Staff Picks - Before Green Gables

Before Green Gables, by Budge Wilson

How would Anne (with an E of course) describe the task of writing the prequel to Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables? Daunting, formidable, intimidating, monumental - is there a word big enough?

To celebrate the centenary of this Canadian classic and with the permission of the Montgomery heirs, Budge Wilson took on the challenge of filling in the blanks of Anne's early years.

Not surprisingly, with such beloved book, it has been met with some controversy.

I can only give my opinion. I won't say how many years its been since I've read (and re-read) all the Anne books, however, they have come back to life for me this week. So, thank you Budge Wilson!

I've just checked out Anne of Green Gables and I'm going to start again.

Please post a comment if you have also read this book.

Hot Reads for Cold Days

Seriously, is it spring yet?

Tired of the winter weather? Seems like we've got a bit more to get through. In the meantime, lose yourself in one of these books set in hot, sunny, beachy, anything-but-winter climes.


And Then You Die by Michael Dibdin: sent to a Tuscan resort to recuperate after his previous case, an Italian detective’s beach side retreat is interrupted by deaths and conspiracy.

The Beach by Alex Garland: a map depicting a mysterious island paradise is given to a young backpacker, setting off this adventure in south-Asia.

Durable Goods by Elizabeth Berg: a young girl’s coming of age on a Texas army base during a hot, hot summer.

Echo Burning by Lee Child: the sweltering heat of a Texas town waiting for a storm to break the weather is the setting for this tightly plotted thriller.

How Stella Got her Groove Back by Terry McMillan: a Jamaica vacation helps an overworked divorcee find her passion again.

McNally’s Secret by Lawrence Sanders: the first in the continuing series featuring Palm Beach, Florida PI Archy McNally

The Penguin Book of Summer Stories edited by Alberto Manguel: dip into this collection of summertime tales from around the world.

Have a favourite summer read? Tell us in the comments below....

John Updike - Rest in Peace

The literary world has received the sad news of the passing of John Updike.
 
A two time Pulitzer Prize winner for his Rabbit series of novels, Updike has long been consider one of North America's top contemporary writers.

Perhaps most widely known for the Witches of Eastwick, his body of work is impressive and he was still producing vital work. His most recent novel, the Widows of Eastwick, was just published in 2008.

Certainly this is a big loss for the literary world.

To quote Ian McEwan: He was a modern master, a colossal figure in American letters, the finest writer working in English. He dazzled us with his interests and intellectual curiosity, and he turned a beautiful sentence. Religion, sex, science, urban decay, small-town life, the life of the heart, the betrayals – who can follow him? Updike gave the impression he had a lot more writing to do. We are all the poorer now.