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#manitoba
review
Bookwormjillk
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Pickpick

I wish more had happened in this book. The characters were interesting, but the story just kind of wandered. Low pick.

review
melissajayne
The Strangers | Katherena Vermette
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Pickpick

4⭐️ Despite having not read The Break, I really enjoyed this book (had to read a summary of The Break to understand certain aspects of the book). I really liked how the author drew the characters and made you feel comfortable with the characters and their stories, even if they were severely flawed. #2025 #family #familydysfunction #canadian #metis #fiction #manitoba #bookclub

review
angieinwonderland
The Break | Katherena Vermette
Pickpick

The emotions from this story are hard to explain. It is the sort of book that builds empathy. The character's pain sits in the chest while you are drawn in. The matriarchal community comes through strong, just as the characters must be. The hope that comes through their ceremonies is beautiful and awe-inspiring. I'll be reading the rest of this trilogy but need some space between.

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Deblovestoread
Complicated Kindness | Miriam Toews
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#MondayMood

I have been pondering kindness lately. We‘ve all seen the quotes reminding us of the importance of kindness but I find most kindness to be superficial, at best. True kindness promotes inclusivity and diversity. Here‘s some info I found regarding the different types of kindness.

lil1inblue 🙌 🙌 🙌 🙌 🙌 You're reading my mind. 3mo
Jari-chan 💯💯💯 3mo
Susanita 🎯 3mo
See All 18 Comments
Librarybelle Yes! Completely agree! 3mo
AmyG Very true. Ah, selective kindness. I see that alot. 3mo
dabbe That selective kindness really says a lot, doesn't it? I'd even add to that one I'd call “superiority kindness“: the kind of kindness where one “selects“ to be kind even if they think you're rude ... as if they're bestowing their overweening goodness over you. Quite fake, IMHO. My so-called #TOTD. 💜

L😍VE that you shared this. 💛🤎🧡
3mo
lil1inblue @dabbe Ooh. Superiority kindness. Excellent word for it. And people also use it as a defense - they're so kind they can't possibly be at fault. 3mo
Deblovestoread Nail on the head, my friend! 🎯 @dabbe 3mo
dabbe @lil1inblue 🩵🎯🩵 3mo
dabbe @Deblovestoread 💙✊🏻💙 3mo
Suet624 This is perfect. Thank you for posting. 3mo
AnnCrystal 💝🫂💝. 3mo
AmyG Superiority kindness. I know someone who says the smarmiest things…and bam…says something not so kind or wants something from you. Well said @dabbe 3mo
CBee @dabbe 🎯 3mo
Amiable @dabbe “Superiority kindness” = absolutely perfect description! 3mo
dabbe @AmyG We might know some similar people. 🩵🎯🩵 3mo
dabbe @CBee 🩵🎯🩵 3mo
dabbe @Amiable IKR? 🧡🤎💛 3mo
53 likes18 comments
review
BarbaraBB
The Break | Katherena Vermette
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Pickpick

In the aftermath of a horrible crime, witnessed from a distance by Stella, a lot of stories come together. Most of them by women, most of them Métis, most of them carrying trauma and and loss. It‘s a tough read, with a lot of violence. I felt for these indigenous women and I could have spend some more time with them.

TheKidUpstairs Loved this book. She wrote a follow up a couple years later (which I've yet to get to, but its on my TBR) 5mo
LeeRHarry I thought this was a great read too. 😊 5mo
BarbaraBB @TheKidUpstairs Thanks! I had no idea it‘s a trilogy! 5mo
75 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
Mattsbookaday
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Pickpick

The Diviners, by Margaret Laurence (1974 🇨🇦) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Premise: When her daughter leaves home to find herself, an author recollects her own often difficult journey of self-discovery

Review: This is a deserved classic of Canadian literature, even if it left me feeling a bit empty. It succeeds best in its thematic exploration of storytelling, identity, and dispossession, and how those intersect with race, class, and gender. Cont.

Mattsbookaday Where I found it a bit wanting was in the plot, which got too bogged down in stereotypical second-wave feminist tropes to feel original or interesting to me. In this it‘s very much a product of its time—a smart and forward-thinking one to be sure, but it just left me wanting a bit more.

Bookish Pair: For a more recent CanLit take on similar themes, Jane Urquhart‘s In Winter I Get Up at Night (2024).
5mo
5 likes1 comment
review
Mattsbookaday
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Pickpick

Fifty-Four Pigs (Dr. Bannerman Vet Mysteries 1), by Philipp Schott (2022 🇨🇦)

Premise: An inquisitive and logical rural veterinarian pokes his nose into the mystery of an explosion at a friend‘s farm.

Review: This has a lot going for it: A unique and memorable setting, an engaging main character (whose strengths are also his weaknesses, which pays of in the story), fun details about veterinary life, and a mystery that worked quite well Cont.

Mattsbookaday Sadly, the writing just wasn‘t there; there is so much exposition and the dialog is some of the clunkiest I‘ve encountered in a long time. I‘ll read on in the series because of its many strengths — but I‘ll also hope the author is able to grow in his craft.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
6mo
5 likes1 comment