Our first quote comes to us from Nagasawa, a character from Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood. As blockbuster books (we’re looking at you Fifty Shades of Grey and The Fault in Our Stars) continue to take over much of the book chatter sometimes we can lose scope of just how many other fantastic books are out there waiting for us to pick up, read, and enjoy.
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In Quoted, we’ll share a beautiful quote with you either from one of our publishers’ books or from farther afield and share some relevant titles you might enjoy if you find the quote inspiring.Our first quote comes to us from Nagasawa, a character from Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood. As blockbuster books (we’re looking at you Fifty Shades of Grey and The Fault in Our Stars) continue to take over much of the book chatter sometimes we can lose scope of just how many other fantastic books are out there waiting for us to pick up, read, and enjoy.Nagasawa’s quote is a good reminder that more variety can sometimes have a profound effect. So go ahead, try something a little different!
Chris Eaton, a Biography by Chris Eaton (BookThug)We’ve all at one time or another thought about Googling ourselves (and probably have at least once), that’s pretty common. But does anyone take it a step further? Chris Eaton has in this cleverly meta work of fiction. He constructs a life from the building blocks of facts and snippets of information he gathers when he Googles “Chris Eaton” and investigates the various people who have that one thing in common. However, Chris finds maybe we have more in common than we thought.Five Little Bitches by Teresa McWhirter (Anvil Press)A book about a Canadian, all-woman punk rock band? Not your everyday story. But one that Teresa McWhirter tells with humour and authenticity. The book chronicles the women as they travel through Canada, the US, and Europe, dealing with their own problems as well as their devotion to their music.Combat Camera by A.J. Somerset (Biblioasis)Combat Camera delves into the world of pornography. Stick with us here. Luke Zane was once a celebrated photographer covering battles wherever there was war in the late twentieth century. He’s now burnt out and taking photos for a shoestring-budget pornographer. Combat Camera follows Zane as he becomes involved with one of the actresses as he tries to help her out after she’s assaulted. Through this relationship he begins to find himself once again.Isobel & Emile by Alan Reed (Coach House Books)Often fiction about couples follow their courtship and life together; not so often do they follow what happens after they are no longer together. This is one of those times but not in a Jennifer Aniston-Vince Vaughn The Breakup sort of way. We meet Isobel and Emile as they wake up beside each other one morning, knowing it is the last morning they will do so. They both go their separate ways: Emile to follow his dream of making puppets, Isobel to stay in the small town they were living in. In a minimalist style, we follow their lives without each other.Cleavage by Theanna Bischoff (NeWest Press)In Bischoff’s debut novel, we follow twenty-four-year-old Leah as she tries to navigate her way through breast cancer. Sound like you’ve heard it before? Take a closer look. In between treatments, Leah is also dealing with the realities of the rest of her life: a boyfriend, a job, and her family.PostApoc by Liz Worth (Now or Never Publishing)It’s the end of the world as we know it in PostApoc. Dystopian books are nothing new at this point so what makes this book different? It’s stark, it’s dark, and it’s a blend of punk rock and poetry. Ang is the sole survivor of a suicide pact. She continues to be obsessed with the idea of the end of the world and has fallen deep into the underground music scene when the end actually comes. But it’s nothing like what she expected. Strung out, starving, and struggling to survive, she and her friends try to navigate this new world.An Almost Perfect Thing by Nicole Moeller (Playwrights Canada Press)Stockholm Syndrome has been coopted by pop culture for decades now as a plot device, from James Bond to Criminal Minds. In An Almost Perfect Thing, Nicole Moeller has made Stockholm Syndrome much more than a convenient plot device; it is the whole story (or is it?) in this thrilling play. Greg, a reporter hoping to revive his career, interviews Chloe, a kidnap victim who has become an international celebrity upon her rescue. Chloe, however, dictates how her story is to be told, concealing the identity and location of her kidnapper. For Greg, that isn’t enough and he sets out to discover the truth.
