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BOOK CLUB
BookClub
Canadian Living staffers love a good book— and we know you do, too! Here’s our roundup of new titles to warm you up during these cold winter months.
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The Dictionary of Animal Languages FICTION (VIKING) BY HEIDI SOPINKA, $25.
Ivory is in her 90s and still working on a project she began in Paris before the Second World War. She records and transcribes the wordless communication of animals, in part for
because it’s a natural extension of her beginning as an artist painting animals at the zoo. The novel jumps back and forth as Ivory remembers her unconventional life—and a past that inserts itself sharply into the present when she discovers something new about her history. It’s not a quick read, but the time you spend on these superb passages is well —AD The Chalk Man FICTION (DOUBLEDAY CANADA) BY C.J. TUDOR, $25.
This debut novel is cunning, compelling and decidedly creepy. I was swept up in the plot, which begins in 1986, when adolescent Eddie is hanging out with his friends and devising a secret code using chalk
until someone uses the symbols to direct the kids to a dismembered corpse. Alternating chapters bring us up to 2016, when adult Eddie receives a letter containing a single chalk man. It’s time for Eddie to face not only his own secrets and sins but also those of his friends— and family. —SM
Educated MEMOIR (HARPERCOLLINS) BY TARA WESTOVER, $23.
Growing up with doomsday-believing parents who didn’t trust the government meant that Tara Westover never stepped into a classroom or saw a doctor and was completely isolated from mainstream society. She devoured textbooks when her dad wasn’t watching and transformed her scarily sheltered, sometimes violent, upbringing into unbridled success, eventually earning her way into Harvard and Cambridge universities (which came at a big familial cost). Fascinating, at times frustrating and ultimately inspiring, this book is a testament to willpower and freedom in knowledge. —SC
Reader REVIEW
Flavia de Luce is a first-class addition to the hallowed pages of adolescent detective fiction. Our other faves? Harriet the Spy, Encyclopedia Brown, The Hardy Boys, The Diamond Brothers, Nate the Great and, of course, Nancy Drew. —SM
The Sworn Virgin FICTION (WILLIAM MORROW) BY KRISTOPHER DUKES, $20.
Set in the mountains of Albania in 1910, this novel shines a light on a little-known custom of this Balkan culture, which allows women to take an oath of virginity and live with the
to men (such as working for a living, being the head of a household and carrying a gun). Though focusing on a fading tradition, this beautifully writ-
decidedly contemporary themes about feminism and gender roles. —NATALIE, MISSISSAUGA, ONT. WANT TO JOIN OUR READER REVIEW PANEL? EMAIL US AT CL.READERS@TVA.CA. The Great Alone FICTION (ST. MARTIN’S PRESS) BY KRISTIN HANNAH, $35.
Sometimes, Leni feels like her mom is her only ally against her increasingly
post–Vietnam War PTSD (although, other times, she’s too forgiving of his outbursts). When he moves the family to northern Alaska, well beyond the edge of civilization, his instability parallels the untamed locale, where they
protect themselves against predators. It’s a terrifying and unpredictable
has the spirit to survive or neither she nor her mother stands a chance. —SC
FEATURED FAVOURITE
The Grave’s a Fine and Private Place FICTION (DOUBLEDAY CANADA) BY ALAN BRADLEY, $30.
If you haven’t met preteen sleuth Flavia de Luce, you’re missing out on one of the most engaging detectives ever. Canadian-born author Alan Bradley releases his ninth novel featuring this intrepid, incorrigible, irresistible heroine on Feb. 3, and once again, we’re drawn into the nostalgic world of the postwar English village that Bradley brings to life. This time around, after a family tragedy, Flavia seeks solace on a punt down the river with her beloved friend, Dogger, and discovers—what else?—a dead body. —SM
READ SUZANNE’S Q&A WITH AUTHOR ALAN BRADLEY AT CANADIANLIVING.COM/BRADLEY.
OUR STAFF REVIEWERS
Alexandra Donaldson loves reading literary fiction, essay collections, dark humour, Canadian authors and magical realism. This, and the fact that she’s one of our resident fashion editors, makes her the closest thing we have to Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
Sara Cation has wept-in-public her way through a litany of literary heartbreaks, from The Little Prince to A Little Life, but she’s buoyed by the humour of Shteyngart and the prose of Safran Foer. She’ll read anything set in North Korea or India but never touches self-help books or cheesy romances…not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Suzanne Moutis almost always has her nose in a book, be it Golden Age mystery, Second World War history or Hollywood tell-all. She unapologetically loves Regency romances and young adult fiction but flatly refuses to read anything that will make her cry.
Hot Reads Start your year off right by delving into these must-read nonfiction books that have a knack for tackling some of life’s easy—and most difficult—challenges.
Editor’s PICK
The School Year Survival Cookbook COOKBOOK (APPETITE) BY LAURA KEOGH AND CERI MARSH, $30.
Consider your weekday meal conundrums solved. The School Year Survival Cookbook delivers with options such as baked oatmeal cups for the morning, quick curried chicken and grape pockets for lunch and an end-of-day sweet potato and apple soup that’ll leave enough time to help get homework done. The book is also packed with sanity-saving solutions for all your lunch-box woes, dinner dilemmas and meal-planning pickles. You can forward your thank-you notes to Laura Keogh and Ceri Marsh. Grief Works BEREAVEMENT (DOUBLEDAY CANADA) BY JULIA SAMUEL, $30.
We all deal with the death of a loved one at some point, but in Grief Works, author Julia Samuel wonders if we actually really deal with it. Through individual case studies, Samuel, a grief psychotherapist, opens the doors on the feelings we most
comfort and a new perspective on death to those living through a bereavement.
The Inviting Life HOMEMAKING (APPETITE) BY LAURA CALDER, $30.
Books about home management are usually broken down into categories: design, budget, food. But in this one, Laura Calder skilfully unites the whole experience under the umbrella of homemaking and happiness. Everything from hosting a dinner party to storing your linens to the right furniture for your abode is detailed with love, humour and a hefty dose of reality—because not everyone has a Pinterest-worthy space.
The LifeChanging Magic of Tidying Up ORGANIZING (TEN SPEED PRESS) BY MARIE KONDO, $20.
Since every new year brings with it the urge to organize, this tome by Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo has pride of place on our nightstands. Kondo believes that decluttering your home will change your life, and while
great advice, such as throwing away items that don’t “spark joy,” getting rid of all papers and folding your clothes like sushi.
YOU COULD WIN!
Head over to canadianliving.com/contests for your chance to win one of four winter-reading prize packs, including a Penguin Random House tuque, a mug and a copy of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and to subscribe to the Penguin Random House book lover’s newsletter.
No purchase necessary. Contest ends Feb. 1, 2018, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Contest is open to all legal residents of Canada who have reached the legal age of majority in their province/territory of residence at the time of entry. To enter, visit canadianliving.com/contests. Correct answer to mathematical skill-testing question required. Odds of winning depend on the number of online entries. Visit canadianliving.com/contests for eligibility requirements and complete contest rules.
health hack of the month CITRUS BATH SOAK
While a bath in Epsom salts is our go-to for soothing sore muscles and stiff joints, the addition of citrus essential oils takes soaking up a notch by imparting an uplifting aroma that may ease anxiety and stress.
If you have the time, incorporate a muscle-soothing & fitness health soak into your postworkout routine.
