“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…
Diann Ducharme
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The Outer Banks Trilogy – Diann Ducharme
Summary In 1868, Abigail Sinclair, the 17-year-old daughter of a plantation owner, arrives in the Outer Banks to spend the summer by the ocean with her family. Her father, Nolan, spends time with a local young fisherman, Benjamin Whimble, who helps him find the best places to hunt and fish. Eventually, Abigail is asked to teach Ben how to read and write. A friendship blossoms between the two young people,…
Literary place
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Quebec City
A few weeks ago, I was in Quebec City, visiting friends, and I took the opportunity to check out two literary places in the old town: the Morrin Centre and the Maison de la littérature. The Morrin Centre was built between 1808 and 1813 to serve as a prison for the Scottish community. It closed its doors in 1867 due to overcrowding, and was converted into a college for English Protestants….
Kristin Hannah
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The Women – Kristin Hannah
Summary Frances McGrath, a 20-year-old South California girl, decides to put her training as a nurse to good use and, like her brother, enrols to serve in the Vietnam War. However, nothing prepares her for the brutality and chaos of the war, and the animosity of her own countrymen when she comes back home. Quote “In this crazy, chaotic, divided world that was run by men, you could count on…