Michael Crummey was born & raised in Newfoundland, lives there still, and has set all of his meticulously researched novels & collections of short stories thus far in this beautiful, windswept, and harshly-demanding Canadian province.

GALORE is set in the outport villages of Paradise Deep and The Gut, joined by the Tolt Road over the headland between them, in an undefined period that covers most of the nineteenth century and the first few years of the twentieth. The novel chronicles the lives of two rival families (the Sellers and the Devines) for six generations, and I often referred to the genealogy chart at the front of the book, especially during my first reading.

Inspired by the works of Read the rest of this entry »

What are you reading Mondays is hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog

It’s the week of the “Michaels”.

I’ve just finished reading for the second time:
Galore

“An intricate family saga and a love story spanning two centuries…propelled by the disputes and alliances, grievances and trade-offs that bind the Sellers and Devine families through generations.”

Michael Crummey surpasses my (very high) expectations in his third novel about Newfoundland life. I promise a review this week.

I’m currently reading:
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

“Joe Kavalier, a young Jewish artist who has also been trained in the art of Houdini-esque escape, has just smuggled himself out of Nazi-invaded Prague and landed in New York City. His Brooklyn cousin Sammy Clay is looking for a partner to create heroes, stories, and art for the latest novelty to hit America–the comic book.”

Technorati Tags: Galore, Michael Crummey, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize winner, Newfoundland history

What are you reading Mondays is hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog

Noted this week: two classics of 1950s literature (Hannah Fowler, Village School) and the hottest new diet book to hit the pre-publication market.
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What are you reading Mondays is hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog

Completed this week: a fun murder mystery (Taken to the Cleaners) and an exciting recent Canadian entry (Jade Peony). Read the rest of this entry »

What are you reading Mondays is hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog

I’ve just finished reading these. Reviews are coming soon.

1. The Daughter-in-Law Rules
by Sally Shields
101 Surefire Ways to Manage (and Make Friends with) Your Mother-In-Law
“In her hilarious new book The Daughter-In-Law Rules author Sally Shields lays out 101 simple and witty ways to aid wives of all ages in mastering every element of MIL relations.”

2. Galore by Michael Crummey
“An intricate family saga and a love story spanning two centuries…propelled by the disputes and alliances, grievances and trade-offs that bind the Sellers and Devine families through generations.”

I’m currently reading these:

1. Taken to the Cleaners
by Dolores Johnson A Mandy Dyer mystery
Mysteries, especially themed such this one is, are my snack food of reading. My secret vice. This is the first one of this series that I’ve seen. “Mandy is making a go of [her late uncle’s Denver dry-cleaning company]…Then Betty the Bag Lady comes in with a man’s suit, slashed and stained with blood.”

Technorati Tags: The Daughter-in-law rules, the mother-in-law rules, Sally Shields, Galore, Michael Crummey, Taken to the Cleaners, Mandy Dyer mystery, Dolores Johnson

John Payzant was born in Halifax Nova Scotia on Canada’s Atlantic coast. But, like so many Atlantic Canadians, he spent most of his working life in Toronto Ontario as an investment dealer on Bay Street, considered to be Canada’s version of Wall Street.

In 2004, he decided to trade in city life and move to the small town of Lunenburg near his birth city. Lunenburg’s historic waterfront is also on the Atlantic.

Since his city friends thought Read the rest of this entry »