Canada Reads 2016: Getting Ready

DiscussionsCBC's Canada Reads Fans

Rejoignez LibraryThing pour poster.

Canada Reads 2016: Getting Ready

Ce sujet est actuellement indiqué comme "en sommeil"—le dernier message date de plus de 90 jours. Vous pouvez le réveiller en postant une réponse.

1LynnB
Déc 17, 2015, 9:13 am

The long list for Canada Reads was announced and the short list will be announced Jan. 20th. The theme is "starting over".

All the Broken Things by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer
The Amazing Absorbing Boy by Rabindranath Maharaj
Birdie by Tracey Lindberg
Bone and Bread by Saleema Nawaz
Buying on Time by Antanas Sileika
The Hero’s Walk by Anita Rau Badami
Minister Without Portfolio by Michael Winter
The Outside Circle by Patti LaBoucane-Benson
Niko by Dimitri Nasrallah
Sitting Practice by Caroline Adderson
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Swamp Angel by Ethel Wilson
The Illegal by Lawrence Hill
Sweetland by Michael Crummey
Landing Gear by Kate Pullinger

Comments? Predictions? What's missing?

I've read Minister Without Portfolio, Sweetland, and Station Eleven, so I can say we have some interesting choices.

2torontoc
Déc 17, 2015, 9:24 am

I loved The Amazing Absorbing Boy and am glad that it is on the list! I also enjoyed reading The Hero's Walk

3vancouverdeb
Déc 17, 2015, 10:07 am

I enjoyed The Hero's Walk and every other book by Anita Rau Badami.

4Nickelini
Déc 17, 2015, 11:39 am

I pretty much know nothing about any of these books.

5rabbitprincess
Déc 17, 2015, 7:01 pm

Station Eleven is the only one on my TBR list, so I'll definitely be reading that one.

6mdoris
Modifié : Déc 17, 2015, 8:03 pm

Thanks Lynn for steering me over to this thread. I have read Swamp Angel by Ethel Wilson and loved it! It is a gem.

7gypsysmom
Déc 18, 2015, 4:18 pm

I've read Station Eleven and Swamp Angel and I'm scheduled to read The Illegal for one of my book clubs but it's not until June. I'm not sure if I will read it in time for Canada Reads but it is bound to be good. I really liked Station Eleven but I don't remember much about Swamp Angel as it was a long time ago that I read it. I've read The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger and really liked it. All the rest are by writers I have yet to read but Canada Reads might give me the impetus to pick up some of them.

8vancouverdeb
Déc 18, 2015, 6:16 pm

I looked through all of the entries that I was not familiar with, and via amazon ca, read the plot synopsis. Quite a few are " out of stock." Anyway, I ended up ordering Buying on Time by Antanas Sileika. It is currently out of stock at amazon ca, so I'll have a wait. Some of the others I'll look at my library.

9LynnB
Déc 22, 2015, 9:31 am

I notice there's no audience participation in choosing books this year. I liked voting for the long list in the past. Comments?

10arcona
Déc 24, 2015, 11:25 am

I read Michael Crummey's Sweetland and loved it - so hope it makes the final. From the sounds of it, this might be the strongest group of books in a while. I'm going to start looking for some of the ones I haven't read yet.

11LibraryCin
Jan 17, 2016, 2:09 pm

>4 Nickelini: LOL! I was about to comment similar.

The only one I've heard of is Station Eleven. I've heard lots of good things about it. I hadn't realized the author was Canadian, so I love that!

12mdoris
Jan 20, 2016, 5:07 pm

Okay so here's the list of the short listed books announced today for Canada Reads.
And here's a link to the book descriptions and the descriptions of the people defending the books.
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2016/01/meet-the-canada-reads-2016-contenders.html

Bruce Poon Tip, defending Birdie by Tracey Lindberg
Farah Mohamed, defending Bone and Bread by Saleema Nawaz
Clara Hughes, defending The Illegalby Lawrence Hill
Adam "Edge" Copeland, defending Minister Without Portfolio by Michael Winter
Vinay Virmani, defending The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami

Any thoughts?

13vancouverdeb
Modifié : Jan 20, 2016, 5:26 pm

Well, Mary, Birdie looks interesting to me, and I think my library has Bone and Bread . I hope to read The Illegal later this year, and I really loved The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. I do love everything that I have read by Anita Rau Badami and that is every thing that she written. The only one that does not interest me off hand, is Minister Without Portfolio.

14LibraryCin
Jan 20, 2016, 7:17 pm

I said before that the only one I'd heard of was Station Eleven. I lied.

Well, if I'd looked at the authors, I had just forgotten the title of Lawrence Hill's newest.

I have read one book by Badami (not this one) and really liked it.

15LynnB
Jan 21, 2016, 8:13 am

I really like Michael Winter, but must admit that Minister Without Portfolio was not my favourite of his works.

I've been wanting to read Bone and Bread; and not intending to read The Illegal but will now.

16LynnB
Jan 21, 2016, 9:23 pm

I read all the finalists before the debates start. I find I get more out of the debates that way. What about all of you? Will you read them all before or after? Will you read the winner?

17LibraryCin
Jan 21, 2016, 10:52 pm

>16 LynnB: If I haven't read it already, I wait. I'm not necessarily planning to read all of them, so I want to listen to the discussions, then decide which to add to the tbr. Sometimes it ends up being all of them, but sometimes not. And, I don't necessarily always plan to read the winner, either.

18Nickelini
Jan 22, 2016, 12:10 am

It definitely depends. At this point I have little interest in any of them.

Usually I've read a few. And typically, once the debates start, I'll wish I had read them all. And then when it's all over, there are a few I want to read. Sometimes a horrible proponent will ruin my desire to read a book (I'm looking at you, Debbie Travis -- and I used to enjoy your TV show!)

19LynnB
Modifié : Jan 22, 2016, 8:40 am

remind me what book Debbie Travis did...was it The Birth House?

I thought Unless was very poorly defended, too. And Martha Wainwright kind of missed the point of And the Birds Rained Down, I thought.

20ajsomerset
Jan 22, 2016, 11:08 am

Well, I will always treasure Debbie Travis for at least having the good sense not to finish The Best Laid Plans.

21Nickelini
Jan 22, 2016, 11:29 am

>19 LynnB: That's the one! I had had The Birth House in my TBR pile for a few years, and after her annoying and aggressive performance, I tossed it in the charity bin. I've read another book by the author--The Virgin Cure-- which I thought was fairly awful, so I think I made the right choice.

22gypsysmom
Jan 24, 2016, 4:19 pm

I haven't read any of the short-listed books although my book club has scheduled The Illegal for June. I have usually tried to read a few before the debates but don't think that will happen this year.

>21 Nickelini: I really liked The Birth House so it is a shame Debbie Travis turned you off. I thought it was terrible that she didn't read all of the books the year she was on the panel. I assume CBC now makes it a condition that the panelists have read all of the books. Besides The Best Laid Plans was hilarious.

I was away last year for the debates and I probably will be away this year as well. When I was working I always tried to listen even if it was the repeat in the evening. It's funny that now I'm retired with, supposedly all the time in the world, I don't get to hear them.

23Nickelini
Jan 25, 2016, 12:11 pm

>22 gypsysmom: Even if you're away, it's easy to catch up online. CBC leaves them up for years.

24gypsysmom
Jan 31, 2016, 3:02 pm

>23 Nickelini: good point but I miss not hearing them in real time.

25Nickelini
Jan 31, 2016, 9:29 pm

Talking about old Canada Reads . . . Here's a link to the 2003 debates when Justin Trudeau defended Colony of Unrequited Dreams. http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1491132130

26LibraryCin
Jan 31, 2016, 11:18 pm

>25 Nickelini: I remember that one - not because it was Justin Trudeau - but because it was so shocking!!!

27Nickelini
Fév 1, 2016, 12:09 am

>26 LibraryCin:. Oh good, I'll have to go listen. 2003 I was still deep in the corporate world and didn't get to listen to such things.

28LibraryCin
Fév 1, 2016, 12:18 am

>27 Nickelini: You haven't listened to it! I hope I didn't give something away!

29arcona
Fév 4, 2016, 7:56 am

Is there a group for reviewing Canada Reads books? I just read Michael Winters Minister Without Portfolio. Although the story wasn't too bad, i'm not a fan of writing which doesn't use quotation marks or tell you who's talking. it's very informally written, more like a narrative. I don't think it's a book all Canada needs to read.

30LibraryCin
Modifié : Mar 19, 2017, 1:55 am

Ce message a été supprimé par son auteur