We’re All In This Together by Amy Jones

I do not know who Amy Jones is, but I can tell you that she just might be my new favorite Canadian novelist. We’re All In This Together is a brilliant, laugh out loud funny, getting the family back together adventure with heart. Yep, I’ve used every cliche in the book and they are all true. This is the #1 book you should read this summer.

The Magic of Saida by M.G. Vassanji

M.G. Vassanji has long been a favorite writer of mine. I’ve had The Magic of Saida sitting on my shelf for years now – it moved from Canada to Scotland with us – but it just hasn’t been calling to me. In fact, many of his more recent books haven’t hit me the way his earlier works did. So what did i think of The Magic of Saida?

Girl Runner by Carrie Snyder

I picked up Girl Runner by Carrie Snyder because I was looking for some running inspiration. I’m not sure if it did the trick – I spent most of the afternoon on the couch reading! I assumed Girl Runner was going to be an inspirational running story. I was wrong. It is so much more than that.

The Mystics of Mile End by Sigal Samuel

If there was ever a book that sat right in my wheelhouse, it’s The Mystics of Mile End by Sigal Samuel. It’s by a Canadian, it’s set among Montreal’s Hasidic Jews, it’s subsumed in the mystical and at it’s heart is a philandering professor. Oh, i did i mention that there are secrets? Yep, you can hear my bells ringing from where you are sitting.

My October by Claire Holden Rothman

My October by Claire Holden Rothman is what CanLit should be. It is a gripping story that is utterly Canadian. But more importantly, it made me think about Canada’s recent political history and the on-going legacy of Quebec Nationalism.

The Confabulist by Steven Galloway

It’s getting to that time of the year when you’re seeing a lot of “Best Books” lists, and you’ll likely see The Confabulist by Steven Galloway on quite a few of them. I was a little hesitant about reading this book since I was not a huge fan of his previous book, The Cellist of Sarajevo. It was a little too brooding for my taste. By way of contrast, The Confabulist is anything but moody and brooding.

WriteReads Podcast, starring moi!

Oh boy, have I been slacking off on the blog or what? Busy, busy, busy with stuff like going off to Turkey for week.

A couple of weeks ago when I reviewed Skim and This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki, I mentioned that I was going to be on a podcast of WriteReads soon. Well, that podcast is now available for download on iTunes or you can listen to it here.

If you don’t know already, WriteReads is “the Canadian book club podcast that will change the world of literature forever”, or so they claim. It just might be true. Kurt and Tania are a blast and they have wonderful guests (like me). I had such an amazing time talking with them, hopefully that comes through and they will have me back. If you haven’t subscribed already, what are you waiting for?

Skim and This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki

It seems that graphic novels and comics are all the rage right now. I’ll be up front with you. I don’t think I get them as an art form. My mind is so responsive to words and I think I lack the necessary visual vocabulary to properly appreciate them.

30 Authors in 30 Days: Marissa Stapley on The Bear by Claire Cameron

30 Authors in 30 Days is a first of its kind event aimed at connecting readers, bloggers, and authors. Hosted by The Book Wheel, this month-long event takes place during September and features 30 authors discussing their favorite recent reads on 30 different blogs. There are also some great prizes provided by GoneReading.com and BookJigs. Follow this link to The Book Wheel to enter.

 For the full schedule of participating authors and bloggers, visit The Book Wheel or join the Facebook group. You can also follow along on Twitter with the #30Authors hashtag!

I am so excited to be taking part in this event. It’s all about spreading the literary love. And I’m super excited to be hosting fellow Canadian Marissa Stapley discussing The Bear by Claire Cameron.

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The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman

I know, it’s taken me forever to get to The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman. What can I say, I was saving it for the perfect moment. The Imperfectionists is a hard book to follow, so I wanted to be in the right mood to give Rachman a little leg up. The Rise and Fall of Great Powers was a really good book, it wasn’t The Imperfectionists, but it was a solid read.