Sunday August 2, 2015 Travel with a Book

Summer is a time to kick back and relax, and take a break from routines.  Some folks go away on vacations, and some go on vacations via books!  I find that reading fiction books can create a special connection with places I have never visited in person, because they take you on journeys and let you live vicariously through their characters.  These are some books that did that for me.

And the Birds Rained Down, written in French by Jocelyne Saucier and translated by Rhonda Mullins, draws readers into the deep bush of Northern Ontario.  You will learn what it’s like to experience the horror of a raging forest fire, and meet an interesting group of hardy, creative folks who have chosen to live out their lives, and deaths, on their own terms.  A grow-op, love story, and curious photographer add to the richness of this book.

The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens takes you to the dangerous side of a legendary mountain where a grandmother, mother and daughter set out on a quest and end up lost with a depressed teenage boy.  Their forced intimacy draws out inward struggles, unlikely connections and diverse family memories.  This book brings you up the mountain with the characters, and makes you feel their struggle to survive in all nature’s raw harshness.  

The Canterbury Trail by Angie Abdou is another story set on a mountain, but this one is in BC and it’s the end of the ski season.  This book provides insight into the “ski bum” lifestyle, spring skiing safety and how snowmobilers and snowshoers can get along.  Like Chaucer’s classic “Canterbury Tales”, the characters’ stories evolve as their journey progresses.

Girl who was Saturday Night by Heather O’Neill transports readers to the streets of Montreal and into the lives of the teenage twins of a washed-up but legendary Quebecois folksinger.  It’s both  a peek behind the sequined curtain of celebrity, and the frayed lacy curtain in a loving Grandpa’s dusty apartment.

There’s something about islands that makes them intriguing, and the island of Nantucket, just south of Cape Cod on the east coast of America, is no exception.  I have read several books set there, the latest being The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand.  The reader is pulled in to the close knit community as the summer season begins.  Insight into island real estate, high-stakes gardening, teen angst under a small-town microscope and tested friendships are provided.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant is a historical novel which tells a Bible story from the women's’ perspective.  It transports the reader in time, place and culture to reveal sacred bonds, twisted family ties and the power of tradition. 

Salsa Nocturna by Daniel José Older is a collection of spooky short stories set in New York City.  Older takes the reader to dark, gritty places, both physical and psychological.  These stories are fascinatingly creepy and elegantly written. They provide exposure to the dirty underbelly of New York City.

Richard Wagamese’s Medicine Walk takes you to the harsh and splendid backcountry of BC, where a teenage boy fulfils his estranged father’s wish to be buried in the traditional Ojibway way.  Family bonds, the shaping of lives and our need for resolution are explored.  Wagamese is a master storyteller who expertly weaves the magnificent setting into the complicated story.

What book has taken you to a new place?  Share your stories here on the blog or our Facebook page.

Joanna Aegard