What We're Reading in June, 2014:

All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews, which I got for Mother's Day.

I'm reading this too right now and like it so far.

I'm hearing good things about the new Toews book.

Last night I started The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien.

I highly recommend All My Puny Sorrows.

I'm now reading my other Mother's Day present: Tragedy in the Commons: Former Members of Parliament Speak Out About Canada's Failing Democracy by Alison Loat and Michael MacMillan.

I echo the positive recommendation for All My Puny Sorrows. Loved it! My latest read (all this packing and sorting for my move in a few weeks time is really, really limiting my reading time!) was a good one: Unexploded by Alison MacLeod. The author is actually Canadian but has lived in England since 1987, so I'm not adding her to my Canadian literature group.

I hated Complicated Kindness and always felt like I must have missed something because others seem to like it. Is All My Puny Sorrows really different? I have always thought that perhaps I should try another one of hers but I really, really hated CK.

I didn't like Complicated Kindness all that much but I do love All My Puny Sorrows so I'd give it a try if I were you.

I'd echo that. I thought A Complicated Kindness was ok...I would have preferred to read a story about the mother of the main character. All My Puny Sorrows is much better written.

On the list it goes... thanks!

Hey all - Reading a few things at the same time but my Canadian pick is Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland…
Just started it.

I tried Complicated Kindness too but I didn't finish it.

My book club is reading The Poisoned Pawn by Peggy Blair. I don't usually read mysteries, but it's an easy read for the summer. Besides, I know the author.

Just finished Ru and I am now reading Adventures in Solitude which is set in Desolation Sound in BC.

I loved A Complicated Kindness--it's the only book I've read where a main character has my surname (Nickel). Reading another Canadian Mennonite book--Mennonites Don't Dance by Darcie Friesen Hossack, which I'm not liking nearly as much.

I'm reading The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King

Just read The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon. I was in the mood for a good ghost story to take my mind off all the details of doing renovations and getting ready to move, but just didn't take to this book. Not really all that suspensful in my opinion.

For a book club, I'm reading How to get Filthy Rich in rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid.

And for a different book club, I'm reading Old Enough to Fight by Dan Black and John Boileau

Recently finished Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson (a British book written in 2011) and now I'm reading Before I Wake, by Robert J Wiersema (a Canadian book from 2007). One has been made into a movie starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman. The other one hasn't, yet.

I'm reading Crossing the Continent by Michel Tremblay

> LynnB how do you like it? I'm presently reading la Grosse Femme d'a Cote est Enceinte also by Michel Tremblay and am loving it.

I just read The King's Speech. I have it recorded but wanted to read the book instead. Quite interesting.

19: I loved The Fat Woman Next Door is Pregnant because it reminded me of my childhood growing up in Montreal. Crossing the Continent is also very good. It tells the story of almost-11-year-old Nana as she leaves her beloved grandparents and sisters in Saskatchewan to be reunited with her mother in Montreal. As she travels by train, she stays with various relatives. We see Nana coming of age, and get the back stories that explain why other characters have made the choices they've made.

I'm about to start The Spirit of the Place by Samuel Shem which I heard about on CBC.

Just finished Dead Souls after a long break mid-book and I am now reading The Rosie Project

Just finished The Disappeared by Kim Echlin which was excellent. It was set in Quebec and Cambodia. Small wonder that it was nominated for the Giller.

I have just finished Bilingual: Life and Reality by Swiss-American François Grosjean. I think Canadians will get a kick out of this very accessible and fascinating look at bi- and multilingualism. Of course, he cites Canada on numerous occasions, including my favorite author Nancy Huston and our country-wide immersion programs.

It will help bilinguals and multilinguals better understand the influences and mechanisms of their languages and will help unilinguals appreciate the bilingual reality.

My book club's selection for June was Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama and I belatedly got it finished while in the midst of moving this week. Despite all its glowing reviews and its detailed historical descriptions, I didn't really take to it and didn't care about any of the characters-probably wasn't in the right frame of mind.

Still reading Before I Wake which took a frustrating turn that turned into an interesting turn . . . and in audio I'm listening to The Flying Troutmans. When this book was published the storyline didn't interest me that much, but I'm finding it rather fun to listen to. Miriam Toews has a great authorial voice (and now that I reread that I see that one could think I meant that she was reading the audio book and had a great voice. No. What I mean is the narrative voice of the story. I remember enjoying the same thing when I read A Complicated Kindness).

I'm reading Maiden from the Sea by Nellie P. Strowbridge

The Confabulist by Steven Galloway is very interesting, although not anywhere as compelling as The Cellist of Sarajevo.
I was about to start The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, but I noticed in the contents that the chapters jump around in time from year to year. Ah, it's just too tiring! Frog Music was written like this, for no apparent reason...just tell the story! So i'll choose something a little more comforting, maybe The Silkworm.

I'm reading The Confabulist as well; when I'm reading it, I don't want to put it down (so, loosha, I'm guessing I'd find Cellist unputdownable) but I do keep picking up other books along the way (largely because I don't always want to carry a hardcover with me) so it's taking longer than I think it should for me to finish.

I'm also reading Heather O'Neill's The Girl Who Was Saturday Night, which is beautifully written, though I am enjoying it in small bursts, to take in the language and mood.

23 I've enjoyed all of her books. Elephant Winter, her debut, was one of my favourites for years and years and although it's likely less complex than The Disappeared (with so many years between, I still plan to reread it before long. I also loved her version of Inanna.

17 Maybe it was just my mood in the moment, but I laughed out loud at your companion reads there, Nickelini. I've read the first and liked it, and have the second in my TBR, but hadn't thought of them as a pair. Hee.

I'm reading The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan

I just finished Before I Wake, by Robert J Wiersema. It's set in Victoria, BC. I thought it was interesting that the author works for (or is perhaps the owner?) of Bolen Books, but one of the characters goes to Munros in the story. I've never been to Bolen Books, but I think my next trip to Victoria will need to include that excursion.

33 I've never been to Munro's either, but I used to order online from them (and the shipping was very reasonable to Ontario), just to imagine that the books had set foot in there, even if I hadn't.

I finished The Confabulist and enjoyed it even more than I thought I would. I've picked up Elizabeth Renzetti's Based on a True Story, which is a nice contrast to the Heather O'Neill.

I'm starting The Reading List by Linda Kay

>6 Yells: I wasn't a fan of A Complicated Kindness, either. I read it years ago, then later my book club chose it. I didn't remember anything about it, but I didn't want to reread it. I went to listen to the discussion, anyway.

>13 Nickelini: That's too bad you're not enjoying Mennonites Don't Dance. I am planning to read it, as well. Maybe I'll be opposite you and like it, though (I hope so!), as I didn't like A Complicated Kindness. :-)

>33 Nickelini: Where is Bolen Books in Victoria? I was just there and stopped into Munro's, but I didn't know about Bolen Books.

>38 LibraryCin: - Bolen Books is in Hillside Centre, one of the shopping centres outside of the downtown core.

>39 lkernagh: Thank you! I have to admit that it was easy to stay downtown this time. My brother lives walking distance to the inner harbour.