10 Essential Books

Saturday March 24, 2012

Arvida

Thomas Hellman's fifth book in the 10 Essential Books series is Samuel Archibald's Arvida.

Arvida is a real town in Quebec, built as a company town in 1927. 

It was designed to be an ideal community for worker at the nearby aluminium smelter. 

The author, Samuel Archibald, is from Arvida. He mixes fact, fiction and folklore in the book of short stories. 

Click here for Thomas's blog entry about Arvida. 

Listen to Thomas explain why he thinks everyone should read Arvida.

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Categories: 10 Essential Books

 

Saturday March 24, 2012

Fall on Your Knees

To complete the 10 Essential Books list, Monique Polak brings us Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald. 

"Fall On Your Knees is a rare kind of book -- that's because it manages to be both literary and a potboiler. It's no coincidence that  

its author is also a playwright. This dramatic story moves from a coal mining community in Cape Breton to Jazz-era Harlem. At times  

mordantly funny, this book is also tragic, sometimes even painful to read. But once begun, it's impossible to put down."

Listen to Monique talk about the book on Plus on est de fous, plus on lit. (In French)

Listen to Monique explain why she chose this book:

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Categories: 10 Essential Books

 

Saturday March 17, 2012

Selected Stories

This week, Monique Polak has brought us Selected Stories by Alice Munro. 

Alice Munro is the undisputed master of the short story. Each of her  stories conveys an often quiet, but always luminous moment. This  

chronologically-arranged collection allows readers to witness Munro's  development as a short story writer. 

Listen to Monique talk about the book on Plus on est de fous, plus on lit. (In French)

Listen to Monique explain why she chose this book. (In English)

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Categories: 10 Essential Books

 

• March 2012
  • Sat., 24 – Arvida
     
  • Sat., 24 – Fall on Your Knees
     
  • Sat., 17 – Selected Stories
     
  • Sat., 17 – L'Homme blanc
     
  • Fri., 9 – The Stone Diaries
     
  • Fri., 9 – L'énigme du retour
     
  • Sat., 3 – La Charrette
     
  • Fri., 2 – Fifth Business
     
• February 2012
  • Sat., 25 – Anne of Green Gables
     
  • Sat., 25 – Le Survenant
     
  • Fri., 24 – The Columnists
     
  • Fri., 24 – About the Series
     
  • Mon., 20 – Have Your Say and Win!