All in Canadian Authors

THE LOST TAROT

THE LOST TAROT

Lillian King
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Canadian Authors

I love finding random books from library displays, and The Lost Tarot fits that description perfectly. It was exhibited with other books that are set in Toronto, one of which, River Mumma, I reviewed last month. (read review here) The Lost Tarot really only begins with the protagonist in Toronto, and the story includes multiple time periods as well. And despite the word Tarot in the title, the book deals mainly with fine art and how we credit its creators, as well as how a cult is formed and what it takes to break free.

THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE COMMON OCTOPUS

THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE COMMON OCTOPUS

Lillian King
Canadian Authors, Fiction

For those of you who read and loved Remarkably Bright Creatures and can’t believe there is another new novel about octopi, you can rest easy because in The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, the octopus is a metaphor, not a character.  Emma Knight’s The Life Cycle is a brilliant coming-of-age novel about a young Canadian woman who sets off for the University of Edinburgh to complete her undergraduate study. 

ONE GOLDEN SUMMER

ONE GOLDEN SUMMER

Lillian King
Canadian Authors, Fiction, Beach Reads

The much anticipated sequel to Fortune’s breakout hit Every Summer After (read review here), One Golden Summer is the sentimental, sexy summer read we all needed this year. And rather than just extending the story of her first protagonists, she introduces Alice, a lonely photographer taking care of her grandmother for the summer in Barry’s Bay, Ontario. (Lily)

STILL LIFE

STILL LIFE

Lillian King
Canadian Authors, Fiction, Mysteries and Thrillers

Thinking about my favorite kind of novels, I must admit that mysteries fall towards the bottom of my list. I feel like I’m not good at keeping track of all the clues that should lead me to figure out “who done it” before the writer actually reveals the killer.   I know I’ve said this before, but this is one of the reasons why I love being in a book club.  We make our book selections and inevitably some of those books I would never have read on my own.  And guess what? Sometimes I really enjoy the books.  Louise Penny’s Still Life is a perfect example of this phenomenon. 

HALF-BLOOD BLUES

HALF-BLOOD BLUES

Lillian King
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Canadian Authors, Prize Winners & Finalists

Many of you will remember the glowing review my mother wrote of Edugyan’s novel Washington Black (read review here), which was one of my favorite books that year as well.  So when I saw that an earlier book of hers had won the Giller prize, I scooped it up from the library immediately. A similarly sweeping historical drama dealing with race across several continents, Half-Blood Blues did not disappoint. 

OBASAN

OBASAN

Lillian King
Canadian Authors, Fiction, Historical Fiction,

I’ve mentioned before the odd coincidence when I feel that a theme or time period is suddenly everywhere in my life. Right now all of my media seems to be World War II related. Not the most uplifting moment in history, and sometimes downright traumatic. But even though I am feeling a bit inundated, Obasan stood out as a truly remarkable piece of writing.

FIVE LITTLE INDIANS

FIVE LITTLE INDIANS

Lillian King
Fiction, Canadian Authors, Historical Fiction, , Prize Winners & Finalists

As I turned the last page of Five Little Indians, I honestly felt a sense of relief. My first instinct was to put it in one of the little free libraries near my house and be done. But over the next few days, I found myself thinking about the characters often and realizing that although their stories were brutal at times, they were also deeply affecting. Perhaps the book held more than I initially experienced.

SEA OF TRANQUILITY

SEA OF TRANQUILITY

Lillian King
Fiction, Canadian Authors

I truly believe that Emily St. John Mandel is well on her way to Margaret Atwood status in terms of Canadian authors we (yes, I’m Canadian-ish now) delight in bragging about. My only caveat to demanding that you run out and buy this book and then read it immediately is that if time travel annoys or confuses you, maybe give this a pass.

THE HEART GOES LAST

THE HEART GOES LAST

Lillian King
Canadian Authors, Fiction, Dystopian

With an author as prolific as Margaret Atwood, it seems I can always find another of her books to read. I don’t remember how this 2015 novel made its way onto my reading list, but it is a fascinating story with plenty of psychological tricks and thrills, like so many of Atwood’s better-known works.

FALL ON YOUR KNEES

FALL ON YOUR KNEES

Lillian King
Canadian Authors, Historical Fiction, Fiction

If you are looking for an epic, historical family drama, look no further. Set in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in the first half of the 20th century, Fall On Your Knees weaves together the stories of the Piper family over four generations, as well as the stories of their extended families and neighbors. MacDonald expertly reveals both dark secrets and terrible mistakes her characters make at the same time ensuring you feel the same love for them that she does.

FIFTEEN DOGS

FIFTEEN DOGS

Lillian King
Canadian Authors, Fiction, Prize Winners & Finalists

Fifteen Dogs is one of the most entertaining books, with one of the weirdest premises, that I have ever read. Set in and around downtown Toronto, the story begins with a conversation in a bar between the gods Hermes and Apollo, who share a drink and make a wager. They debate whether the cause of human unhappiness is consciousness, and so decide to bestow human consciousness on a group of dogs so see if their lives are made happier by it.

WASHINGTON BLACK

WASHINGTON BLACK

Lillian King
Canadian Authors, Fiction, Historical Fiction

This completely original and unforgettable book will captivate you from beginning to end. Edugyan opens the book with young Washington Black (Wash) who is enduring life as a young slave on a sugar cane plantation on Barbados in 1830. Under the dominion of the ruthlessly cruel plantation owner, Erasmus Wilde, Wash struggles to understand how so little value can be placed on the slaves’ lives.

THE WONDER

THE WONDER

Lillian King
Canadian Authors, Fiction, Prize Winners & Finalists

Set in Ireland in the mid-nineteenth century, The Wonder fascinates with the story of Lib Wright, a nurse who trained with Florence Nightingale.  She has been hired for two weeks to observe 11-year-old Anna O’Donnell, who claims not to have eaten for four months.  Her parents and the local priest and politicians believe that she is a living miracle.  Her fame has spread so widely that believers make pilgrimages to meet her.  Lib believes she will uncover with ease and efficiency the deceit in the little girl’s and her family’s claim.  Instead, she finds herself pulled into Anna’s saint-like aura. 

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