Holy! | Giveaway Done, but Wait... Do you Want More?

Drum roll please!

And the winner is....

Marianna Ballard!!!!

Congratulations to Marianna. She has won a copy of Everywhere Holy by Kara Lawler. I hope you enjoy the book Marianna and that it brings you some inspiration and a measure of peace. We could all use the reminder to slow down and see the beauty and grace around us a little more often. Kara has a way of helping you look for it. Enjoy!

Future Giveaways?

Did you get a chance to enter the contest? Would you like more chances to win more books in the future? Let me know, as I often have publishers and publicists willing to contribute giveaway copies of books to my readers. Let me know what books appeal to you and I will keep my eyes open for them.

Have a great weekend Friends!

20 Books to Read in 2020

20 Books to Read in 2020

Earlier this month I came across a blog where the author listed 20 books she planned on reading in 2020. What a great idea, I thought. I can do that too!

I usually read upwards of 45 books, so choosing twenty shouldn't be too hard. Of course it has taken me a while to get around to compiling that list, but I finally have a few titles selected. There is no guarantee that I will read or complete all of these books, and a pretty good chance that I will pick up several more novels over the course of the year, but this seems like a pretty decent place to start. Some of these are classics, some are brand new books just released, and others are books that friends have lent me. All of them are worthy of a spot on my bedside table though.

What are you planning on reading this year? Do you have any other suggestions for me?

A collection of books on my 2020 TBR pile

New Releases by Authors I Like

1. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - I am already on my way with this one. Erin Morgenstern stole my heart with her first book The Night Circus. If her prose is anything like in her debut novel, I am in for a treat!
2. The Testament by Margaret Atwood - The queen of Canlit not only has a new book out, but it is the long awaited sequel to wildly popular The Handmaid's Tale. And so far, people are raving about it. Enough said.
3. The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs - This is the 5th book in the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children Series and definitely on my TBR list. I loved all the other fast paced YA novels and can't wait to get my hands on this one too.
4. Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak - When I come across an author that leaves an impression and see a new book by them, they often end up on my TBR list. Zusak wrote The Book Thief, which was also turned into a great movie. I hope this book is half as good as that.
5. The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes - I can't help but like Jojo Moyes. She wrote Me Before You and several subsequent books in the series and they tugged on my heartstrings. A little romance and life changing pauses every once in a while are a good thing too.  

Book Club Picks

1. Educated by Tara Westover - Another book club selection, so I will be reading this one later this spring. I have heard great things about it this memoir, so I look forward to it.
2. The Overstory by Richard Powers - Not only is it a book club pick this year, but a good friend of mine highly recommended this book. Plus, it is about trees. Who doesn't love trees!
3. Even Weirder Than Before by Suzie Taylor - I am excited by this book, as not only will we be reading it in book club, but the author plans to Skype in when we meet to discuss her book. That always makes for an exciting meeting and adds depth to the book discussed.
4. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline - I have actually read this book before, but am quiet happy to revisit this excellent book again with my book club this spring. Thumbs up for anyone considering this one.

Recommended Titles

1. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - I know this isn't a new book, but it has great ratings and was at the top of a tonne of TBR lists a few years ago. Plus, my daughter has a copy of it, so we can swap notes on it once I'm done.
2. The Library Book by Susan Orlean - This book is based on the devastating fire at the Los Angeles Public Library in 1986 where hundreds of thousands of books burned to dust. It is also a deeper look into libraries as essential institutions and sounds like a fantastic read (especially for book lovers out there).
3. Lion by Saroo Brierley - A friend lent this book to me a while ago, so I have to push this closer to the top of the pile in the next little while. Based on the true story of a five-year-old boy who got separated from his family in India and managed to find them 25 years later sounds astounding.
4. The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff - This one was a Christmas present, so gets a spot on the list too. Set in World War II, and a New York Times bestseller, I suspect I will breeze through this novel in no time. 

Classics

1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - Full disclosure, this book has been on my bedside table for several months already, but I do pick it up and read it on occasion. It is a classic and for all accounts, should be read. But I suspect it will still be sitting on my bedside table at the end of the year still. Hopefully many more pages in by then though.
2. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - Here's another book that many people have raved over, but I have never read. It is another thick one that might take a while to get through, but if the reviews have any merit, it should be a page-turner.
3. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald - I read this classic years ago, but figure this classic set in the roaring twenties is worth a revisit since we have re-entered the twenties all over again. How different does the world look 100 years on?
4. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon - Another book lent to me by a friend. This one was also a Pulitzer prize winner, so definitely needs to read sometime soon.

ARCs

1. Real Life by Adeline Dieudonné - A few other books will have to wait their turn, as Real Life just arrived, but has inched its way to the top of my reading list. I will share a little secret, but don't tell. I will be part of a book blog tour for this one later this winter, so need to get reading on it soon.
2. Roxy by Esther Gerritsen - Grief with a twist. I can't resist. Plus, this book in translation is part of this year's Boekenweek tour, so on to the TBR pile for me. 
3. The Darkness that Divides Us by Renate Dorrestein - Another Boekenweek title worth reading. It has rave reviews, but we shall see what I think. You will hear tell this spring!

I have to admit there are more books on my book shelf waiting to be read, but these titles inch them out for one reason or another. There is always room for more books though!

A Devil Comes to Town

A Devil Comes to Town 

by Paolo Maurensig
Translated by Anne Milano Appel

Excerpt read to you by Katherine Krige

Reading from pages 21-23 

World Editions is hosting a page-a-day Read Along of Paolo Maurensig's newest novel A Devil Comes to Town. I was asked to contribute a reading of his book as well.

Listen along, as illustrious readers, including Paolo himself, spin the tale of a devil who arrives in a town full of writers, intent on shaking up the Swiss village's harmony. I join other authors, publishers, booksellers, and more, as we work through Paolo's literary thriller page by page.

It's a beautiful day for a dark tale of narcissism, vainglory, and our inextinguishable thirst for stories. Care for a listen?

The Wine Glass

words on the page
time to get them down...

f i s h
swimming downstream
in my gullet
with a magic bullet
of lemon pepper sansal,
coriander sprigs
and of course fresh lemon 
circling round 
these taste buds of mine
with a glass of wine
the only kind;
white...

now fire bright
as I read by its light
before chasing my children
and their paper minions -
groundhogs 
marked by kid's claws
I only say, because of ruined sofas
not forgotten in day's past skirmishes

Yet those groundhogs with kids in tow
tomorrow will surely show
that delightful smiles they still sow
on faces broad, mine & those
of grandparents that bestow
love through the ages; it forever goes

now back to my book
and my warm nook
with dinner forgotten
and drink transporting 
this idle lass
to Russia's morass
during Catherine's governance
perhaps with a topped up wine glass...

Image Source RGBstock.com; courtesy melodi2

A Heart With Strangers

The email said to arrive at 6:45pm. This was so that we could be assigned seats and told when we would read. As unlikely as it sounds, I arrive a few minutes early (I am always at least 5 minutes late - ALWAYS). But today I am right on time, unsure of what will happen next.

So I park my car and strut a block over in a pair of black heels, unsteady on my feet used to flats or being naked. Makeup graces my face. I realized at the last minute that I would be on a stage, or in front of a podium, or at least somewhere where people would be looking at me.

I wonder when the nerves will kick in, but smile as confidently as I can manage, when I finally figure out where I am going.

Across? Left, no right. Made it!

"Do you need a ticket?"

No, I shall be reading a poem tonight.

"Very good. Go right in!"

Smiles.

Now what? Another friendly face looks my way and I announce my presence again. Nerves jingle a little bit, just to remind me that I will be a part of the event this evening. My role as passive audience will be interrupted by the promised two minutes of fame.

The people don't notice that my heart rate has changed. Everyone who works there is trying to look busy, but the poets who have already arrived sit nervous and alone on a bench. I catch a fleeting smile, but feel alone in this endeavour tonight.

Time to look at the artwork. This is an art gallery after all and colour is splashed across canvases here, there and everywhere.

Mr Pink. Mr Green. Mr Yellow. Mr Red.

Interesting...


My watch tells me that I have been here for 20 minutes. I cling to the Perrier I was offered, but it ain't no wine and cheese affair. More people arrive and I move to another section of the gallery.

Eventually, I find out that I will be reading seventh in the order. Good. That gives me time to see how other people will be handling their readings.

I breathe, smile and perch on the edge of a sofa in anticipation.
...
....
.....

We begin. The organizer is running late; on her way from North Bay. Apologies are offered, but we begin without her. I am okay, as there will be people ahead of me. I will be ok.

Before I get to me, I need to tell you the theme of the evening. Perhaps then it will help you to understand more of where my nerves staunched from. You might understand better than the strangers that surrounded me, although they have walked in similar shoes as well. You see, we were all paying tribute to "Shining Stars". Not the Hollywood kind. Our stars were the people in our lives that we had lost and wanted to honour in some form.  I suspect you know where I went with this theme.

Brad, of course.

The women before me gave long speeches about in-laws, sisters and even lost unknown soldiers from days gone by. They prefaced their poems with pages of warmth and glowing terms.

I had a single piece of 100% recycled Canadian Cascades multi-use paper. It was folded in the middle and slightly crumpled from being in my purse. My story was in my head. If I began it, I would not be able to read  the poem that followed. So I simply announced that I was honouring my husband. He had died almost five years previous from malignant melanoma. And I had a poem to share.

It began,

baubles gifted 

far and few... 

but I cannot share the whole thing. It will be published in a collection with the other poems from the evening. I can tell you that I wavered. My voice caught on the words, but I breathed and continued to the end.

And then it was over.

But it was not. Other people spoke of their losses. No other voices quivered or quaked. I did not notice downcast eyes, but I could feel the hurt that had been there in their grief. We had all lost. I might have been the youngest face, therefore touching to this small audience, but they knew.

Afterwards, gentle voices sought me out to honour my words. They heard my pain. They asked questions, kind in their interest. They shared their own stories. We all knew the emotions well. Despite not being able to conceal that well of grief, even with time and my best efforts, I still managed to be there and add my voice. I probably could not have picked a harder topic to speak on, but I shared my heart with these strangers.

And they felt it.

The Tickle Dance

Sitting in bed between them, they beg me to read this one and then that.

   “Read Mulberry Bush,” they squeal.

Okay. First one,  then the other.

   “Here we go round the mulberry bush. One step, two step, tickle you under there!”

Laughter fills my ears and heart.

   “Yes you can have a sleepover again.”

Smiles.

My blissfully sleeping angels have made my evening complete.

Happy Friday 55 my friends.