Here's What We're Reading in February, 2015:

I'm about to start Dominion by C.J. Sansom for a book club.

I just finished The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan. It took me a longer time to read this book than usual, because I do quite a bit of my reading during my meal breaks at work. The subject matter (Australian POWs suffering terribly building a railway for the Japanese in the jungle in Thailand during WWII) was so harrowing at times to read, that I just couldn't munch down on my lunch while reading this! However, it is a fantastic book; I would have given it 5 stars for sure, except that the love story central to the novel just didn't ring true for me.

>2 ted74ca: I totally agree the love story was a huge issue for me in that book. Incredible book otherwise even though it was very difficult to read at times.

A week of winterless Mexico coming up...hmmm, i need some good chick lit. Lianne Moriarty, Emily Griffin, or Dianne Chamberlain, maybe? The TBR pile is deep, there is much to choose from.

Loosha -- it's another rainy day in Vancouver, so Mexico sounds great! Enjoy.

I just finished Three Souls by Taiwanese-born Canadian author Janie Chang. If you like historical fiction with a twist or books set in China, I recommend it. Now I think I'm going to take a little trip to Longbourn, by Jo Baker, but I'm not sure.

I'm reading Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a book about a Nigerian woman, who after living in the United States for almost 15 years, decides to return home to Lagos and reconnect with her former boyfriend.

I am reading the the The Murder Stone by Louise Penny.

I just finished Ruth Rendell's latest: The Girl Next Door and really enjoyed it.

Ian Rankin is keeping me company this weekend with Saints of the Shadow Bible.

Just finished, skimmed a lot, descent, not recommended for holiday reading, and started the love affairs of daniel p.. I am reading less than usual this holiday, not all because of the books available. Strange, but so it is.

I have at least one Canadian book coming up for this month. It was my choice for my f2f book club:

The Outlander / Gil Adamson

I'm reading The Self Illusion by Bruce Hood, having had my interest piqued by a short interview I saw on line.

I also tried to find something that's been on the TBR shelves for a long time and am starting Me, Who Dove into the Heart of the World by Sabina Berman

February by Lisa Moore for my February book club. I think we did it on purpose! Her book won the CBC Canada Reads for 2013.

Just finished my book club's selection, just in time for tonight's meeting. I started off heartily disliking this book but stuck with it, and found by halfway through, I was really enjoying it. The Canterbury Trail by Angie Abdou

>ted74ca re The Narrow Road to the Deep North I can see how some of those scenes would be impossible to get through while eating. I had the same thing happen to me when I read Shake Hands with the Devil many years ago. But I agree that The Narrow Road is a fantastic book. And I liked the love story angle.

I looked for what has been on the TBR shelves the longest and (who knows if I'm right?), decided to read Martin Sloane by Michael Redhill.

I'm so behind. This month I have read The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers and quite enjoyed it. I then read an easy bit of fluff called After The War Is Over by Jennifer Robson . It's piece of historical fiction and very readable, just nothing special. Currently I'm nearly finished Washington Square by Henry James and I'm really enjoying it. I'm back in the 75's this year and there are British and American Author Challenges for each month and while I've not committed to reading on each every month, it is influencing my reading choices.

#17 Deborah, good for you! I looked at the American and British challenges and it looked so tempting, but I can hardly keep afloat with all the temptations that I see on L.T., reviews and bookclub monthly reads. I've been following those challenges and it sure looks good.

Just finished Jo Nesbo's The Son and started The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

A nice "comfort" read for my day off: As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley. A fun read as usual.

I'm so happy to be reading the latest by my favourite living author, Anne Tyler: A Spool of Blue Thread.

I enjoyed Anne Tyler - I'll have to check out my library! Thanks LynnB

18 Mary, I had not intended to follow any challenges, but so far I've done so for the American and British authors. They happened to have books or authors that interested me, so no promises for the future! :) I had read a couple of books by Penelope Lively , so reading Moon Tiger in January was interesting. I preferred her the two other of her books, but still was an interesting read.

Washington Square was kind of a fun read, a parody of melodramas and only 200 pages.

I'm know about 60 pages into The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell and it is wonderfully interesting so far.

I'm starting Brave New Canada: Meeting the Challenge of a Changing World by Derek H. Burney and Fen Osler Hampson.

And it is my turn for a library copy of The Rosie Effect

I'm reading The Bees by Laline Paull for my book club.

Enjoyed and finished The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. 4 star read. Currently reading A Fine Summer's Day by Charles Todd.

Intolerable: A Memoir of Extremes by Kamal Al-Solaylee, a Canada Reads contender.

I have two books going by Canadian authors -- Joy is So Exhausting, which is a poetry collection by Susan Holbrook, and Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood. I was ready to Pearl-rule the Atwood if it didn't work for me because I'm not a big fan of her earlier work. However, it did grab me before page 50 so I will continue with it.

@28 - Joyce, Three Souls sounds interesting to me. I'm going to keep an eye out for it. Thanks for the recommendation.

Deb - Yes, I think you'd like Three Souls very much. Several of my book club members had library copies, so it's in the system and if your branch doesn't have it you can request it through inter-library loan.

BTW I read The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox last year and loved it too.

@28 I quite enjoyed Joy is So Exhausting; IIRC, there is a video of one of the poems online which was quite striking too.
29 @30 Three Souls was one of my favourite reads in the year it was published; I'm so glad to hear that bookclubs are discovering it because I think it would make for some great discussions!

I'm reading Michael Ondaatje's Running in the Family. In another mood, pehaps the lyrical, episodic style might irk me, but it seems to be perfect for my reading mood right now. I chose it as a pairing with his Divisadero, which I found quite challenging but ultimately enjoyed a great deal.

In other Canlit reading, my Gabrielle Roy reading continues with The Cashier, but I have barely begun.

#31 I quite enjoyed Joy is So Exhausting; IIRC, there is a video of one of the poems online which was quite striking too.

Oh, I love finding bookish things on YouTube. Will look for it.

Three Souls was one of my favourite reads in the year it was published; I'm so glad to hear that bookclubs are discovering it because I think it would make for some great discussions!

And the US edition is just being released, so the book will gain new readers. The reason my book club did this novel is because one of our members is friend with the author, so we had Janie Chang come to our meeting. She was very interesting and talked mostly about the writing and publishing process. It's always fun to get to chat with authors. She is also working on a new novel, which will also be set in China.

I have just started Doors Open by Ian Rankin and Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Harari

Turns out I'm reading a second book by a Canadian author this month. I hadn't realized he was Canadian until after I started reading:
Eye of the Crow / Shane Peacock.

Enjoying it so far!

Just read The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys. A series of quiet, down to earth glimpses of three people living during and after WWII: a British POW, his wife, and his sister. It's a pensive but ultimately peaceful read.

I finished Lovelie D'Haïti by Canadian Sylvain Meunier about a young Haitian who comes to Canada. It's part of my Black History Month reading.

I'm reading When Everything Feels like the Movies by Raziel Reid for Canada Reads.

A satisfactory but not outstanding mystery/thriller:Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood

I'm re-reading Ru by Kim Thuy for Canada Reads. And, finishing off my Canada Reads reading with And the Birds Rained Down by Jocelyne Saucier.

I'm on to La Guerre des mondes (The War of Worlds) by HG Wells - I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would!

In honour of its 50th birthday, I'm reading A Flag for Canada by Rick Archbold

@35 I'm looking forward to the new Helen Humphreys. This one sounds a little like another of hers I've enjoyed.

@39 Have you read her more recent novel? I quite liked it. I've yet to read Raziel Reid's novel or Jocelyne Saucier's, but I hope to get to both shortly for the Canada Reads debates.

Just started a collection by Ian Williams last night, Not Anyone's Anything which is quite innovative without being so experimental that I feel left out of the stories. A treat!

I've added Man to my wish list. thanx, buriedinprint.

I'm reading My Promised Land by Ari Shavit for a book club.

Taking a break from alternate histories of WW2 with the latest installment in the Rivers of London series: Foxglove Summer, by Ben Aaronovitch.

Struggling with What we all long for for a book club. Not enjoying it very much.

I am half way through As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley and finding it a little hard to put down.

I've just finished reading Laying the Children's Ghosts to rest by Sean Arthur Joyce. I have recently discovered I have ancestors who were home children and decided to do some research on the subject. What happened to some of the children is truly horrific and a similar issue to residential schools but sadly no official apology has been made yet in Canada.

>27 LynnB: HI Lynn, Today I started Intolerable: a Memoir of Extremes. I have to go hunting to see what you thought of it. I am reading it for bookclub so we can follow Canada Reads more closely. We also read Thomas King An Inconvenient Indian. Yesterday I got Great Canaidan Books of the Century out of the library by Vancouver Public Library. (author) I'm going to have a snoop. A bit old now 1999. Interesting that a public library writes something like this!
A wee bit later, just thumbed your review of Intolerable.