Spring Ahead with These 8 Staff Book Recommendations

While it doesn’t always feel like it (three days of snow at the end of February?!), spring is right around the corner. We thought we’d give you a kick-start on your spring reading by rounding up some staff favourites of late. Whether you’re looking forward to a little free time during a March Break holiday or simply curling up weeknights before bed, we’ve got a few great recommendations to add to your “To Be Read” list. (And be sure to read to the end for our latest Project Profile and this month’s Mondegreen.)

Steffani Cameron recommends On Writing by Stephen King

In the last few months, I have been returning to read Stephen King’s On Writing, as I consider it one of the greatest books I’ve ever read about how to write and why to do certain things or not. For style, language, clarity, and motivation, it’s simply the most plain-spoken and effective book on the craft out there. I’ve never done much schooling on the writing front, and a book like King’s makes me glad I didn’t. He’s very good at helping its reader understand it’s a big world of language and style, and there’s no need to homogenize your approach or your language to suit what’s taught in class. Case in point, I often start sentences with And or But and most editors would cringe at it, but it brings a conversational and down-to-earth tone that’s in keeping with who I am.

So, I’d recommend it to anyone who makes a living writing or would like to do so. Or just people who like a good read. It’s both.

Michelle Clough recommends River God by Wilbur Smith

River God is a perennial favorite, one I pull out of my shelf and reread in patches at least once a year. The story is set in the twilight years of the Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, around the time of the Hyksos invasion, and told through the eyes of Taita, an improbably talented eunuch slave.

I was always going to love this book because I adore Ancient Egypt, but for me, River God also hits that sweet spot of genuinely good melodrama; yes, everything is a little over the top and broad strokes, but it’s all done so compellingly that you find yourself being swept up in the grand emotions of it all, particularly the poignant love story subplot. It also does a great job of getting into the mindset of an Egyptian man over 3,000 years ago, and it doesn’t shy away from showing the very different morals and values, particularly in relation to women’s rights, slave ownership, racism, etc.

Be warned that the sequels are a mixed bag. Seventh Scroll is a pretty cool adventure tale about archaeologists discovering Taita’s work in the 20th century and seeking the tomb he built; it’s fun Indiana Jones fluff. Skip Warlock and the other direct sequels, however; they definitely lose something over the original.

Carolyn Vetter-Hicks recommends The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

I read a lot. Constantly. It’s my way to chill out after a full day, when everyone is tucked in bed, and I can just escape for a while. I’m also still hooked on paper and can’t seem to adapt to e-readers!

As I hope to one day break into the world of youth fiction writing, I read a lot of this genre; it’s fun and takes me back to those wild and awkward days! One of the latest novels I read is The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. My 15-year-old daughter Adrienne also read it and we both loved it! It’s not very often that we can both say that about the same novel!

The novel is narrated by Hazel, a 16-year-old cancer patient, who falls in love with a 17-year-old former cancer patient named Augustus Waters, a handsome jock and amputee. The two meet at a cancer support group. The conditions that bring the two together are so sad and they are the most unlikely pairing of Juliet and Romeo, that it makes their love story hilarious, impossible, incredibly sad, and inspiring. Both Adrienne and I read this one in record time and closed the book thinking, “What a great story! I wish it wasn’t over.” It is so unlike any teenage or adult romance story we’ve ever read. The characters had so much going against them, but, in the end, found each other and embraced every moment together. I won’t give away any more of the plot, but it’s a big recommend from mother and daughter.

Alison Cairns recommends Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber, and Life with the Tree-Planting Tribe by Charlotte Gill

I couldn’t read this book fast enough. Reminiscent of John Vaillant’s The Golden Spruce (another favourite), Eating Dirt tells the story of one full year of tree-planting in the 20 year career of author Charlotte Gill. The description of her year forms the narrative arc, while interspersed are fascinating tidbits about the logging industry, thoughts on environmentalism, the types of characters you encounter in the bush, on the camps, in the remote outposts where tree-planters are so often based. Having spent one season planting trees in northern British Columbia, I was instantly transported back to that time – the brutal conditions, the long and isolated days, but also the friendships and the satisfaction of doing something so hard core – and frankly the constant inner debate about whether what it is you’re doing is good for this planet or entirely the opposite of that. Gill describes this internal conflict with a beautiful literary style, humour and amazing detail.

Kim Downey recommends The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver

Lionel Shriver’s 2007 novel, The Post-Birthday World, poses a question we all ask ourselves at one time or another: What if, at one specific moment in our lives, we had made a different choice? Irina McGovern lives with her partner, the intellectual and responsible Lawrence, in 1990s London. One summer night, she is tempted to kiss a friend, professional snooker player and all-round party guy, Ramsey Acton. In alternating chapters, the story imagines two possibilities: one in which Irina fights off her temptation, and one in which she succumbs to it. I have always enjoyed books and films that tell two (or more!) stories in one (think Sliding Doors, Groundhog Day), but what differentiates The Post-Birthday World from other “what if” stories is that Shriver never telegraphs what she believes to be the “right” choice for Irina, thereby challenging the reader to make that decision for herself.

Rachel Moffat recommends The House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III

The House of Sand and Fog isn’t new, but it’s still a great read. The characters are deeply flawed and seem bent on making ever poorer decisions as the story progresses. By telling the story from multiple perspectives, Dubus allows us to understand why each character behaves as they do, and how their individual beliefs, motivations, and backgrounds inevitably lead them into conflict. It’s a page-turner that will leave you by turns sympathetic and frustrated, but always entertained.

And to close, two quick recos from Siri Arnet:

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Neuromancer by William Gibson

Happy reading everyone, and happy spring!

Project Profile: Rise of the ESports Hero

Rise of the ESports Hero is a fascinating look at a world many didn’t even know existed, that of professional video game players. It’s a high-pressure, high-stress, and highly paid career for the gamers that’s also a growing spectator sport. We were thrilled to caption this show and to have peered into the intriguing world of pro-gamers; we know you will enjoy it too. A big congratulations, too, to Rise of the ESports Hero on their recent Impact Award nomination! 

This Month’s Mondegreen

 

 

We enjoy a good Mondegreen as much as anyone! But you can relax in the confidence that, at Line 21, we work very hard to ensure we never create Mondegreens out of your dialogue.