Jan
01

WATCH: Steven Galloway reads from The Confabulist

Are you reading along with the Cityline Book Club? Our latest pick is The Confabulist by Steven Galloway, and our Cityline staffers are loving this magical tale of mystery and suspense. This is the kind of book that hooks you from the first chapter -- and to prove it, we filmed Galloway reading the first few pages of the novel. Watch it below: [embed]bcid:3579904509001[/embed] Are you enjoying The Confabulist so far? Share your thoughts in the comments! We can't wait to discuss it with you!
Jan
01

Moms we love: Our 8 favourite moms in literature

When we're reading a really good book, sometimes we wish that we could jump inside the story and live in that world. Sometimes we wish we could be best friends with the main character, and sometimes, we even wish the main character's mom could be our mom, too. (Not that we don't love our own moms, but who wouldn't want another awesome mother?!) In honour of Mother's Day, we've rounded up a list of our favourite moms in literature, both classic and contemporary. Some of these are birth moms while some are adoptive mothers, but what they all have in common is an intense love and dedication to their children. Molly Weasley from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series: Not only is Mrs. Weasley an amazing mom to her motley crew of Weasley children, but she also takes Harry in like he's one of her very own. How could we not love her? (And her epic duel with Bellatrix Lestrange during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will always be one of our favourite moments as she defends her daughter Ginny.) Ma from Emma Donoghue's Room: Known to the reader only as Ma, this chilling novel is narrated by her 5-year-old son Jack. At the age of 19, Ma was kidnapped and has since spent the past seven years confined in a 12x12 room -- Jack has never seen the world outside of this room. Despite their dire situation, Ma maintains a fierce love for her son and strives to teach him about the world outside the room. Margaret "Marmee" March from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women: Is there a mom who has it all together as well as Marmee? With patience and grace she raised four daughters on very little money, while her husband was off fighting in the Civil War. We especially love her for some of her more unconventional views -- unlike most 19th-century mothers, she doesn't push her daughters to marry for money, and emphasizes the importance of education. Ma (Caroline) Ingalls from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie series: Like many of the women on this list, Ma was the glue that held the Ingalls family together -- but she did it as a pioneer woman without any of our modern conveniences! Ma is an excellent example of the gracious, selfless mother who will do anything to help her family -- a character type that shows up frequently in literature of this era. Marilla Cuthbert from Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables: Marilla is one of the most devoted adoptive mothers we know, even if she wasn't a huge fan of red-headed Anne Shirley from the get-go. Marilla and her brother Matthew were hoping to adopt a boy to help out on the farm, but instead they got a chatterbox girl, who eventually warms Marilla's cool demeanor. Wendy Darling from J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan: Maybe not a traditional mom, but young Wendy takes on the role of mother to Peter and the Lost Boys, as well as her own younger brothers, after they travel to Neverland. Although Peter initially entices the Darling children to join him in Neverland because they can remain young there forever, Wendy ends up embracing domestic roles and playing the part of a mother -- especially to the Lost Boys who barely remember having such a presence in their life. Reta Winters from Carol Shields' Unless44-year-old Reta's life is happy and ordinary -- until it's suddenly upended when her eldest daughter abandons her family and ends up begging on a Toronto street corner with a handwritten sign around her neck that says "GOODNESS". Despite the shock, Reta meets this life shift with poise and strength, and her emotional development as a mother is heartwrenching. Mrs. Lancaster from John Green's The Fault in Our Stars: Hazel's mom may be a bit of a helicopter parent, but can you blame her? As the mom to a 16-year-old cancer patient, Mrs. Lancaster constantly strives to make her daughter's life the best it can possibly be, and makes sure she cherishes every single moment. Mrs. Lancaster puts her own life on hold to be there for her daughter, and we completely love her for it. Who's your favourite fictional mom? Share your picks in the comments below!
Jan
01

Our latest Cityline Book Club pick: The Confabulist by Steven Galloway

Since we're a big group of book lovers here at Cityline, we're inviting our viewers to read along with us! For our last book club pick, we read the emotional and adventure-filled All the Broken Things by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (Random House Canada) -- did you read it, too? Be sure to watch the video of our book club meeting to see what we thought of the book, and to enter for your chance to win a book prize pack courtesy of Random House Canada! For our latest book pick, we'll be curling up with The Confabulist by Steven Galloway (Random House Canada). Once again, we hope you'll read along with us! Here's a little bit about the book:
the-confabulistFrom the beloved, award-winning, best-selling author of The Cellist of Sarajevo, a beautiful, suspense-filled novel that uses the life and sudden death of Harry Houdini to weave a magical tale of intrigue, love and illusion. The Confabulist weaves together the life, loves and murder of the world’s greatest magician, Harry Houdini, with the story of the man who killed him (twice): Martin Strauss, an everyday man whose fate was tied to the magician’s in unforeseen ways. A cast of memorable characters spins around Houdini’s celebrity-driven life, as they did in his time: from the Romanov family soon to be assassinated, to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the powerful heads of Scotland Yard, and the Spiritualists who would use whoever they could to establish their religion. A brilliant novel about fame and ambition, reality and illusion, and the ways that love, grief and imagination can alter what we perceive and believe.
We're so excited to start reading this magical novel, and we hope you'll read along with us! Want a copy? We have 5 copies to give away to some lucky readers, courtesy of Random House Canada! To enter for your chance to win, tell us about your last great read in the comments below! Over the two months, we'll be sharing tons of great features about The Confabulist and Steven Galloway, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at our office discussion of the book! So go out and grab your copy, and get reading! We can't wait to discuss with you!
Jan
01

Spoiler alert! Our Cityline Book Club discusses the end of All the Broken Things

Did you read Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer's All the Broken Things along with the Cityline Book Club yet? If you did, you'll know that there were some surprising twists and turns in this novel, especially surrounding Bo's mother Rose. Our book club was anxious to discuss this, of course, but we didn't want to spoil those readers who hadn't made it to the end of the book yet. If you haven't made it to the end of the novel yet, click here to watch our spoiler-free discussion video. And if you have read the whole novel yet, go ahead and watch our discussion about the book's ending and Rose's story. Spoilers abound below! [embed]bcid:3495537764001[/embed]
Jan
01

WATCH & WIN: Our Cityline Book Club discusses All the Broken Things by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer

Have you been reading along with the Cityline Book Club? Here at the studio, we had a fantastic discussion about our latest book pick, the story of Bo and Bear in All the Broken Things by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer. Wondering what we thought about Max and his relationship with Rose, and what we thought about the portrayal of Orange? Take a look at the video of our meeting below: [embed]bcid:3516482762001[/embed] Spoiler alert! Spoiler alert! If you've read the book and want to hear what we thought about the ending, click here to watch our bonus discussion and find out what we thought about Rose's story! If you read All the Broken Things along with us, we want to know what you thought of the novel! Post a comment below with your thoughts on the book, and you’ll be entered to win a book prize pack courtesy of Random House Canada! For our next book club pick, we'll be reading The Confabulist by Steven Galloway (Random House Canada), and once again, we want you to read along with us! Stay tuned for a chance to win a copy next week! Set design by Amber-Rose Sandu
LOAD MORE