The Truth About Canada

Some important, some astonishing, and some truly appalling things all Canadians should know about our country - by Mel Hurtig.

Quickie Recap: According to Hurtig, everything, absolutely everything about Canada is horrid and wrong and disgusting - except of course, for this one small (unvoiced) exception - our freedom of speech. But everything else, from our education system to our ability to negotiate free trade agreements, is an utter and complete mess beyond all redemption.

Quickie Review: Remind me never to have this guy over to dinner! Honestly, this book comes off as whiny, petty, and most puzzling of all, pompous. I hated it from the get-go. If Canada was half as bad as Hurtig thinks it is, we'd have been left to die on the side of the road by now. I can't even say that he overstates the facts because he offers them without any context at all. He may say, for example, that our country has fewer acute care beds than country X without ever offering any possible explanations (perhaps country X has a more aged population that REQUIRES this discrepancy?), which is bad science, terrible research, and a huge sin, possibly the hugest, as far as statistics go. I think Hurtig should be a little more grateful to be living in a country that allows blow-hards like him to publish such astonishing loads of crap.

Quickie Recommendation: What, do you really have to ask?

p.s. I've also never read such a complainy book that offers no advice whatsoever towards improvement. What, then, is its point? If you're not part of the solution, Mel, you're part of the problem!

Black Girl White Girl

by Joyce Carol Oates

Quickie Recap: 15 years after the mysterious death of her even more mysterious roommate, Genna embarks on this "text with no title" as an exploration of the racism, both real and imagined, on their college campus in the 1970s.

Quickie Review: I have to hand it to Oates, she doesn't shy away from tough topics. When she begins to touch on the theme of personal attacks vs. racial attacks, she hits on something meaningful. I wished the book would pause and take a more in-depth look. Genna is a rare protagonist; she seems painfully honest in her quest for the truth. But ultimately as the story confuses race and politics, a haze takes over and the story-telling loses its focus and ends, in my opinion, unsatisfyingly.

Quickie Recommendation: Interesting, but not quite recommendable. Yes, I just made that word up. Shut it.

You Say I'm a Diva Like it's a Bad Thing

by Ed Polish and Darren Wotz.

Quickie Recap: A flip book of affirmations for "mommies on the edge, self-styled drama queens, and domestic goddesses everywhere. Featuring full-color advertising images from the 1950s and 1960s paired with sly, laugh-out-loud sayings". Some of them are actually pretty risque!

Quickie Recap: Like the other one, a saucy collection of fiercely feminist declarations paired with kitschy vintage advertising images. Quite possibly more daring and defiant (with a no-fear attitude toward language! nothing is safe!), it ponders the fine points of bitchiness with provocative panache. Walking a thin line between vulgarity and hilarity, how could you not love it?

Quickie Review: Exactly the kind of thing your girlfriends will laugh about, and you'll hide when your in-laws visit, I'm liking this so much I've found some very unique uses for it.

The Ravine

by Paul Quarrington.

Quickie Recap: Phil's life has hit a rough patch and he believes that resurrecting the memory of a childhood "incident" will give him the context and the insight to move on. Not everyone agrees, but they indulge him on his mission.

Quickie Review: We all have that defining moment in our pasts that changes who we are. For Phil, the memory is distorted and painful, but Quarrington is not gentle. He's not afraid to be confrontational, and I think that really drives the story and makes it real. He manages to be whimsical and tragic and mysterious and funny all at the same time. This book is just full of grace. I find that Quarrington writes characters that I really get into. He's got this subtle touch that allows him to channel a character's insecurities and defense mechanisms and show those vulnerabilities without absolutely naming them. It's kind of brilliant. He never disappoints me.

Quickie Recommendation: I'd even take seconds, if only they were on offer.

Remember Me?

A novel by the #1 NewYork Times best-selling author Sophie Kinsella.

Quickie Recap: Lexi wakes up in the hospital and finds that the past 3 years of her life have completely vanished from her memory. Surprisingly, she seems to be living the dream...but she soon finds out that appearances can be deceiving.

Quickie Review: That recap makes me sick. It's so formulaic. To be honest, I think the whole amnesia theme is a bit played out. I only know of Sophie because my sisters have left her stuff lying about, usually on the edge of tubs, which I think is where she belongs. This book was a bit gratuitous. Fluff. Romantic and predictable cheap thrills. The best that I can say is that I think her ladybug dress in the back cover author photo is cute. Heck, I'll even give it a really cute just to show how generous I can be.

Quickie Recommendation: It is what it is.

The Imposter

by Damon Galgut.

Quickie Recap: Adam is a middle-aged dude barely getting by in South Africa when he decides to move to the country and write poetry. Things don't go particularly well until he reconnects with someone from his past who serves as inspiration while entangling him in complications.

Quickie Review: This book definitely has its moments. There's a sinister quality that really succeeds, that really has you waiting for the other shoe to drop. And then there's this backdrop of racial tension, definitions of friendship and betrayal, and a sense of secrecy that pervades the story. All these little pieces are great, but somehow I felt they missed the mark as a whole.

Quickie Recommendation: Good, but not great.

Broken

A novel by Daniel Clay.

Quickie Recap: Reminiscing from the depth of her coma, Skunk recalls the events that led her there: the school bullies, the crush on her teacher, the absence of her mother, the disappearance of her friend, the mystery surrounding her neighbours, all of which conspire to make an 11 year old girl not want to wake up.

Quickie Review: At times, this book was utterly depressing. It's meant to be that way. An 11 year old girl should not be exposed to so much suffering in the world, she should not get to the point where she can't think of anything worth waking up for. But there's something beautiful in her quiet observation, the way her experiences are so pure. I really felt something for this book. I had sympathy for so many of the characters, probably because Skunk does. She feels with such innocence that it really rubs off on the reader.

Quickie Recommendation: Inspired.