In 2019, I read fewer books than usual, only eight–nine rather than the usual hundred or so. In November, I made a major change in my reading habits when I switched from paper books to the iPad. Several years ago, I tried using the Kobo but found it annoying at times. Once it lost a big chunk of text; another time, it refused to move me to the footnotes and then refused to let me get back to the story.
But this year, I determined to use an e-device when I travelled, so much lighter than a couple of books. I became hooked. The ease of getting exactly what books I wanted immediately and the improved technology have made me a fan.
This year, sadly, Thunder Bay lost poet, painter and philosopher Douglas Livingstone. I often sat in the Scan Café listening to him and literary scholar, Maynard Bjorgo, talk about literature. Insightful conversations about literature and art are one of the great joys of my life.
We also lost another philosopher and insightful reader: Charles Leitrants. Of his death, “It is as if an entire library burned down.” I have added his obituary to the end of this piece as a tribute to a great thinker and a great reader.
Here is a personal list of the ten most memorable books I read in 2019.
1. Lear’s Shadow by Claire Holden Rothman Bea Rose, depressed after losing her business and boyfriend, joins a theatre troupe putting on King Lear in various parks in Quebec. She meets Artie, a childhood friend who protected her from bullying when she was a child. The actor playing King Lear is old, decrepit and a lush. Bea’s father is in the first stages of dementia. As Bea enters into a love affair with Artie, her father becomes deranged and stabs her. This is the story of a woman bowed by circumstance who manages to pull through. I found the novel so mesmerizing and lovely that I regretted every time I put it down.
2. Becoming by Michelle Obama. She had a loved and protected childhood with good parents and a loving extended family. She always was a striver working her way up the ladder to Harvard Law School, a top Chicago law firm and from there into working for the city and later for progressive agencies. The book is a bit repetitious as her thoughts always return to members of her family and her own work-a-holic nature. After she has children, the book is taken up with her desire to protect and nurture them, as her husband becomes a senator and then president. I found the description of the security around the first family alarming. As First Lady, she took up the task of combating childhood obesity. Her work on this cause was inspiring in its scope and professionalism. It was as if she were running a large social agency, which tackled the problem on many fronts.
3. Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland Peppy, quirky writing sees fat, lonely Liz find happiness when her son, given for adoption years ago, turns up. She nurses him through MS and after his death sets out to meet the young man’s father who she encountered years before in Europe. Before she leaves Canada, she sees a meteor fall and takes home the small hot rock which lands near by. The rock will have dangerous consequences. A fun book but with lots to think about.
3. Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland Peppy, quirky writing sees fat, lonely Liz find happiness when her son, given for adoption years ago, turns up. She nurses him through MS and after his death sets out to meet the young man’s father who she encountered years before in Europe. Before she leaves Canada, she sees a meteor fall and takes home the small hot rock which lands near by. The rock will have dangerous consequences. A fun book but with lots to think about.
4.The Barefoot Bingo Caller by Antanas Sileika. Charming memoir pieces told with humour and compassion. Antanas reveals his childhood, his fishing and camping experiences and his return to Lithuania where he was born. And his job as a bingo caller.
5. Punk: The Journey of a 60’s Delinquent. A brutal true story. A young Peter Panetta joined a tough Thunder Bay gang by buying the correct tough looking clothes etc. The gang did robberies and cruised to pick up “chicks” which they often abused or beat up. A sickening book. He says he wrote the book to help youth, read male youth. Not much help for females here. Accounts of fights take up a lot of print. But this is a very readable book with a good insight into the darker areas of the city’s recent past. Later Panetta organized the Underground Gym on Simpson Street which unfortunately had to close recently due to fire and water damage. A sad day for the kids he is helping.
6. The Dead Celebrities Club by Susan Swan. A funny, perky, romp of a book about a financier who goes to prison. Dale Paul is a great character and I enjoyed every moment of his debased life. The guy was always looking for an angle even in jail. I think the character was based on the Conrad Black and his time in the slammer. I laughed so much reading this book, that on one occasion, I almost fell off my chair.
7. In Other Words: How I Fell in Love with Canada One Book at a Time.Anna Porter, a refugee from Hungary, worked with McClelland and Stewart in the 60’s just when Canadian fiction was on a roll. A great part of this was due to Jack McClelland and his publishing company with its love of Canadian books. Eventually Porter moved on to manage Seal books and other houses but it is when she sets up her own publishing house, Key Porter, that she is able to publish wonderful coffee table books, and eventually fiction. But the conglomerates move in and take over the industry with their disdain for Canadian books and then Chapters arrives and dominates. Chapters, now called Indigo according to the sign outside the local store, do carry Canadian books, and some local books, but they could do a lot more for Canadian literature.
8. Frozen Woman by Annie Ernaux– A brilliant writer with a brilliant translator. Her take on marriage and housework outshines both de Beauvoir and Freidan as she describes how the burdens of childcare and housework erase her personality. A masterpiece and a controversial sensation in France where it was originally published.
9. Sir Wilfred Laurier and the Romance of Canada by Laurier LaPierre. In between reading fiction, I read a lot of history as well as historical novels. Every once in a while, Canada gets pulled apart by people of differing beliefs. This book taught me a lot, not only about Prime Minister Laurier but also about the fraught fragile nature of Canada during his tenure. I learned about the francophone “Castors” and their leader, Bourassa, whose hate-filled, religious fanaticism was inspired by the church. They disliked stronger links to the empire because they felt that the imperialists would drag them into British wars. Thus Laurier saw his province’s loyalty to Canada disintegrate during his lifetime.
On the other hand, I also learned about the power of the Orange Order especially in Ontario. Dalton McCarthy wanted an English-speaking Canada with no rights given to Quebec. The Orange Order hated Catholicism and wanted stronger links to Britain and even an Empire parliament. They denounced separate schools and this view animated Manitoba to abolish its Catholic and French schools. In Quebec, the Castors, the church and Conservative party as well as many Quebec Liberals feared the hate and racism of Ontario.
A nation divided by fanaticism.
This background made me understand the anti-conscription feelings of Quebec and their refusal to get involved in both WWI and WW II, which they saw as British wars.. Times change of course. Religion is no longer the dominant point of conflict but nationalism or a sense of grievance can always take its place.
Laurier held the country together against two opposing forces. He was one of our greatest prime ministers.
10. I’ll Read That for You: A Bluffer’s Guide to 101 Books You Should Read before Your Die.This is a book about books, written by the great book reviewer, Margie Taylor. I published many of her reviews on this blog. Margie puts her finger on the pulse of a book and, in her own breezy, clear, insightful way, guides you into its heart. Here she discusses some of the greatest literature ever written both modern and classic, from Alice Munro to Edward St. Aubyn; from Hunter Thompson to Ali Smith. Margie, who is a native of Thunder Bay, is now a Canadian treasure.
As usual, I read a lot of short stories over the year and a lot of history and a lot of mysteries and thrillers, notable Thomas King’s sly, clever mysteries about his Aboriginal detective Thumps DreadfulWater and Andrea Camilleri’s joyous books, set in Sicily. They feature detective Salvo Montalbano who is always caught between the inept Sicilian bureaucracy, the Mafia, and the local criminals. It is said there are two types of readers: people who love Camilleri and those who haven’t read him yet.
Thomas King
Of his death “It is as if an entire library burned down.” Charles Leitrants, April 17 1951 ~ July 14 2019
It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of Charles Leitrants on Sunday July 14. He passed away quickly while working in the garden with his adored wife Margaret. Loved and respected by all who knew him this lovely gentle man brought innovation, humour and often unique perspective to every part of his life. He attended Lakehead University majoring in history and later became a master carpenter and there are many examples of his craft gracing Thunder Bay homes to this day. As a young man he joined Kam Lab Theatre, an experimental theatre troupe, as an actor, performing at local theatre houses and touring throughout Ontario. He happened to arrive in Vancouver in time to join the then nascent film business and continued to work in it his entire life.
Charles took great pride and loved his work whether coordinating the scenic carpenter and paint crews or working as an art director. His professionalism, competence and intelligence ensured outstanding success in this his chosen field. Charles was a man of intellect and curiosity always ready with a book recommendation and an erudite analysis of it. Of his death, “It is as if an entire library burned down.” Travel, art, fine food and exploring life to the maximum, always engaged, caring and interested. Charles felt fortunate in love, in friendship, in family and work. All who had the privilege of having this man in their lives profoundly feels his absence.
Peter Panetta
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