Besides being a very fine mystery, Stout’s novel is as well a provocative meditation on contemporary history. He reminds us that the primary source for the recent past lies in the memories of the living. Such memories, fragile as they are, may indeed be the only resource, if you want to challenge the written record.
An interview with Vladimire Calixte
The author of Naked and Transparent talks about her background, the inspiration behind her new book, her messages, her work-in-progress (including an excerpt), and lots more.
A review of The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
The Book of Strange New Things is like no other book I’ve read. It’s exquisite, sad, uplifting and doomed all at the same time. I wish that the ending was different, and know, somehow, that nothing else that would do. This is a book that will remain with me, working its way under my skin like the Oasan atmosphere.
An interview with Claire Kells
The author of Girl Underwater talks about the origin of her first novel, about the relationship between being a practising doctor and writing, about the Colorado Rockies (her setting), her novel’s structure, about writing love triangles, her themes, PTSD, swimming, would would play her leads in the film version, and lots more.
A review of Hysterical Love by Lorraine Devon Wilke
California writer Lorraine Devon Wilke presents her new novel, Hysterical Love, from a man’s point of view. Men have been writing from women’s points of view for centuries, not always effectively or convincingly. Entering the heart and mind of a character from a group to which one does not belong is always a challenge and Wilke deserves praise for daring to do it.
A review of Shameless by Marilyn Churley
Marilyn Churley’s non-fiction work, Shameless, is a mother-child reunion story, and more. The former Ontario (Canada) cabinet minister has written a memoir about the search for the baby she relinquished in 1968, and, as well, a history of the struggle to get the Ontario adoption disclosure law changed. She shows how social mores of the 1960s were hostile to women’s needs, and how men’s concerns delayed the effort to open adoption records to adoptees and birth parents.
A review of Only the Dead by Wolfgang Carstens and Janne Karlsson
I would say that this book isn’t for the squeamish, or those who prefer to think about death as something that doesn’t really happen. I personally think it would make a superb birthday card – a day when everyone needs a little extra reminder that life is worth living “to the point of tears”. Maybe don’t give it to anyone under ten (though I knew a few canny nine year olds who would love it).
A review of Count Me In by Emily White
White’s search for community confirmed her belief, first expressed in Lonely, that social policy affects people’s sense of belonging. Her good experiences at a public pool and community garden were made possible by elected officials of the past who directed tax dollars toward construction of a the community centre that housed the pool and the park that had space for the garden.
An Interview with Neil Spector
The author of Gone in a Heartbeat talks about his new book, about his own medical ordeal and mis-diagnosis, what it feels like to receive a new heart, advice to readers to help them advocate for themselves in medical situations, on the nature of the current medical profession and how it needs to change, on trusting your instincts, and lots more.
A review of Clariel by Garth Nix
While it might be tempting to contain the magic of the Old Kingdom series under genre classifications like “fantasy,” or “young adult” fiction, I think it’s fair to say that Nix is a writer whose work goes well beyond genre definitions and edges towards the classic. The work will appeal to readers of all tastes – particularly those who want to be transported into a world richly drawn and exotic, and yet so full of a very human verisimilitude of life, coming-of-age, and loss.