The Left Hand of Darkness

Don’t tell Trevor and Dennis, but the real reason I joined the podcast was to work through my TBR list. Since getting into women-authored science fiction, I’ve been meaning to read something by Ursula K. Le Guin, a celebrated science fiction and fantasy author who has left an indelible mark on the genre.

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Born in 1929 in California, Le Guin’s literary career spanned nearly six decades producing over 20 novels and 100 short stories. She inspired the likes of Salman Rushdie, David Mitchell and Neil Gaiman and after her death, Michael Chabon referred to her as the “greatest American writer of her generation”. High praise!

This month, the Time to Read podcast is reading her 1969 novel, The Left Hand of Darkness. This book achieved major critical and commercial success, helping to establish Le Guin as a major player in the science fiction field. It tells the story of a human emissary to Winter, an alien world without sexual prejudice whose inhabitants spend most of their time without a gender. The human’s goal is to facilitate Winter’s inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization, but to do so, he must consolidate his own views with those of the culture he encounters. (This is giving me real Octavia E. Butler/Dawn vibes.)

This book won both the Hugo and Nebula awards for Best Novel and has been reprinted 30 times. The literary critic Harold Bloom wrote that “Le Guin…has raised fantasy into high literature”.

While you’re eagerly awaiting our thoughts and feelings on this book, why not check out our latest episode on The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield and find out why we don’t let Trevor choose the books.

And until next time, make sure you find….time to read.

-Toby

Bel Canto

If you listen to the podcast, you’ll know that I’ve committed to doing more re-reading this year. I read a lot of books and, consequently, I forget a lot of books. Even Bel Canto, one of my favourite books by one of my favourite authors, is a vague haze of words that includes terrorists, hostages, Japanese businessman, and opera singer.

Bel Canto was my first introduction to Ann Patchett and the book that put her on the literary map. Published in 2001, it won the Orange Prize and PEN/Faulker Award and was on many top book lists. Set in an unnamed South American country, the novel begins at a birthday party that is at the home of the country’s Vice President. Terrorists break into the party intending to take the President hostage. He’s not there, so instead they take the entire party hostage. One of the hostages is an opera singer, hence the title, which means “beautiful singing”.

This novel was inspired by the Japanese embassy hostage crisis in 1996 and 1997 in which 14 Peruvian terrorists took hostage hundreds of people who were attending a party at the residence of the Japanese ambassador. The situation lasted for 126 days and gained worldwide media attention.

Like French Exit, I am excited to re-read this one, but also a little nervous. What if I don’t like it as much as I remember? What if Dennis and Trevor hate it? Will they let me stay on the podcast? Only one way to find out.

While you’re anxiously awaiting our thoughts on Bel Canto, why not check out the latest episode where we discussed Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice. We were joined by writer-in-residence, Susie Moloney, and for a book about the end-of-the-world, a lot of laughs were had.

And, of course, until next time, make sure you find TIME TO READ.

-Toby

French Exit

I first read French Exit in 2019 and declared it one of my favourite books of the year. But ask me what it is about now and all I can remember was some funny antics between a mother and son and maybe also a cruise ship? I seem to recall that there is also a cat and a clairvoyant…?

That said, I’m excited to re-read French Exit for the podcast this month and find out how much of the above is accurate. Patrick deWitt is a Time to Read favourite. We (though not me, ‘cause I wasn’t on the podcast at the time) read The Sisters Brothers back in 2020. Former host Kirsten loved DeWitt for his lighthouse tattoo and healthy distrust for authority. And just recently, Trevor went on and on (and on) about deWitt’s latest, The Librarianist, on a certain local morning show.

It’s clear deWitt is a force to be reckoned with. Of French Exit, publisher House of Anasi says the book is “brimming with pathos and wit” and calls is a “one-of-a-kind tragedy of manners, a riotous send-up of high society, as well as a moving mother and son caper which only Patrick deWitt could conceive and execute”.

It was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and an international bestseller. It was even made into a movie starring Michelle Pfeiffer.

Will I enjoy it just as much on my second read? Find out next month!

Meanwhile, check out our latest episode on the classic James Baldwin novel If Beale Street Could Talk. It’s a surprisingly prescient book considering it was published in 1974. And until next time, see you on the flippity-flip.

~Toby

Gilead

This month, the Time to Read podcast is tackling (but not literally, although you never know with Trevor…) Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.

If the word “gilead” is familiar to you, it might not be because of this book. Gilead is in another literary heavy hitter – it is the name of the Republic in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale.

But why, you may wonder, is this word featured in both novels? Gilead is an actual place – it is an old name for the mountainous northern part of what is now known as Jordan. Gilead shows up several times in the Bible and some scholars think it means “hill of testimony”.

Literary scholars have likely devoted hours of their time to unravelling what “gilead” means in the context of these two novels, but we don’t have time for that. Let’s just go with both of these books being a kind of testimony – Offred’s in The Handmaid’s Tale and Reverend John Ames in Robinson’s book.

It is 1956 and near the end of Reverend Ames’s life. Ames starts to write a letter to his young son about their family. Ames is the son of several generations of clergymen and his grandfather was said to have had a vision of Christ which led him to come west to fight for abolition. Ames writes about the tension between his father and grandfather and the bonds between fathers and sons. A few sentence summary isn’t going to cut it here. As our good pals at Kirkus Reviews say, this is a novel “as big as a nation, as quiet as thought, and moving as prayer. Matchless and towering.” 

Gilead was a long time in the making. It was Robinson’s second novel and published nearly 25 years after her first one. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 2005 and this novel, along with its three sequels, were an Oprah’s Book Club pic. Of these books, Oprah said:

“Marilynne Robinson is one of our greatest living authors and in the Gilead novels she’s written a quartet of masterpieces. The more closely I read them, the more I find to appreciate, and the more they show the way in seeing the beauty in the ordinary.”

Will any of us like this book enough to read 3 sequels? Find out, on Friday, November 3rd when this episode drops. In the meantime, you can listen to our latest episode on National Book Award winner Hell of a Book. It was that indeed.

Until then, we’ll see you on the flippity flip.

~Toby

Half of a Yellow Sun

Trevor is shirking his responsibility of writing the monthly Time to Read podcast blog post this month in favour of galavanting in the woods. We wish him well and will see him again soon, but for this month, you, dear reader, get a post from another member of the pod, me, Toby.

This month, the Time to Read podcast will be reading and discussing Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Set during the Nigerian Civil War, this novel follows three characters: Ugwu, a houseboy employed by a university professor; Olanna, the professor’s mistress; and Richard, an Englishman in love with Olanna’s twin.

The Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) was between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state that declared independence from Nigeria. Biafra was populated predominately by the Igbo people who felt that they could no longer coexist with the Nigerian federal government which was dominated by the Muslim Hausa-Fulani people of Northern Nigeria. Nigeria ultimately won the war and Biafra no longer exists, but the war’s legacy, particularly as it relates to Igbo-nationalism, continues to this day.

The novel takes its name from the flag of Biafra which was a horizontal tricolor of red, black, and green with half of a yellow sun in the middle black stripe. The eleven rays of the sun represent the eleven provinces of Biafra. This sun image has remained a big part of the iconography of the Igbo people.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian-American writer with an impressive CV. She has published several novels, short stories, essays and a memoir. She was awarded a MacArthur Genius Grand, holds 16 honorary doctorate degrees, and has been nominated for the Booker Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award.

Half of a Yellow Sun, her second novel, was awarded the Women’s Prize for fiction in 2007 (and was later voted the best book to win that prize in its 25 year history), and included in the New York Times’ 100 Most Notable Books of the Year. In 2019, The Guardian ranked it as number 10 in their “100 Best Books of the 21^st Century” and BBC News included it on the list of the 100 Most Influential Novels.

Will we like this book as much as the critics? The episode where we talk about it will be out on Friday, September 1^st. While you’re waiting, check out one of our previous episodes. The most recent one, on The Thursday Murder Club is available here or wherever you get your podcasts. Be warned, that episode contains SPOILERS.

I’m very much looking forward to this month’s read and hope you’ll read along with us.

Trevor always signs off on these blog posts with the podcast’s catchphrase, “make sure you find…TIME TO READ”, but I’m going rogue.  So, uh, see you on the flippity-flip. (Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?)

-Toby

Book podcasts

There’s nothing better than talking about books with your pals, but I may be a little biased. When I’m craving some book talk, but my real-life friends are sick of me, I turn to podcasts to scratch that itch. Here are some of my favourites:

What Should I Read Next?

This podcast is “dedicated to answering the question that plagues every reader: What should I read next?” In each episode, butter-voiced host Anne Bogel interviews an individual about their reading life. The person shares 3 books they love and 1 book they didn’t, and with that information, Bogel recommends 3 titles the reader may enjoy.  

The New Yorker: Fiction

New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman hosts this one in which, each month, an author chooses a piece of fiction from The New Yorker’s archive to read and talk about. Here you’ll get Andre Alexis reading Italo Calvino, Tommy Orange reading Louise Erdrich, and David Sedaris reading Miranda July. A true delight.

Overdue

“Overdue is a podcast about the books you’ve been meaning to read.” Each week, hosts Andrew Cunningham and Craig Getting discuss a title from their backlog. They read everything from the classics to kid’s books and their commentary is astute and funny.

Bad on Paper

Super cool hosts Becca Freeman and Olivia Muenter host this “weekly podcast about books, banter, and the women who inspire us”. Recently, they’ve had episodes on body diversity in books, how books get made, and imposter syndrome. They also do a monthly bookclub episode.

Are you into book podcasts? Tell us your favourites!

~Toby

#BookTok

I’m many years late to the party, but I’ve just gotten into TikTok and let me take a moment to sing its praises. Unlike other social media platforms, it’s not about keeping up with your friends (Facebook) or curating images of a perfect life (Instagram) or being political and smart (Twitter), it’s just pure entertainment and joy.

TikTok is well known for its highly secretive and cannily accurate algorithm that hones in on exactly what you want to watch. And truly, there is a niche of TikTok for everyone. Love funny animal videos or practical jokes? Want to learn cooking hacks or watch science experiments? Are you into ASMR or learning how to do make-up? You can find it all and much much more on TikTok.

Of course, it did not take the algorithm much time to discover my love of books and off I stumbled into the land of BookTok in which content creators make short snappy videos on books “I would sell my soul to read for the fist time again” or “books I read in one night because I have no self control”. I mean, really, how can you resist?

And lest you think BookTok has no bearing on the real world, publishers, book stores and libraries have taken notice. McNally Robinson and Chapters Indigo both feature titles that are trending on BookTok, publishing houses have seen previously little-known books blow up, and libraries have struggled to keep up with the demand for these popular titles.

Here are a few books that are currently trending on the Tok. Though beware, the power of TikTok means they have lots of holds…

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The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reed

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

~ Toby

What Is Literary Fiction?

Literary fiction occupies a strange place in the world of literature. Unlike a mystery, science fiction, or romance novel, where the genre clearly defines the category, literary fiction is a vague descriptor.

So what exactly is literary fiction?

The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction by Joyce G. Saricks says that literary fiction:

• focuses on style, language, and character,
• asks readers to pay attention to how it is constructed,
• approaches subjects with serious intent (though this does not mean literary fiction is without humour), and
• demands a certain focus on realism.

Literary fiction is often the genre that big literary prizes focus on. The Pulitzer, Nobel, Governor General, and Giller prizes are all usually awarded to literary fiction. Earlier this week the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the largest prize for Canadian fiction, was awarded to the short story collection How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa. You can find this title and the other nominees on our Fiction Info Guide.

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Here’s some of my recent literary fiction favourites:

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

This novel follows two light-skinned Black twin sisters: one “passes” as white and makes a life for herself with this new identity, the other lives her life as Black. It is gorgeously written and seems likely to win many awards.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

This is a moody, atmospheric novel that involves a remote hotel in British Columbia and a Ponzi scheme. It is dark and mysterious and hard to put down.

The Overstory by Richard Powers

Ann Patchett called this book “the best novel ever written about trees” and she’s right. This Pulitzer Prize winner is about people whose lives are entwined with trees. It is a heady novel, but beautiful, and you’ll never look at trees the same way again.

Interested in exploring more literary fiction? Check out our new Info Guide for more or fill out a Five-in-Five form to get personalized recommendations from a friendly librarian.

-Toby

Motherhood Memoirs

All over the world women are finding their voices. From speaking out against sexual assault to workplace inequalities, we have reached a point where the great disparities among the sexes are being acknowledged and challenged.  Among these voices, we are hearing from mothers. For so long, there has been such a narrow definition of motherhood. A definition that includes only happiness and baby cuddles and lullabies. But what about those for whom this definition doesn’t fit? What about those, who, when they become a mother, find themselves unhappy or struggle with the immensity of this change? Is it any coincidence that now, when women are making themselves heard, we are seeing such a boom in motherhood memoirs?

Recently there is the Giller Prize nominated Motherhood by Sheila Heti. As with Heti’s other writing, this novel blurs the line between fiction and non-fiction as the narrator, a writer in her late 30’s and in a serious relationship, considers having a child. Though this is a huge, life-altering decision, it is rarely given much critical thought, but Heti’s narrator understands the immensity of this decision and carefully weighs her options, wondering if she’s willing to sacrifice her art for a child, and which is more important.

A lighter read, Meagan O’Connell’s And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready is a less heady, perhaps more relatable book for new mothers. Based on her experience of pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood, O’Connell does not shy away from the messy, ugly, devastating parts of the topic while keeping her sense of humour intact.

In Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy, Angela Garbes writes about women’s bodies through a mix of science and personal experience. Her book offers fascinating facts about the placenta, the transfer of cells between mother and fetus, and the wonders of breastmilk. Garbes encourages women to trust themselves and ask questions of their health providers, allowing pregnant women and new mothers to make informed decisions.

Two classics in the motherhood memoir genre are Anne Lamott’s Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son’s First Year and Rachel Cusk’s A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother. Lamott’s book takes the form of a diary of her first year of motherhood. Told in a sarcastic and witty way, Lamott struggles as a single parent but has a community of friends and her faith to help her. Cusk’s book is more thoughtful and philosophical. She writes about sleeplessness and colic and breastfeeding, but also how to navigate this new identity for herself.

 

Whether you’re a new mother trying to find your footing or a seasoned pro, there is something so satisfying about recognizing your own experiences in someone else’s writing. As women become increasingly empowered to share their truths, I can only imagine the writing that is to come.

-Toby