Welcome to Litsy!

A month after reading this, the characters are still with me, representing 3 generations of Métis women in Winnipeg. Their reality is intergenerational trauma, poverty, addiction & incarceration. On top of that, living in a time & place—Canada—that does not value Indigenous women, clearly takes its toll. They don‘t want pity from the reader. They face the world on their own terms. Above all, this is a powerful story of resistance. #Canadian

“What makes a person want so much? What gives things the power to enchant, and is there a limit to the desire for more?” This fable-like novel draws on Zen wisdom, speaks through a talking book, & balances seriousness with whimsy in a story about psychic diversity, social justice, and our emotional attachment to objects. If you believe the public library is “a shrine of dreams” you may be as enchanted as I was. #shadowgiller2021

Multi-awardwinning Quebec cartoonist Michel Rabagliati captures the humour of daily life in his series of graphic novels about Paul. I believe this is the 6th one, and it‘s definitely his most poignant. Paul, who hates change, must come to terms with aging and loneliness. I especially love the portrayal of Paul‘s little dog companion, Cookie. #Translation by Helge Dascher & Rob Aspinall. #CanadianAuthor #comics #shadowgiller2021

Quiet, acute and bittersweet. I recommend this collection featuring trans women who are as real as real can be. They deal with ordinary adult concerns—jobs, longtime addictions, looking for love that will last—complicated by their unique experiences of being trans. One of the stories is a novella split into 5 chapters, interleaved with the other stories; somehow more satisfying than reading it of a piece. #LGBTQ #CanadianAuthor #shadowgiller2021

On my blog, I‘ve collected another bunch of Tim Hortons mentions. This time, they are all from books that were eligible for the Giller prize, so it‘s a way to sample recent CanLit, if you are interested. #shadowgiller2021

https://lindypratch.blogspot.com/2021/10/encounters-with-tim-hortons-while.html?...

The way we live now breaks the whole world. This intimate novella is set in a small community in the future, in a landscape ravaged by climate change. Nothing is fair. People are still people, getting on with their lives, even while some are living with an inheritable symbiotic fungus. I deeply appreciate the matter-of-fact portrayal of both good things & bad. I guess that‘s what‘s meant by the hopepunk genre? #CanadianAuthor #shadowgiller2021

My video reaction to the GG fiction finalists is on @shawnmooney ‘s Booktube channel: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zbq6QvnuD7Y
None of the titles made the Giller longlist; a good example of how subjective it is to judge works of art.
#Indigenous #CanadianAuthors #shadowgiller2021

Do you love stories about odd people? Do you love stories about animals? Then this collection is for you! Animals and people and some weird situations with very real emotions. And so much heart! #LGBTQ #CanadianAuthor #shadowgiller2021

How do I tell you about the cumulative impact of these fierce yet whimsical stories? They are about home & motherhood & sisterhood & womanhood… alongside teeny tiny ghosts, a fox shapeshifter, a supernatural gardener… The charming elements are mixed with thoughtful statements like: “I am good at pretending I know how to be where I am on this land I own that does not belong to me.” I absolutely love this book. #shadowgiller2021

One of my favourite novels of 2021 didn‘t make the Giller longlist but it‘s shortlisted for a GG award. Yay!

https://ggbooks.ca

#shadowgiller2021