cam girl, but she's terrified someone back home will recognize her and can't handle it. She ends up quitting and getting a job in a kitchen in a French restaurant. As Max's mental health deteriorates, and Ines' drug use increases to the verge of addiction, she ends up losing that job. By the time she returns to working as a cam girl, she's stronger and has a goal in mind for her future. 

Even if you've never visited Montreal, Amy Mattes descriptions of the city will make you feel like you are there, both physically and visually. "The city was swelling with a desire to freeze, purging the clouds of light and holding in."

Ines is a character I took into my heart. I ached for her. I feared for her. I rooted for her. I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her that it gets better. But of course, she has to learn all this for herself. In this brilliant coming of age tale, she ends up starting to do just this.

Mattes claims that the book is based on her own experiences. “All the different things in there are pulled from different people and experiences in my life. It’s inspired by my pilgrimage but not an accurate representation of it in a memoir sense.” She is now working on her second novel. I can't wait to read it. 





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