Category: Book Reviews (Page 45 of 45)

Over at Book Lust I read a post that Patricia did for Drawn.ca on Mark Haddon book design, in particular his multiple designs for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which I enjoyed very much.

Today I was in Duthie Books and spotted on the counter a copy of Hadden’s poetry collection. What you can’t tell from the cover image on Amazon is that there is a scroll wheel on the side and you can turn it to reveal little images and the book title in the cutout windows. Unlike The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, this book cover is not designed by Haddon, but it is beautiful nonetheless. Congratulations to designer Peter Mendelsund.

The design shows this is clearly book as objet d’art. I fell for it immediately.

There are very few poetry books I’ve ever bought but the ones I have are all little pieces of art.

This afternoon I attended a recording for the CBC Studio One Book Club. The guest author this week was Anosh Irani [seen in the photo with Sheryl MacKay in CBC Studio One]. Anosh published his first novel with Raincoast Books, The Cripple and His Talismans.

I was completely hooked on his writing the first time I read the novel, then I happened to get tickets to his play The Matka King, which was put on by the Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver. What impresses me about Anosh is his ear for dialogue. The dialogue in his novels is especially engaging. It is witty and sarcastic and there’s a beautiful flow between the narrative and the dialogue. It’s not like some books where the dialogue seems completely structured.

Reading The Cripple and HIs Talismans was like reading an Indian Gabriel Garcia Marquez. A sense of doom hangs in the story, but it is mixed with strangely magical moments. There are passages in the book that are still vivid in my imagination. Magical realism from Bombay.

Anosh mentioned in the book club today that his new book is more realistic whereas The Cripple was more surreal. In an interview with John Burns in The Georgia Straight Anosh said that he’s looking to create a series of stories about Bombay that each reveal a different side to the city.

It was certainly clear today listening to Anosh speak about his childhood, his parents, moving to Vancouver and his writing, that there are many more stories to come. This is one author who is definitely on my radar. His new play, Bombay Black, is being produced in Toronto by Cahoots Theatre. If you have the chance to go, please let me know how it is. I’m hoping that the Arts Club puts it on here in Vancouver.

More about Anosh Irani’s The Song of Kahunsha
The Song of Kahunsha is set in Bombay in 1993 at the time of the violent clashes between the Muslims and Hindus. Ten-year-old Chamdi has left his orphanage for the streets of Bombay. He’s searching for his long-lost father and has no hope in hell of finding him, yet he is a boy filled with hope. The novel is his struggle with his new friendships, the enemies on the street and his own dreams. You can read the reviews and descriptions on Amazon.ca.

Also check out The Cripple and His Talismans. A fantastic read. And if you find it in hardcover, the design is beautiful. It is red cloth over board with embossed symbols on the cover.

More about CBC Studio One Book Club
Always enjoyable to see how the radio works. You can be an audience member by entering the CBC online contests to win a seat. Usually you have to write a snippet on why you want to attend. May 7 is David Suzuki. Watch for details on http://www.cbc.ca/bc/bookclub/. The book club is hosted by Sheryl MacKay of CBC Radio and John Burns of the Georgia Straight, and is recorded for broadcast on North by Northwest and other CBC Radio programs. Anosh’s recording should be on next weekend.

I just finished reading an advance copy of Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow. It is by Faiza Guene, a child of Algerian immigrants, who grew up in the public housing projects of Pantin, outside Paris. This is her first book and I believe she wrote it as a teenager, she’s now in university.

Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow was originally published in French and this is the translated version. There are a couple of references to North American TV that I hope are the author’s original references and not the translator’s attempt to Americanize it for a US audience. That aside, Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow is a brilliant insight into the teenage mind, the mind of a girl who is bullied because of her not-right, bargain sale clothes, her learning skills, and her poverty. This isn’t just the story of an immigrant experience in the Paris projects, it’s the story of growing up and the displaced teenage years. I particularly enjoyed the Paris references though. The current student protests and the riots last summer make a little more sense to me–the volatility, the insecurity, the pressure of those on the fringe.

Laila Lalami of MoorishGirl.com reviewed it and said, “moving and irreverent, sad and funny, full of rage and intelligence. Her voice is fresh, and her book a delight.”

Here’s an excerpted quote from Amazon.ca
He thought I’d forged my mom’s name on the slip. How stupid is that? On this thing Mom just made a kind of squiggly shape on the page. That jerk didn’t even think about what he was saying, didn’t even ask himself why her signature might be weird. He’s one of those people who think illiteracy is like AIDS. It only exists in Africa.
–from Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow

I really like the cover of this book, check it out on Amazon.ca.

If you like memoir, fashion and storytelling written like fiction, then you’ll enjoy reading Justine Picardie’s My Mother’s Wedding Dress. I received an advance copy through the Harper Collins First Look program. I was pressed to read the book quickly because I needed to get my review in by March 1 in order to remain in the program. I had about 3 weeks to read, which really wasn’t enough time for me considering I had other books on the go. Nevertheless, I came in under the wire and below is the review I submitted:

Quote: My Mother’s Wedding Dress opens with the fantastic story of a black mohair cocktail dress–a strange choice for a wedding dress, nonetheless, Picardie makes it seem like a perfectly natural choice given the circumstances. Picardie quickly sets the stage, filling the reader in on her family’s heritage, their immigrant experiences, and like a giant quilt–with short story fabric swatches from past dresses, uniforms and trousers–Picardie pulls together a beautiful and rich memoir.

Each chapter could easily stand on its own as a compact narrative of the memories that spin off from a single article of clothing. But together the pieces form a splendid and diverse wardrobe of remembrance.

I enjoyed this book very much. I think the cover is stylish and is certainly what drew me to the book in the first place. As far as book clubs, yes, if you have a predominantly female book club, this would be a good pick. There are many, many things to discuss: going to a new school, having grandparents from another country, sisters, fashion choices, cancer, politics and friendship. It’s good for a range of generations too. I’m 30 but I know my 40-50 something friends will enjoy the book. And my 20 something friends who read fiction and wouldn’t think of reading memoir would certainly like this book.

The book is out next month (March). And I recommend it as a good springtime read. Like plastic trousers and velvet vests, sometimes an impulse buy works out perfectly.

Amazon.ca
Indigo.ca

I’ve just finished reading Daniel Isn’t Talking by Marti Leimbach. There are lots of funny moments, educational moments, which I also enjoyed, and some craziness. I was initially quite skeptical about this book. The title is great, the cover is great (different cover on Amazon.ca–the version here, which I prefer, is the advance copy so we’ll have to wait to see the final one). I was skeptical because I seem to have encountered a lot of autism books lately. Each was fantastically well written and interesting.

Not Even Wrong by Paul Collins. A engaging portrait of his autistic son.

Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin. Temple is autistic and (I think) has a PhD in animal science. The book is how to use autism to understand animal behaviour.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. A very funny novel about an autistic boy trying to solve the mystery of a murdered dog.

I was skeptical because I did not think Daniel Isn’t Talking was going to stand up to these titles. It does and doesn’t. Daniel Isn’t Talking is well written and by the midway point I did appreciate the characters, but at the beginning I just thought why am I reading about this crazy mother. And she stayed crazy through the book.

I didn’t like Melanie Marsh, Daniel’s mother. She is insecure, over protective of her children, in need of more than a little therapy, and she is driven to further madness when her son is diagnosed with autism. It is at the point of diagnosis where my sentiments about Melanie shifted slightly. She struggles and fights for her son, and I appreciated her tenacity and strength. She doesn’t take the “this is how things are going to be” diagnosis. She looks for alternative ways to help Daniel along. I still found her annoyingly insecure. I like strong willed characters. Her daughter Emily was my favourite character, as were Daniel and Andy (the Irish fellow Melanie eventually hires to help Daniel).

Overall, here’s my plug for the book:
Daniel Isn’t Talking is a comic, yet serious novel. It is as funny as Three Men and a Baby, but as serious as a self-help workbook. Melanie Marsh finds herself as an American in London with a stuck up, absent husband, a genius daughter and a recently diagnosed autistic son. Daniel Isn’t Talking is about stray nappies, misguided families, and the British stiff upper lip. It is also about a boy clearing his own path through life, and his mother’s struggle to show him the way.

Daniel Isn’t Talking should be in stores in April. As part of the McClelland and Stewart 100 Readers Club, I got to read the advance copy.

CBC has reported a couple of times on a Vancouver couple who are observing a special diet that restricts them to eating foods that are grown and produced within a hundred mile radius of their home. The authors Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon are actually writing a series of articles for The Tyee. The diet is really less about dieting than about the politics of food, recognizing where things are grown, the amount of fuel used to transport food, and our disassociation with the food production process.

Quill and Quire reported today that Random House Canada has acquired the rights to publish The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating. It will be interesting to see whether two authors interested in their ecological footprint will be able to ensure the book is printed on 100% post-consumer, recycled paper, vegetable-based ink, non-bleached paper, etc. I certainly hope so because the good work they did decreasing their consumption of foods requiring long-distance transport (fossil fuels) might be quickly undone by the rather environmentally heavy act of publishing thousands of copies of a book using virgin paper (paper from trees as opposed to paper two or three times removed from the original tree).

Random House has signed on with Markets Initiative and I hope that means the book will be as eco-friendly as the diet. Watch for the book in Spring 2007.

A lot of interesting things happened in the literary sphere this week, but the commentary was relatively quiet or perhaps I was distracted by my birthday celebrations. This post is also lacking commentary because I’m cleaning up the pad for my pending birthday guests.

Raincoast Books launched a literary podcast series.

The Literary Review of Canada listed the 100 most influential Canadian books, which included 6 royal commission reports and the 1863 Geological Survey of Canada. Atwood, Cohen and Findley are listed, as is Dennis Lee’s Alligator Pie.

David Bergen’s book sales have, according to a CBC report on The National, increased by 2000%

Imagine a Day, one of the most beautiful illustrated books I’ve seen in a long time, won the 2005 Governor General’s Literary Award for Children’s Literature, Illustration. Don’t judge it just on the cover, which I think is the weakest part.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire premiered this weekend with apparently 9750 engagements in North America. I attended a 10 pm showing at the Dunbar Theatre in Vancouver. There was full-on audience participation. Wooing when the main characters first appeared on screen. Clapping. Gasps of breath. Snickering and tsk tsking over Ron and Harry’s pissing match. It was great.

The Fall book season is upon us! Fall seems to be busy for every industry, but September and October are particularly busy times in publishing. Lots of literary festivals, lots of marketing and pushing of the “hot books this fall.” Publisher spend most of the fall trying to get readers’ attention, hoping their top books will be remembered at Christmas time. Not sure whether that is misguided marketing or not, but it happens.

Based on advance reading copies, Quill’s Fall listings and the Globe and Mail, here are my Fall Picks. The disclaimer is that these are the books I want to read, not necessarily the ones that I think will be the hot books. I noticed a strong native theme in my picks. Not sure why that is.

Amazon Listmania: Monique’s Fall Picks

And what am I reading now? I was asked that today.

Bookmark Now by Kevin Smokler. Little disappointed that Kevinsmokler.com has not recently been updated. I found out after the fact that Kevin was in Vancouver talking to the SFU book immersion group. I would have loved to sit in on that discussion.

Also reading Seth Godin’s All Marketers Are Liars (and hoping that Darren Barefoot will remember to pass on Seth’s link about book publishing).

What do you think about book marketing? Do you read reviews? See book ads in the papers, here about books from friends?

I heard that promoters of Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink were handing out copies at Robson Square on Saturday and were having a difficult time getting people to stop and talk to them. I guess the “power of thinking without thinking” was too much for people.

I passed by a mother and daughter this weekend. They walked by Book Warehouse on 4th Ave. and the mother stopped to look at the bargain books out front. “Books!” the little girl said. “I hate books.”

Scott told me once you can gauge how smart someone is by the number of books they’ve read or have in their library. My apartment is wallpapered with books. Smart maybe, but cool?

Kevin Smokler’s introduction to Bookmark Now is a great essay on the fun or coolness of books and the book industry. It’s definitely worth reading.

Winnipeg writer David Bergen is gracing the cover of the June issue of Quill & Quire, Canada’s magazine of book news and reviews. Bergen has the cover story because he has written a fantastic novel, The Time In Between. I was lucky enough to read an advance copy, and I loved it.

David Bergen’s previously acclaimed novel was The Case of Lena S., which won the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award and was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction. I didn’t much care for The Case of Lena S. It was set in Winnipeg, which was interesting to me, but the characters didn’t grab me. Not so with The Time In Between.

Charles Boatman is an American who fought in the Vietnam war, then came home to his wife and kids and could never quite get settled. He eventually leaves his cheating wife and becomes a bit of a recluse in interior BC. But the ex-wife dies and the 3 kids end up on his doorstep. That’s the backdrop and Bergen really quickly gets you into the story and the tensions of Charles and his eldest daughter Ada.

If this was a film, the second act starts out with Charles returning to Vietnam. He disappears. His kids (now adults) Ada and Jon, leave the younger sister Del in BC, and travel to Danang, Vietnam to search for their father. Their quest to find their father is incredibly engaging. The focus of the story moves back and forth–from Charles to Ada to Jon to Del to various Vietnamese characters. The whole story is elusive and yet crafted in a way that as a reader you are not frustrated with the pace.

We’re all on some sort of quest narrative, and Bergen has definitely found his way. In the Quill article he is quoted as saying, “wasn’t it Samuel Beckett who said that with every book you are bound to fail? But the next time, you hope to go out and fail better.” Bergen has failed marvelously. The Time in Between releases in August and according to Quill, Bergen will be on a 10-city tour from Vancouver to Halifax.

If you’re looking for interesting Canadian fiction, check out David Bergen. The Time In Between is truly worth it.