July looms on the horizon....
June 29, 2007
W ent back to the Ghazal form for this week's "sorbet" as I am still intrigued, confounded, thrilled by the idea of five or six two-line stanzas only related by a thin emotional thread.
I'm leaving the list up for a little longer. It's a good list, which I used last week... I bought Gibb's Sweetness in the Belly. And, I found a Havana Stingy Brim, straw hat for the summer!!! The Roar Spoken Word Festival crew met this week and things are afoot. I started a ROAR group on FaceBOOK. And I am also a proud member of the Plimpton Society, a group of miscreants who hold Plimpton (flawed as he was) up as a close to ideal “man.” This group is the brain child of the fabulous Todd Babiak. More later.....
You can still use the handy contact page on this site to add your summer read…We want to know!!!
The 2007 Writer, Gardener, Failed Buddhist Summer Reading list
Spider’s Song (Young Adult)
Anita Daher
Spider's Song is an insightful, suspenseful novel that will strike a chord with many teens.
Racing for Diamonds (juvenile adventure)
Anita Daher
Readers aged 8-12 will enjoy the fast-paced action and unusual setting of Racing for Diamonds (Orca, 113 pages, $8 paperback). On the Mcnally Robinson best seller list!
To the Castle and Back
Václav Havel
“As in all of Havel's work, To the Castle and Back is a series of nested enigmas: He is simultaneously the playwright, the character, the director and the critic. One suspects that he is actually unable to conceive of writing without postulating an audience; that is the very nature of the way in which he conceives of writing as a public act, as action.”
The Book of Mary
Gail Sobat
A “BRAVA,” witty, fast-paced, entertaining romp through the life of Mary of Nazareth,(Including bits and pieces of the life of Jesus, but mostly his Mama.) In the tradition of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, Gail succeeds, beautifully, in giving readers an enthralling back-story to a tale we already know.
The Garneau Block
Todd Babiak
Winner of the City of Edmonton Book Prize, long-listed for the Giller Prize. A great read! And well, Todd is one of the coolest guys we know. (He and Raving Poets host Mike Gravel are the two coolest cats in Edmonton.)
The Book of Stanley
Todd Babiak
Available August 21st, 2007. Satirical, fantastical, filled with humour and pointed observation about organized religion in the modern world, The Book of Stanley is a provocative comedy about life, love, and devotion in all its guises.
Five Weeks
Patrick Pilarski
Patrick’s new chapbook to be launched this summer. A perfect mid-summer read. A mix of Haiku, Haibun…very clever, touching, poignant.
Platform
Michel Houellebecq
"Just looking at the cover, you can tell this will be a great summer read -- there is a picture of a bikini-clad girl on it, and the book features lots of steamy sex in hot places. Plus, Houellebecq is easily the best and most famous of all living French authors and is sadly overlooked in North America, which should be rectified."
Deniro’s Game
Rawi Hage
The first ever, “Edmonton Reads – one city, one book”. Edmonton Public Library has brought in 400 extra copies of the book…bookstores have stocked up, and Mr. Hage is going to be in Edmonton October 2 for readings (I know the Raving Poets Band wants to jam with him). Short listed for the Giller and the Governor General’s literary prize.
Three Cups of Tea
Greg Mortenson
A true story about a man spreading peace, one school at a time – set in Pakistan.
Monkey Dancing
Daniel Glick
A father and two kids, and a journey to the ends of the Earth.
Home Schooling
Carol Windley
Shortlisted for the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
A collection of seven outstanding stories, each set against the rural landscape of Vancouver Island and the cities of the Pacific Northwest. In these stories the memories and dreams of characters are examined, revealing them to be both cages and keys to the cages.
Words Like Ashes
Poets Ink!
Tim Cusack, Joanne Osborne-Paulson, Glen Kirkland, Darlene Spong Henderson, and Andy Michaelson released this fine collection of poetry a month ago. Find out more at poets ink!
The History of Love
Nicole Krauss
What a book!
Lullabies for Little Criminals
Catherinje O’Neill
This Book will Save Your Life
A. M. Homes
Music for Torching
A. M. Homes
The Occupied World
Alice Major
In this brilliant new collection, Alice Major’s poems concern themselves with human occupation: how we occupy cities; how we occupy ourselves as citizens, workers and thinkers; how we occupy mythologies and metaphors; and how we occupy the passage of our lives.
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage
Alice Munro
What the Stones Remember – A life Rediscovered
Patrick Lane
"His lyric, seemingly effortless observations of living things drenched in light and water are mesmerizing. But like the hidden vodka bottles that surface in his garden like stones in a field, potent memories rupture the serene present."—Quill & Quire, starred review
Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Wendy Morton
Her memoir, 6 Impossible Things Before Breakfast was published in 2006 by emdash press. It outlines her journey from private eye to poet to WestJet’s Poet of the Skies, Daimler Chrysler’s Poet of the Road and how she took poetry public across Canada. Her memoir is her journey into believing the impossible, and making the impossible come true for any dreamer.
Motherless Brooklyn
Jonathan Lethem
Sweetness in the Belly
Camilla Gibb
Wicked
Gregory Maguire
On Beauty
Zadie Smith
Airborn
Ken Oppel
Whale Song
Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Both adults (especially women) and YA will enjoy the the emotional and somewhat controversial tale of a woman haunted by her mother's assisted suicide. Made Amazon.ca's bestseller list 4 days after official launch and received a rave review by NY Times bestselling author Luanne Rice!
Doubting Yourself to the Bone
Thomas Trofimuk
Globe and Mail top 100 must read for 2006. Chopping wood as grief therapy. Cavorting with Buddhist monks as therapy. Lots of drinking. Buy ten copies.
Om Mani Padme Hum
12 Comments
1. Mike had this to say: Jun 17, 2007 ~ 21:54 ~ #
A great list, and thanks for the suggestions. I haven’t read a novel in months. Time to get back to business.
Thanks, Thomas.
2. Thomas had this to say: Jun 18, 2007 ~ 08:20 ~ #
Thanks Mike,
In retrospect, I should have asked permission up front to publish who recommended the books. Now, I know Hilary won’t mind (she’s my agent out there in Toronto), and she recommended Motherless Brooklyn, by Jonathan Lethem, Sweetness in the Belly, by Camilla Gibb (which I just picked up myself and will likely be in my personal pile), Wicked, by Gregory Maguire, and On Beauty, by Zadie Smith. So, here’s what a Toronto literary agent is reading this summer….it makes the list more interesting if the books are attached to people. Next year.
T
3. Anita had this to say: Jun 20, 2007 ~ 07:16 ~ #
Terrific list, Thomas! I shall take it with me the next time I am to my favourite book store (McNally’s). I’ve just returned from a wee journey, during which I read several books. One, Driving Minnie’s Piano (a memoir) is a wonderful sharing of self and life wisdoms by Nova Scotia author/surfing nut Lesley Choyce. I think you might like it, Thomas.
4. Anita had this to say: Jun 22, 2007 ~ 04:58 ~ #
Oooh! And Art Slade’s Megiddo’s Shadow (YA). It’s the story of a boy from Saskatchewan who lies about his age in order to enlist as a soldier during the first world war. It’s a rollicking adventure well told about a boy and his horse, but also heart wrenching in places. Even better, it is inspired by the true story of Art’s grandfather.
I know, I’m late for story recommendations, but that’s the way my brain works. It spits out bits I’ve been searching for usually past the time I need them. I will likely be weeding my garden later and think of something else. If I remember to weed my garden…
5. Mike had this to say: Jun 29, 2007 ~ 09:35 ~ #
Thomas,
You forgot to close an @<em>@ tag in the Monkey Dancing entry. It’s rendering the rest of the page in italics. Just an FYI.
6. Anita had this to say: Jun 29, 2007 ~ 09:37 ~ #
Thomas, after today’s lovely Sorbet, I think I finally “get” this Ghazal you’ve been speaking of. A thin emotional thread. Yeah, I get that. Thin, but powerful.
7. Thomas had this to say: Jun 29, 2007 ~ 13:39 ~ #
That’s Mike!
I fixed it.
Thanks Anita,
I actually got stopped by the second stanza of the ghazal today…in a re-read, and have now changed the order….so there’ s no confussion.
8. Mary Pinkoski had this to say: Jul 03, 2007 ~ 08:50 ~ #
Thomas,
I would like to thank you for yet another sorbet which implements your daughter in some form. Good God Man! find another muse before she begins to suffer from poetic explotation. haha…ok i am just teasing. i was doing that mostly for effect, especially the exploitation part. I really do actually like the ghazals and you are getting really good at them.
Anyway, I had the fortune of purchasing the 52nd Poem prior to your announcement that it would soon only be available in off-sales out of the trunk of your minivan after Chapters had closed for the evening. And, since I am in the habit of telling you where I finish your books (i.e. Doubting in Kitsilano), I thought I would let you know that I finished 52nd Poem on the road up to the Miette Hot Springs this weekend with Rachmaninoff playing on the CD. It is not often that I finish books in opportune places, but I think I finished both of yours in perfect places.
Well that is all. Hope you are having a good day. Talk to you soon,
m.
9. Rosemary Wilson had this to say: Jul 04, 2007 ~ 06:39 ~ #
Thomas,
I am very interested in being a part of the Roar planning group but haven’t heard back from you yet. Do you need help or should I forget it????
Rose
10. Thomas had this to say: Jul 04, 2007 ~ 11:24 ~ #
Rosemary,
You’re in. Will be sending out minutes anc a critical path tonight….We need loads of help.
T
11. Thomas had this to say: Jul 04, 2007 ~ 11:39 ~ #
Mary,
I know, I can’t stop writing about my daughter…..sad isn’t it….She seems to be all right about it….for now.
And Miette Hot Springs is the perfect place to finish The 52nd Poem. (the Rachmaninoff is a bonus!) I hope that you continue your tradition of reading my books in the appropriate places….and especially finishing them in the perfect place…You’ll be in southern Spain for the new book, drunk, perhaps naked…looking forward to hearing about that!!! Make sure your passport is current.
best
thomas
12. Rosemary Wilson had this to say: Jul 05, 2007 ~ 07:58 ~ #
You must add Wally Lamb’s – She’s Come Undone to your summer reading list! It’s fabulous.