I’m Afraid of Men
Vivek Shraya
“The experience of repeatedly being stared at slowly mutated me into an alien” (pg 2)
I cannot express how profoundly important it is to read this book. It is a short, honest, heartwrenching read. The strength of spirit Vivek has built because of the lifetime of intimidation is noteworthy not only because she has survived, but also because she has immersed as a remarkable writer.
This book should be read in every high school. The issues presented in Vivek’s narrative need to be acknowledged and discussed in every classroom. Penguin Random House Canada does provide free teachers guide on its site.

I read this novel over the weekend, actually over the course of a Saturday between loads of laundry. While I was changing my whites from the washer and into the dryer I would wonder “why aren’t Tallulah‘s ostriches laying eggs? Are they sick? Heartbroken?” I became quite invested in Tallulah‘s ostriches and worried about their safety. 

Obviously the novel isn’t just about ostriches. It’s a novel about self discovery. It’s about believing one thing about yourself and then realizing you are wrong, that your identity sometimes isn’t found out in the great unknown but rather it can be found in the love and expectations of those around you. 

This little novel, was quick and captivating without intricacies of plot or grandiose themes. The writing style was engaging enough to hold me throughout several loads of laundry and then some!

Thank you Kensington Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy. Novel will be available February 25.

When I was thirteen, I wanted to be a Secret Service Agent. I clipped all the articles from the newspaper that covered the attempted assassination attempt of Ronald Reagan. I would imagine myself dressed in a black suit carrying a gun. Years later, I wanted to be a journalist. Instead of protecting politicians, I would write about them. I would travel to get the story and then I would write the truth. When I picked up Samantha Power’s memoir The Education of an Idealist and read the jacket cover, I thought immediately that “this was the life I wanted to live all those years ago.”.
Power tells the story of her life born in Ireland and moving with her mother and brother to America when she was a young child. She learns an American accent and plays baseball and assimilates quite naturally into the Culture.
Powers grows up, goes to college and eventually becomes a war correspondent assigned to cover the war in Bosnia cultivating a strong sense of justice regarding war victims.
Back in America, Samantha works with Obama’s presidential campaign and eventually works her way to becoming The United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
Power is the master of detail. The author must have been journaling or writing consistently throughout her experiences — a habit of a journalist. Reading the memoir of a writer is always a pleasant experience because gifted writers have a strong writer’s voice it feels as though they, or in this case, Samatha Power herself was sitting across the table telling her stories to me over a cup of tea…or a glass of whiskey.
What an inspiring book for young women to read. To read the life of bravery, creativity, political astuteness and empathy and all the adventures that come with it.

“…the relief of a father who has been reunited with his son, newly free of a deadly disease. The look on a government ministers’ face as he traverses a rainbow crosswalk. the insistence of diplomats to go on serving their country,  even when being ignored and insulted because they know that our nation is bigger than any one leader. And the persistent attempts- after unforgivable acts- to find the humanity in one’s foe” (pg 552).

A Nearly Normal Family by M. T. Edvardsson

The Sandells are a perfectly normal family leading a perfectly normal life. They play Monopoly, go on hikes, listen to podcasts. Their reality is normal, yet sometimes mundane everyday reality. Until one day they get a phone call from a lawyer saying their daughter Stella has been arrested on suspicion of murder. It seems Stella’s much older lover has been brutally stabbed to death.
The novel is broken into 3 separate points of view. Father, Daughter, Mother each first-person narrative giving their own interpretation and involvement with the crime. Edvardsson is very successful in creating distinct and convincing voices for each. And I admired the artful way the author made sure to weave the essential plot points from the various point of view without breaking continuity.

A Nearly Perfect Family topped off my holiday reading perfectly. Easy and quick to read if you want to escape a cold winter day wrapped up in a cosy quilt.

I’m always in search of novels with strong, independent female protagonists to put on the shelf of my little classroom library. “The Lady Rogue” written by Jenn Bennett presents us with Theodora or “Theo”, a seventeen year old young lady with a penchant for crossword puzzles, cipher codes, and the occult. When Theo’s “adventurer” father goes missing while attempting to possess the lost ring of Vlad the Impaler (yes Dracula himself) Theo embarks upon an adventure of her own in an effort to piece together her father’s last movements and ultimately save him from murderous treasure hunters.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Bennett has written novel that is a combination of just the right amounts of adventure, gothic elements, history and romance to engage any young adult. I especially enjoyed the voice of Theo. Although the story is set in 1938, Theo speaks and thinks like a REAL seventeen year old girl. She has a wonderfully sarcastic inner dialogue that had me chuckling regularly. I hope Jenn Bennett writes share more of Theodora’s adventures with us in the future!

”Lady Rogue” comes out September 3.

This is an important book. This is a disturbing book. This is a book where the voices of women can no longer be silenced by tradition and fear. Horrifyingly based on a true story, Miriam Toews tells a story of a group of Mennonite women, members of a traditional colony in Bolivia who are forced to meet in the hayloft of a barn and determine whether or not they will break from the colony, the only home they’ve ever known. Their reason? Women and children in their community have been woken up battered, bruised and sexually violated. I’m not spoiling anything when I tell you that the abuse is at the hands of men in their own community, men they know and trust. It is a story that appears to be set in some uncivilised medieval time so what makes it even more horrifying is the fact the truth behind this story happened a mere decade ago. The idea of feeling unsafe with the threat of torture in your own home among your own people is a nightmare that exists for many.

Although this novel is heavy and at times emotionally taxing, it is not gratuitous; there is no need to be. The reality posed speaks for itself with no need for vivid imagery. Toews characterizes her women characters as being strong, heroic and humourous. These women are facing their truth, now what are they going to do about it?

Read this book. Read this book with your girlfriends, your mother, and your daughters. Talk about what you read and how you feel when you read it. What would you do? Flee or Fight? Would your screams of anguish turn into battle cries? The answer lies in the book’s title.

CBC interview with Miriam Toews

My book club list of titles for 2017-2018

I thought I’d post the list of books my book club read this year. Our book club has been in existence for over 15 years. Even though over time some members have sadly moved away We’ve always been able to collect a few wonderful additions to our group. Because most of us work in some way or form with Education, we meet at the end of the summer to choose our books for the year. We all meet at someone’s house (where there is ALWAYS wine…sometimes whiskey, and snacks) with title suggestions. Sometimes a member shares a novel she’s already read and KNOWS it will lend itself to discussion, but most often the titles proffered are of literature that none of us has read. We usually end up with near 20 title suggestions.
How do we choose? We usually have 8-9 book club meetings a year. This means that each of us gets 8 votes! Protocol is that each member can vote a number of ways: one vote for each choice OR if you really, really, REALLY want to read a book you know the other members might not be too keen on reading you can put all 8 votes on that one book (as per my Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell takedown of 2010). The top eight novels are picked! Then we decide the order with which to read them.

I can’t wait to meet at the end of the summer to determine what books we will be reading for the following year.

I love book club. It simply makes me happy.

I thought I’d share last year’s list with all of you. I will be sure to post this year’s list as soon as I can!
Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck – September
In the Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware – October
The Book of Joan by Lydia Yuknavitch – November
Inferior by Angela Saini – January
Borne by Jeff Vandermeer – April
The Break by Katherena Vermette… – December
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Secret Path by Gord Downie and Birdie by Tracey Lindberg – March
Scythe by Neal Shusterman – May
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz – June
Bonus: The Power by Naomi Alderman

I never used to read Science Fiction. To recommend books to my students who are Sci-Fi readers, I decided to expand my repertoire of genres. Not knowing where to start, I went to the source, and I asked my students for suggestions. The first title proffered? Unwind by Neal Schusterman. Much to my surprise, I loved this sci/fi dystopic story. It was a novel that opened numerous themes, the types of topics that engage young adults: parent abandonment, friendship, medical ethics. And “Unwind is wonderfully a part of a series: “Unwind” “Unsouled” “Unwholly”, “Undivided”. Us book nerds LOVE an excellent long series right?

As much as I loved the Unwind series, it is Schusterman’s newest series that has captured and tightly bound my interest to the point where I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL 2019, for the third book to be released. I recommended Scythe to my book club, filled with mothers, teachers, and retired librarians. Undoubtedly a collection of ladies with distinct literary taste. They all loved it and promptly got their hands on book two ThunderHead.

What is the Scythe arc about? Imagine no politicians, every decision is left to the Thunderhead, an entity similar to “the Cloud”. Imagine a world where technology has advanced to the point where no one dies, and if they do, they can easily be “reassembled”. Imagine this world becoming overrun by humans to the point where we, as a species, must be culled. Now imagine if your calling was to cull humans. A respected, feared and almost sacred calling….to be a Scythe. Like Unwind, this series has the potential to incite in-depth, introspective classroom discussion.

It should be noted that he Unwind series is consistently signed out of our school library. The novel has also been used in our Religious Studies class for the opportunities created for discussion on ethics and morality. Scythe is becoming popular at our school as well mainly because we have a solid group of die-hard Schusterman fans.

I had the opportunity to hear Neal Schusterman speak at the National Council of Teachers of English conference a couple of years ago. He remembers what it was like to be a student, a student with imagination in need of an opportunity to create. He KNOWS what it takes to turn reluctant readers into avid readers.

Go to the readers in your class for title suggestions! You know who they are!

Link to Neal Schusterman’s site where you can learn all about his amazing series can be found here.