Summer Reading

Well, it’s off to a great start! This morning I had a million reasons to get up and get going on my day, but I had to stay in bed to finish reading Dooley Takes the Fall by Norah McClintock first. You don’t often see “literary” and “page-turner” together in a review, but both words apply to this book. The characters are complex, and how those complexities are revealed to the reader is the work of a master.  Similarly, the plot twists. Just brilliant! And Norah doesn’t fall into the easy trap of wrapping things up too neatly either. Nuff said. Except – read it!

The other book that makes me feel pretty good about my summer reading so far is The Good Lie by D.F. Bailey. It might not quite qualify as a summer read because I started it some months ago, but I did just finish it last week. No, it’s not that I’m a very slow reader. I was reading the book aloud at the CNIB recording studio, where I’ve been a volunteer reader and technician for several years now. Bailey has set up a web site that offers fascinating glimpses into his writing process, so check it out and his book.

Coincidentally, guilt and blame and what happens when people do wrong things for right reasons are explored in both books. Both can be said to be mysteries but I consider them “mysteries of the human heart” more than (or at least as much as) mysteries in the traditional sense of the word.

If it seems over the coming weeks that I have abandoned my blog, it’s just temporary. Between packing up for a move in the fall and our workshop in Nova Scotia – and of course more summer reading – I may not be around here for a while. In the meantime, enjoy your summer reading!   

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Kathy Stinson is the author of the classic Red Is Best and the award-winning The Man with the Violin. Her wide range of titles includes picture books, non-fiction, young adult fiction, historical fiction, horror, biography, series books, and short stories. She has met with her readers in every province and territory of Canada, in the United States, Britain, Liberia, and Korea. She lives in a small town in Ontario.

Kathy Stinson

2 Comments

  1. Don Bailey on August 28, 2008 at 2:14 pm

    Greetings Kathy,

    Last month I came across your blog post about my novel, The Good Lie, and was very pleased, of course, that you provided a favourable review.

    I wonder if you would permit me to reproduce your comments on thegoodlie.com — and let me know how I can acquire a copy of the audio recording you made of the novel.

    I look forward to hearing from you.

    Cheers, Don

  2. kathystinson on September 6, 2008 at 3:11 pm

    Hi Don. I'd be happy to have you use my comment on your site. And I think that as holder of copyright on the book, all you have to do is ask and the CNIB will send you a copy of the recording. I hope you'll approve of my reading!
    Best,
    Kathy

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