Storm Glass - Jane Urquhart

The Basics: Storm Glass, Jane Urquhart, 1987, 127 pages, hard cover

How I found it: I was desperate for something new to read so I went on a binge reserving books at the library. I searched for a few of my favourite authors (Urquhart being one) to see if there were any of their works that I hadn't read. This was one of them.

What's it about?: This is a collection of short stories. Some of the stories are grouped together in sets with similar themes, such as the five stories under the "Five Wheelchairs" heading, and the seven stories under "Seven Confessions". Overall the stories have nothing to do with each other and take place in different time periods with different characters and tones.

Did I like it?: This is one of Urquhart's earlier work from the time when she was primarily publishing poetry and it shows. Like a lot of Margaret Atwood's early work, it is very angsty and self-consciously arty with confusing plot twists and purposely ungrammatical sentences. As a result, I found it a bit annoying and amateurish compared to her later works and didn't enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed her novels.

Will you like it?: I would only recommend this book to hard core Canadian Lit fans, otherwise, please, please, please go pick up The Whirlpool, The Underpainter, Map of Glass and especially the Stone Carvers. They are all phenomenal and much better that these short stories.

But don't take my word for it: The usual from Amazon and her wikipedia page are all I could find.

Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures - Vincent Lam

The Basics: Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, Vincent Lam, 2005, 353 pages, paperback, winner of the Giller prize.

How I found it: My mom read it for her book club and when I arrived to stay with her I found it waiting on my bedside table.

What's it about?: This is a collection of short stories about becoming and being a doctor. It is also about relationships evolving over time, coming of age, and related themes. Lam also tackles the stereotyped issue of Asian immigrant parents and their expectations for their children and the SARS epidemic in Toronto.

Did I like it?: Despite the gross-out factor (for me) of all the medical stuff, I really liked this book. The short stories all involve the same set of characters, and over time, I came to identify with most of them. Since all of the stories were interrelated, the book did read a bit like a novel, and as a result, I was eager to see what happened to each of the characters so I read it quite fast.

Will you like it?: This book has had a lot of critical acclaim, and rightly so. It is well written, has compelling stories and characters, and provides insight into something most of us don't know too much about - what it is really like to be a doctor. I was surprised with how much I liked it, as I had thought it wouldn't be my 'thing'.

But don't take my word for it: The usual collection of professional reviews and reader reviews from Amazon, one from Toronto's NOW Magazine, a review from the online January Magazine, one from the blog The Library Ladder, and the author's official website.

Moral Disorder: Margaret Atwood

The Basics: Moral Disorder, Margaret Atwood, 2006, 225 pages, hard cover

How I found it: This is Margaret Atwood's latest work, so I read it as soon as I could get it from the library. If it's by Margaret Atwood and it's fiction, I am required to read it.

What's it about: This is the latest of Atwood's short story collections. All the stories in this book are about the same woman, similar to the way David Bezmozgis structured Natasha. The stories are sometimes told in the first person and sometimes in the third person and range in the period in which they take place. This is the life of one woman from early memories to old age and much in between (but not told in that order).

Did I like it?: Like much of Atwood's work, I loved it. I flew through this book in only a few days. As usual I found I related easily to the protagonist and was interested in her life and the lives of the people around her. Atwood's prose has not diminished as she ages either, and as expected, she is brilliant. The only small quibble I have is that Atwood draws on the same scenarios again and again - the scenario of her childhood: the summers spent in a backwoods cabin while her father studies insects, the often distant older brother, the feelings of isolation and not relating to the city children each fall. We can't rehash the plot points of Surfacing, etc. repeated, although with different characters. It gets a bit old. That's a minor point though - I can't think of anything else to complain about.

Will you like it?: As with some of Atwood's book, this one takes being a woman to fully understand it. It's fairly accessible to the casual reader - it has none of the poetic or academic devices found in some of her books. It is very straight forward, and well written. A good one for book clubs.

But don't take my word for it: The usual round-up from Amazon.ca (including one disgruntled reader review and what looks like a literary review of the audiobook version), one from the Guardian, one from the London Times, and one from the Washington Post.

Natasha and Other Stories - David Bezmozgis

The Basics: Natasha and Other Stories, David Bezmozgis, 2004, 147 pages, hard cover.

How I found it: This is another Canada Reads book. This one is being defended by Steven Page (of the Barenaked Ladies).

What's it about?: This is a collection of semi-autobiographical short stories about the same family told in a sequential manner so that it resembles a fragmented novel. The family here is a Jewish Russian family that immigrates to Toronto. The stories are told by the family's only son, Mark and they trace his life from the time they arrive in Canada to his early adulthood. In this sense it is also a coming of age book.

Did I like it?: I am a sucker for stories about immigrant children. There is something that is just so quintessentially Canadian about them. Therefore I was bound to like this book for that reason alone. That is not the only reason to like it, however: it is exceptionally well written, it takes you inside the unique culture of Russian Jews, and it seems very genuine. As I read it I really began to believe that the characters were real and that this was a memoir, not a work of fiction.

Will you like it?: So far this is my favourite of the Canada Reads books (though I have yet to read two of them). Bezmozgis has been hailed as the next big thing by a lot of big literary magazines and I believe it. He is a great writer and I flew through this book in under 48 hours. His characters and his prose really sucked me in.

But don't take my word for it: A collection of editorial reviews from Amazon.ca, a couple glowing reader reviews, a more critical review from Pop Matters, and one from Small Spiral Notebook (an alternative literary journal).