How to you investigate a crime, when even the possibility of crime does not exist? In Stalin’s Soviet Union in the years following the Second World War, the illusion of the state was that of a worker’s Utopia. Criminals were a part of the horrors of a Capitalist society, so to even suggest that something... Continue Reading →
The Rabbit Back Literature Society, by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen
Is Jääskeläinen a writer writing about writers writing? In some ways, yes, but that would just be the tip of the iceberg in this irresistible, playful and, at times, weird and dark story. The town of Rabbit Back in rural Finland is not your average hick town. It is home to the enigmatic Laura White,... Continue Reading →
By the Mountain Bound by Elizabeth Bear
Have you ever wondered what happens after Ragnarok, the epic battle in Norse mythology? Elizabeth Bear did when she wrote By the Mountain Bound. In her version of events, the valkyries and einherjar, known as the Children of the Light, were born from the sea after the destruction of the old world. They sing a... Continue Reading →
Interview with Sean Michaels
Sean Michaels is a writer and music critic. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Believer, the Walrus, Pitchfork and at McSweeney's; his first novel, Us Conductors, won the 2014 Scotiabank Giller Prize. He also founded the music blog Said the Gramophone in 2003. You can find him online at byseanmichaels.com. Shauna Kosoris: Your... Continue Reading →
One True Thing by Anna Quindlen
This smoothly written story provides insightful perspective on the bumpy issue of dying with dignity. A woman, Kate, who is used to being in control in her home, family and community is diagnosed with terminal cancer and struggles with loss on many levels. Her independent daughter Ellen is summoned to care for her and... Continue Reading →
Thunder Bay Public Library's Book Blog 