The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis

June 6, 2017
Lance Woolaver and Bob Brooks. The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis. Nimbus, AGNS, 1996?

Had to find out more about Maud Lewis after seeing Ethan Hawke's Maudie. This book answered most of my questions -- the usual hesitation about biopics -- with a respectful personal adulation, additional information about Everett, and great colour photos. I wish I had one of her happy cat pictures, or the team of oxen. 

The Knife Sharpener's Bell

June 4, 2017
Rhea Tregebov. The Knife Sharpener's Bell. Coteau, 2010.

An interesting coming-of-age tale of Annette, born in Winnipeg, who, with her idealistic parents, returns to the homeland, the new USSR, to Odessa, in the 1930s. Through the eyes of an outsider who knows only Canadian ways, we see details of growing up as a secular Jew in Odessa/Moscow/Russia through the Depression, World War II, and the remaining years of Stalin's rule. The language is beautifully poetic in a way which does not distract from the story. The challenges of human rights and prejudice/discrimination/racism are eerily too familiar these generations later. 

At Home: A Short History of Private Life

May 31, 2017
Bill Bryson. A Short History of Private Life. Doubleday, 2010.

This is my third Bryson, 450 pages of information about the development of "private spaces" (would I think be more accurate). He starts and ends with the 1851 rectory he purchased in Norfolk to explore the design of private houses in England and America, and the technological changes which impacted upon the way people could and/or chose to live. Income. Infrastructure. Attitudes. Almost free associating, as he walks us through each room. Interesting.

Just Living

May 22, 2017

Meredith Egan. Just Living: A Novel. Amity, 2016.

Found this on the "local writers" shelf at The Bookman. I love CanLit and I love local, and this book kept me reading right to the end (450 pages). Becoming-priest Beth Hill has finished her coursework and requires only a practicum before being ordained. The opportunity to work in a halfway house north of Mission helps her decide what kind of future she wants.

Brida

May 14, 2017

Paulo Coelho. Brida. Harper, 2008.

A young Irish woman, Brida, goes to a teacher, Wicca, and a Magus, to be initiated into an ancient tradition. Translated from the Portuguese. 

A Walk In the Woods

May 11, 2017

Bill Bryson. A Walk In the Woods: Rediscovering America On the Appalachian Trail. Anchor Canada, 2015 / 1997.

I enjoyed the movie, and I know Bryson has many fans, so when this copy showed up at a local thrift store, I pounced. And I am not disappointed. Knowing someone who has walked the trail helped me feel as if I was there with the hikers, and wondering as they do, why people choose to do this. The joys of walking. The related tangents--history, geology, crime, flora, fauna, personal relationships. Environmental degradation and commercialism. And humour. 

San Francisco Blues

May 1, 2017

Jack Kerouac. San Francisco Blues. Penguin, 1954, 1995.

Interesting. Never published during his lifetime. Poetry as jazz.