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Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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A Reading List for International Women’s Day
This year’s International Women’s Day is all about advocating for balance—whether it’s in the boardroom or on your own bookshelf. And while diversity in literature is something we should always be thinking about, a good first step toward gender-balance is celebrating the amazing work women have already produced. From memoir and non-fiction to graphic novels and poetry,…
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Chappy Hour: A Gold Narcissus For Plastic’s Republic
Believe it or not, Barbie will soon be celebrating her 60th birthday. It seems like just yesterday we were dressing her up, combing out/cutting off her tangled hair and imagining her in all kinds of scenarios – whether it was going on a date or getting crazy on the town with the GF’s – sans…
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Not Not Pretty
In the summer of 1974 I took the #18 Corydon to the movie theatre. I could’ve taken the #66 Grant, but on Corydon the buildings were red brick, crumpled and deteriorated. People drank gin from chipped mugs while they washed their too-tight clothes. The laundromats were tuned to radio stations, playing “Black Dog” and “Crimson…
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NemeSIS, an interview with Susan Marshall
We’re celebrating International Women’s Day (March 8) early with special content throughout the week! To kick things off, we sat down with author Susan Marshall to talk about the inspiration behind her book NemeSIS (Blue Moon Publishers), her process for crafting strong female characters, and the important message she hopes to share about bullying.
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In Review: The Week of February 25th
This week we left February in the dust with books to look forward to this spring, read a fascinating essay from Kai Cheng Thom on the literary practice of sensitivity reading, contemplated stories of faith, and learned that Netflix is about to serve up a Baby-Sitters Club reboot!
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They Call Me Literary Fascism: Reflections of a Sensitivity Reader
by Kai Cheng Thom As a diasporic Chinese kid growing up Vancouver, I was raised on stories of the horrors of the Chinese Cultural Revolution: libraries set on fire, dancers whose toes were cut off for the crime of performing in “bourgeois” ballets, writers and thinkers forced to wear signs repenting their thought-crimes and marched…
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A Black History Month (Black Future) Reading List
To cap off Black History Month—and spark interest in some of the rad Black-authored books coming out this year—we took to independent publisher and essayist Scott Fraser whose work recently appeared in the anthology Black Writers Matter to find out what books he’s excited about as a Black reader and writer.
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When words like “spiritual” make you flinch from the contributors of Body & Soul
Concepts of faith and spirituality are often painted with a broad stroke. In Body & Soul: Stories for Skeptics and Seekers (Caitlin Press), editor Susan Scott collects stories on many forms of spirituality from the perspective of women writers exploring the connection between writing and spirituality. Below some of the contributors from the collection talk…
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Read This Then That: Fairy Tale Edition
Both of the books in this month’s Read This, Then That blog are a perfect fit for ‘Tell a Fairy Tale Day’, taking us into the realm of fantasy, myth, imagination and adventure. If you liked The Bear and The Nightingale, continue on to find out why The Grimoire of Kensington Market might just be…
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In Review: The Week of February 18th
This week we armchair travelled to backwoods Nova Scotia, rounded up books for all kinds of podcast lovers, shouted-out to the Manitoba publishing scene, and much more.
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In House: At Bay Press and the Manitoba publishing scene
Known for gorgeously crafted books since their start in 2008, Manitoba-based publisher At Bay Press continues to add new literary fiction, poetry, and non-fiction from emerging and undiscovered authors to their catalogue of books—all of which are printed and bound in Canada. At the helm is Publisher Matt Joudrey who shares with us some highlights…
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Four Books For Podcast Listeners
Podcast enthusiasts, give your ears a rest and your eyes a treat with four book picks based on your podcast flavour, below.
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Under the Cover: For Want of a Fir Tree
In recognition of World Day of Social Justice (February 20th) we’re taking a look under the cover of For Want of a Fir Tree: Ukraine Undone (Linda Leith) by Frédérick Lavoie, translated by Donald Winkler. Inspired by the Russian dismantling of the Crimean Peninsula, this cautionary tale delivers the devastating reality of a country torn from peace, desperately searching…
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Where in Canada: The healing water of the North Mountain
If a cabin in the woods to retreat from the city grind is your dream, you’ll find your place in Scott Fotheringham’s atmospheric novel The Rest is Silence (Goose Lane Editions). Equal parts environmental meditation and page-turner, the novel follows one man’s self-enforced exile to the backwoods of Nova Scotia and the impending doom of…
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In Review: The Week of February 11th
This week was a real love fest with a bookish matchmaking quiz (find your next read!), Valentine’s-Day-inspired bookplates (easy to download!), books for all varieties of love (we forgot pizza though!), love poems, and more.
Got any book recommendations?