This Week in Canadian Reads (January 2020)

The inaugural “I Read Canadian Day” is just over a month away, on February 19, 2020. Are you planning on participating? Although this day is geared towards young Canadians reading Canadian books, I think Canadians of all ages should be encouraged to participate. What do you think?

Here are a few books for all ages I have read recently that you might like to read on that day.

Picture Books

Nonfiction

“Lines, Bars and Circles: how William Playfair Invented Graphs” by Helaine Becker; Illustrated by Marie-ève Tremblay

I never really thought about it, but I guess someone had to invent graphs. Becker does a good job of describing Playfair’s journey to the invention while interspersing it with historical goings on.

Fiction

“My Winter City” by James Gladstone; Pictures by Gary Clement

In this poem, a boy and his dad and dog have some winter fun.

This year we have had a really mild winter, so we haven’t got much “winter fun” in this year. Still, I can relate to many of the scenes in the book.

Middle Grade

“A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying” by Kelley Armstrong

You might not realize that Kelley Armstrong has a new middle grade series, and this one, the first book, debuted in 2019.

12 year old Rowan is set to be queen, and her twin brother Rhydd is supposed to be the Royal Monster Hunter. Neither twin, however, enjoys their role. When an accident switches things up, it is up to Rowan to prove herself. The book is full of imaginary creatures, such as jackalopes, gryphons, and pegasi. 

I am looking forward to book 2 of this series, set to be launched in June 2020, and am hoping it’s as good as the first.

You can take this quiz, if you are interested in Armstrong’s books, but not sure where to start.

Graphic Novels

“The Adventures of Superhero Girl” by Faith Erin Hicks; colours by Cris Peter

I have been a fan of Faith Erin Hicks ever since I read her middle grade trilogy “The Nameless City”. Though “The Adventures of Superhero Girl” is a little bit of an older read (first published in 2013), I highly recommend it. It’s laugh out loud funny, and I appreciate that it’s set in Canada. Check out “The League of Villainous Canadian Stereotypes”! 

Young Adult

“The Move” by Lori Wolf-Heffner is the first in the “Between Worlds” series.  According to an article on Wolf-Heffner’s website, “Between Worlds” is “…a series of books combining her family history in Europe after WWI and the life of a young dance student in Kitchener today…”

I met Wolf-Heffner at a workshop in December 2019, and I was intrigued when she talked about her family’s history. I am enjoying the dual storyline of one main character who is moving to present day Kitchener, a city I am very familiar with, and another who is living after WWI in a small town in Hungary that is about to be handed over to Romania. Can you imagine?

Adult (Memoir)

“My Father, Fortune-tellers, and Me” by Eufemia Fantetti

I first saw the author of this memoir talk at Wild Writers Literary Festival in November 2019, and I knew I wanted to read the book. Fantetti is the daughter of southern Italian immigrants, and her mother has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and her father clinical depression. Because of this, Fantetti has had to live with the effects of her adverse childhood experiences. The book is never too heavy though. It is as funny as it is heartbreaking.

Poetry (Young Adult, Adult)

“When You Ask Me Where I’m Going” by Jasmin Kaur

As the first poem about skin made me cry—this is something I would be excited about too—I knew it was going to be a book that resonated with me. Watch this video for an example of one of Kaur’s poems.

Do you have a Canadian book that you would like to add to my list?

Shoe’s Sunday Stories

@Copyright 2020 Linda Schueler

Advertisement