Literary HomeInMyShoes Vote • February 2015

[sun surfer]

Help choose the February 2015 selection to read for the MR Literary Club! The poll will be open for three days and a discussion thread will begin shortly after a winner is chosen.

The vote is multiple choice. You may vote for as many or as few as you like. If you vote for the winner it is hoped that you will read the selection with the club and/or join in the discussion.

The rotating nominator (this month - HomeInMyShoes) may not vote in the poll. In the event of a tie, there will be a one-day non-multiple-choice run-off poll where the rotating nominator again may not vote. If the run-off also ends in a tie then the tie will be resolved by the rotating nominator.


Select from the following works:

Barney’s Version by Mordecai Richler

The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston

February by Lisa Moore

Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels

A Good Man by Guy Vanderhaege

The Grey Islands by John Steffler

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

Kamouraska by Anne Hébert

Kicking the Sky by Anthony De Sa

The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro

Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson

Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richard

No Great Mischief by Alistair MacCleod

Obasan by Joy Kogawa

Sanaaq by Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk

The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence

Two Solitudes by Hugh MacLennan

[Bookpossum]

Sadly my library doesn't have quite a number of the books on the list, so I voted for the ones I can borrow. Being retired, my book budget is limited. Some really interesting looking books there - thank you HIMS.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by Bookpossum

Sadly my library doesn't have quite a number of the books on the list, so I voted for the ones I can borrow. Being retired, my book budget is limited. Some really interesting looking books there - thank you HIMS.

Sorry to hear about the poor availability for you. I sympathize that books in Australia are more expensive compared to the rest of the globe. I am able to borrow 6 of the 8 that I voted for. I already put the Munro book on-hold because I want to read it regardless. Figured I may as well get in line now.

[desertblues]

An interesting list, but I will not be voting. I'm going to Sri Lanka for a few weeks this month so I don't have the time to participate in this selection.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Only about one day left to vote everyone.

I'm afraid that availability severely limited my choice for books to vote for as well. I don't mind reading paper books, even those that I must make a special request for from my local library. However, my library will not be again available to me until April.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Sorry you don't have access to your library for a bit. I would die without my library. I did a quick search of the Philadelphia Public Library's Overdrive catalog and I can't believe how terrible the selection for Canadian authors is. They had two of the selections. They faired better in paper, but still fairly limited. I have always appreciated how good my library is here. Then again, I pay property taxes to the library every year and I am glad to do that for the service they provide the community.

For paper, I like Book Depository and Abe Books. If you live in the US, they both have very good prices and Book Depository has free shipping anywhere in the world.

For example: February by Lisa Moore

The Colony of Unrequited Dreams

I relied on both sites for my challenge last year to fill in a half dozen impossible to get choices.

I am hopeful that if people don't read, it at least open's the horizon to what is available coming out of Canada. We have such a tiny voice on the world stage and it is a shame.

[Bookworm_Girl]

I have access to most when you add in paperbooks at my library and one was audio only. Most certainly you have exposed this American to more Canadian authors. Genuinely much appreciated! I have added several to my TBR list.

[Billi]

Availability at my library was my criteria, too, as all these books sounded interesting. I was once more astonished how well equipped the Berlin library is.

[HomeInMyShoes]

I started my fourth book from the list last night and I am dumbfounded by how I have ignored Canadian authors in my reading up to this point.

I'll have to wait to read the selection that comes through as I'm totally sucked into February now.

[sun surfer]

And we have a tie! I'll have a run-off poll up within a day.

I voted for ten options in this poll - I think that's a record for me for a book club vote, heh.

[HomeInMyShoes]

^Your inability to choose makes me proud. 41 votes from 7 people is pretty high. I am also surprised that Alice Munro didn't walk away with this. I was fearful of that when I included her in the list. I have a feeling the run-off is going to be a runaway, but prove me wrong. I picked both of those to finish fairly high.

I'm also surprised that every book got a vote. I'm glad I didn't waste space on the list which was my worry when it became so long.

I'll add that I have now read three books from the list this year and have started a fourth. All have been very worthwhile.

A Good Man: I really liked the relationship between Sitting Bull and Walsh
No Great Mischief: a tough book to start, but it opens up beautifully
Sanaaq: the Inuit way of life was a joy to read

February: the first twenty pages had me hooked on Helen's story and the next fifty pages made me weepy.

[ccowie]

I've already said that Mercy Among the Children is my favourite of the bunch and had to vote for it, but most of the quick summaries would likely leave me uninterested as well. Next in line Fugitive Pieces is my favourite and I think would be conducive to some great discussion here. I've read it a couple of times and would really like to hear the thoughts of others.
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams is also a wonderful book, but very Newfoundlandish, which may be of real interest to some.
February is beautiful, but I'm not sure I could read it again. It was really sad and had me thinking for months.
I'm just really looking forward to see what it chosen.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by ccowie

The Colony of Unrequited Dreams is also a wonderful book, but very Newfoundlandish, which may be of real interest to some.

This one was high on my list. I watched a TV show recently featuring the people, food & culture in Newfoundland and thought it was fascinating. The landscape was beautiful.

[ccowie]

February is also a Newfoundland story from Lisa Moore, another great author from Newfoundland. I lived in Labrador when I was young and Joey Smallwood, who the Colony of Unrequited Dreams is about was a friend of my father who was a young union leader in the early 60s.