Naomi MacKinnon’s Top 10 #GiftAtlantic Books
The thing about making Top 10 book lists is that the books on this list could be different on any given day. The books I choose today might not be the same ones I would choose tomorrow. This explanation is my way of alleviating any guilt I might feel at having to limit my choices.
After a long day of making careful lists, I came up with a list of books I love that should cover a wide range of interests. Now, I can’t wait to read the rest!
Forgotten Nova Scotia
Ted Pritchard and Ingrid Bulmer
MacIntyre Purcell Publishing
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been fascinated by abandoned buildings dotting the countryside. Even as a child I would strain my neck as we drove by old, majestic, deteriorating buildings as I imagined the life they had before everyone left. With this book of “forgotten” buildings, I can look and imagine all I want.
Such Miracles and Mischiefs
Trudy J Morgan-Cole
Breakwater Books
Trudy Morgan-Cole is at the top of her game with The Cupids Trilogy, especially if you like historical fiction. This well-researched book continues the adventure that started in A Roll of the Bones, taking the reader all the way back to the settlement of Cupids Cove, Newfoundland in the early 17th century.
Senior Management
Martha Vowles
Nevermore Press
Many readers will be able to relate to this personal account of Vowles’ experience caring for her elderly parents as they slipped further and further into dementia.
You’ll laugh and you’ll cry as you read this tender story.
Fishnets & Fantasies
Jane Doucet
Vagrant Press
I haven’t had this much fun reading a book in a long time. A sex shop opens up in downtown Lunenburg and hilarity ensues. What I love so much about it is the small-town feel: the nosy neighbours, the married couples, the eccentric singletons – and everyone has a story.
Jude and Diana
Sharon Robert-Johnson
Roseway Publishing
This novel is inspired by a short newspaper clipping about the murder trial of a young, enslaved girl named Jude who was beaten to death in the early 1800s. Thanks to Sharon Robart-Johnson, 200 years later, Jude is no longer silenced.
The Sound of Fire
Renee Belliveau
Vagrant Press
As an alumnus of Mount Allison University, I was excited to read this book. The Sound of Fire is a fictional account of the fire that devastated the male residence at Mt. A in 1941; if the history and humanity of the book isn’t enough to grab you, the fire as narrator should do the trick.
The Town That Drowned
Riel Nason
Goose Lane Editions
This coming-of-age story is set against the construction of the Mactaquac Dam on the St. John River, where the entire community had to relocate so they wouldn’t end up underwater. We see it all happen through the eyes of the young narrator as she listens to the grown-ups talk; gossip, rumours and secrets revealed. A treat to read.
Crow Gulch
Douglas Walbourne-Gough
icehouse poetry
For the poetry-lover, this collection contains the story of Crow Gulch, Newfoundland: the place and its people. Not only will you learn about the place and how it came to be, but you will also learn about the author’s family and the strength of their connection to the land. A personal triumph.
Amazing Black Atlantic Canadians
Lindsay Ruck
Nimbus Publishing
I work in the youth department of a library, so I get to see (and read) many wonderful children’s books, and Lindsay Ruck’s book fits in with the best of them. I wish it had been around when I was younger, but one of the great things about it is that it can be enjoyed and learned from at any age.
I Lost My Talk / I’m Finding My Talk
Rita Joe / Rebecca Thomas
Nimbus Publishing
It’s hard to talk about one of these books without the other – they are meant to be a pair. In response to Rita Joe’s poem, I Lost My Talk, Rebecca Thomas wrote I’m Finding My Talk. Both books are beautifully illustrated by Pauline Young. I think very highly of these books and the value they hold for kids. And, again, I think readers of all ages will discover their value.
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