Literature

August 26, 2018

The Rent Collector, by Camron Wright

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One of the best parts of my job as a Registered Massage Therapist is that my clients come in book recommendations, or loans frequently! The Rent Collector came to me from a friend/client who has very similar taste in books to me. I had been telling her how I was in a book rut and couldn’t get into anything… and she handed this on over to me.

The Rent Collector is a fiction novel, inspired by Wright’s son who filmed a documentary in about the large dump, Strung Meachney, in Cambodia. The family featured in the film is the inspiration for this novel. Sang Ly, and Ki Lim, are husband and wife, with their son, Nisay, who is 1 and half years old, and very ill. Sang and Ki struggle to make ends meet with their income coming from pickers of the massive dump Strung Meachney.  Sopeap Sin, the Rent Collector, is forever knocking on their door, looking for the money that they owe her. Sopeap is a drunk, aging, and frequently angry. Then one day, illiterate Sang finds out Sopeap can read. Sang sees an opportunity to learn to read, help heal their son, and possibly change their lives through literature.

This is a great, easy to read story. If you love a fast-paced story, this book will be right for you. But if you love literature, this book will make you remember why. Wright lists Yann Martel’s The Life of Pi as one of his all time favourites, this little fact speaks to his own his love of literature. There were great little nuggets, and famous quotes sprinkled throughout the story.

Another reason why I really liked this book is that I learned about a completely different part of the world that I’ve never read about, let alone visited. I learned a lot about the culture, and realized how much in North America we take being literate for granted… also our healthcare system. In the back of this book there is real photos of the family who this book is based on, and that just made it all hit home.

So, friends, if you love books about books, or about the love of reading… pick this one up!! Until next, keep on reading!

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May 28, 2018

One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez

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I think most readers have a list of books that in their lifetime they want to have read. One Hundred Years of Solitude is on that great big list of books I want to read, so when our book club had it come up as the next one to read I was thrilled to finally have the push to crack it’s spine.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is an epic family story that spans 100 years of their lives throughout this novel. Gabriel García Márquez is a Nobel Prize Winner, and is said to have written this novel based on the stories his grandmother told. Along with the family story, it is a story based in the magical realism genre, and García Márquez is said to be the creator of it. It was incredible how the setting was so real to life, then in the next sentence something out of this world was happening. There was contagious insomnia, people eating dirt, and also coming back from the dead! Below is a quote that I think is such a great example of why this novel is so unique and brilliant:

A trickle of blood came out under the door, crossed the living room, went out into the street, continued on in a straight line across the uneven terraces, went down steps and climbed over curbs, passed along the Street of the Turks, turned a corner to the right and another to the left, made a right angle at the Buendía house, went in under the closed door, crossed through the parlor, hugging the walls so as not to stain the rugs, went on to the other living room, made a wide curve to avoid the dining-room table, went along the porch with the begonias, and passed without being seen under Amaranta’s chair as she gave an arithmetic lesson to Aureliano José, and went through the pantry and came out in the kitchen, where Úrsula was getting ready to crack thirty-six eggs to make bread.

This is the type of classic that you will feel strongly one way of the other… love or hate. I loved it. I felt like with every page the writing was making me feel smarter, and develop a deeper understanding of what great literature is. BUT, here’s the thing, this isn’t the type of book you can blast through. Each sentence requires such attention that I think this is why some people will not be able to read it or enjoy it.

García Márquez used this novel to also intertwine historical Columbian events such as, the Thousand Days’ War and, the Banana Plague. Along with these events, there were some big themes on solitude, fate, and the parallels that the novel ran with Catholicism. I love when a fictional novel can expand your knowledge on something you didn’t know, and for me, that is why reading is so powerful.

So friends, that’s all I have to say on this one! I’d love to hear if you’ve read it, or what book(s) is on your lifetime list.

Until next time, happy reading, friends!

 

 

 

May 18, 2018

I Was Anastasia, by Ariel Lawhorn

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I Was Anastasia was the book that I waited for on hold at the library for a LONG time. Between the hold list, and all the buzz in the bookish world, when I got this book in my hot little hands, I was pretty excited to crack it open.

This novel flops back and forth between two timelines. One being Russia, 1918, at the height of the revolution with Anastasia Romanov, and the entire imperial family, where they are forced into a damp basement in Siberia where their fate has brought them in front of a merciless firing squad. None survive. At least that is what the executioners have always claimed. The second timeline is Germany, 1920, when a young woman who closely resembles Anastasia Romanov is pulled from a freezing cold canal. This young woman claims to be the Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia. From here, the reader is forced to try to make sense of whether this is or isn’t the real Anastasia.

Countless others have rendered their verdict. Now it is your turn.

This novel had great potential for me. I love historical fiction, and an interpretation on what really may have happened at a point in history. But this book, despite all the buzz, fell flat for me. I felt like the plot was could have been sensational, but the thread that should have held the book together just was not compelling at all to me. I felt this book lacked a passion behind it’s writing.

What I will tell you though is this book has been either a huge hit, or a huge miss for readers. I had reached out to some other readers over on Instagram and found that some people gave it a 5 star rating, and other’s were in the 2-3 range.  So my conclusion is that I think if you are a reader who love the bones of a book… great writing, and big themes, this may not be the book for you. But if you are the reader who loves a driving plot, and twists, this is one that you would probably really enjoy! I also think that this book could have some great discussion in a book club.

Please let me know what you think, I love hearing other opinions. Until next time, happy reading!

 

April 21, 2018

Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood

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I have to be honest with you, the only reason I picked this book up off my shelf was because the series Alias Grace popped up on my Netflix feed. And now this book will be on my FAVOURITE BOOKS of all time. I can’t believe I have been bypassing this battered book that I picked up at Vinnie’s for $1 for a while now, and am really glad I decided to read it.

Here’s a quick synopsis: It’s 1843, and Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer and his housekeeper/mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentence, Grace claims to have no memory of the murders. When Dr. Simon comes to interview Grace, he tries to unravel the truth of this crime.

Murderess is a strong word to have attached to you. It has a smell to it, that word – musky and oppressive, like dead flowers in a vase. Sometimes at night I whisper it over to myself: Murderess, Murderess. It rustles, like a taffeta skirt across the floor.

Atwood is an incredible writer, but she’s also just a ballsy woman! She has the power to make you feel inside her character’s head, and to make you miss them the minute you finish reading her novels. She also takes really important topics, and weaves them through an entertaining plot. As a Canadian, this book is fascinating… it’s setting is at a pillar of Ontario history, the Kingston Penitentiary, and also Toronto area.

Grace’s character is mesmerizing. This whole novel you have no idea whether she had committed the crime, or was falsely accused. She is an excellent seamstress, and this is a big part of her character. Constantly weaving her clothing, and quilts, as she weaves her story of a crime.

And inside the peach there’s a stone.

Margaret Atwood put in so many interesting quotes, letters, and based this novel off of a real crime! It’s a fascinating story and I truly think that you need to read the book, or watch the Netflix show, as this is really interesting time in Canadian history… plus it’s just really entertaining.

Until next time, happy reading!

April 15, 2018

the Arrangement, by Sarah Dunn

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Okay, this one wasn’t my favourite… It’s been awhile since I’ve read a book I haven’t liked. And that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy this one, it actually brought up a lot questions and situations that made me squirm! It was kind of like a train wreck.

Here’s the premise: Lucy and Owen have been married long enough to have lived in New York City and moved to the suburbs, have an 8 year old autistic son, decide to get 19 chickens, and be involved in their communities. Long enough to fall into a comfortable place within their marriage. Then after a very drunken night with some friends, they discuss the rules that they would place within their relationship if they planned on having an open marriage. After a long day, and a lot of thinking about how she has lost herself, Lucy decides to propose to Owen that they should do this as a trial for 6 months. Owen agrees… and I bet you can guess where this story is going to.

This book had a great potential to have some really deep, dark feelings get examined, but I feel like it fell short. It lacked a depth that I was craving within this story of relationship. Albeit the story was super juicy, and that kept wanting to read right till the bitter end. For anyone looking for a fast, beach read… go pick this one up! It fits the bill completely.

Until next time, happy reading!!!

April 10, 2018

State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett

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I’m an Ann Patchett fan. I loved both of her novels, Bel Canto, and then I rushed out to read Commonwealth when it was released. Sadly, State of Wonder sat on my bookshelf for far too long before I finally read it. Here’s the real reason I finally picked it up… when I read Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert, there was a fascinating chapter about an exchange that she and Ann had in which she believes that she transferred the idea of this novel to her. I thought it was fascinating, so I moved State of Wonder to my pile of books to be read ASAP.  One last thing, Ann Patchett believes in the power of a local bookstore. So much so that she opened up Parnassus Books in Nashville, click on over to hear her interview about why she did this!

Here’s a quick synopsis: Dr. Marina Singh is sent by her boss to the Amazon in an effort to determine two things: What happened to her colleague, who had died mysteriously there scant weeks ago, and what kind of progress was being made by her former mentor in the development of a new fertility drug that was being funded by her pharmaceutical company. Both of these tasks prove to be most complex and difficult to achieve. Her former mentor’s work is at the centre of her journey and involves a little known tribe of people whose fertility extends well into their seventies and proves to be as closely linked to their life’s rituals as the environment in which they live. As Marina spends more time in the Amazon, it seems she is learning some deep, dark secrets that could end up extending her visit!

Hope is a horrible thing, you know. I don’t know who decided to package hope as a virtue because it’s not. It’s a plague. Hope is like walking around with a fishhook in your mouth and somebody just keeps pulling it and pulling it.

State of Wonder is awesome. I was skeptical, because a guest on Anne Bogel’s podcast WSIRN had said she threw this book across the room because she hated the ending so much!! I, on the other hand, just felt like giving this book a really long hug after I read it. There were crazy scientists, an insane anaconda fight, and some risky love!! All of these things had me sitting on the edge of my seat while I read this book. But as exciting of a story it was, there were some big themes and beautiful writing!

Never be so focused on what you’re looking for that you overlook the thing you actually find.

If you haven’t read any Ann Patchett, I strongly encourage you to. She writes an effortless story that just makes a reader feel so satisfied at the end. Her novels are all really interesting concepts that make you go, “Huh, what would I do in this situation?”

That’s all friend, happy reading!!

 

 

March 25, 2018

Brother, by David Chariandy

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Brother was the latest book for our in real life book club. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to this meeting… but I did read the book! It’s just the worst when you don’t get a chance to talk about a book that gives you some big feelings?!? This book had me thinking about these characters all the time… it was intense and woven so tightly that you needed to find out how the story played out.

Brother is a coming of age story of two brothers, Michael and Francis, who live in Rouge Park, Scarborough. Their mother who works long hours, and goes to school in the evening, is exhausted but longs for a better life for her children than the one she had in Trinidad. Their father no longer existing in their life. The boys are as different as they are alike. With interests differing, but their struggles with identity, race, and fear bound them. When crime enters the Park and becomes the norm, Michael struggles as Francis grows further away from the family. This is a heartbreaking story of a family, who has a dark cloud of fear, and exhaustion within their neighbourhood.

But of course, you can’t ever really flee. You’ll forever run the risk of being spotted, if only for a second.

David Chariandy was awarded the Roger’s Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize for this book in 2017. Growing up he was a sci-fi fan, then discovered the works of Robertson Davies. Sharing a love for Davies made me want to learn more about him. He’s Canadian and originally grew up in Scarborough which was the setting for Brother.  I think that Scarborough is as much as a character in this novel as the rest of the cast in this novel. There were some rumours that this book was autobiographical, which intrigues me all the more!

Like I said earlier, there were some big feelings and big themes in this novel. The brothers relationship was one that made you nostalgic and want to call up your siblings. I felt like I knew the whole time what was going to happen, but I needed to read what and why it happened… and it was beautifully executed! I blew through this one in a couple days, and think that it’s a really important novel, especially this day in age to read. I also think that one day this would be GREAT required reading for High School English classes!!

Anywho… that’s all for today, and whether you are Canadian or not, go read this one!!