Canadian Authors- Some of My Favourite Books

Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians! I hope that you are getting nice weather where you are!

In past years I have shared my favourite books written by Canadian authors, as well as books written by Canadians that are on my TBR. I have decided to do the same thing again this year but I will write a separate post soon featuring Canadian authors on my TBR. I was worried that I wouldn’t have any new favourite Canadian authored titles to talk about this year but I was thrilled to find that that wasn’t the case. I also remembered a couple that I read years ago and have never talked about. Let’s get in to it…

Women Talking by Miriam Toews

Women Talking is based on a real life Mennonite community, and the sexual assaults that occurred there. Miriam Toews gives the women of this community a voice in this novel. There is something so powerful about feeling like you are sitting in the room with these women, trying to decide what to do next. When this is the only life you have ever know what do you do- leave, fight, or do nothing? Miriam Toews grew up in a Mennonite community, so it makes reading this novel that much more compelling knowing that the auther has some inside knowledge.

All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews

Another Miriam Toews novel! I have just fallen in love with her writing in the last year, and I hope to read everything that she has written. All My Puny Sorrows is an interesting look at sisterhood, and how far we are willing to go for the ones that we love. Our main character wrestle with some moral and ethical dilemmas. This is a novel that does not have much of a plot, but the characters themselves propel the story along. It is very powerful!

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel

I feel like I talk about a Sylvain Neuvel novel every year, but how could I not?! The Test is only 112 pages, but it does some interesting and powerful things in those few pages. You think you know where the story is going to go but trust me.. you don’t! I have heard it compared to Black Mirror, and from what I know of the show, that seems like an apt description. Such a great little book with a lot to say!

North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both by Cea Sunrise Person

If you were a fan of Educated by Tara Westover or The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, I think you will enjoy North of Normal. Person shares stories of her unconventional childhood living in the Canadian wilderness. All she wanted growing up was a traditional family and a normal life. There were moments where she thought she was getting just that and then it was taken away. It was interesting to see her reflect on this time in her life now as an adult, and to see how her childhood continues to impact her adulthood.

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Brian K. Vaughan is American, but Fiona Staples, who does the illustrations for Saga, is Canadian. The illustrations in Saga are quite incredible! I, like so many others, absolutely love this series of graphic novels to the point where I can not bring myself to read the last volume. I was devastated to hear that it was going on an indefinite hiatus!

A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout

I am shocked that I haven’t talked about A House in the Sky in past Canada Day posts! It is a memoir that I read many years ago and still think about from time to time. Amanda Lindhout was a television reporter when she travelled to Somalia and was abducted. She was held hostage for over a year, and shares her harrowing story in A House in the Sky. Her kidnapper was recently sentenced to fifteen years in prison- here is an interesting article in case you are curious.

The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan

To tell you the truth, I hadn’t realized that Cathy Marie Buchanan was Canadian until very recently. I read The Painted Girls years ago and adored it! It is a beautiful historical fiction novel set in Paris in the late 1800s. It is the story of two sisters and the different paths that they take after the death of their father. From what I remember, dancing and art is an integral part of the story- something that I love to find in fiction. This is one that I would love to reread at some point.

I say this every year, but I am so proud and blessed to be a Canadian and I want to get better at supporting Canadian authors! What is your favourite book written by a Canadian?