Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by the wonderful Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm.
I can not wait to see everyone’s posts this week. It will be interesting to see where we are all from. This prompt made me realize that I have not read a lot of books set in Canada. I do not know if that it because there are not a lot of them, or if I just don’t know about them.
The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill
The Lonely Hearts Hotel was the best book that I read in 2017 and it is one that I continue to think about. It is set in Montreal and is so atmospheric that the city itself feels like its own character. Montreal makes for an amazing backdrop to a story, especially one that is set in the early 1900s.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
You have to mention Anne of Green Gables when talking about books set in Canada. It is set on Prince Edward Island, which is very lush, and the way Anne describes it is magical. Anne loves her surroundings so much that it makes the reader fall in love with it as well.
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
All My Puny Sorrows is set in both Calgary and Toronto. The main character spends much of the book travelling between both cities. She has different attachments to both and describes them in great detail. Seeing the world from her point of view was one of my favourite things about the novel.
The Birth House by Ami McKay
The Birth House is set in Nova Scotia during WWII. I have read numerous WWII fiction novels but this is the only one set in my own country. It was an interesting perspective. McKay’s writing is descriptive and it is evident that a lot of research has gone in to this historical novel.
Boat People by Sharon Bala
This is a fiction novel that is based on a true event involving a boat of refugees from Sri Lanka that ends up on the shores of Vancouver. It is an important look at immigration and it told from three different perspectives. I highly recommend this one and wish it received more attention.
Have ye read Rilla of Ingleside? I think that is one of the better books I have read about life on the homefront during war. And of course it takes place in Canada 🙂
x The Captain
I haven’t! Thanks for the recommendation. Going to look in to it!
I’m off to add The lonely hearts hotel to my wishlist 🙂
Yay! It’s such a fantastic book!
I just bought The Birth House and can’t wait to read it! I’ve never heard about The Boat People but I’m interested now!
Awesome! I excited to see what you think. The Boat People is very timely and an interesting read.
Oh! I could have done this one! “A Place Called Winter” by Patrick Gale, “A Tale for the Time Being” by Ruth Ozeki, “The Cat’s Table” by Michael Ondaatje (although it is only partially there, and I haven’t finished reading his book that is only in Canada – “In the Skin of a Lion”), “Hag-Seed” by Margaret Atwood, and “The Shipping News” by Annie Prolux!
Of course, I don’t live in Canada… so…
Awesome!! I haven’t read any of those but going to look in to them. I am the worst Canadian- I have not read Margaret Atwood.
I haven’t read the Anne series yet, but I bought the whole collection at an antiques store last year and plan to this summer. SUPER excited! My mom and I used to watch the movie TV series with Megan Fellows — LOVE!
Anne is the perfect summer read. Can’t wait to see what you think! I adore Megan Fellows. Have you watched the TV show Reign? She makes that show!
She does?!?!? Oooo … I haven’t but I might need to now haha
I’m still slapping myself for my stupidity of forgetting to add Anne of Green Gables to my list!!! How could I have forgotten that?!?! It’s like Canadian required reading – hell! I’ve even been to the site in PEI!!! So stupid…. lol
Shanah! How could you?! I’m so jealous that you went to the site. I don’t have much of a bucket list but that is definitely on there.
Great post! I need to read Anne of Green Gables! I am now reading Canadian Louise Penny mysteries and I am loving them. I really do not want to list 5 books from my country. I would really be in this never-ending loop of trying to choose between Tolstoy, Pushkin, Dostoyevsky, Pasternak, Bulgakov, Turgenev, etc. 🙂
Thank you. I have heard great things about Louise Penny. She’s definitely in my list! Hahaha it is easy to guess where you are from!
Great list! The Birth House sounds SO interesting!
It truly is. I have read a few of her novels now and her stories are always interesting!
I read SO MANY Anne of Green Gables books as a kid, I think my mom had the whole series in her personal library.
Aren’t they so good?! Reading them feels like getting a hug.
I loved The Boat People! I had the opportunity to hear her speak at The Read for Cure event. So interesting.
Yes! I love finding other people who love The Boat People. I would love to learn more about the author.
I’ve always loved Anne of Green Gables.
The best!
I loved Anne of Green Gables. Great list.
Thank you!
Have you read Alias, Grace by Margaret Atwood? It’s brilliant, and it’s set in 1800s Canada. I think it really benefits from the fact Atwood is Canadian, too.
I haven’t! It is on my list though! I never realized it was set in Canada.
Awesome list! Anne of Green Gables is perfect for this!
Thank you! Anne came to my mind immediately!