Canadian Women Writers

Yesterday was Canadian Thanksgiving and I'm ending the week with a trip to Quebec, so let's take a moment to appreciate our favorite Canadian women writers. I am obviously a huge Margaret Atwood fan, counting her in the Bookhive Pantheon, and I have a post on Alice Munro coming up later this week.

But what about some more contemporary/younger/lesser-known Canadian authors? Check out this nice round-up from CBC.

This list from National Post includes the usual suspects (AM and MA) along with men, but it has a different perspective as it lists authors to be read by Canadian students. It skews a bit younger and has a few I'd never heard of before, along with a very old-school pick, L.M. Montgomery.

Bookhive Afield: Up North with the Book Club

I spent a restorative weekend Up North with my book club, and even found time to squeeze in some reading. We talked about Wolf Hall (our September selection) for less than five minutes and enjoyed some incredible rambles through nature, along with lots of food, booze, and extreme canoeing. I share this not because I assume it's of particular interest to anyone, but because I think it makes for a really good excuse for my blog neglect. Look how relaxed I am in that hammock! That lady has no time for Squarespace metrics...

Bookhive Afield: Portland, OR and Powell's

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I headed to Oregon recently for my sister's wedding. The wedding was in Corvalis so I was very lucky that I got an afternoon of exploration in Portland before my official MOH duties started. I visited Powell's Books in the Pearl District the last time I visited, and I could not wait to get back there.

Size-wise, it compares to Strand in NYC or John King in Detroit, but what I especially love about it is how wonderfully organized and well-laid out it is. I enjoy an enormous bookstore as much as the next literary hoarder; it can be really pleasurable to get lost in a sea of shelves and discover something you didn't even know you wanted. But on the other hand, book stores are a rarity these days, and for them to serve any practical function in an urban environment, folks need to be able to find what they're looking for. Powell's gives you the best of both worlds; it's a several story building, with different genres on each floor, so it's not hard to find at least the vicinity of what you're seeking, and it's just as easy to wander as you please.

I'm also impressed by how not-seriously they take themselves. That sounds like serious shade so let me clarify: so many bookstores put themselves up on pedestals because books are an expensive luxury (unfortunately) and reading is for serious, smart people (or something like that). Powell's seems to remember that reading is meant to be pleasurable, as is shopping for books, and they have no shame in stocking their shelves with toys, games, stationary, and other nifty book-adjacent merchandise. They have a nice cafe upstairs, a huge selection of magazines, and they devote fairly equal real estate to each genre. If you were a hardcore fan of sci-fi or fantasy, for example, this is the bookstore for you. 

I saw a copy of Marilynne Robinson's Gilead on sale on the very front table, so I snapped that up quickly and then wandered with my husband, who has never been. He wanted to check out some comics, so I found myself leaving with a copy of the complete Persepolis book, which I've been meaning to buy for a long time. I left with a Powell's tote bag too, natch.

I don't get to visit my sister and beautiful Oregon often enough, but I already can't wait to get back to Powell's, and I hope that someday I find myself in Portland with a few hours to just soak it all in.

Bookhive Abroad: Stratford, Ontario

I just arrived back home from a really lovely and rewarding weekend in Stratford, Ontario, home of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. The company that puts on the festival every summer is known as being one of the absolute best, second only to the Royal Shakespeare Company, and they really delivered on that promise. Ever since I moved to Michigan I had been implored by people to go check it out, but didn't get around to it until this year, 11 years into my Michigander-hood, but I was compelled by the schedule this season, which included "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "King Lear." Two very different plays, and two very different interpretations, but both were excellent and made for a really enjoyable weekend. The beautiful sunny weather, the delicious poutine, and the lovely public gardens surrounding Lake Victoria rounded out an excellent trip, and the fact that it was a roadtrip with good friends only helped.

Obviously the highlights of the trip were the incredible performances, but what really made it special were the small, unexpected details, like our discovery of Canada's Balzac Cafe, a small chain of gorgeously-appointed cafes in Eastern Canada. Besides the obvious literary reference in their very name, they actually brew and sell a special Canadian blend called "Atwood Blend," named for Canada's literary treasure and my special obsession. Naturally I got it in au lait form, and took home a freshly ground bag as a souvenir. There is a great cartoon of Margaret Atwood along the side panel, which unfortunately did not photograph well, but the blend is heartily endorsed by the authoress, and proceeds from sales of it go towards Canadian birds and wildlife, hence the beautiful Audubon-esque packaging. The flavor is light and citrusy, and not at all what I would've imagined if I had tried to design a coffee inspired by Margaret Atwood.

Stratford will always hold a place in my heart now and forever because it has no fewer than THREE bookshops on one block, and I visited all of them. I was especially excited to find a pocket edition of "Notes on King Lear," which I bored everyone with over breakfast. I am already anxious to plan a return trip next year.