Sharp, thoughtful, and darkly funny. Nadia is an academic who heads to Iraq to work with the UN on the deradicalization of ISIS brides, but also to run away from heartbreak and grapple with her own history with religion and rebellion. Fundamentally tackles ideas of religion, racism, belonging, bureaucracy and systemic failures within the foreign aid systems without prescribing answers, 👇 cont'd in comments

#MondayMood

@talkthattalk_rarity on Insta - Spoken word that puts a fire in your belly. Highly recommend.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEtYQfGJz5J/?igsh=MTF6OXE2azZ1MjhuMA==

🔥🔥🔥👏👏👏

Pitch dark interconnected stories of women's lives and violence in Mexico. Stories of violent women bleed into those about violence against women, revenge and rage intermingle with ironic teenage posing and sarcasm. Most of these stories work. There were some that I just wanted more from, to delve deeper, but sometimes the true weight of a story was felt as connections were made in later tales. The last few stories were, IMO, the strongest.

"There is no room of one's own when men think our bodies belong to them."

I love that Yang chose to profile four regular women in China, this book really does provide a glimpse into a very different kind of everyday life. The challenges of work, family, and independence made for fascinating reading. There were some things that I wish were addressed (*see comments) but overall another great #wpnf25 read. Very impressed with this year's list so far!

"Life's a bitch. That's why you gotta rattle her cage, even if she's foaming at the mouth."

Happy #InternationalBooker Longlist Day!

Which have you read? Loved? Loathed? Which are going on your TBR? I won't be reading the whole list, but I'll check out what I can get through the library, starting with the tagged. I'm also looking forward to The Book of Disappearance and On a Woman's Madness, both of which I can get through hoopla.

#IntlBookerLonglist #IntlBooker25 #BooksinTranslation

Today's Monday Night Hockey is The Jets vs The Sharks. So now I have this stuck in my head: https://youtu.be/twbuT1V5mFE?si=OZWRSdfkL4zPu_v6

#TheatreNerdsUnite

It is difficult to read and review a book like this when, less than a year after its publication, it is already out of date. Applebaum lays out many of the ways autocracies work in the modern day to undermine democracy, truth, and morale. In that way it is important reading, and I found it quite accessible to listen to. Cont'd in comments

#wpbf25

What an absolute triumph of a book. #wpnf25

In the summer of 2017, 9 year old Keira was killed in a tragic car accident. Her family's decision to donate her organs led to her heart being transplanted into Max, also 9. Dr Clarke writes the story of Keira and Max, their families, and all the incredible people who contributed to this heart's journey with such compassion and humanity.

Cont'd in comments.

Check me out, buying a book, and then reading it right away instead of letting it sit on my shelf for months/years first! The things I will do for Evie Wyld. I absolutely loved this, I think it might be her strongest yet.

Hannah is haunted; by the (literal) ghost of her boyfriend Max, by the life in Australia she moved to London to escape, by the unknown traumas her family carries... cont'd in comments 👇

I knew next to nothing about Cherry going into this. I knew Buffalo Stance, and had a vague idea she was Swedish, but that's it. I started listening because it was long listed for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, and quickly fell in love with Cherry's voice, both as narrator and the poetic tones of her writing. This is a celebration of creativity, love, and families both born and made. Cont'd in comments

In a time of hate
Love is an act of resistance.
In a time of fear
Faith is an act of resistance.
In a time of misinformation
Education is an act of resistance.
In a time of poor leadership
Community is an act of resistance.

In a time like this
joy is an act of resistance.
Resist. Resist. Resist.

By Loryn Brantz 🌹

This book defies easy categorization, which if you've read it you'll know is quite fitting. An engaging look at how humans have attempted to place order on the natural world, and how wrong we can be. About a turn of the century naturalist-scientist who was compelled to discover the order of life, and used his scientific mind to promote dark, dangerous, and deadly ideas. About how we find meaning and hope in a life ruled by chaos. Loved it. 👇

@TheBookHippie I couldn't resist doing mine, too. I don't know what it says that Alice is in there twice 🤷‍♀️

While not a perfect novel (it can feel a bit stilted and awkward in style at times, perhaps a translation thing?) this feels quite special.

As a young boy in Tokyo, Rei witnesses his father's arrest and the destruction of his beloved violin. Coming of age in France, he devotes his life to the reconstruction of his father's treasured instrument. A quiet story about beauty in the face of destructive, oppressive elements, I'm glad to have read it.

This feels so accurate. Except there's also constant snow falling, creating a bigger and bigger TBR pile!

I ADORE Evie Wyld and her beautifully messy, complex women. So last summer when I read she had a new book I immediately ordered it, even though I knew I'd have to wait awhile for its North American release. The day is finally here! I'm almost finished another book, but plan to start this one today. Buying a book and starting to read it in the same day?!?! THAT'S how much I love her.

This was A LOT, in all the best ways. Our narrator is deeply, obsessively in love with her husband. And with crafting every moment towards him, plagued by thoughts of his every slight, absorbed with thoughts of him and her love for him as she goes about her week at work, with the children, with friends. It's, again, a lot, but so deliciously wild to go along for the ride.

Whew, what an emotional experience! When 6 year old Alex Selky goes missing on his walk to school one day, police are baffled - no one just disappears without ANY trace. As time goes by and leads dwindle, we follow his mother Susan as her determination to find him alive never falters, despite the changing attitudes of those around her.

Cont'd in comments

#AuldLangSpine @CarolynM @monalyisha

#MeanwhileinCanada #ItsBeginningToLookALotLikeChristmas

Thank you to @Texreader @TheBookHippie @FromMyLectory @Pogue and @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks for the holiday joy! Mail is slowly getting back to normal 😁

"One does not learn to be silent, one is forced to shut up."

In beautifully poetic prose, Rivera Garza gives voice to her sister, Liliana, murdered at a young age by a jealous ex in Mexico City. By combining her own words with those of Liliana's friends, their family, police and newspaper reports, and Liliana's journal entries and unsent letters, we are given a complete portrait of a young woman making her way in life. cont'd

My ILLO on this one finally came in, so I'm returning to @CarolynM 's #AuldLangSpine list and preparing to be devastated.

@monalyisha

#CanadaReads - four down, one to go, and this was by far my favourite of a decidedly underwhelming selection this year.

As a preteen, Lily's mother walked out on her family and was never seen again. Later, following the birth of her own daughter, Lily once again embarks on a search for answers. The first half, Lily's childhood in a mining town in BC, was good but a bit uneven. Cont'd in comments...

“And what more beautiful gift is there than a hiding place?“

The deceptively simple, unsettling prose in this one is so spot on. Unnerved and intrigued so far!

Last night was one of our favourite school events of the year! Every year, they host a Snuggle Up and Read evening. Everyone comes to the school in their pajamas, and there are all sorts of literacy focused events throughout the school. It's the most cozy form of chaos, and the kids LOVE it!

#RaisingReaders

36/100 - being a Drama major at university really helps with all the plays on these lists!

Three of my all time favourites were on this one:
Middlesex
The Namesake
Never Let Me Go

#ThreeListThursday #TLT @dabbe

Love the idea, but it's just not working for me in execution. Moss gives far too broad an overview of each bird to engage me as a reader. If you have even the most basic knowledge of any of these birds, you are likely not going to learn anything new here. For me, this would have been more effective if it delved into one specific thing/story about each bird (kind of like Eight Bears did), rather than try to do a complete overview in 30-40 pages.

Third book for #CanadaReads and so far I'm not overly impressed with this year's contenders. I'm all for genre fiction in the Canada Reads list, and I know that there are domestic thrillers that can contribute and propel discussion forward with regards to nationally important topics, but this certainly ain't it.

Taken alone, this still didn't work for me. I actively disliked characters that I'm pretty sure I was supposed to feel for. Cont'd

#5JoysFriday

1. A visit to my library's makerspace to 3D print a cool stand for my oldest's speed cube
2. Maple Leafs vs Bruins Alumni game! So much fun watching the "old guys" having fun out there.
3. At the game, I won a $100 grocery gift card ??
4. A visit to the Toronto Zoo with middle kid. He made friends with Rosie the Galah, she followed him around for half an hour ?
5. All my kids are healthy this week ???

@DebinHawaii

January #AuldLangSpine wrap up!

Thanks to the always fabulous matchmaking skills of @monalyisha I received a great list of books from @CarolynM to kick off 2025! I read four this month, and all were great reads, with the tagged emerging as a surprise favourite 😍 I just loved discovering Gail Jones' beautiful, engaging writing.

Woah. That ending 😵‍💫😱

Four women work the night shift at a factory in Japan. They look out for each other, helping when someone's struggling, staying after work to socialize. Then one kills her abusive husband, and turns to the others for help, setting off a chain of events descending into the darker reaches of life in Tokyo.

Cont'd in comments

My second book read for #CanadaReads, and I wanted to love this one so much more than I did. The narrative that fractured into an almost dream-like state SHOULD have been totally my jam, but I just felt disconnected and confused. I think there are about five different books here, and they don't quite come together in any cohesive way. I'm left wondering why? Why tell this story in this way? Why leave certain alleys unexplored?

First book completed for #CanadaReads 2025

The title suggests that this memoir will focus on Ma-Nee Chacaby's journey as a Two-Spirit person, but that is only one part of the much larger story of her life. Born in the 1950s in a tuberculosis sanitorium, this powerful memoir tells an (almost*) complete story of life as an Indigenous woman in Ontario, with all the traumas and triumphs therein.

Cont'd in commments

My comfort reads often involve Thursdays: the Thursday Next series, and the Thursday Murder Club series. Or Becky Chambers (no Thursdays there, that I know of 😉).

#Naturalitsy #MidWinterSolace @AllDebooks @TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit

I've read 24. Being a theatre major definitely helped there, lots of plays listed. And presently surprised by the amount of Canadian content.

Three of my all time favourites were on the list:
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood
The Diviners - Margaret Laurence

Thanks @dabbe for another fun #ThreeListThursday

Another pick from @CarolynM 's #AuldLangSpine list. A beautiful story about the redemptive and restorative power of music, the sea, and opening oneself up to connection and the possibilities of joy.

I had a hard time getting into Bucky's story at first. I was acutely aware of an older Black man from Chicago being written by a middle aged White British dude. Some of his dialogue and POV felt stilted. Cont'd 👇

Umm....I really hope this isn't real 🤦‍♀️

Probably not one I would have read if it wasn't for book club, but it was a decent trio of historical romance stories. An enjoyable reading experience, but one that is unlikely to really stick with me.

A pick for those who like their history mingled with romance, with no doubts that the characters will find their happily ever afters.

Discoveries like this are why I love #AuldLangSpine

I really wasn't sure about this one going into it. I was forced to read Heart of Darkness in high school, and have been put off by Conrad ever since. So a book about a PhD student studying Conrad, with scenes from his life, did not seem like the book for me. But of all the #OzFiction on @CarolynM 's list, this was the easiest to get my hands on, so I tried it. And I freakin' LOVED it.

Cont'd 👇

My littlest is home sick with a fever today. She asked me to cuddle with her so she could sleep, so it's time to read the tagged on my kobo! Sprocket and Aretha decided to keep us company (Aretha is afraid of children when they're awake, but loves to cuddle with my daughter while she sleeps).

Tagged is my latest #AuldLangSpine read from @CarolynM - I've never read Gail Jones before but I'm falling in love with her writing! @monalyisha

A low pick. I listened to an audio version, and I think I would have preferred a physical book for this one. Or if Libby had the Jason Isaacs version. As it was the narration was a bit distracting, and I didn't enjoy it as much as Case Histories. But it was still a good read, an interesting web of deceit and murder, with the hallmarks of a good Atkinson - no clean endings with justice wrapped up in a bow, just the messy stuff of life. 👇

I think I'm going to have to sit with this one for a few days before I can write a coherent review. It is a wild fever dream of a novella, one that will stick in my brain for a while, I'm sure.

#AuldLangSpine @CarolynM @monalyisha

My first read completed for #AuldLangSpine and my first chunkster of the year.

O'Hagan shows the wonderful possibilities inherent in a big book - sprawling, ambitious, epic in scope, combining social and political commentary with character studies showing multi-layered portraits of humanity (largely at its worst - don't come here looking for likeable characters, but if you like a well crafted unlikable character, dive in!). Cont'd in comments

❤️❤️❤️

This right here 👆

Revolution, girl style, now!

While being a fan of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre helps, I don't think it's necessary to appreciate Hanna's memoir. Some of this is hard to read, as she recounts trauma and violence at the hands of men, some she was meant to trust with her whole heart. I had to take breaks in some of the earlier portions to feel through the rage (blasting the Spotify playlist she made to go along with the book was a great break option).

Thank you so much @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego for this awesome #LCS #LittleChristmasSwap package! I'm excited for this classic locked room mystery (don't you just love the Classic British Crime series covers 😍), and some great candy choices! We all know Reese's shapes are the best Reese's, right? 😉

Thanks for organizing @bookish_wookish 🎉

New Kobo for Christmas means new stickerscape 💕

#12Booksof2024 December

For most of December I was reading fluffy, light books that weren't too taxing. But there were a few exceptions, and all were stand out reads. In Defence of the Act is an easy pick for best of the month. Unique, thoughtful, memorable.

Honorable mentions: Strong Female Character by Fern Brady, and Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett

@Andrew65