We were at a Canada Day party recently (well, on Canada Day, duh) when a friend asked me what my favourite book was. And then LISTENED FOR A RESPONSE. A brave man, our friend. Or perhaps really, really bored. Asking me about books is like asking our spaniel about food. Specifics don’t matter. The answer is YES YES YES, GIMME GIMME, MORE MORE MORE.
Their culinary standards are lower than low. If it is, was, or might be edible, it’s good enough for them.
My favourite book of all time is, of course, Barbara Kingsolver’s Poisonwood Bible, for many reasons. (Ask me, next time you’ve got a couple of hours to kill.) But I’ve read many other good ones lately. Last night, I finished The Marriage Bargain, by Jennifer Probst, and it was great! (I’m fond of her publisher, for reasons I will announce shortly. Stay tuned, fans.) I enjoyed Goodnight Tweetheart, by Teresa Medeiros – it’s a good story, AND I learned a bit more about Twitter. Sworn to Silence, by Linda Castillo, is a great, gripping thriller set in Amish country.
And then of course… there’s the Shades of Grey trilogy. I read the first two, grudgingly, as research. (It’s true! I’ll tell you more about that soon, too.) But I confess that part of me wanted to know just what all the hoopla’s about. Literary pop culture; I like to have one section in Trivial Pursuit that I have a chance at winning!
I won’t add to the plethora of scathing criticism about her wordcraft. (I try not to say bad things about other writers… we have feelings, you know.) It’s not my favourite book, HOWEVER, Ms. James has done a great job creating a multi-faceted, tortured hero in Christian Grey, so props to her for that.
Anyway… it’s time to get back to work. But I’m curious: what are you reading right now? What’s your favourite book of all time?
Love Notes from the Lake
Get Roxanne’s latest news here!
Related Posts
Dallas meets The Thorn Birds, anyone? Don't get the reference? Don't worry, you probably don't have grey hair yet! [...]
Picking up the Pace We all know the breathless feeling that comes from a story picking up the pace. Your[...]
Rock Stars I've been publishing novels in the women's fiction (which sometimes includes romance) genre since 2012. And that[...]
6 Comments
Comments are closed.
My Sister’s Keeper. At least I assume so, I cried for days afterwards every time I thought about it.
And here I thought it was something I said!!
I love this question, as you know! I’m dutifully reading Stephen Finucan’s “The Fallen” and waiting for the rush to kick in. Dutiful because it’s one of last Year’s top 40 Canlit selections for fiction since 2000. Waiting because, to be fair, I’m only on chapter 2. The writing is fantastic so far but I just can’t keep track of the characters so far. ALSO I’m reading poetry by Lorna Crozier–specifically “What the Living won’t let Go” and I’m about to start “The Tempest” because Shakespeare in the Park is one of the best things about summer in Edmonton. Thanks for asking!!!!
Oh, I knew YOU’d respond, Ang! I’m reading We Have to Talk About Kevin right now because of you. Well, I started it. I read as much as I can handle, then switch to something lighter. It’s so beautifully written but such disturbing content.
Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. A super-fast read, and really fascinating fiction re: young man with autism who witnesses a murder, told in first person.
Karen Connelly: The Lizard Cage. I cannot escape this book, although I read it years ago. Entire novel occurs in a prison cell in Myanmar. Violent, despairing, beautiful “hymn to human resilience”.
Why yes, this certainly is a question that deserves far more room and time!
Ooh, loved Curious, really neat book. I haven’t read Lizard… books on despair often make me feel, well, desperate, so I have to be in the right head-space to handle them.