"On Our Radar" is a 49th Shelf series featuring books with buzz worth sharing. We bring you links to features and reviews about great new books in a multitude of genres from all around the Internet and elsewhere.
*****
Paper Teeth, by Lauralynn Chow
Reviewed by Melwyk at The Industrious Reader:
"I found it really absorbing reading; Chow has a unique story to tell, even with the reliance on the kind of family stories we might expect to see in short fiction. Her characters develop more complexity as you read, and see them in different situations and at different ages.
Her narrative style is also quite fascinating—she has a habit of adding in parenthetical afterthoughts or commentary, often ironic and/or funny, often a judgement made by an older narrator/writer. It's very entertaining, and I found that particular habit intriguing. I really liked this book. There was good writing and lots of great imagery, as well as things happening—not just vague or open ended stories about emotional exploration of the self."
*
Journey Through Genocide, by Raffy Boudjikanian
Boudjikanian writes "Talking Trauma" on the Dundurn blog:
"But … confronted with my nephew’s innocent enthusiasm at telling me he was holding a copy of my book, it dawned on me that I was nowhere near ready to have a conversation with him about this traumatic shared history.
How do you explain what a crime against humanity is to a kid whose life consists of Paw Patrol, bugging his big brother, and play time?"
*
F-Bomb: Dispatches from the War on Feminism, by Lauren McKeon
McKeon writes "How Everyday Misogyny Feeds the Incel Movement" in The Walrus:
"Even as we mourn the Toronto attack, it is taking on a meaning intended to mock our grief. No matter what allegedly motivated Minassian, or the complex reasons that drove him, his actions are seen as a call to arms for a growing number of men who believe that they should be able to do what they want to women. Go on, tell me I’m being hysterical."
*
Unstable Neighbourhood Rabbit, by Mikko Harvey
Reviewed by rob mclennan:
"Where does a poem go from there? There are those say that the best thing a poem can do is to explore the already-familiar in an entirely new way, providing a fresh perspective that allows the reader to experience the world with new eyes, and this appears to be what Mikko Harvey brings to the lyric, offering the surreal through a rather straightforward narrative, one that twists and turns even as it holds entirely still, offering a line solid enough that any bird would trust to land upon it."
*
Family of Spies: Paris, by Jodi Carmichael (Middle Grade)
Reviewed at Mango Bubbles Books:
"This is a really good book. I really enjoyed reading it! It is an absolute page turner, and I spent every spare minute I had reading it. My favourite character is Ellie, because she is really organised, however Ford and Gavin are really good as well! This review has been a great joy to write, and I’ve only just come back from being on holiday, and this is the first thing I’ve done. Congrats Jodi, and thanks for sending an advance copy!"
*
Going Wild: Helping Nature Thrive in Cities, by Michelle Mulder
Featured on the Orca Books blog:
"When I write a book, I try to present information and then get out of the way so that the readers can form their own opinions about the topic. That being said, I usually find myself presenting information that is very different from the beliefs commonly held (or at least acted upon) in our society. I hope that my books empower readers to delve into what they believe and why, and the more this kind of conversation comes up, the better, I think!"