Before I post about the new reading year, there are a few memorable reads from my 2020 log that I haven’t mentioned yet. Like Pourin’ Down Rain, Cheryl Foggo's memoir about growing up in 1960s Calgary, in a small and tight-knit Black community. When she was young, she heard
Carrie's mother died on Tuesday. The loss has fragmented her view of the world, dulled her senses (or is that the alcohol?) and sharpened her wit. NeWest Press, 2015 Given the circumstances, the novel's narrative tone is a quick slap to the face, heightened colour left behind in
I've read some remarkable short story collections this year: Théodora Armstrong's Clear Skies, No Wind, 100% Visibility, Ayelet Tsabari's The Best Place on Earth, Saleema Nawaz's Mother Superior, Richard van Camp's Godless But Loyal to Heaven, Miranda Hill's Sleeping Funny, and Paul Headrick's The Doctrine of Affections. Three more collections have captured
Anita Rau Badami's Tamarind Mem (1996) Penguin Books, 1998 Tamarind Mem opens with a telephone call, from Kamini (who is studying in Calgary) to her mother (in India). Tension mingles with fondness: it’s an introduction in broad strokes. The conversation is relayed from Kamini’s perspective and then the narrative slips
