Canada Reads 5

Finally, nearly a month later, I have obtained and read Essex County, (by Jeff Lemire) the fifth book (and first voted off) in this year's Canada Reads contest. However, it wasn't until I received the book that I realized that I'd somehow only ordered the first volume. Apparently there are two other volumes - which I sadly admit I probably won't get to.

Well, what did I think? It was interesting, to say the least. It was different from a comic book in that it had a hard cover, but other than that it sort of seemed like a comic book. There was even a superhero in it! I think I just don't know how to read graphic novels: I opened the first page to find spare black and white drawings of farm equipment and a little boy. No words. I was sort of at a loss. I could see in a second what the pictures were saying: trying to set the scene in writing would have taken a lot longer to read. But I didn't feel like I really had to stare at the pictures for a long time to get the meaning - I got it and moved on.

At the beginning, I was trying to narrate the book for myself because I'm so used to reading novels with that narrative voice. I was somewhat thrown for a loop by not having one. But that got kind of tiresome: it was like watching an amateur hockey game and doing the play-by-play yourself in your head instead of just watching the action unfold. So it didn't take me long to read because it was mostly pictures, with limited dialogue. I still caught myself trying to describe scenes and feelings as I went through, however. I was trying to put words to the pictures.

Surprisingly, I did get into the story. A little boy goes and lives with his uncle on a farm after his mother dies of cancer. I could see the uncle's emotions on his face as he tried to parent his nephew. In that respect, I enjoyed the pictures. It gave a window on feelings that a writer could use words to hide. It was sort of cinematic. So I did enjoy the story until the aliens showed up at the end. That moment of complete unreality really ruined the story for me. It was so deep and heartfelt before that, so to suddenly introduce this moment of fantasy really pulled me out of the story and detracted from it, in my opinion. It was hard to tell if it was the boy's imagination or if this was really the way that the story was going to go. I felt it took away from the relationship that was developing between the boy and his uncle.

I suppose one should discuss the artwork of the book. It was very spare and simple - just black and white pen/ink drawings. (I suppose - I'm not really in to art.) I would have appreciated some colour. I did like how the flashbacks were done in light grey and with softer lines. Also, the kid's comic book in the middle was very well done. However, I can't say that I would stare at the pictures for hours, as Sara Quinn said she would on the Canada Reads show. They were not detailed enough for me to do that. However, the artist did do a good job of showing place and landscape in his pictures, as well as human emotion. I must say though, that if I didn't know that the book took place in Ontario, I would have thought the farm located in Saskatchewan, due to the expansiveness created by the drawings. Also, my only experience of Southern Ontario was more urban, whereas I associate Saskatchewan with a more rural image. So for me, when I imagined the image colourized in my head, it was the colours and shadings of Saskatchewan that the images took on, instead of those of Ontario.

I did enjoy most of the story of Essex County, but I'm not really interested in reading another graphic novel (or the rest in the series). When I read a book, I want to read it. I want to read words and sentences and paragraphs. I want to marvel (hopefully) at how the author has created the characters or describe the landscape and be swept away into a different world. I like to read the words and then have my imagination take over instead of having the images presented to me. That said, I'm glad I tried it - it was interesting. It was mostly a good story too. Should it have been the pick for Canada Reads? No. But it's good that it was put out there and given some exposure. Maybe some of my readers will try reading a few graphic novels for themselves.

Top Tens

Today I thought I would write about one of my New Year's Resolutions - that of reading more best-sellers. And, fortunately for me, my friend has returned my copy of Entertainment Weekly which has their list of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction books of 2010. This is where I intended to start with my popular books. Unfortunately, I recycled the magazine yesterday and the recycling was taken away this morning.

However, with some searching on the Entertainment Weekly website, I found the fiction list. (And let me point out now that it was much easier to do this with Google than with Entertainment Weekly's internal search engine, which is terrible.) And while searching for the non-fiction list, I realized that I'd recycled the year-end issue in my study recycling box, which did not get added to the rest of the recycling and taken away this morning. Sigh.

Here, without further ado, are Entertainment Weekly's picks for Top 10 Fiction and Nonfiction books of 2010:

Nonfiction
1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
-about a line of extremely virile cells taken from a poor black woman before she died of cancer. These highly fertile cells have helped medical researchers around the world with new discoveries, while Lacks' own descendants suffered the inability to afford health insurance.

2. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
-discusses the time period from 1915-1970 when millions of black Americans left the South.

3. The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddartha Mukherjee
-presumably the subtitle makes the substance of this work obvious.

4. Autobiograhy of Mark Twain by Mark Twain
-again, the title is obvious

5. Just Kids by Patti Smith
-this is also an autobiography, but as I have no idea who Patti Smith is (Entertainment Weekly credits her as being "...the poetry-spouting high priestess of punk..." [Issue #1134/#1135 Dec.24/31, Leah Greenblatt, pg.118]) the subject of the book is less obvious than previous

6. Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
-not a biography! Instead, an apparently well-research book into Egypt's most famous Queen. Is apparently being turned into a movie for Angelina Jolie.

7. Packing for Mars: The Curious Science About Life in the Void by Mary Roach
-about the minutiae of space travel.

8. Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin
-about the 2008 American Presidential election.

9. How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden
-a Jewish woman's travels in Israel as she attempts to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

10. The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey
-like tornado chasers, only for waves. And in a boat.

Fiction
1. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
-a non-fiction account of a polygamist family.

2. Room by Emma Donoghue
-the story of a young boy. But there's a twist: the boy's world is limited to a single room which he shares with his abducted and rape-victim mother.

3. 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective by Garry Trudeau
-a collection from the famous comic strip.

4. The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer
-two Hungarian Jews in Paris during World War Two.

5. Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
-a young man at a Catholic school dies after a doughnut eating contest.

6. One Day by David Nicholls
-the author checks in on two lovers on the same date over a period of 20 years.

7. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
-Vietnam War.

8. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
-about an English-language newspaper in Rome.

9. Rich Boy by Sharon Pomerantz
-the American class system.

10. The Surrendered by Chang-Rae Lee
-a young girl, fleeing North Korea, loses her family and ends up at an orphanage with an American GI.


So, those are the lists! Now, this is my blog, so my rules. I don't want to read all of the books on these lists: 20 books are a lot, especially when there are a lot of other books clamouring for my attention. And I don't want to read books I don't like. Of course I'm trying to broaden my horizons, but there is only so much time to read, after all. And some of the books just don't interest me based upon their descriptions. I'm sure you can tell which ones based on my discussion in the above list. There are some areas of life I'm just not interested in reading about.

Here are my picks for books I would like to read in 2011:

Non-fiction
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, The Emperor of All Maladies, Cleopatra, Packing for Mars, and Game Change.

No surprise that Cleopatra is on the list. I do love historic female monarchs after all! I'm not usually one for medical books, but both The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and The Emperor of All Maladies sound appealing. One a little more human interest, one more history. I've heard that Packing for Mars is a really excellent book, and space travel is fascinating. Who didn't want to be an astronaut when they grew up? Finally, I've wanted to read Game Change since I first learned about it. I'm a bit of a political junkie, and this book sounds really interesting.

Fiction
The Lonely Polygamist, Room, Skippy Dies, and One Day.

I love the "Sister Wives" show on TLC. (New episodes in March!) So there's no surprise that I would pick The Lonely Polygamist. I've also been interested in One Day since I first read the review, and it seems a good time to read it before the movie comes out. (I think Anne Hathaway is attached to star.) I'm not usually into novels like Room, but I think the twist of the narrator will keep it from veering into Oprah's Book Club territory. Finally, Skippy Dies? Where did that come from? You are as surprised as I. I'm going out on a limb with this pick, but upon rereading the description from Entertainment Weekly, it sounds somewhat appealing. I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Now, off to the library to put all my selections on hold. What is everyone else reading that is new and exciting? Any other bestsellers I should check out?

The Honourable

In my English history reading, I have noticed that the aristocrats play just as large of a part as the royals in influencing the history of the country. And, time after time, I have lamented the lack of a good book (or series) detailing the history of these aristocratic families so the historian can see how the 3rd Duke of Such-and-Such is related to the 7th Duke of Such-and-Such, how the Barons So-and-So are related to royalty, and what happened to the title of Viscount of This-and-That.

Aristocrats: Power, Grace & Decadence by Lawrence James, is not this book (or series). But it is an interesting and useful read for anyone interested in the aristocracy and the role they played, as a class, in England's history. The aristocracies of England, Scotland, and Ireland are all discussed in this book.

James divides his book into three parts: Ascendancy (1066-1603), describing the growth and development of aristocratic power in England; Equilibrium (1603-1815), discussing the high point of aristocratic power and involvement in politics; and Decline (1815-current), about the aristocrats' declining role in public and private life in England. James writes about peers in general, but illustrates his discussion with anecdotes about various peers along the way.

Overall, I enjoyed this look into England's aristocrats. While many of aristocrats were bad or foolish men, some were deeply involved in learning, the arts, and sports. After all, no one else had the leisure or wealth to invest in new technologies and decorations. Especially in the Hanoverian times, the aristocrats led the way in setting the fashion for all Brits - in fashion, home decor, and gardening. I was interested to read about the development of the aristocrats and their ties to chivalry and ancient Greek ideals. The "Equilibrium" period was a high time for aristocrats as they became less subservient to the King, developed an interest in politics, and amassed great wealth from overseas adventures. James is obviously a supporter of the aristocrats, which is clear in the last chapter as he discusses the reform of the House of Lords which led to the removal of many of the hereditary peers and the installation of life peers. James is strongly against any further reform to the House of Lords. His point is that life peers are appointed by the Queen and can be from all walks of life (as opposed to elected politicians or even hereditary peers). He argues that this allows the House of Lords to have a different view point on issues from the Commons. It is an interesting argument - and one that you certainly could not have made were the house restricted to hereditary peers!

This book is an essential read for anyone interested in English history and wondering about the role of aristocrats in England's development. It is a good overview of the subject. My only critique is that I would have liked the work to be longer - it is a good introduction but I would have liked to delve into the subject a little deeper. I think an expanded version, with each time period given its own volume, would be about right. However, I imagine that I would be in the minority here and that the shorter version would sell better! Despite that one minor criticism I enjoyed the book and it is a useful and interesting addition to my history collection.

Glass

As part of my ongoing New Year's resolution to read more sci-fi/fantasy, I took a stroll through that section the last time I was at the library. I grabbed three random books off the shelf that intrigued me by title alone. Apparently, however, my memory for book titles is poor, as I ended up grabbing one that I'd already read. It was better the second time round. That is not the book I will be discussing today.

Today's book is the author's debut novel. It is more fantasy than sci-fi, and is cold and haunting. The book is The Girl with Glass Feet, by Ali Shaw. Do you see why I grabbed the book? With a title like that, who could pass it by?

The book is set in the cold and lonely archipelago of St. Hauda's Land, which appears to be north of another highly populated island. While at times I thought St. Hauda's Land read like Newfoundland, I believe the archipelago is a fictionalized version of either the Shetland islands (an island group north of Scotland near to Norway) or the Faroe islands (an island group northwest of Scotland and near to Iceland). Both island groups are remote and northerly, like the fictional St. Hauda's Land.

The titular girl with glass feet is Ida Maclaird. She visited the islands last summer when they were warm and the sky was blue. She has returned now in the cold, grey winter to find a cure: her feet are slowly turning into glass. Ida meets Midas Crook on the island - a lonely and strange young man who sees the world through his camera lens. Ida and Midas form an unlikely bond as she attempts to stop and reverse the growth of glass.

But it is not just about Ida and Midas: Shaw reveals the stories of Midas' father and mother and Ida's father and mother with flashbacks woven throughout. The islands are small, and everyone is interconnected. Decisions made in the past will have implications on decisions made by Midas and Ida in the present. It is not just a story about a girl whose feet are turning into glass, it is a story about St. Hauda's Land and the people who live there.

The story is strange and haunting. The fantasy portions of the novel don't hit you over the head with their uniqueness, but are woven into the fabric of the story. The fantastical is made matter-of-fact. Ida is an everyday, likeable character - except for the fact that her feet are turning into glass. Does she find a way to stop it? I'm not going to give away the ending of the book - except to say that the answer to that question is almost immaterial to the novel. I was not quite expecting the ending that did happen, but looking back at the book I probably should have been prepared.

The Girl with Glass Feet is an intriguing and interesting book. When reading it, I had to keep checking my own feet to ensure that they were not turning into glass. I don't think that this is a book that everyone will enjoy, but it is a good read nonetheless. It piqued my curiosity and caught my attention. I will be interested to see what this unique young writer will do next.

Edwardian Immersion

Now that the Canada Reads shenanigans are over, (yes, I finally have Essex County. No, I haven't started it yet.) I can get back to my regularly scheduled reading. First up - one of the books I got for Christmas: The House at Riverton by Kate Morton.

I had never read any books by Morton before, but she is an excellent author. I really enjoyed The House at Riverton and want to read Morton's other books. Morton really gets the sense of time and place right, and creates nuanced and memorable characters.

The heroine of The House at Riverton is Grace, a young girl who becomes a maid in the manor of Riverton House, in England pre-WWI. The story of her time with the Hartford family is contrasted with Grace in the present-day as an old woman. From the very beginning you get the sense that Grace knows about a terrible secret involving the Hartford family. I had many guesses throughout the novel as to the nature of the secret, but I was completely surprised and shocked by the ending. I will not spoil the ending here, but suffice it to say that you will be amazed.

The House at Riverton was a really enjoyable book. I loved the contrast between Grace as a young girl and the present day Grace. There have been so many changes over the course of the 1900's, and the character of Grace really exemplified these changes. I like how the author paced the story - often revealing important events through Grace in the present day, but not taking us back to Grace's memories of the time period of the actual event until later. I enjoyed knowing where I was going without necessarily having all the details - and then the details changing what I thought I knew about the event.

I thought that Morton's grasp of the time period was excellent - especially Grace's trials and tribulations as a maid. What is funny about that is that in January-February, I was watching the BBC miniseries Downton Abbey on PBS. Downton Abbey is about an aristocratic family in England in the years prior to WWI, and the servants who served them. So, basically the same time period as the initial part of The House at Riverton. It was neat to compare the similarities between the two dramas and know that The House at Riverton got so many things right as it was so similar, in many respects, to Downton Abbey. I urge all my readers to check out Downton Abbey - it is an amazing, wonderful series full of excellent characters and gripping stories. I cannot wait until the second season comes out.

I also urge my readers to read The House at Riverton. It is an enjoyable novel and quite historically accurate (at least according to me!). In fact, you should immerse yourself in the Edwardian period (yes, even though I know George V was on the throne from 1910 on it is still, technically, sort of, the Edwardian period) and watch Downton Abbey and read The House at Riverton. You will not be disappointed!

More Montgomery

As you know, the books that I was reading for Canada Reads did not come in to the library all at once. Instead, they arrived one at a time, with no warning save an e-mail from the library indicating they were ready to be picked up. (Or from a friend - which was great!) And, as we know, one of them did not arrive until just now - I actually picked up Essex County today. Stay tuned.

So what did I read while the Canada Reads books arrived in dribs and drabs? I found that I couldn't really get in to any books, because the Canada Reads books could arrive at any time and I didn't want to have to tear myself away from something really good to read the Canada Reads book. I wanted to give each book the time it deserved. So, this is a perfect time for short stories! You don't get into them the way you do a novel, but they can still help you pass the time while you wait for the other books to come in.

I've posted on here before about how I don't really like short stories, but I realized that's not really true. I like short stories; just as long as they're written by Agatha Christie or Lucy Maud Montgomery! Yes, while we all know Ms. Montgomery as a most celebrated authoress, she was also a very prolific short story writer. And now her short stories have been gathered together in several little volumes for our delight and edification.

(Side Note: according to her journals, Lucy Maud Montgomery went by Maud in the family and was never really called Lucy. Knowing that, it feels weird to be writing out Lucy as her name, because it wasn't really. Although if you look at how she's credited in the books, it's as L. M. Montgomery, which feels better to me than writing out her whole name. And then, of course, she married the minister MacDonald and changed her name - although not on her books. At any rate, if I slip into Maud instead of Montgomery, you'll know who I'm talking about.)

Most of the short stories are collected into books on various themes: these story collections are edited by Rea Wilmshurst. However, there is an older collection of short stories called The Doctor's Sweetheart and Other Stories in which the stories are selected by Catherine McLay. I enjoy the stories in the "theme" series better.

The stories in The Doctor's Sweetheart and Other Stories are still good; I just really enjoy all the different variations on a theme that Montgomery was able to express. Of course, she was not writing the stories to theme, but it is interesting to see how many ways Montgomery can deal with orphans, or ghosts, or weddings. The stories in The Doctor's Sweetheart and Other Stories are arranged chronologically and are mostly about love. I don't like all the stories, but some are pretty good. I quite like the story "Kismet" - it is one of Montgomery's earlier efforts and it is in a different style than her usual writing.

The "theme" series, edited by Rea Wilmshurst, makes for interesting reading. Montgomery wrote a lot of short stories (in addition to novels) and her range and variation of plot and character are amazing. She did recycle ideas: many of the short stories end up as chapters in her later novels, but her literary output was astonishing. It also opens a door into an interesting world: Canada prior to and during the First World War. Most of her stories were written around this time period. I enjoy the thematic grouping of the stories because it allows the reader to see Montgomery's talent to write about similar situations while still making each story unique.

I generally group the short stories alphabetically by title in my bookshelf, as opposed to order in which the collections were published. It makes more sense for me this way, so that is how I'll discuss them here. I don't read every story - some I just don't like, and some are recycled novel chapters (or became recycled into novel chapters) so I don't read those either. However, there still are some excellent reads.

Across the Miles: Tales of Correspondence is a number of stories told mostly by letter or by diary. In these days of virtually instant communication, it is hard to remember that nearly 100 years ago, the main means of communication was by letter. Letters - whether sent immediately, or delayed some years - are the focal point of the stories in this collection. I enjoyed a number of these stories: mostly about women - both young and old - and love. However, my favourites are "Aunt Caroline's Silk Dress" and "The Growing Up of Cornelia". Both stories are about young women: the first about two poor sisters and a special silk dress, the second the diary entries of the youngest of four sisters in a wealthier home.

After Many Days: Tales of Time Passed is about separation from family and home. Again, in those days of limited communication, family members who moved far away from their home could easily lose touch with the rest of the family. Some of the families are separated due to family disagreements. This collection is not one of my favourites, but there still are a few stories that I really enjoy: "The Bride Roses" about a long estrangement between two families and a special rose tree and "Elizabeth's Child" about a young lady who helps to reunite her estranged family.

Against the Odds: Tales of Achievement features one of Montgomery's few stories about the Prairies ("How We Went to the Wedding"). She did spend some time out west with her father and stepmother, but returned home to live on her beloved island with her grandmother. These stories are relentlessly positive and cheerful: no matter how bad things seem, you just have to work hard and you can make it better. Of course, you have to keep in mind the audience of the early 1900's and the publications: Montgomery wrote for a number of Christian publications. I really like the story: "My Girl Josie" about a young woman with a passion for acting and her restrictive grandparents, but the collection contains one of my favourite Montgomery stories: "The Strike at Putney". First published in 1903, the story deals with a group of hardworking church women at a rural church. They are delighted when a noted missionary is able to come speak at the church on a Sunday evening. The minister will be away, there will be no church service, and as the turnout is expected to be quite large, the ladies hope to hold the talk in the church itself. However, the elders of the church refuse: no woman should stand in a pulpit! What can the good church ladies of Putney do? Why, strike, of course! This funny story is a good example of Montgomery's gift for characterization and humour. It is one of her best.

Akin to Anne: Tales of Other Orphans is an especially touching collection to those of us who loved Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. Montgomery examines orphans both young and old in this collection, and their stories are interesting reading. While blended families may be seen as modern, in fact they are not. However, in Montgomery's day, the blending was usually due to an untimely death rather than a divorce. I like "The Running Away of Chester" about a plucky boy and his cruel step-aunt, and "Penelope's Party Waist" - which is very similar to "Aunt Caroline's Silk Dress", above, featuring two poor sisters.

Along the Shore: Tales by the Sea reflects Montgomery's love of the ocean. Florid descriptions of the ocean feature strongly in a number of tales, which the reader can skip as needed. (Which I now often do as I've read the story often enough before.) (Although her descriptions are very lovely, sometimes a paragraph on a sunset is a little much.) I really like "Four Winds", which features another of Montgomery's handsome young ministers and beautiful, aloof women. "The Waking of Helen" is an interesting story with a dark twist at the end. Montgomery is not all sweetness and light, as we shall see.

Among the Shadows is Montgomery's walk on the dark side. She was not an entirely happy person herself, but it didn't come through in many of her stories. This is a collection of her stories about death, drunkenness, and ghosts. I quite like "The Closed Door", about a group of young children and a mysterious house on a mysterious afternoon, and "The Tryst of the White Lady", about a family with a ghost. The story "The Red Room" is another departure from Montgomery's usual style, and is written in almost a Gothic style. It is an interesting little story. It too is one of her earlier works.

Finally, with At the Altar: Matrimonial Tales the collection focuses entirely on stories of love, and stories that end, quite literally, at the altar. It is nice to read a number of stories about love affairs that work out in the end and I enjoyed quite a few in this collection. However, I like "The Pursuit of the Ideal", about Freda and her best guy friend who loves another, and "The Dissipation of Miss Ponsonby", about two sisters who help their old-maid neighbour find a second chance at love. Another story here not written in the usual Montgomery style is "An Unconventional Confidence" about a Girl and a Young Man, and afternoon trapped in a pavilion by a rainstorm. It was published in 1903, and shows similarities to earlier works such as "Kismet", being written in a slightly more impersonal style.

So, whenever you need a small dose of Montgomery, just grab one of her short story collections, and you will be entertained for an afternoon - or until your next Canada Reads book comes in! A quick note now about the photo below: I usually include my cats in my book photos, but when time came to take the photo, not a cat could be found! I suspect they've gotten wise to my little game of taking their photo with a pile of books, and were hiding. Or they were sound asleep under the bedcovers, and I didn't want to disturb them.

And, finally, it's my 100th post today! Thank you to all my readers and commenters: I enjoy our "virtual book club" and our discussions on-line. I have some particularly interesting books coming up, so keep reading for my next 100 posts.

Canada Reads: The Debates - Day Three

Hello and welcome to the last day of Canada Reads! Today is the day we pick the winner. If you want to listen for yourself, please stop reading now. If you want to know, then read on.

The panelists were quite feisty today and it took nearly 20 minutes to get through the introductions as they quickly turned into a mini-debate/pitch session. This is where I wish the format were slightly different: as a result of the lengthy intros, we didn't have time for all the debates later. I don't think that the panelists need a lengthy intro every day - I remember who they were from yesterday and the day before that. A little more reigning in here would have allowed more debate later on in the show.

Perhaps because of the suddenly expanded intro, there was no pitch for the three remaining books: The Best Laid Plans, The Birth House, and Unless. Instead, we plunged right into the debate.

The Debates
Round 1: The Birth House - why aren't we talking about this book?
Ghomeshi began the debates by pointing out that The Birth House has really flown under the radar this week. Cardinal stated that he enjoyed the book, but thought it was regional and folkloric. It was too specific to its region and time period. Further, he thought that the Halifax Explosion would feature much more prominently than it did.

Laraque commented that while he thought the book empowered women, he didn't find that it spoke to men at all. In fact, he wouldn't have finished reading it except that he needed to for the competition. He thought that given the historical nature of the book which portrayed men in a negative light than men would not want to read it.

Travis vehemently disagreed and managed to pick one man who was good in the book. (There are maybe two good men in the book - the rest run the gamut from uninterested in women to actively violent and abusive towards them.) She said that the book inspired women to become nurses and midwives and that the book was about communities. She was saying something about a soldier and a letter from Afghanistan when she was cut off by Ghomeshi.

Ghomeshi said that he found the book powerful, but wanted another man's opinion and asked Velshi. Velshi said he enjoyed it and thought the storytelling was great. He thought that the character of Dora was an "everyman" type of character. Ghomeshi then asked Quin if she had any negative feelings about the book and she said that she was not invested in the characters or moved by their plight. I have to agree: I was not particularly invested in the character of Dora or her experiences.

Round 2: The book Unless has been described as a feminist polemic. Does it still resonate today?
Due to the time constraints, we only had time for two responses here. Cardinal said that the book still resonates (despite being about 7-8 years old) because women still have problems and women's voices are underrepresented. Quin pointed out that The Best Laid Plans also had a strong feminist storyline, and in fact that the remaining books all had a feminist/female element. (My inner cynic would like to point out that the character of Reta Winters - white, middle-aged, wealthy, is not a good representative for the women whom Cardinal spoke about when he spoke about women who don't have a voice. If anything, it is these women who do have a voice and can use it to speak out on behalf of other women who are not so fortunate.)

The Vote
Before the first vote of the morning, Ghomeshi pointed out that the poll showed that Canadians wanted The Best Laid Plans to be the next to go, followed by The Birth House. How would the panelists vote?

Georges Laraque: Unless
Lorne Cardinal: The Birth House
Ali Velshi: Unless
Sara Quin: The Birth House
Debbie Travis: The Best Laid Plans

And we have a Tie! According to Canada Reads Rules, the panelist who didn't vote for the books which are tied gets to vote again. So, because Debbie Travis didn't vote for either Unless or The Birth House, she got to vote again. And, obviously, (because she's not going to vote her own book off!) she voted for Unless and it became the third eliminated book.

The Debates
Round 3: The Best Laid Plans was a self-published novel. The Birth House has already experienced a lot of critical acclaim. Does this David and Goliath situation matter to the voting?
Quin said, no, it's important to know, but it shouldn't matter than one book is already well-known and the other is an "indie". Cardinal agreed. Travis ignored the debate question and said that the Canada Reads novel needs to be gripping and that both books were similar in this regard. She argued that her book spoke to both women and men - although this was after detailing all the ways it was inspiring to women.

Velshi pointed out that the plot of The Best Laid Plans and the actual publishing journey of The Best Laid Plans were similar. The book was about aspiration, but the fact that it dealt with current issues made it more relevant. (By this point, all the panelists seemed to have moved off the original debate topic!) Laraque continued on this theme, and said that he thought about what if everyone in Canada read these two books, what would change? He thought that not much would change for women, since The Birth House described a time when women were much more subjugated than they were today. However, he thought that The Best Laid Plans could be a force for change in this country and inspire voting.

Quin sort-of agreed: she thought The Best Laid Plans could be inspiring, but that it was a faint hope that high school kids would read it. If they read it, kids would like it, but they wouldn't read it. (Again, my inner cynic reminds me that high school kids can't vote [most of them anyway] and that maybe the book should be taught in high school. It's certainly accessible enough.)

Velshi picked up on Quin's talk of inspiration and said that he just wanted his book to inspire people. Travis commented that her book was inspiring women to go into medical fields. She argued that young people were reading her book and that it was the top book club book pick and that women were reading her book. Laraque commented mildly that more women read books than men, so it wasn't surprising.

That line of debate brings up some interesting points that I want to address here. Travis insisted throughout the competition that her book was for women and men, but I seriously doubt that. I don't think that men would be interested in reading a book about birth. Maybe if their wife had gone through it - but otherwise, no. So, it is a "women's book". There's nothing wrong with it being a women's book. But is this what women are supposed to be interested in reading? Because I'm not. Yes, sometimes I'm interested in women's issues specifically, but most of the time I'm not. I just want an interesting story and a good read - it doesn't matter who wrote the book or who the protagonist is. But so many books that seem to be recommended for book clubs (see: Oprah) fall into this "women's book" trap and then I don't find them interesting. I don't think I'm interested in "men's books" - I think I'm interested in "people books" - books by people, about people. But are there "women's books", "men's books", and then "people's books"? Or is it a small niche of "women's books" (that men don't read) and all the rest of the books are "men's books" that both men and women read? I don't think we can answer that question today. But I thought it was something interesting to ponder.

At any rate, I seem to have echoed the panelists and wandered far from the topic of debate!

Round 4: Which book would you recommend to a loved one, and why?
Ghomeshi asked the three panelists without books in the running to answer this question. Cardinal said he'd give The Best Laid Plans to his brother who's running for Parliament in the next election. He thought it would be helpful and that his brother would need a sense of humour if he made it to the House of Commons! Quin said she'd recommend The Best Laid Plans to her father because he'd like it. Laraque also picked The Best Laid Plans because he said the book was about love in Angus's soulful letters to his dead wife.

The Pitch
For the final time, our last two panelists gave their opinion as to why people should pick their book. They each had 30 seconds.

Ali Velshi - The Best Laid Plans
Velshi said that this book was both funny and touching. It was important because it dealt with a current issue. He thought the book was inspirational and would lead to change.

Debbie Travis - The Birth House
Travis said that her book shows that change begins at home. It featured a young protagonist and was inspirational. It shows that women can have a voice and a career. It is a book that all can enjoy.

The Final Vote
For the last time, the panelists marked their ballots for the book they would eliminate from the competition.

Ali Velshi - The Birth House
Debbie Travis - The Best Laid Plans
Georges Laraque - The Birth House
Sara Quin - The Birth House
Lorne Cardinal - The Birth House

And with that, The Best Laid Plans wins Canada Reads 2011!

Velshi was happy and hoped that his book would inspire change. Travis said that she liked the idea of Canada Reads and that she wants books to inspire. Quin said she voted off The Birth House because she felt that The Best Laid Plans best fit the criteria of Canada Reads. Cardinal said he voted off The Birth House because The Best Laid Plans is humorous and Canadians like humour!

And, thus ends Canada Reads for this year. I had a really good time reading the books and writing about it here on the blog. It was the first year I really participated in it, and I enjoyed it. I have become inspired by the competition: I'm going to look up the finalists and winners from the past 10 years of Canada Reads and read all the books. Also, Essex County finally came in to the library so I'll finally be able to read that one too! I hope everyone enjoyed reading about Canada Reads as I did writing about it. I will return with your irregularly scheduled non-Canada Reads blog post in a few days. I hope you will join me for that, and join me for more great novels for next year's Canada Reads.