In My Stacks: Early 2021

2021-03-01T18:13:28-05:00

Many of the books in my February reading stack also fit with the celebration of independent publishers #ReadIndies hosted by Kaggsy and Lizzy this month: Archipelago Books, QC Fiction, Nimbus Books, Tin House, Duke University Press, and Allery Editions (links below). Later this month, I’ll chat more about independent publications

In My Stacks: Early 20212021-03-01T18:13:28-05:00

Witness: Carol Shields’ Happenstance and The Stone Diaries

2020-12-27T14:27:37-05:00

The call for witnesses in The Stone Diaries resonates throughout Shields’ work: “Life is an endless recruiting of witnesses. It seems we need to be observed in our postures of extravagance or shame, we need attention paid to us. Our own memory is altogether too cherishing, which is the

Witness: Carol Shields’ Happenstance and The Stone Diaries2020-12-27T14:27:37-05:00

Anne Simpson’s Speechless (2020)

2020-10-19T11:04:37-04:00

Best known as a poet, Anne Simpson has also published two novels prior to Speechless: her debut, Canterbury Beach (2001), and her follow-up, Falling (2008). This new book shifts to an overtly global focus and beckons to a broader readership. “A Hausa girl in Paiko, Niger State – Thomas

Anne Simpson’s Speechless (2020)2020-10-19T11:04:37-04:00

Precision: Souvankham Thammavongsa’s How to Pronounce Knife (2020)

2020-09-30T11:46:07-04:00

If you are considering whether or not to read Souvankham Thammavongsa’s collection of stories, you probably already know how to do it, how to pronounce the word ‘knife’. Readers of How to Pronounce Knife will not find solutions to age-old problems or innovation; readers will find clarity and acuity,

Precision: Souvankham Thammavongsa’s How to Pronounce Knife (2020)2020-09-30T11:46:07-04:00

Mavis Gallant’s “August”

2020-08-17T17:41:02-04:00

“August” picks up the thread from 1959’s “Travellers Must Be Content” (a story which was also collected in The Cost of Living/Going Ashore). Just as time has passed between publications, time has passed for Bonnie and her daughter, Flor, too. The stories read like bookends, all-of-a-piece, but occupying

Mavis Gallant’s “August”2020-08-17T17:41:02-04:00
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