Absolutely phenomenal. A big lesson I'm learning this year is that there's strength in vulnerability. Even if you're vulnerable, the person in front of you isn't judging. They're reflecting on their own lives and values. There's nothing wrong or inherently weak about sharing your story with the world. I wish I learned this sooner. I'm so grateful that Gay shared this story with us and that she came to Toronto twice this year!

I can't remember reading a more informative book. Ignore the low Litsy rating because The Right to be Cold should be read by every Canadian. There is a lot of politics in the book but don't let that deter you! I learned so much about Inuit culture and as a teacher, Sheila's journey from educator to politician fascinated me. Check out my quotes from this book to learn more.

I'm at a three week training program for teachers heading to northern Ontario First Nation schools. Hence the inactivity. Many reviews to come.

I've completed my GoodReads challenge. 52 matches my book count last year. I read 8 graphic novels with crucial themes this year. Betty touches my heart the most because Betty wanted to be a teacher. The missing and murdered Indigenous women inquiry is losing hope. Canadian politicians should read stories to understand how systemic oppression is killing Indigenous women. #MMIW

Our hunters--in fact, any of us who survived on the land--were scientists themselves. Our hunters and elders were carefully observing nature. They were finely attuned to small changes. They knew what to look for. They were experts because they had to be: their daily survival on the land and ice depended on it. As Maurice Strong had observed, if you wanted to learn about the environment, there were no better teachers than the Inuit.

The shock of it all loosens up everything that needs attention and puts you on a fast track to heal intergenerational wounds. For the next few years, I looked inward, honouring how my lost loved ones had been a gift to me while they were living, and a source of perspective as I grieved their passing. My losses helped me recognize my life's calling and built my character, leading me courage leading up to my future work.

I didn't gain anything from reading this book. It felt like Singh was checking "write a book" off her to do list. I thought there would be more reflections about being Canadian or that moment she knew she "made it". Don't expect too much from this self-help book.

Excuse the creeper voyeuristic photograph BUT I GOT TO MEET ONE OF MY FAVOURITE AUTHORS TODAY AND IT WAS FABULOUS!! 😍😍😍😍

This was a fabulous read. I picked it up because I'm interested in any refugee narratives and I heard that there was elements of magic realism. So obviously I had to read it! I'm a huge fan of Toni Morrison and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I loved the appendages that made their appearance throughout the book that added to the literal deconstruction of country borders.

"I try to keep all this feeling in a safe place, a nearly contained place, because that is where it will always have to stay. And then there is the intensity of want. Raw urges. Engulfing. Crushing. Tenderness and fierceness, both. Possession. The container is a lie. The container has been shattered. Someone has found the way to my warm. They have taken my atlas into their hands. They trace the arcing lines from beginning to end." Potent.

Another book read for my #ReadHarder challenge. Birdie was a Canada Reads finalist so it made its way onto my TBR. This #IndigenousRead compelled me with its beautiful cover art. The prose and focus on missing and murdered Indigenous women broke my heart. The story is written fluidly which may deter some readers. Lindberg's final words explaining how she presented Birdie's story allow the reader to understand the focus on healing versus trauma.

I only found a couple of books with planet in the title. #JuneBookBugs #APlanetInTheTitle

This is the only time I'll upload a meme onto Litsy. #IFreakingLoveMemoirs

I've waited two years for this memoir. My body is ready. #LibraryBook

Alias Grace was everything I could ever want and more! Not only was there murder, secrecy, Victorian gender ideals and insane asylums, but there was historical sources and Canadian quilt patterns embedded into the chapters. I totally geeked out over this book! My mom is a quilter so I found Grace's seamstress abilities and obsession with quilts absolutely fascinating. I'd recommend this to anyone! I read this to fulfill a category in #ReadHarder.

I'm sorry Singh but this is so hard for me to get into at the moment. I wish I could return to you later but there's 40 holds on this brand new self-help book. I hope it's just me... I don't enjoy self-help books usually. Everyone else is giving this good reviews. Oh well - at least Singh is motivating me to set reading goals!

This is a neat website! You insert the # of books in your to be read pile and it "calculates" it for you. The speed is calculated by the books you read in 2016. I am a relatively slow reader, hence the 25 years. I'll never be caught up because I'm continually adding more books on to it! Or recommendations! I will always read a book you recommend me! Go here to calculate your reading trajectory: http://www.readitforward.com/tbr-time/

I read Things Fall Apart to satisfy a category on my #ReadHarder2017 book challenge, "read a classic by a person of colour." I understand why this novel is a classic. Okonkwo's rags to riches story during the rise of African colonialism is devastating to the heart. I have a small background in African history which also led me to love this novel set in Nigeria. If this book is on your TBR, don't hesitate to dive into it this summer.

This looks fun, even though I've been on Litsy for months! @saguarosally #welcomelitten
1. Toronto, Ontario 🇨🇦🇨🇦
2. Hype from @bookriot
3. Where the Heart Is
4. No but I've had rats. I think I'm the only one who posted in the #ratsoflitsy hashtag

Here's my #LibraryHaul from last week. Two new releases and #IndigenousReads in honour of National Aboriginal Month in Canada. Birdie was amazing (I'll review it soon) and I absolutely cannot wait to pick up Lee Maracle.

... this meant investigating the possibility of securing passage through the doors, in which most people seemed now to believe, especially since any attempt to use one or keep one secret had been proclaimed but the militants to be punishable, as usual and somewhat unimaginatively, by death, and also because those with shortwave radios claimed that even the most reputable international broadcasters had acknowledged the doors existed.

I'm reviewing this as a teacher. I enjoyed teaching this but I wish I explored it more with my students. I never studied it before so the students were more open with their questions. I loved introducing it by showing them different adaptations through play posters, novels, and mangas. I wish I had a manga version to let them explore. Overall, I can see why people dislike the play but my great experience with my students gave me a new appreciation

I started Birdie a couple of days ago. Very powerful dedication. The difficulties in implementing an inquiry into the 1200+ missing and murdered Indigenous women breaks my heart.

To complete my task of reading a POC classic for #readharder, I'm reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I'm only at 8/24 of my challenges so I need to catch up! I've read an African historical analysis about marriage and marital law so I think I'll enjoy this novel much more.

I loved this book! Gabourey was making me laugh nearly every page. I loved her humour, and I admired her honesty about her disordered eating and weight loss surgery. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about actors getting discovered and has an interest in Gabourey Sidibe's acting projects.

He is not making a joke. He really doesn't know. Men such as him do not have to clean up the messes they make, but we have to clean up our own messes, and theirs into the bargain. In that way, they are like children, they do not have to think ahead, or worry about the consequences of what they do. But it is not their fault, it is only how they are brought up.

The Hate U Give should be a mandatory read. It was an incredibly powerful read that included a lot of integral information about the Black Lives Matter ideology. Most importantly, The Hate U Give looks at the history of black resistance to racism! I always shock people when I "revise" their knowledge of the Black Panthers. That movement wasn't violent - they created breakfast programs, crosswalks etc. I recommend this book to everyone and anyone.

Gabourey has me laughing every page. What a fantastic memoir!

I really want Gabourey's dress.

This lived up to the hype. For some reason, I thought this book took place during the Potato Famine, not afterwards. I'm a little disappointed about that. I wish that the significance of Anna becoming the first Irish saint since the 13th century was highlighted more. The ending was also satisfying. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes learning about Florence Nightingale.

Unfortunately I didn't touch all of these books this long weekend BUT I'm done teacher's college! I'm ready to continue my #ReadHarder challenge. Bring on the books!

I picked up this book because I plan on reading all volumes of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission this summer. This comprehensive overview of the residential school system should be a mandatory read. It explores the overwhelming evidence of the horrors of residential schools. But the book also highlights the complexities of the system by examining resilience, sports, and FASD. These topics gave me a new nuanced view on residential schools.

Pat's adolescent face was similar to his sister's softer one, allowing for the fact that boys part their hair on the right. But his eyes; something wrong with their glitter. The lips dark, as if rouged. He leaned back on his indomitable mother like a much younger child, or a drunken fop. What was that line in the psalm? Strange children have faded away.

Starting this book tonight. I haven't read fiction in far too long!

This was a fantastic addition to the Dear Canada series. It is a little optimistic about the food choices so make sure you read other memoirs about the residential school system. Also Violet was one of the lucky who quickly returned home and didn't completely lose her language or culture.

Absolutely amazing. I can't wait to teach this in my future classroom. Love the soundtrack and the gorgeous watercolours.

I wish I could fit the whole cover in! I loved this novel. It deserves all the praise it's received. Definitely​ relevant in the face of the missing and murdered Indigenous women epidemic. I'm looking forward to reading other Canada Reads books.

I enjoyed this book but as a history major, a lot of this was repeat for me. The first half of the book was fascinating because it focuses on anthropology and ancient civilizations. But the second half was a bore. Sapiens is still a great comprehensive look at homo sapiens and challenges the Western view scientists and historians have valued in the past.

I'm so glad I read the audiobook. This is the first memoir I've listened to that isn't self narrated which is a little disappointing. But the narrator has a lot of skills reading men's dialogue and reading in general. I read this because I'm interested in the grieving process and I wasn't disappointed.

Sad that I couldn't see Roxane Gay speak at the TPL but I need to finish this library book anyways.

I'm currently in love with the short story format. I flew through this book after finishing a lot of assignments. Gay takes an important stance on portraying difficult women. I didn't connect to all of the characters but every story gave me a different experience. Gay's book is quintessential for women today because we're all descendents of difficult women and we should not forget it.

I loved this book. Saul challenges the common deficit model that defines Indigenous peoples in a negative light. There's such a difference in focusing on the persistence of Indigenous peoples rather than their persecution. I loved the contemporary focus and the focus on politics. This is necessary to underscore the continuity of assimilation practices.

If there's any book on truth and reconciliation I'd recommend to every Canadian, it's this one. This collection of essays is marvelously eye opening and enlightening in its scope and depth. Highly recommend. I learned so much.

This was my first hockey memoir and it certainly won't be my last. I read this to see if I could ever use this book as a teaching resource. Tootoo's voice has a lot of expletives but it's very valuable when examining life up north. Tootoo also provides a lot of hope through his work with youth. Contains themes of resilience, alcoholism, the land, suicide, and lessons in coping. I'd use this in the classroom, especially with students who swear heh

Greenberg loves focusing on the power of the story. I came upon the plot for The One Hundred Nights of Hero in an analysis of 1000 Arabian Nights. I love how she tied in the plot of this novel with her earlier novel The Encyclopedia of Early Earth. Highly recommend!

I'm a huge Atwood fan. Although I've never read The Tempest, I really enjoyed this novel. It tells the tale of a fallen theatre director who plots his revenge against his foes while also coping with the early death of his daughter. I encourage anyone who enjoys Orange is the New Black to read this.

This is an academic text that examines the history of Haundenosaunee resistance to colonialism, assimilation, and Western legislation. I live on unceded Haundenosaunee land so this knowledge was personal to me. The text explores Joseph Brant, Pauline Johnson, and many other Haundenosaunee writers. There isn't any writings about residential schools but it is mentioned in passing. I fully intend on using this as a teaching resource in the future.

I usually stick through a book, especially a book about the residential school system. But after examining principles of truth and reconciliation, I cant get through the problematic perspectives in this novel. There's an awful racist head nun who begins this journey to see her students as humans. The novel centers around a student who fulfills too many archetypes. Although this is written by a Metis author, this novel does more harm than good.