Salvage King, Ya! - Mark Anthony Jarman:
My first reading of this picaresque novel opened up an entirely new avenue of expression for me. Jarman's lyrical, poetic writing set my mind on fire and had me accessing a pool of creativity I never knew I had.
Life of Hope - Paul Quarrington:
This book has the most beautiful depiction of fishing I have ever read. It's weird, it's rude, but it's beautiful and it makes me happy every time I read it.
Ghost Rider - Neil Peart:
Neil Peart wrote the template for being a good man and for living a life right. This motorcycle travelogue of his days on the healing road after the deaths of both his daughter and his wife was the first time Neil ever bared his soul publicly and it's a resounding testament to what a great man he was.
On the Road - Jack Kerouac:
This book was like literary LSD for me. After reading it, I wanted to sleep with the window open so I could hear the world. It made me want to find my people and the poetry within them.
Skin House - Michael Blouin:
This novel is a crazy ride from beginning to end. Its characters are insane but they are having the time of their lives-- while ruining them at the same time.
The Architects Are Here - Michael Winter:
It's hard to pin down why I love this book so much. I just love the characters and the colloquial Newfoundland character of it. On my first read, I could not put it down and I felt changed afterwards, in a way that I still can't even define.
Noopiming - Leanne Betasamosake Simpson:
Steeped in Anishinaabe mythology and culture, this book brings literally everything to life, from the rocks to the trees to the lake and it gives all living things a voice, whether they are human or not. It's beautiful, full of commentary and teeming with humanity.
Life After God - Douglas Coupland:
Following the dissolution of my own religious faith, this book was almost like a guide to show me the world as it truly was. It lifted the veil and showed me people as they really are.
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut:
This novel not only built a world world, it built a reality. After reading this book, I could never really look at the world the same.
Life on Mars - Lori McNulty:
Probably one of the most original short story collections I've ever read. Packed with weirdness, it's page after page of fun.
A Complicated Kindness - Miriam Toews:
An engaging novel of religious fundamentalism failing in the modern world, all through the voice of a cynical but vulnerable teenage girl.
You Shall Know Our Velocity - Dave Eggers:
One of the most original premises for a novel I've ever found, a young man catches a windfall of money and travels the world finding people with whom he can share his wealth.
The Watch That Ends The Night - Hugh Maclennan:
Some of the most beautiful passages in Canadian literature are in this novel, set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War through the lens of mid-century Montreal.
The Diviners - Margaret Laurence:
The most beautiful depictions of the writing life I've ever read, with cautionary tales of Middle Canada with all its racism and political climate.
Son of a Trickster - Eden Robinson:
A beautiful but dangerous world living in the Haisla the mythological culture of coastal BC. This book was an inspiration for my LefTtURN novel.
M Train - Patti Smith
The penultimate patron of the arts, immersed as much in poetry as New York City culture.
Indian Horse - Richard Wagamese:
Some of the most endearing depictions of hockey I've ever read, while educating me on a turbulent era of cultural genocide and misappropriation.
Daydreams of Angels - Heather O’Neill:
Everything Heather writes is a fantasy. She finds the magic in the most mundane of things.
Through Black Spruce - Joseph Boyden:
A masterclass of novel writing, it grabbed me by the lapels, leading me wide-eyed to an explosive climax, leaving me breathless. It also has a sasquatch scene viewed through the eye of the beheld.
On A Cold Road - Dave Bidini:
For the first time, touring the cold Canadian circuit is examined, with all the wonder and affection that Dave Bidini holds. Also offers a peek into the inner life of one of my favourite bands, the Rheostatics.
