Marianne Bromley, NWT Literacy Council Literacy Coordinator
I plan to give Any Questions? by Marie-Louise Gay. I recently bought this book for myself because I am a fan of Gay's Stella series (also great gifts). In this book, Gay addresses the many questions children ask her about writing, drawing, ideas and her life. She answers them with a whimsical and funny story within a story that shows her version of the creative process. The book is large format, and every page is full of sketches, scribbles, doodles, hand-written notes, collages, drawings, paintings, and a fabulous cast of characters. The book is inspiring and delightful, for anyone who loves words and pictures, and sometimes wonders where they come from.
Ruth Bowen, NorthWords NWT Executive Director
Kathleen Winter’s Boundless is a welcome antidote to the hype surrounding the discovery of Erebus (one of explorer John Franklin’s ships found this summer). Highly critical of the concept of The Northwest Passage, Winter’s journey from Greenland to Kugluktuk is a lyrical mix of memoir, wry observation, and the power and fragility of the north and its people.
Beverly Amos, Uqausiliqiyi Inuvialungni, Inuvialuit Cultural Resource Centre
I love reading Inuvialuit Nautchiangit, a book about the relationship between people and plants by Inuvialuit Elders with Robert W. Bandringa. The photos of plants, land and people are beautiful! It’s so nice to have a book that you can read for enjoyment and also use for research. The plant names are in our three languages of Inuvialuktun, Inupiatun and Inuinnaqtun and English. I use Inuvialuit Nautchiangit when I can’t remember the name of a plant in my language.
Xiaoyi Yan, Literacy Outreach Program Coordinator
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, was written from a very unique perspective. The book is narrated by death, who is depicted as a character in the book. The themes of loss and joy, with both the ugliness and beauty of human nature, are in this beautifully written book. Its tone is uplifting. It may not look very “Christmassy” but whoever gets the book will thank you for it for the whole year. I would even throw in the movie with the same title to make it a package. As far as I am concerned, the movie is the rare one that actually lives up to the quality of the book it was based on.
Michael Corbett, NWT Literacy Council Executive Director
I just finished reading Richard Ford's latest book, Let Me Be Frank With You, a Frank Bascombe Book. It is four connected novellas that explore a few days in the life of Frank Bascombe, the main character in several of Richard Ford’s previous books. This is a great new book by a great writer. I didn't want it to end.
Thank you to the contributors to this blog. Tell us what books you are giving or reading this holiday season. We always welcome contributions to our blog.
