The Canada Day long weekend is almost upon us... and you know what that means: an entire extra day to kick up your feet, pour something strong in your morning coffee, and read! Even if you aren't in Canada, I hope you have some time to yourself to relax and pick up a good book.
Below are two of my book recommendations with short reviews.
Small Beneath The Sky by Lorna Crozier
This lyrical memoir, written by one of Canada’s celebrated poets, is set in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. The language used to describe the Prairies is so precise that you feel the light, the wind, and the dust. You don’t have to know Saskatchewan to appreciate Crozier’s exploration of how we are shaped by the places we are from.
Each chapter is written almost as if it could be a standalone story and reveals her skill with form. If you are a writer of creative non-fiction, this is a book worth studying. For instance, one chapter is titled “Spit” and is comprised of seven definitions of the word interspersed with her own life story.
If you appreciate language or if you have a longing for home (wherever that may be), you’ll love this book.
Disinherited Generations: Our Struggle to Reclaim Treaty Rights for First Nations Women
While we may be marking Canada’s 150th birthday this long weekend, the truth is there have been people on this land for millennia.
This book is an oral autobiography of two remarkable Cree women: Nellie Carlson and Katheleen Steinhauer as told to journalist Linda Goyette. These two activists fought for treaty rights for their generation and for their descendants; this book tells their lifestories against a complex, problematic (and indeed, ongoing) situation.
If you’re interested in Canadian history and learning about some of the other side of #Canada150, this is book well-worth reading.
Looking for a few fiction suggestions? Check out Robert Kroetsch’s What the Crow Said and Diana Davidson’s Pilgrimage.
I’d love to know what books you recommend!
Wow....thats indcredible..its good to read..good ideas are always on steemit..but please share with us the best books which you think will possibly be of help to us...do recommend
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I'm actually reading Warbreaker by my boy Brandon Sanderson, and really enjoying it thus far. I had to put it on hold for now, steemit and other work obligations getting in the way, but I can't wait to get back to it.
You got me interested in Small Beneath The Sky, added it to my want-to-read list. :)
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Haven't heard of Warbreaker--but I'll go look it up!
If you're into language, you'll like SBTS. In the first part of the book she describes light so precisely but with words used for water... it's just so amazing.
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I am someone who reads mutiple books at a time. So, currently reading Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie, Tick-Tock by Koontz and Warjuna by Krishna
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Ha, reading more than one book at a time stresses me out!
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I get to take a break between each one of them when I reach a part that is a little interesting:) I do the same while watching movies/tv series haha.
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Great picks -- I'd love to check out the book on Treaty Rights for First Nations Women. Thanks for the recommendations :)
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Did you ever end up reading Pilgrimage? Another good book that adds to that conversation.
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Not yet -- but it's definitely on my 'to-read' pile!!
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Currently reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck.
Thanks for sharing, I might add Disinherited Generations to my reading list. I'm not from Canada and know very little of the indigenous history. But i'd like to find out more about it.
The outline sounded similar to the story of an Australian indigenous rights leader called Eddie Mabo who campaigned for land rights in the High Court here.
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Canada's treatment of Indigienous peoples has been criminal. I'll look up Eddie Mabo.
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Your post reminded me I wanted to re-read A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. Weekend sounds like an excellent time to start. It’s been so many years I have forgotten it.
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That's been on my radar but I haven't read it. I'm guessing it's worth it since you're giving it a re-read (and it's Hawking).
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a good post Jessica - two books I haven't read ...yet :)
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What are some of your faves?
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I've been reading Let Us Compare Mythologies by Leonard Cohen and Camus, Essays Literary and Critical. Also just finished reading Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
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