Room, by Emma Donoghue

"Emma Donoghue's writing is superb alchemy, changing innocence into horror and horror into tenderness. Room is a book to read in one sitting. When it's over you look up: the world looks the same but you are somehow different and that feeling lingers for days." --Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry.

Harper Collins Canada has written this about Room:
To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It’s where he was born and where he and his Ma eat and play and learn. At night, Ma puts him safely to sleep in the wardrobe, in case Old Nick comes.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it’s the prison where Old Nick has kept her for seven years, since she was nineteen. Through ingenuity and determination, Ma has created a life for herself and her son, but she knows it’s not enough for either of them. Jack’s curiosity is building alongside Ma’s desperation -- and Room can’t contain either of them for much longer...

Told entirely in the inventive, often funny voice of Jack, Room is a celebration of the resilient bond between parent and child, and a brilliantly executed novel about a journey from one world to another.

Donoghue states:

ROOM, by Emma Donoghue from era404 creative on Vimeo.

From her website:
Born in Dublin in 1969, Emma Donoghue is a writer of contemporary and historical fiction whose novels include the bestselling Slammerkin, The Sealed Letter, Landing, Life Mask, Hood, and Stirfry. Her story collections are The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits, Kissing the Witch, and Touchy Subjects. She also writes literary history, and plays for stage and radio. She lives in London, Ontario, with her partner and their two small children. For more information, go to: www.emmadonoghue.com.

Our culture is constantly telling stories about psychos who capture women. I deliberately kept my kidnapper out of the spotlight. The more I read and thought about it, the more it seemed to me that there is no comfortably fixed moral distance between a kidnapper and the rest of us. (The existence of entire slave-owning societies reminded me that humans often find it both convenient and pleasurable to own others.) It was not Old Nick’s evil that fascinated me, but the resilience of Ma and Jack: the nitty-gritties of their survival, their trick of more or less thriving under apparently unbearable conditions.

Room is the WINNER of the 2010 Rogers Writers' Trust Award for Fiction. It was also shortlisted for the 2010 Man Booker Prize and the 2010 Governor General's Award.
 
I read Room this summer. It was such a different book from any other I've ever read. Truthfully, if someone had told me what the story was all about I would never have read it. A story with the underlying premise of an abducted woman living in a tiny room with her 5 year old son is not one I'd normally pick up. However, the story of Jack, how he sees his world, and his relationship to his mother creates a compelling tale, which Donoghue has executed masterfully.


It is a story that has stayed with me, months later, one that keeps me thinking about rereading it!

The Hunger Games Trilogy, Suzanne Collins

I recently found a trilogy that was of particular interest. Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games Trilogy is fascinating and well-written.

These books tell the story of Katniss, a 16 year old girl whose father has died in a coal mine explosion. She spends most of her waking moments hunting in the forest, beyond the electrified fence that 'imprisons' her and the District 12 residents. She hunts to feed her family and to stay alive.

The time is the distant future. Their country is called Panem: the residents live in poverty. Panem (North America) is divided into 13 districts that surround the Capitol. Once a year, the leaders of the Capitol hold the Hunger Games. Two children from each district are chosen to compete to the death. The winner's district will receive more food; the winner will receive a new home and wealth.

The children are brought up in a propogandized world so that many look forward to the "honour" of competing in the games. Katniss, however, recognizes the brutal truth of the games and when her younger sisters' name is chosen, she steps up to volunteer.

The three books tell the story of the games and their aftermath.

Marketed as a YA series, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay appeal to a much broader audience than young teens with an interest in science fiction. The plot moves quickly, keeping readers turning pages and drawing them along with the suspense of the story. The central characters are well developed – flawed yet likeable, determined, resourceful, intelligent and passionate.

The deeper themes ensure that older readers and teens looking for more substance will find plenty to sink their teeth into. The Hunger Games and Catching Fire offer numerous opportunities to consider the influence of propaganda and political manipulation, the complex nature of trust and loyalty and the limits of human endurance (physical, emotional and mental) in a manner reminiscent of George Orwell's classic 1984.

There are elements of violence, as can hardly be surprising when the first novel is a description of a gladiator-like battle between children between the aged of 12 and 18. While descriptions of violent acts are never graphic, the underlying menace and brutality of The Hunger Games themselves has a significant emotional impact and will perhaps make these stories unsuitable for sensitive readers or those under the age of 13.

The science fiction aspects of the novels are evident in the futuristic setting and some technological advancement, but the characters could easily have been set in a more familiar modern setting and those readers who usually avoid science fiction should find the sci-fi aspects of these novels reasonably unobtrusive. Source

This trilogy is dystopian in nature. While it does evoke Orwellian comparisons as the reviewer, above, suggests; it also brings Huxley's Brave New World and other dystopias to mind.

I really like reading this sort of book. I find the author's ability to create a completely different world that is both believable and haunting to be a wonderful craft. I like how it makes me question humanity and makes me think about our very own world.

The books are 'page turners,' keeping the reader enthralled from beginning to end. That they have been written for young adults does not make them any less enjoyable for the adult reader. Perhaps the writing isn't as challenging, but the themes and story itself are definitely adult worthy. The only reason adults wouldn't enjoy these books is because they are not fans of sci-fi, not because they aren't quality works.

Sinclair Ross

In a previous post I wrote about Canadian short story author, Alistair MacLeod. I mentioned that I find Canadian authors to write with depth. Here is another author who fits the bill. (James) Sinclair Ross, a Canadian banker and author is known for his fiction about life on the Canadian prairies. Ross did write novels, but it is his short stories that I enjoy the most.


Ross's stories that I enjoy the most are "The Painted Door" and "The Lamp at Noon." In each of these stories, the harsh prairie environment is an important character that drives the stories as much as the 'human' characters' responses to the environment and each other. While the stories are tragic, there is beauty in their realism and in the fact that they aren't of fairy tale quality.

A monument in Ross' honour has been erected in Indian Head (where he attended school) by Saskatchewan artists and readers with a bronze statue sculpted by Joe Fafard.

Island, Alistair MacLeod

Born in North Battleford Saskatchewan, Alistair MacLeod moved to Dunvegan, Inverness County on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island when he was 10.


A specialist in British literature of the nineteenth century, MacLeod taught English for three years at Indiana University before becoming a professor of English and creative writing at the University of Windsor. Now retired, MacLeod lives on Cape Breton Island in the summer, where he spends part of his time "writing in a cliff-top cabin looking west towards Prince Edward Island."


MacLeod's stories focus on the "complexities and abiding mysteries at the heart of human relationships...Eloquent, humane, life-affirming, the stories in this astonishing collection seize us from the outset and remain with us long after the final page." (from the back cover)

Of the 14 stories in Island, I don't have a preference; I find them all interesting and unique.

I am really drawn to the work of Canadian writers, particularly those who write short stories. I find the depth of humanity and feeling that they explore in their short pieces to be intense and interesting. MacLeod is an author that lives up to the expectations I have of Canadian writers.

The Vinyl Cafe books, Stuart McLean

Stuart McLean has a weekly show, The Vinyl Cafe, on CBC radio. The show features Canadian music, some letters from viewers, and a story.


McLean mixes great stories with his incredible storytelling abilities. His stories usually feature Dave and his wife, Morley and the various adventures of their lives.


Dave owns a record store and he and Morley have two children: Sam and Stephanie.  Dave often fumbles his way through life and his own personal adventures/confusion create some pretty funny stories. I found a decent one on YouTube that you might enjoy.

There's also a story about Morley and the year Sam started hockey. As a mother, I found this story absolutely hillarious. Although the stories about Dave are traditionally the best, I needed to include this one, too.

I've attached both of the stories, below:

The Blood Pressure Chair:


The Jock Strap:


Maybe only a mom with a son can truly appreciate the Jock Strap story? I hope that even without a son you found some fun and humour in this one!

The Walk, Richard Paul Evans

I recently listened to The Walk, as an audio book while travelling.

The Walk is the story of a man, Alan Christofferson, whose wife becomes very ill and in the process of caring for her he loses his home and his business, and her. With nothing to live for, Alan chooses life, but without any direction he decides to go for a walk. His walk isn't a few blocks, instead he sets out to walk across the United States.

When I told someone about the book, his walk across the country made them think of Forrest Gump. While both men set out on their journies after they lose the woman they love, it is still a very different story.

The book tells the story of is the main character's struggle to find himself after he has suffered such incredible losses. His journey leads him to discover many interesting people and in his quest to understand himself, he learns a lot about himself. The story has somewhat of a spiritual flair, but it doesn't get moralistic. For that I was grateful.

In some ways, this book is like a 'self-help' book, that does teach a lesson, however. It didn't inspire me to examine my life or to change my way of thinking. It was, however, interesting enough to keep me entertained and awake during a long drive...across my province.

The Secret Daughter, Shilpi Somaya Gowda

I started writing this post and when I looked for a picture of the book cover I came across this review. It is very well-written and says it all, so rather than write my own I thought I'd share it: 

The Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda is an engaging and captivating novel about adoption, family, and the search for self. Set against the backdrop of India, we share the life of Asha, along with her adoptive and biological parents, from the day of Asha’s birth to her development into a young woman.

Asha is Kavita’s second daughter. Due to the dire poverty and circumstances of her life along with the cultural belief in India that boys are much more important than girls, Kavita’s first daughter was taken from her at birth and killed. There is no money for raising more than one child and that child must be a male one. Kavita gives birth secretly to her second child in case it is a girl. When she finds out that it is indeed a girl, she conceals the infant child from her husband who killed her first daughter. She is determined that this daughter will live. Along with her sister, Kavita walks miles to Mumbai. There, she leaves her daughter, who she’s named “Usha,” at an orphanage. Her next pregnancy is fraught with anxiety for fear this child might also be a girl. Luckily, the child is male and is much loved. A day does not go by that Kavita does not think about the heartrending losses of Usha and her dead daughter.

Somer is a physician in the United States who is unable to bear children of her own. She is married to Krishna, an Indian man from Mumbai, also a physician. They decide to go to India to adopt a child. The child they choose is Usha whose name they change to “Asha.” Asha is 10 months old when she is adopted. She is raised in a loving home and given every advantage and entitlement that an upper middle class American child can have. Somer is reluctant to engage in any conversations with Asha about her past or her heritage. She denies that part of her family that is Indian, creating distance and discord between herself, her husand and her daughter. By the time that Asha is twenty years old, she has not been to Mumbai since the time she was in the orphanage.

The novel does a wonderful job of showing the cultural discrepancies of Indian life, its diametrically polar aspects. Indians live either in dire poverty or with great wealth. The slums are described in vivid detail, such that you can almost smell, touch and taste the florid poverty. There is a much larger population of adult men than women in India and the fact that female children are killed at birth or aborted is shown as a routine event in the lives of the poor. Though India is the seat of great advancements in technology, many people live without electricity or basic utilities. Education is valued highly but the poor have little access to it. Children from poor families either work at home in caretaking roles or are on the streets begging. It is rare that a poor Indian child gets to go to school.

Asha is drawn to her Indian heritage but knows little about it. As a child, she resents her parents for not sharing more of her past with her. She writes letters to her birth mother that she keeps in a treasured box. Any family that has dealt with adoption will appreciate the way this book deals with the subject. As Asha searches for her true self, she learns the meaning of real family and inclusion. She struggles to find herself as she is often the only child in her class with very thick black hair, beautiful slanted golden eyes, dark skin, hair on her arms, and big eyebrows. She asks herself where this all comes from, how do others deal with it, why is she different. Somer is blond and blue-eyed, the prototypical Californian. Krishna is a busy neurosurgeon and is not one to sit down with Asha to discuss these poignant concerns.

The book reads quickly and maintained my interest throughout. The only problem I had with it is that some of the characterizations were not treated with the depth they deserve. While I got a fairly clear picture of Asha, Kavita, Somer, and Krishna, it is not until the end of the book that some of these people and Asha’s extended family really became fleshed out for me. Others remained shallow throughout.

It would not surprise me at all if this book becomes a bestseller. It has all the elements that attract readers, especially women. It is a pleasurable read and the characters are mostly likable and easy to identify with. That, combined with the themes of adoption and the Indian culture will make it a novel of interest to many." Mostly Fiction Book Reviews

The book doesn't try to 'teach' a lesson about the way India should or shouldn't be, nor does it 'teach' the right way to deal with adoption. It simply tells a story. I like that about the book, too.

It is a beautiful book, I highly recommend it. 

Sarah's Key, Tatiana de Rosnay

I've read some good books this summer, and Sarah's Key was one of them.  

This is Tatiana de Rosnay's first book. While fiction, the story depicts the events of WWII in France and the horrific arrest of the Jewish people who were taken to the Vélodrome d'Hiver later to Auschwitz. This horrible event occurred on July 16, 1942.

De Rosnay takes her readers on a journey that alternates between the story of Sarah, a ten year-old girl who is arrested with her family and Julia Jarmond a journalist living in Paris who has been assigned to write about the anniversary sixty years later.

Sarah's story that begins with the brutal arrest of her family is augmented by the fact that at the time of the arrest, Sarah made the decision to save her brother by locking him in a hidden cupboard, thinking she would be back in a few hours. The horror of her experiences made harsher as she finds herself unable to go back and save her brother.

At the Vélodrome d'Hiver where Sarah and her family are taken, they and thousands of other French citizens, Jews all, were locked in with almost no food or water, hardly any place to sleep, and absolutely no toilet facilities. Old people died, babies died, newborns died or were born dead - and all of this happened without a German in sight; the French government was entirely in charge of the operation. Just when it seemed that things could get no worse, parents were separated from their children, no matter how young the children were, never to be seen again. Unimaginable as it is, the several thousand children were left on their own in the same conditions they had suffered with their parents.

Julia Jarmond's story is not horrific, but she has her own difficult journey to follow as she researches the events of the Vélodrome d'Hiver and discovers the story of Sarah.Sarah’s Key is about bigotry, collaboration, hatred, and looking the other way when evil presents itself. It is a horrible reminder of what supposedly good people are capable of in times of war - especially the willingness to turn on fellow citizens and neighbors of a different religion.

The first half of the book is much more intense than the second half. However, the second part is still very good. In any case, by the second half you are drawn into the story and more than willing to finish the book.

It's a good book, I hope you read it.

The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton

I just finished The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton.

The story is one of a woman, Nell, who has discovered she had been abandoned at 3 years of age and subsequently adopted. Nell's search for her roots and the reasons she was abandoned is cut short when she takes on the care of her own granddaughter, Cassandra. After Nell's death, Cassandra discovers her grandmother's secret and decides to set out to uncover the puzzle of her grandmother’s heritage.

Morton's story is written beautifully, and the story is unforgettable. The book is a fantasy mystery that moves between the past of of the early 1900s, the 1970s and the present. The story also takes the reader on a journey from Australia to London, and on to the cliffs of Cornwall; from a shipworkers humble home, to the poor streets of London, to a large manor house with a small cottage that has its own hidden garden.

It is the cottage on the Cornish coast with its secrets that brings Morton's story and its span of time together, uniting three generations of women, despite the decades and oceans that separate them.

I also enjoyed Morton's writing style. There is a whimsical use of fairy tales, within the novel, that are written by one of the story's featured characters, Eliza Makepeace. With her mix of fairytales, memories, journals, and imagination, Morton creates fantasy in her mystery and her character, Cassandra works to fill in the past and to find out why her grandmother was abandoned.

The Forgotten Garden is Morton's second novel. Like her first novel, this one also made the New York Times Bestseller list.

The following is an interview by Morton, discussing her book.

Painting the Dog, Leon Rooke

Leon Rooke is a Canadian writer, he has written six novels, including Shakespeare's Dog, which won the Governor General's award, and A Good Baby, which was made into a feature film. He has written a number of plays and a whole host of short story collections. He also writes reviews for U.S. newspapers, including The New York Times.

Leon Rooke is one of Canada's preeminent fiction innovators, a master of the short form, and a literary godfather to scores of writers. Here, for the first time, is the quintessential selection of his best short fiction, culled from a prodigious career and 15 story collections. In these beautiful affecting stories, both bittersweet and hilarious, Rooke mines the rich and often turbulent field of domestic life, of relationships between men and women, and of the fragile dislocations of young children. Included are classics such as "The Birth Control King of Upper Volta", "The Women's Guide to Home Companionship" and "Early Obscenities in the Life of the World's Foremost Authority on Heidegger". Always fresh and original, these timeless stories push the boundaries of the traditional short story form. "Painting the Dog" is vintage Rooke: 17 highly original tales brimming with whimsy and wit, pain and poignancy, and the author's endlessly astonishing and electric imagination and riotous humour. Amazon

 My favourite story in Painting the Dog is "A Bolt of White Cloth." The story is crafted as if it is poetry. It is completely unique and it captures the imagination. Some critics suggest that the bolt of white cloth represents happiness. That interpretation makes me smile. I like that vision.

When I first read "A Bolt of White Cloth," I saw the cloth in a different light. Interpretation is in the eye of the beholder, after all. Regardless, the story itself without any symbolic interpretation is beautiful and elegant, a definite must read.

The other stories in the book are also good. They're all well-written and beautiful.

The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley

One of the first gifts I received from my husband was The Mists of Avalon. Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote the book in 1982.


It is the story about King Arthur, from the point of view of the women of Avalon. The usual cast of characters are present in the novel; Arthur, Gweneviere, Merlin, Morgana, the Lady of the Lake, and others, including the sword Excalibur.

Some reviewers call this a femnist book. There is also the conflict between Christian and pagan points of view that many are drawn to. In the reviews I've read people seem to love or hate the book. The fact is, I loved it 100%. The story, itself, is well-written. The point of view from the women's perspective is unique and interesting.

One review by Beth Derochea calls it "one of the more controversial books in Arthurian fiction."

The book has since been made into a tv movie. This is a link to the tv movie site with various pictures and a synopsis that is quite good, with lots of pictures from the movie. Actors such as Julianna Margulies, Uli Edel, Mark Lewis Jones, Caroline Goodall, Michael Byrne, Michael Vartan, Hans Matheson, Joan Allen, Samantha Mathis, Anjelica Huston, Clive Russell, and Edward Atterton  are in the movie. The movie trailer is linked here.

As a big fan of all things Arthurian, I found this book and its different perspective really intriguing. I loved it all of those years ago, and still love it now. I've recently reread it and still find it interesting.

Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck

Lennie pleaded, "Come on, George. Tell me. Please George. Like you done before."
...
George's voice became deeper. He repeated his words rhythmically as though he had said them many times before. "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first hting you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch.They ain't got nothing to look ahead to."
...
"But not us! An' why? Because... because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why." He [Lennie] laughed delightedly. (Chapter 1, p. 15)

George and Lennie have an improbable friendship in a time when most men travelled alone earning only enough to get through to the next pay check.

Of Mice and Men is a short read that is purely poetic. If you can read it out loud or listen to Gary Sinise narrate the story, do because it's beautiful.

Steinbeck's  novel, Of Mice and Men, explores idealism, loneliness, friendship, acceptance, racisim, class conflict, disability, and loyalty in this beautifully written novel. It is a story that touches your heart. Some people find the story troubling. While some aspects of the story would likely never occur, it is also realistic in some ways and realism can be troubling. I like the story because it does make you think.

The most recent film version of this novel was directed by Gary Sinise. It is very true to the novel. Sinise plays George and John Malcovich plays Lennie. I found the movie to be one that was actually as good as the book. The theatrical trailer is here.

Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley was written in 1931, published in 1932. The novel, in simple terms, is Huxley's warning as to what can happen when we allow technology to control us, rather than controlling it. But really it is about so much more.

I first read the novel on my own sometime in high school, then for Grade 12. I read it again in a university English class: Utopian Literature. Later I taught it to my own Grade 12 students.
The novel is one that people can enjoy at face value, if they like science fiction, or they can dig deeper and discover all sorts of symbolism, imagery, themes, and subplots from the underlying meanings of the names such as those of Bernard Marx, Lenina Crowne, and Mustapha Mond. There is the desire for constant happiness and escape from thinking about anything, worry, and from being alone.
This brave new world is one without stress. There are no relationships so that there is no need for the sadness that comes with happiness. As I mentioned above, it was a novel that was taught in a utopian literature class, but it is a dystopian novel.
Once I read that Forbes had done a survey of the most successful people in the world, asking what books they had read. In the top ten books these Forbes successful people had in common, Brave New World was always in the list. I don't know that reading the book could make you a millionaire...I'm not. However, I do know that this book is very powerful if you read it and think about its possible impacts
If you've never read the book, the first three chapters set the stage of the novel. The novel is set in approximately 2300 A.D. or in the timeline of the novel 632 A.F. (After Ford) If you can get through the first three chapters and understand how they reproduce their children, how they condition the people into their different roles and the expectations of the society, then it is easier to understand the rest of the book. Most people I've talked to, who didn't like the book, didn't read the first three chapters. They lost patience after the first chapter or so. Those I know who have made it through the first three chapters seem to like the book. It is definitely a different kind of story. But, it really makes you think. I am glad that I made it past those first three chapters all those years ago.

Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Old age shold burn and rave at the close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too light, they grieved it on its way.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meeors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Said to be written for his dying father, this poem, by Dylan Thomas, was published in 1952.

For me, poetry is a lot like visual art. There may be historical background, a person or location who is being portrayed, there may be a specific meaning the author is conveying and that he/she has told people about...but there is also the meaning that the reader chooses.

I think that there is nothing wrong with a different interpretion, as long as you can explain it. At least that is what I used to tell my students. I really didn't think that they had to guess what I thought was the right answer. Maybe that's because I often see things a bit differently than other people. I'm not sure why. I just know that as long as I'm allowed to explain my differing viewpoint, I seem to get by alright. It's when I don't get to explain that people think I'm rather confused!

I really like all of Dylan Thomas' poems and have a collection of them that was given to me from my daughter as a Christmas present.

Read some poetry sometime!

The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger

Last summer I read The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger since I the movie was coming out soon and I like to read the book first.

If you haven't noticed from my very few posts, I'm a sucker for time travel/science fiction and fantasy. Although the book jumps in and out of past, present, and future, and you sometimes have to take a minute to check where you are, it is a fun and interesting read.
The Time Traveler's Wife is a story about a man (Henry) who has a genetic disorder that causes him to involuntarily travel through time into the past and forward to the future. His wife Claire, is left behind to worry about his travels not knowing where he has gone, how long he will be gone, and what danger he may be facing.

I really liked this book, but I know it isn't for everyone. Some people will just want to watch the movie. The movie is pretty good, too. I liked it, I just liked the book better.

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

This summer the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee celebrates its 50th birthday. Some would argue this novel is past its prime and is no longer relevant in 2010. I disagree for a number of reasons.

While racial segregation is no longer legal, it is very important to remember that it was around and that the repercussions of its presence are still evident. As well, there are still pockets still evident within North America. We learn from our past and even a fictional novel still helps us to learn for our future, if we choose to.

This is a story told through the eyes of a child. If you ever get the chance to listen to an excellent reader tell the story, and to hear Scout’s voice you will be mesmerized by her 6 year old Southern voice. She captures your heart and imagination as she makes sense of her world, and its racist ways.

There are many web sites and books with summaries and notes about the book. I don’t need to write a summary here.

I'm going to write about my memories. I don’t know what my favourites are. Is it Jem’s brotherly affection for Scout; the perfect blend of love and frustration as well as his desire to grow up and his bitter realization of the hypocrisy of adults? Or is it Dill’s appearance in the cabbage patch, his wild exaggerations of his father and his acceptance by Jem and Scout? Or is it Calpurnia’s motherly love of the children who do not have a mother? Or is it the children’s ability to diffuse the tension at the courthouse on the evening the men come to lynch Tom? Or, is it Atticus’ quiet dignity and absolute expectation of his children to treat all with dignity and respect? Or is it Scout’s acceptance of Boo Radley? There are so many more. Each page is a treat. It is no surprise that Lee won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel, the only one she ever wrote. Horton Foote wrote the screenplay for the movie, which also won many Academy awards.

What’s better the book or the movie? They are both amazing. The book must be read, there are so many parts that the movie just can’t capture. But, the movie is also a must see. Gregory Peck is absolutely amazing, as are all of the other actors. Robert Duvall actually made his acting debut in this movie.

Diana Gabaldon

Diana Gabaldon is an interesting author. She started out working in the scientific field, having earned a Bachelor of Science in Zoology, a Masters in Marine Biology and a Phd in Ecology. She also had a strong interest in history and writing. She wrote her first novel just to see if she could. She often posted portions of it on an internet message board, and ended up publishing in part from the encouragement of those she'd met online. I think she also realized that she did have the talent.
That novel, Outlander published in June of 1991, won a RITA award for best romance novel of 1991. However, the novel is more than romance. It is historical, science fiction, and fantasy. Its depiction of Scottish clan life in the 18th century is detailed and by all accounts extremely realistic. The novel marked the beginning of a series in which there are now 7 books, each a whopping 650 to 800 + pages. They are not trite, nor quick brain candy reads that many equate a romance with. These are great books that get you thinking, keep you interested and focused.

I've met all sorts of people who have read Gabaldon's books, doctors, business people, store clerks, students, teachers, you name them, they've read them. I think that what sets Gabaldon apart from typical romance writers is the incredible quality of writing. Yes, I read romance once in awhile. I like to escape with a fun novel, it's like watching a movie. But Gabaldon's novels aren't your typical escape novels, nor are they your typical quick reads. There are lots of details to remember, the quality of writing asks you to stop and savour the setting and to notice the features of the characters. 
These are well-written books that are hefty and meaty. They last more than a rainy weekend, and I'm glad they do. They just take so darn long to come out in print, so don't get too hooked. 7 novels in almost 20 years. If you read faster than that, it's a long wait.

Thomas Perry

Another favourite suspense and mystery author I really like is Thomas Perry. He has written a series of five books and then a number of stand alone books. His series books are about a character named Jane Whitefield. Jane is a New York lawyer who finds herself helping people disappear. Her escape plans are elaborate and convincing.
Thomas Perry began his career with the novel The Butcher's Boy. This book does the unusual in creating a sympathetic character out of someone we would usually consider the 'bad guy,' an assassin. Some years later, Perry wrote a follow-up to this book, Metzger's Dog, which is also very good.
All of Perry's books are interesting and fun to read. I'm always caught up to his latest releases and waiting for his next publications. Good news Jane Whitefield fans. Perry, who believed that five books in a series were enough, because there were no more things to learn about writing within the scope of a series and about the created characters has changed his mind. It's been nine years since he has written his last Whitefield book, and he's decided it's time to revisit his character. It was released in January and I haven't had a chance to read it yet.I am definitely going to check that one out! 

Lee Child

I've found a suspense author, Lee Child that I'm really enjoying. He's written 14 books thus far and his main character, Jack Reacher is an Military Policeman who is now living the life of a drifter, who is constantly finding himself in the middle of various difficulties. Unlike those mysteries of the week or a Murder She Wrote type of premise, these difficulties involve high stake murders, kidnappings, and other issues that involve suspenseful page turners. Child really writes these thrillers well.
Killing Floor, was the first of Child's books and the others that have followed have been just as good. When I started reading Child's books this winter it was a lot of fun. Now I'm in a bit of withdrawal. I've read all 14 of his books and the next one won't be out until October. It will also be hardcover. I generally make it a policy to wait for the soft cover book. I wonder if I'll be able to wait?

Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery

One of the my all time favourite books is Anne of Green Gables. I don't know how old I was when I first read the book, but I had read it before we travelled to Prince Edward Island, so I know I was no older than eight. I do know that I have read the book more than a dozen times over the years. Some favourite memories of reading the book are the first time, of course. It was an old hard cover, first given to my mom by her uncle on her 12th birthday. The cover is orange and there isn't a picture, but that is what made it so special and grown up.
Anne of Green Gables is a timeless tale. It's a story that makes you cheer, laugh, and cry. There's a bit of suspense, frustration, and worry. I won't write a review, but you can click on the link in the title to read the synopsis. Above all, the book is one that has given me many memories and encouraged my childhood imagination.
One memory of reading the book comes from my seventh or eighth reading. At that time I was completing my teaching internship in a grade five class. Each day, after lunch I got to read to the class. The boys hadn't been to certain about a book with a girl's name in the title, but they'd quickly been won over. All of the students were enjoying the book and I just love to read aloud. We were at the part where Anne had the priviledge of serving tea to the minister's wife. She had been so excited to prepare for the event that she had forgotten to cover the sauce for the pudding. All I can say is that in the turn of the century all sorts of things can happen when food isn't covered properly and the ensuing situation is hillarious. The students and I were laughing so much we all had tears rolling down our faces.
I've read the book many more times since then, and expect I will read it a few more times. It is doubtful that it will ever be retired to the shelf for good.