Canadian Book challenge list posted

I did it! I got 13 books chosen for the Canadian Book Challenge, running from now until July 1 2008.

1. CANADIAN BOOK CHALLENGE Oct 2007 – July 1 2008 (13 books)

- the Penelopiad – Margaret Atwood

- Widdershins – Charles de Lint *

- A Touch of Panic – L.R. Wright

- Emily of New Moon – L.M. Montgomery*

- The Canadian Settler's Guide – Catherine Parr Traill *

- The Writing Life – ed Constance Rooke

- Northern Frights 2 – ed Don Hutchison *

- Bitten – Kelley Armstrong

- Life of Pi – Yann Martel

- A History of Reading – Alberto Manguel

- Still Life – Louise Penny *

- Piece of My Heart – Peter Robinson *

- The End of Elsewhere – Taras Grescoe *

I've been really good, only one book is a reread - Emily of New Moon - the rest are new books to read! I'm actually excited about this list, and with Canadian books it can be hit or miss. Much of Canlit I don't like - my mother read Miriam Toews 'An Complicated Kindness" which she said 'finished like a typical Canadian book'. I have yet to read it, and would have put it on my list but my sister-in-law Kim currently has the book. Most of the authors I have here I love - Charles de Lint is one of my favourited fantasy writers, Margaret Atwood was my adolescent introduction to adult Canadian fiction when I read 'The Edible Woman' while on summer vacation at a cottage, but I don't like all her writing. I love LMM Montgomery and would have put Anne of Green Gables on the list only i discovered I don't own it!!!! Yikes, one of my all-time favourite children's book growing up......I have the other two - Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island - in the original covers that I discovered the series in, so I want Anne of GG in that series, and I guess I haven't found a good enough copy yet. It is a good feeling to know that I had to leave some books off the list! Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay, and his Sailing to Sarantium series (I read book one, haven't read book 2 yet).

Of the ones I've chosen, Louise Penny is getting good reviews for her mystery series, of which Still Life is the first one.

I forgot Giles Blount!!!! My mother is buying the latest one for me for Christmas!!! Uh oh, there may be some tinkering with this list, and the 888 challenge, then, since I love Giles Blount! If you haven't read 40 Words for Sorrow (the first one in the series), then I highly, highly recommend it. Wonderful series set in a fictional town in northwestern Ontario.

Dragon Charmer by Jan Siegel.......the Benny Cooperman mysteries.......there were lots more that I would have liked to put on my list. No Logo by Naomie Klein, which I really want to read, but don't own yet, and until my LSS gets a new contract, I can't add too many books I have to buy. There's always the library, but I confess I like to own books. It's one of my few vices, but as my sister Patricia can say, you can get me into a bookstore, but you can't get me out of one!!!! My eldest son used to cry as soon as we crossed the threshold of one, when he was a baby.

So, as dinner calls - our two year old - wants ketchup with his spaghetti! yecch! - I hope you find some new Canadian authors to read from my list. Happy reading!!