I am about eleven years old, sitting cross-legged on the floor, in what we called the sewing room. Next to the sewing machine is a brick-and-board bookcase filled with paperbacks. (There was a bookcase in nearly every room, regardless of what the room was called. Now, even my kitchen
This post is published to coincide with the anniversary of the author’s death. She died in her home in Toronto on July 12, 1961, where she had written the final Jalna book, Centenary at Jalna. Even though I deliberately chose a story-order reading, over a publication-order
Danticat, Farnsworth, Gallant, Hunter, Li and Quade Short Stories in April, May and June Whether in a dedicated collection or a magazine, these stories capture a variety of reading moods. This quarter, I returned to three familiar writers and also explored three new-to-me story writers. Just
This bundle of books, with the Canadian Reading Challenge in mind (this, the eleventh year, hosted by The Indextrious Reader, with sign-ups for the twelfth year now posted), was particularly delectable. I love the idea of telling the story of a life in a way that feels true, whether
Not one of them. Really? Not the woman vacationing with her lover? Or the young worker about to go home for Christmas Eve? Not the mother of teenagers choosing their eclairs? Or the young botany teacher who learned about plants from her father? Not the old friend who recites
