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Still working on some details for this selection (mainly timeline), but will start the new Wade Davis thread!
Do we feel daring enough to try a poetry book? I've been wanting to read some Evelyn Lau. She also has short story collections and a novel or two, but is celebrated for her poetry.
Thoughts?
Evelyn Lau would be a great choice! We could do a few (although even libraries have trouble tracking down poetry books -- I could put together a downloadable pdf for rural babblers who can't get a hold of the copies at their local library). Rita Wong would be another fabulous choice for rabble.ca, as would Donato Mancini, a great anti-capitalist Vancouver poet and general unique person.
Any other babblers interested in reading some contemporary Canadian poetry?
No, not interested, but if that is the choice I will read.
I am interested in potentially reading something by Evelyn Lau -- poetry or fiction; however, lately I have been craving to get into some Canadian history/biography (or history fiction a la The Man Game).
We have a few options from previous selection rounds:
Straphanger: Saving our cities and ourselves from the automobile
Tecumseh & Brock: The War of 1812 by James Laxer (House of Anansi)
Lester Pearson’s Peacekeeping: The Truth May Hurt
Open to suggestions, maybe staying on the Canadian history/biography line though?
Okay, and I've got a seemingly random one (given my previous statement and post).
The Anatomy of Edouard Beaupre by Sarah Kathryn York.
A series of short storties about famed Canadian Willow Bunch Giant who suffered and died from TB and the subsequent examination of his shrinking body. Instead of using the explicit history of Edouard Beaupre, York spins the narrative through letters and stories from a radiographer narrator.
[quick synopsis via numerous different sites :)]
Seems like an interesting read, is getting good praise for the writing style and choices, and is a first release from the author and published by a Saskatchewan publishers, Coteau Books.
Check out Quill and Quire review as well (no spoilers).
How about Vol. 2 of John English's biography of PET: Just Watch Me: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Volume Two: 1968-2000
I read Vol. 1, Citizen of the World -- it was spellbinding and painted a nuanced portrait of Trudeau's early life and career. Love him or hate him, he was (and remains) a huge influence on Canada, the political scene and debate.
Now Just Watch Me is *very* long -- over 800 pages -- so I would probably do a little judicious skipping of chapters that go into detail on matters of less personal interest to me. But the whole would shed a lot of light on a period of Canadian recent events which I remember from childhood but did not of course appreciate (or really understand) at the time.
Globe review: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/review-just-watch-me-the-life-of-pierre-elliott-trudeau-1968-2000-by-john-english/article1348136/?page=all
Star review:http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/book%20reviews/article/729072--review-just-watch-me-by-john-english
No, No, tripple No to the PET book. If that's the selection I'll sit it out.
I think we'd have to tread very carefully with a book of poetry. Unless a book of poetry has a unifying theme or message it isn't really intended to be analyzed as a coherent whole; which could lead to a discussion that is either very abstract, or which focuses on only one or two poems, in which case why wouldn't we just pick one poem and make that the reading. Or it could lead to a very superficial discussion about which of the poems we liked or didn't like, which wouldn't be very interesting.
Not really interested in reading The Anatomy of Edouard Beaupré either.
Would be interested in the book on saving our cities from the automobile, and Yves Engler's book on Lester Pearson (I proposed it in the first place). Not interested in reading anything about the war of 1812.
I'd also be interested in democratizing the selection process. Surely we could make the selection by web poll, no? Rabble conducts web polls, perhaps one of them could be a Babble Book Club selection poll. Failing that, there are other sites on the web that can host a poll among a small group of people.
I also bring back my suggestion from the last slection round:
Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter -- Carmen Aguirre
I'm gonna keep suggesting this every time until we pick it.
While I like the idea of reading a PET biography, 800 pages is just too long for our needs I believe unfortunately! Maybe we can find a similar, but not as lengthy alternative in the future?
Left Turn, I agree we need a better decision process, and I have utlizied polls within our Facebook group, but they don't seem to get much action, hence my randomized drawing of paper for the last selection. I would like to get away from what seems to be me making the final decisions because I don't know if it is the consensus.
So, I am going to put another poll up in Facebook because the rabble polls are quite the fit for our need. I will put four selections onto our Facebook group and see what happens, so please stop by and vote, or let me know here which one (if you are not a Facebook person, or don't want to be Facebook friends with BBC [hey why not!]).
PLEASE VOTE HERE ON THE FACEBOOK POLL
If you are not a member of our group, just click on the group and I will add you in, or submit your choice below and I'll factor it in!
Also, my all caps weren't meant for yelling, they were a loving gesture to emphasize my desire to have you lovely readers vote on your favourite selection.
I mentioned this in the Facebook group, but the poll only allows one vote, so pick your favourite, but let me know (just for census) if there are any deal-breakers or issuese with the other selections. I voted for one, but am also open to every selection (we've got a good roster!) -- no matter, still vote for one please.
Reminder: discussion of The Wayfinders tomorrow at 3 p.m. EST! Looking forward to seeing you all there!
(if you are not a Facebook person, or don't want to be Facebook friends with BBC [hey why not!]
Because on Facebook, you log in with your real name and identity. I know for a fact that my employer monitors Facebook and employees have been warned against being "politically active" there. I suppose I could create a fake identity, and so far I have not posted anything extremely provocative to Babble, but if I knew my employer could connect me to Babble I would probably not post at all.
Reality is what it is. I feel there is value in working within (some) systems to effect change sub rosa. Of course I may change my mind about that, but at present I'm not going to "come out" in the workplace as a "lefty;" I probably have more influence on others' views precisely b/c I am perceived as neutral (politically).
I like the idea of a poll but not one where I have to identify myself.
Anyway, that's another whole topic. Also I use Facebook exclusively for communication with extended family and a few close friends.
yes indeed infracaninophile, I would never force anyone onto the old Facebook --defintely understand hesitations with that and what not.
In light of that, I will let you and other non-facebookers know the four selections to vote, and if you could let me know you choice out of those, I will mentally factor those into the poll.
1. Something fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter - Carmen Aguirre
2. The Anatomy of Edouard Beaupre by Sarah Kathryn York
3. Straphanger: Saving our cities and ourselves from the automobile by Taras Gresc
4. Lester B. Pearson's Peacekeeping: The Truth May Hurt by Yves Engler
A nice array of genres and styles I think!
Thanks to all who have already voted on the Facebook poll for the next selection -- great! If you haven't voted yet on the Facebook group, it would be lovely if you could, or if you are unable to Facebook vote, drop your choice in this thread and we will tally it with the others.
Thanks everyone for the participation -- you're a fantastic group, with awesome feedback -- and this time we will just do a quick voting session to aid turnaround. I will have all the necessary essentials for our next selection announced on Tuesday, so everyone get your choices in before!
Also, please feel free to always use this thread to propose any potential selections for the book club.
Thanks everyone!
All right! Thanks to all who voted and participated in choosing the next selection, which is: The Anatomy of Edouard Beaupre by Sarah Kathryn York.
The book is a bit of a newer publication, but I have searched a few libraries across Canada, and it seems to be readily available (or you can always ask them to order it it!) and if not, I'm sure your local bookstores would have it, as well as Coteau Books too.
A question about the final discussion dates: how would everyone feel about a switch to a weekday evening, potentially a Tuesday? Sundays seem difficult for some to attend because they are an off-day (mostly).
I was thinking to aim the final discussion for this selection: Tuesday September 25 7:30 EST/4 :30 PST. Thoughts?
Hey everyone,
We've started work on a new idea for the next BBC selection after The Anatomy of Edouard Beaupre! We'll just hit the ground running with this one and let you know the details after the discussion with Sarah Kathryn York on Tuesday September 25!
As always, feel free to leave your suggestions for future BBCs in this thread!
After our Short Stories topic is up, does anyone have any suggestions for the next read?
I'm thinking a change in direction could suit those who have been dragged through a ton of fiction and short stories! After a bit of searching, this book sounds quite interesting by Canadian journalist Mark Bourrie The Fog of War: Censorship of Canadian Media in World War II
I think the relationship between Canadian media and the history of WWII is something that has been touched on before, but not from a Canadian standpoint (or at least to my limited knowledge).
I'm dying to read Paved with Good Intentions: Canada's development NGO's from idealism to imperialism by Nikolas Barry-Shaw and Dru Oja Jay. I'll probably be my next read whether the babble book club reads it or not.
@Left Turn that sounds like a great book and read!
Guys [said in the non-gender specific way, but more the collaquial gender neutral way]! I've been scrapping around piecing together the next club read, and as per Left Turn's excellent suggestion have been pulling things together about 'Paving with Good Intentions'.
I'm still chatting with one of the authors, who is interested in do a chat with us at final discussion, but he currently is moving around a few things in his schedule to see if it can happen. If he can make it, it is most likely that it will be before the regular six weeks allotment of time. I know for some that is not a problem, but would a shorter time period of say 4-5 weeks be too difficult for some?
Anyways, I will make all official the day after our discussion, November 7!
And keep those great suggestions coming!
I believe Dru was a student at Mount Allison during some of my tenure their as a staff member. (1998-2001)
The fact of the matter is that not everyone can afford to run out and purchase the latest new release, which limits participation to a select few if it isn't obviously the case by now. For future consideration, I suggest that there are many free use publications available online in pdf format or otherwise that could be determined for selection, which might assist in making this little club more inclusive.
If we are throwing out suggestions: my preference is for fiction.
thanks for the input all!
I agree the club can always work on its inclusivity and that online PDFs are a great direction and resource. We have used a few of those for the latest short stories selections. We do always choose books that are readily available across Canadian libraries as well as independent bookstores.
This latest selection, which has yet to be firmed up, is also available at libraries (although I'm not sure about the ebook status) too!
As for genre, my personal preference is fiction well, however, all genres are welcomed and encouraged because one of the goals of BBC was to promote awareness and exploration of other books and authors we might not have initially tried!
Suggestions for reads are always great because I do not like to dictate every single read we do! Slumberjack, if you have any great reads that are always available PDF that would be splendid. I was thinking a Charlie Demers read for next time would be great, and believe his newest release is available as a PDF download -- although I may be mistaken.
My preference is definitely for books with a left political bent. The kind of books that would be relevant to the political content of rabble and babble. I'm not opposed to fiction per say, but I would generally only read fiction by known leftist authors.
With that in mind, my next suggestion is going to appear to come out of left field. My friend Weldon Hunter has just recently had a book of poetry published that is available online for free through Scribid.
The Stella and Pony Years
Weldon is a local poet and occasional activist in Vancouver, though his poetry is not very political. I've suggested it because of Caissa's stated preference for fiction, and Slumberjacks request that we read material that's available free online. Though poetry isn't usually my thing, Weldon is one poet I'd make an exception for.
I still think "Paved With Good Intentions" would make a great read for the Babble Book Club. I checked the book out from the Vancouver Public Library and I'm currently on Chapter 2.
I'm happy to read Paved with Good Intentions. My preference is for fiction but I am happy to read non-fiction. I wasn't a big fan of the one non-fiction book in the Club but diversity is the spice of life.
Weldon is a very close friend of mine! I have his book on my coffee table as I type this. It is indeed an excellent book. The only thing wrong with it is the terrible poetry inside *rim shot*.
One of my current faves:
Paved With Good Intentions sounds great. Unfortunately it's not available from the public library system in either Toronto or Hamilton. Maybe it's too new? The theme is reminiscent, in a general way, of Easterly's White Man's Burden which I read a couple of years ago.
Haha, oh catchfire.
I'm glad some are excited about Paved with Good Intentions because it will indeed be our next go, as the 'official' post will be made tomorrow after tonights discussion. I've been chatting with Nik and he is also going to come on for a chat as well, and due to a hectic schedule, he has fit us in in just over a month of space right after an exam.
I'm bummed it is not available in the Ontario library system :( I only checked west coast libraries as most times they are behind the curve (or maybe not?). I know libraries are open to buying and bringing in new books, but that may take awhile. I was going to grab the ebook copy of the book -- is there a way I can share it with others?
My copy has been ordered.