What I have been waiting for

Last night I got to attend the Kama Reading Series again, with superstar readers Lawrence Hill, Anand Mahadevan, Kelley Armstrong and Miriam Toews. It was such an impressive assemblage, though I must say the ladies stole the show. I hadn't heard of Armstrong before, but she really took that whole "I write vampire fiction" thing and ran with it-- she was fabulous. Truly, I don't get enough vampire fiction. And then Miriam Toews-- I've only ever read her incredible memoir Swing Low: A Life, which is one of very few books that have ever left me sobbing. So I knew she was a good writer, but I hadn't yet been exposed to how funny this woman is. She was hysterical, deadpan, right-on, and I could have listened to her read for ages. I would like to pay her to sit in my house and entertain me. And now I absolutely have to read her fiction-- what have I been waiting for?

This week I've been reading Geek Love by Katherine Dunn, and getting ready to tack a huge stack of periodicals that have arrived in the post. Also enjoyed rob mclennan's essay "Rereading Sheila Watson and Elizabeth Smart at the Garneau Pub, Edmonton".