Vancouverdeb's Cross Canada Reading Journey.

I'll start out by listing our provinces and territories and later, I'll fill in books that I have recently read or am finished reading.

British Columbia Jade Peony by Wayson Choy, - read 2009,
Can you Hear The Nightbird Call by Anita Rau Badami read 2009
The Promise of Rain by Donna Milner Beggar's Garden by Michael Christie 2011 After River by Donna Milner 2011
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens read 2010
All That Matters by Wayson Choy - 2009
Touch By Alexi Zentner 2011 Tell it To the Trees by Anita Rau Badmi

Alberta Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell read 2010

Saskatchewan The Endless Knot by Gail Bowen Mennonites Don't Dance by Darcie Friesen Hossack 2011

Manitoba Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway read 2010

Ontario Clara Callan by Richard B. Wright read 2010 Blood Letting and other Miraculous Cures read 2010 Stories from the Vinyl Cafe Stuart Mclean Motorcycles & Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor 2011

Quebec Still Life by Louise Penny read2010 Dead Cold by Louise Penny read 2010
The Heart Specialistby Claire Holden Rothman read 2011 Bride of New France by Suzanne Desrochers 2011
Lullabies for Little Criminalsby Heather O' Neill 2011

New Brunswick Mercy Among Children by David Richard Adams read 2010

Nova Scotia The Bishop's Man by Linden McIntryre read 2010
The Birth House by Ami McKay read 2010 Where White Horses Gallop by Beatrice MacNeill2011

Prince Edward Island Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Newfoundland and Labrador Annabel by Kathleen Winter

Nunavut High Latitudes by Farley Mowat

Yukon Gold Diggers: Striking it Rich in the Klondike by Charlotte Gray

Northwest Territories High Latitudes by Farely Mowat

Welcome Vancouverdeb! :)

Hi back, Bcteagirl, and thanks for making me feel welcome!:)

It's always good to meet someone new. What did you think about Clara Callan? I have a copy, but haven't read it yet.

Welcome to the group. I just finished Under This Unbroken Sky and loved it. What did you think of it?

Ridgeway girl - I really loved Clara Callan. It was a nice easy gossipy read!:) It was also very insightful as to what it might have been like to be a single woman back in the 1930's. I was actually just chatting with my mom about it yesterday- and though my mom was born in the early 40's - she had also read Clara Callan and said that according to her mom and aunt - life was truly difficult for single women back in during that time. I think you'll find it Clara Callan a great read. Nice to meet you too!

Mathgirl40 - Great to meet you! I wrote a short review of This Unbroken Sky that you can read. I did love it - but initially I found it difficult to get into. It is so depressing and yet such a compelling read. I must say it still resonates with me. It's hard to imagine that homesteading was such a difficult - horrendous time for some. I don't think I realized until I read Under This Unbroken Sky. Excellent read though!

7: I enjoyed your review. I'm also looking forward to more from Shandi Mitchell in the future.

Finished reading Annabel by Kathleen Winters. A wonderful read.

I'm off to Quebec next, with A Brutal Telling by Louise Penny. I had the book anyway - and well - I'm keen to keep going on my Canada Tour by book!

Touchstones are very slow - or not working.

Though I started a Brutal Telling by Penny Black, I realized I would enjoy the mystery series so much that instead I decided to start with the first book in the series.

I got the Still Life by Louise Penny for my Quebec book. I really enjoyed it!! I've loved mysteries by P.D James -and this book reminded me of her mysteries.

I'm beginning to read High Latitudes by Farley Mowat - which is a non - fiction book that tells of his and others experiences during a two year trip that spans the Yukon, the NWT and what is now Nunavut.

10: Good plan. I'd read A Brutal Telling first, and then went back and started from the beginning of the series. Much as I enjoyed all the books, I think I would have enjoyed them even more had I done the series in order.

Just finished Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway as my Manitoba book. Though I live in Metro Vancouver - I have also lived in and visited Winnipeg. My eyes do not mist over very often when I read a book -but this story did leave me misty eyed. Having seen North Winnipeg - and Main Street - parts of this book rang very true to me. I'll think about whether I can write a review about this book later. I found it deeply affected by it as I read through . 4 stars.

@ 11 - yes - I'm glad that I will read the Louse Penny books in order!! Thanks!

Finished Endless Knot by Gail Bowen. It takes place in Regina. 2 1/2 stars. It's an okay mystery, nothing special - but quite readable. I much prefer the mystery series written by Louise Penny, which take place in Quebec.

As luck would have it - I have a book out from the library - The Hatbox Letters by Beth Powning. It takes place in New Brunswick. I've read that it's very depressing , so I'll try it and see if it a book I want to read.

What is it about books from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and their high depressing factor? A own a small pile of unread Maritime books and every single one of them is considered depressing.

LOL! Good question, Nickelini!!! I'm just few pages into the book -and so far it doesn't seem too bad. The protaganist is not quite 50 and has just lost her husband to a sudden heart attack. Then as far as I can see -the Hatbox Letters that she recieves are full of family tragedy. But I'm not that far in -and it may be not too bad. I'd just read on Amazon ca that it starts out depressing and just gets worse and worse. I'll give it a try.

If you are looking for non-depressive books I have heard Mowats The Black Joke and The boat that wouldn't float are better :)

Just finished my second Quebec Book, Dead Cold by Louise Penny . Touchstones do not appear to be working. Louise Penny has written a series of mysteries and I am loving them so far. They remind me a bit of
P.D.James, a wonderful British mystery writer mixed with a bit of Agatha Christie. I am certain I will read every book by Lousie Penny. The books are in part character study, cozy mystery, and psychological mystery.

Next up is my New Brunswick book - No Mercy Among Children by David Adams Richards. It's a Giller prize winner, and while it appears to be fairly heavy going, I am already caught up into the first 30 pages.

Well, I just finished reading Mercy Among the Children by David Richard Adams. It was in some ways a challenging read, but on the other hand, I could not put it down as got about 40 pages into the book.

That is my New Brunswick Book.

Off hand, there seem to be so many themes in the book - that I'm at a loss as to how to review the book.

One book that is mentioned more than once in Mercy Among Children is Tolstoy's book, False Coupon which I had never heard of before reading this book. I think I may need to read it to understand this book better. I looked it up in Wikipedia, and it summarized False Coupon as a man/ boy who modifies a coupon to falsely increase it's value, and this starts a chain of events that lead a man to murder a woman in part 1 - and in part two - this same man obtains redemption through religion.

I would see Lyle, main character in Mercy Among Children as being a kind , thoughtful person who turns the other cheek, despite being bullied and teased about his father, who is almost pathologically kind. Eventually Lyle - the main character , rebels against his father in that he becomes outwardly an angry, bullying, violent person to increase his own value in his eyes. This results in a chain of events that hurts both Lyle himself, as well as his beloved family and those who have hurt him. But Lyle at least initally loves the power that being tough and a bully brings to him. Eventually Lyle loses everything but the compassion at his core.

In that way, I can see how Lyle metaphorically falsifies - increases his value by becoming violent, but this leads to a chain of events that costs him everyone that he holds dear and compromises his values to the extent that he becomes very depressed with himself, at the verge of suicide.

Unlike The False Coupon, Lyle does not find redemption in religion per se - but more by returning to his inward loving sensitive nature. That said, like most great books , the ending is without any certainty.

It's a bit more complex than that, but it was a wonderful read.

I did have a great deal of trouble initially figuring out who was who, and had to take notes.

That's it - the screen is all over the place! :)

Note to self - write lengthy things on Word and transfer to Library Thing.

Also - touchstones were not working for the other work of fiction I referred to above - I'll try again.

The other book that I referred to in my above blather about the book I read is False Coupons by Leo Tolstoy.

An interesting review! I have an exlibrary hardcover of this book back in Sask, but it may be a while until I get to it.. Interesting to read what it is like. For the What is Stephen Harper Reading Challenge I read The Death of Ivan Ilych by Tolstoy and enjoyed it, so perhaps I would enjoy this book as well.

Just finished The Heart Specialist which is a fascinating book that takes place mainly in Montreal. Highly recommended!

Glad that you liked it! :)

Woot! Finished Gold Diggers:Striking it Rich in the Klondike. Wrote a bit of a review -and now I think I have completed my Cross Canada Journey! Which is not to say I won't be adding to my list here!
4.5 stars for Gold Diggers. Great book!

Congratulations on completing your journey! Although I've finished my journey, too, I have a Canadian lit category in my 11 in 11 challenge. Keep the suggestions coming!

Congrats on the finish!

Deb - I didn't realize you were on such a mission. Well done. Are you still going to read CanLit, are you moving on to a new challenge, or are you just going to read whatever strikes your fancy?

Thanks everyone. I am quite single minded once I start a challenge, though I have interspersed my reading with some fabulous swedish mysteries, and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. Although I've not read a book about the Yukon before, I really feel I got the best book possible to give me a feel for the Yukon in Gold Diggers. @ 26 - Ha - I've got another CanLit book on the go - Motorcycles &Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor - which is GG finalist for 2010, and is written by a first nations man. It promises to be an insightful but fun read into the the first nations people. I don't think I'll be giving up CanLit any time soon. I'm also in the 75 books in year challenge, and that is one busy , busy area! :) I've got quite a few books lined up - CanLit, Swedish mysteries, Icelandic mysteries .

Congratulations Vancouverdeb!! :)

Well, since I last visited this thread I've read a number of Can Lit books, which I will add to my cross Canada journey - by book. ;)