2023 Book Share

In 2022 I read one book a month and wrote a little blurb about each book. I loved chatting with people about the books I was reading at that moment and time, and was often able to exchange good titles with great people. 

This year (2023) I'd like to combine my love for books, connection and appreciation for secondhand gifts. If you are interested in a book that I've read, let me know. I'll pop it in the mail for you (also, public libraries are super cool too). 

K, love you, bye-bye.

January - Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

This book follows the lifelong and generational damage the residential school system in Canada inflicted upon five innocent First Nations children. This shit is messed up at every level and evokes an array of ill-feelings --- sadness, anger and bewilderment to name a few. How does one carry on in the aftermath of such injustice? It's a wonder anyone can and the resilience of the characters had me pulling for them.

I cried for the children, for their parents and for every moment of love and security, for every family, childhood and community experience that was taken and lost. Things that I am lucky enough to be experiencing with my own child and understand this it is both a right, and a privilege to do so. 

The book is largely set in Vancouver--- describes settings I am so familiar with. Right down to the description of the white carefree girls on Kits Beach in juxtaposition to the post-institutional total displacement felt by the characters. It made me think a lot about acknowledging others feelings and experiences --- even when it's awkward or uncomfortable.

I know there are a lot of different narratives about First Nations culture in our country. This book is a must-read to foster perspective and to personify and understand the magnitude of the trauma left in the wake of residential schools. If you're like me, and did not receive any sort of formal education regarding the legacy of the residential school system, ignorance is no longer bliss. If you're thinking this is a bit too heavy of a pick, I implore you to take your time and read anyway. We can't look away. 

February - The Strangers by Katherena Vermette 

The Strangers are both people who don't really know each other, and are ironically part of the same family, the Strangers family. [It's only confusing for about a minute.] This book mainly chronicles the lives of four women in the Strangers family, spanning generations and an array of life experiences. Not limited to unplanned pregnancies, abandonment, incarceration, mental illness, racism, addiction and abuse, these women have endured, and through it all continue to seek familial connection and cultural belonging.

I let this book percolate for awhile after I finished it (I read it in Feb. and now it's mid-March). I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. Turns out I'm going to go with lukewarm. Although I didn't love all the characters (which I think is probably the point), do I ever love letting the ideas and actions of a character simmer in my mind, and eventually leave me with a gained perspective or understanding. The Stranger women were not dealt easy hands, and generationally the trauma takes its toll.

March - The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell 

The Family Upstairs is just that. A story about two families who come to live together (one being on the second floor) in the most dysfunctional ways. With some changing timelines, there are some elements of mystery to this book, but most of all it is the bizarre ways in which the characters and their relationships evolve that kept me captivated. 

The way the plot snowballs into a quickly out-of-control situation is both fantastical and fascinating...and weirdly plausible? I wondered more than once if this was based on a true story (it's not...I've just watched too many cult documentaries on the 'Flix). I loved/hated how suggestable the characters were and just wanted to shake them, with my internal voice consistently yelling "RUN". There are characters in this book that evoke strong emotions all over the spectrum -- Ones you want to love and hug, others you want to push down the stairs. Basically it's a roller coaster from start to finish and I was strapped in for the ride! 

April - From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle 

May - The Widow by Fiona Barton 

Jeanie, the widow is a real mystery. Her husband on the other hand is definitely a gaslighting real piece of feces who no one mourns (except maybe his Mother...and even that seems out of obligation). 

So as details of their marriage and former lives are revealed by investigative reporter Kate, it's hard to keep it straight. Is Jeanie a victim? Is she just as twisted as her husband? Do we believe anything she says? I can say for sure, she's certainly manipulative and will keep you guessing.

Was this the best book I've read, no. But it was certainly entertaining, and what I would class as a strong cottage read. With the added bonus of a second 'Investigator-Kate' novel called The Child which follows the same formula, author Fiona Barton's got you covered for those lazy dockside afternoons (as you might be able to tell, I'm really into non-pensive thriller fiction at the moment).

June - Watching You by Lisa Jewell

Picked this one up at a thrift store, as I enjoyed reading The Family Upstairs (March's read), also by Lisa Jewell. This book is about a murder that's happened in an upscale neighbourhood in England. The chapters flip-flop between pre-murder and post-murder timelines (I think you find out there's been a murder in the second chapter so not a major spoiler). From there, characters develop and basically everyone is a suspect, and have valid reasons for wanting the victim dead...or so it's framed in such a way. 

The author does a great job to steer the reader in multiple directions throughout the book. Both Ty and I came to a point in the book where everything we thought was dissembled, and had us doubting ourselves as to perhaps we just missed important details, made assumptions or read the text wrong. Either way, it lead to a satisfying twisty realization.

Along with solving the murder mystery, there's a lot of other unsavory goings-on in the neighbourhood that weirdly just get swept under the rug once the truth is revealed, or maybe it all pales in comparison to the murder? I dunno---Ty read the book too, and afterwards was like "So *so-and-so* wasn't the murderer, but we still don't think they're cool, right?" Guys, it's really hard to write about a murder mystery without giving it away, but no, we don't think they're cool.  

July - The Other Mrs by Mary Kubica 

This book was so full of twists and turns, I ripped through the last half of the book (in the most antisocial of ways). Similarly to Watching You, (June's read) in this book you find out very early on that there's been a murder, and that basically every character evolves into a suspect.

Without giving too much away, this book is set on a somewhat remote island off the coast of Maine. Feeling general uneasiness within her family unit, and generally unwelcomed by her community, Sadie is permanently unnerved. Her feelings of paranoia only deepen when she finds out that one of her neighbours has been murdered in their home. Now Sadie not only feels suspicious of everyone and everything, she also feels unsafe within her own home. And as the island becomes more isolated due to the progressing winter, we've got ourselves a Shutter Island situation. 

Again, the twists and turns as Sadie works through the murder mystery are pretty captivating.  Definitely a good read if you are a fan of the thriller genre and are looking for something easy and engaging to read this summer.

August - The Push by Ashley Audrain

The number of times I think about this book while at the playground...

This book held space for every emotion related to navigating the earliest (and later) days of motherhood---The good, bad and the very ugly, all the feelings and dark inner dialogue was there. It also delved into the ways in which Mother's feelings/actions/emotions are perceived by different members of family and society in general. Let's just get over the judgement, and acknowledge that everyone's just doing the best they can. 

So as new Mama Blythe goes through it, she is made to feel inadequate and to question every gut feeling she is experiencing. It was a heartbreaker to read. Add in some good fictional twists and turns, and this book was a really unique read, complete with a monumental moment of vindication. You'll love and hate it. 

September - Snow Road Station by Elizabeth Hay

Ok, so you remember how we discovered that making maple syrup is so good for so many reason? Well, turns out we're not the only ones. 

I was given this book while I waded through some pretty dark days of grief. It turned out the characters were also in transformative periods in their lives--All meeting at Snow Road Station amidst maple season. Long conversations around the fires, tromping through the woods and seeing the sap through served as the backdrop for healing. 

Although not a remedy for my grief, this story was so relatable in that spending time in nature and making maple syrup allowed space for tough feelings to be aired in the solace of the late winter sunshine. 

Also, fun that we have since happened upon the actual Snow Station Road, as it's in our neck of the woods--A great contextually Canadian read!

October

November

December - Greenwood by Michael Christie

I won't stop and can't stop talking about this book. Best book I've read...ever? That seems like too bold of a statement, but I'm certainly dancing around it. 

This book starts in the not-too-far post-apocalyptic future, on a what would-be a Gulf Island off the west coast of Canada-- Typically I'm not into the hypothetical catastrophic disaster genre...But this book got me hooked from the get-go! Following generations of Greenwoods and their intricate and diverse connections to forestry and nature, this family line takes twists and turns from Canadian coast to coast. 

I love the boldness of the characters, making decisions so true to themselves, and so bold they change the course of family history. Stuff that makes you want to scream 'NO!', but also sit back and think 'But I get it'.  

You guys, I'm being super vague, but just trust me on this. Take a couple days, clear your schedule and dive right into this piece of fictional gold.