Monday, January 18, 2010

Canada Reads 2010: Independently UPDATE 2

I'm going to be reading Carrie Snyder's Hair Hat in just a book or two, which I'm looking forward to, particularly to seeing how another collection of linked stories compares to Century. Perhaps the most frustrating thing about this kind of exercise is having to compare books that are worlds apart, and yet it is looking for commonalities that opens up all kinds of avenues that might not otherwise be explored. It is definitely, I think, a worthwhile exercise.

Though it's going to be tough-- last year, when I read the Canada Reads books, at least I had the benefit of hating one book, and not being terribly impressed by two others, which made deciding my favourite not altogether difficult. Probably my feelings towards this year's picks are going to be a little more passionate, and rankings will be infinitely more brutal to decide.

My other updates are fairly close to home-- my husband is currently reading and loving Moody Food. This week, my mom has read How Happy to Be and Wild Geese, and was pretty crazy about the latter. Steven W. Beattie dares to offer a bit of support to Ray Smith's Century with a wonderful comment on my review. Century champion Dan Wells' responds to my Century reaction. And I know some other marvelous readers with the Canada Reads Independently stack just ready to be delved into; are you one of them?

If you're reading along, do email me your reactions to the books and I'll include them in the weekly updates, or leave a comment on the blog. And stay tuned for details of how to vote for your favourite Canada Reads Independently pick to decide who comes out on top.