“Jane Austen sold her first novel, Susan, to the publisher Crosby & Co. for £10. Six years later it still had not released the book and told her (in a mean-spirited letter) she could buy the rights back for the same £10 sum. She couldn’t afford it at the time, but finally, after four of her other novels had been successfully published, she did so. After her death, her brother…
Chris Bohjalian
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The Flight Attendant – Chris Bohjalian
Summary Cassandra Bowden, a flight attendant on a lay over in Dubai, wakes up with a hungover in a hotel room next to a dead man. As she tries to piece together what happened the night before, she must decide what she will do next: will she call the authorities to report this murder, or will she go home to New York without telling a soul? Moreover, who was the…
Historical Fiction
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The Indigo Girl – Natasha Boyd
Summary In 1739, 16-year-old Eliza Lucas’ father leaves her in charge of three plantations in South Carolina while he goes to Antigua to advance his military career. Eliza, who has a passion for botany, decides to try to grow indigo to better her family’s finances. However, extracting the dye from the plant is not a simple process, and she needs help which is hard to get when men don’t take…
Literary place
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Pat Conroy in Beaufort and Daufuskie Island
“No man or woman has the right to humiliate children, even in the sacrosanct name of education. No one has the right to beat children with leather straps, even under the sacred auspices of all school boards in the world.” – The Water Is Wide, Pat Conroy Last November, my husband and I spent 5 weeks in South Carolina, and we had the opportunity to visit The Pat Conroy Literary…
Event
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Event: The Knowing – Tanya Talaga
Introduction A few months ago, I went to the book launch of The Knowing by Tanya Talaga at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa. I wanted to read the book before I wrote this blog post. Now that I have, here is some information about the event. Quote “Our families were broken apart for decades by everything outlined in this book. But we are putting ourselves back together again. That…
Fiction
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What Does It Feel Like? – Sophie Kinsella
Summary After undergoing brain surgery to remove a tumour, Eve, a successful writer, doesn’t remember why she is in the hospital. She has to learn to walk again and improve her cognitive functions. As she goes through therapy with her husband by her side, she learns to live in the moment and appreciate small victories. Quote “You have incurable cancer, my beautiful Eve. But you keep forgetting and I have…
Cormoran Strike
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The Silkworm – Robert Galbraith
Summary Leonora Quine hires private detective Cormoran Strike to find her husband, Owen, who has disappeared after an argument with his publisher about his new book, a tell-all about everyone he knows. When Owen turns up dead, the list of suspects is very long. Quote “You can’t plot murder like a novel. There are always loose ends in real life.” Interesting Facts 1 Source: BBC Media Centre2 Source: The Leaky…
Lisa Moore
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Event: Invisible Prisons – Lisa Moore and Jack Whalen
Introduction On Tuesday 8 October 2024, I went to Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa for the book launch of Invisible Prisons by Lisa Moore and Jack Whalen, the real-life story of Jack who suffered abuse at a government-run reform school for boys in Newfoundland in the 1970s. Quote “Stories get buried because of the trauma of bearing witness. Of digging them up. Turning them over in the light. The…
David Grann
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Killers of the Flower Moon – David Grann
Summary In the 1920s, the Osage Nation in North-East Oklahoma was among the richest people in the United States, thanks to the oil found on their land. But its members were dying under mysterious circumstances. During this Reign of Terror, Mollie Burkhart’s family was targeted, and she lost her sisters and mother. Who was behind these crimes? Quote “To believe that the Osages survived intact from their ordeal is a…
Fiction
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The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece – Tom Hanks
Summary Bill Johnson, a celebrated film director, makes a multi-million-dollar superhero movie based on a 1940s graphic novel. The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece takes us from the WWII soldier who inspired the graphic novel to the post-editing of the final product in modern-day California, sharing everything that goes into making movie magic. Quote “Find a Life, not an Occupation” Interesting Facts 1 Source: Screen Rant2 Source: PBS…