February 15, 2010

Canada Reads 2010: UPDATE 5

This week, Wild Geese went in at third in my personal rankings (so far). Charlotte Ashley is reading Canada Reads and Canada Reads Independently together, this time with Good to a Fault versus Hair Hat. Of Hair Hat, she writes: “Carrie Snyder showed an especial talent for directing me to the very heart of a character with a mere observation of his or her lifestyle…  Snyder’s short, sparse book sparkles…” Melwyk reads Wild Geese and attests to its force: “I have to say this was a really uncomfortable read for me. In style, it was very much of its time, something I am used to reading in New Canadian Library selections. But it had a dark energy, a sexuality and a violence which was disturbing. Caleb literally made my skin crawl…” August Bourre determines that Ray Smith’s Century is ” just a spectacular fucking book.” Indeed! Julie Forrest reviews Moody Food to find that it “perfectly captures the experimental headiness of carefree youth… But it also strips away some romantic notions of the age, and exposes the limits of idealism, and the cost of chemically assisted creativity.” And Buried in Print with a take on How Happy to Be, which I’m going to be rereading next…