Louise Penny's Canada-Tourism through the Lenses of the Inspector Gamache series

 [Notice:  This is a work in progress.  I will continue to add/refine.  I've just have a few requests to post as I go. I'll post a notice when it's final.]

If you've been reading my entries you probably know that I am a great fan of Louise Penny's novels.  As a result, for a number of years I've been hearing the call of Canada. I expect that many of her readers are from Canada, particularly the Quebec Province.  These readers have a distinct advantage.  They have a visual memory of the settings of her books.  I'm going to use this particular blog to share some of my "home photos" of the real locations of some of the land marks and settings of her novels.

I'm visiting during the early fall.  Fortunately I will not be showing frozen lakes or pine trees covered with snow.  If I've made mistakes as I selected places to photograph the error is mine alone.  In some cases a bit of a language problem may have led me to an incorrect location.

I'll begin in Montreal:

As a reader I really was drawn to the libraries.  I'm currently rereading The Nature of the Beast in which research in the national archives is an important element.  I hope I selected the correct library--"Grande Bibliotheque."  It appears as if there are national archive locations in many places throughout the country.  I had envisioned some grand old brick or stone building.  Instead is it very modern and uses yellow birch as the wood throughout.  It is a lovely contemporary building.  I did not take photos in the national archive section.  There is a guard going into the room and I was too self-conscious to take a lot shot in front of him.  (If I'm going to become a literary tourist I am going to have to become more bold!)

Musee de'Art Contemporain de Montreal

I think this was the museum in which Clara had her first show.  It seems right.  It's a little more "cold and modern" that I feel fits Clara and Peter.  But, I can see it being the setting of her successful first one-woman show.  I kept hoping to see a painting that might make me think of her work--but of course Clara is way ahead of the curve.  I was there as a new installation was going in.  It made me think more of Peter's work.Construction in the area made it impossible for me to see the statue out in front.  The entire city is being refreshed for its anniversary next year.  Construction everywhere.

Why I Read Science Fiction (and a few thoughts about politics and Zika)

Many of my friends/acquaintances wonder why I read science fiction.  From my perspective it is and always has been the literature of imagination.  In this posting I'm going to pull together some  previous posts and connect them to current events:  Zika virus and current politics. In previous posts I have reviewed Mira Grant's Newsflesh series.  Yes, it has zombies--but much more.  As I talk politics with my adult children I am alarmed by the increasing skepticism they have for commercial news outlets (also our political system in general!).  The parralles between the Newsflesh series with the current political theater and Zika virus is eerie. 

I don't want to spoil anything in the books so I'm going to talk around how closely Grant predicts the future in these books.  (I can also make much of the same case with Saci Lloyd's Carbon Diaries books.)  What I can discuss is why I think it's important for people to read these sorts of science fiction.  First of all it helps readers think through possible future scenarios and begin to plan their own actions in similar situations. As a result of my readings I am much more able to react rationally to "crises." Because authors like Grant and Lloyd are exploring possibilities, I have a frame work upon which I can structure my thinking.  I might be a tad bit more paranoid than some, but I remain rational.    I'm not a "prepper" by any means, but I do try to think of the possibilities in the future and prepare in ways that I judge reasonable. In the case of Zika this means staying out of Florida and other areas with the virus.  If I didn't have that luxury I would make sure I had good protection (I hate DEET repellents so I'd probably go for the clothing options as much as possible).  Based on Lloyd's work, and that of many author authors, I also have some "stock piles" of food and supplies that I might need in the case of a natural disaster or system failure.  Not two years worth--but at least some.  [As I compose this I had a horrible thought.  There are lots of "storage units" going up around me.  I have been appalled that Americans have so much stuff that their two car garages and McMansions don't hold it all.  Now it suddenly occurred to me that perhaps they are stockpiling resources instead. Hmmm]

Another area that science fiction writers often explore is that of politics. One of the things bothering me in this political season is the mass acceptance of political "cover-ups" (mostly magical thinking). I'm not certain what I might consider actually doing about the political/media fantasy we have going right now.  I'm in the awkward position that I want to believe we can have a working political system.  But, the realist in me makes me think that I'm being naive.  Unfortunately in all the "futures" science fiction I have been reading, there is no great answer for this problem.  It may be that the system is going to have to get much worse before the wider public can see through the smoke and mirrors that I am perceiving.  I have been persuaded that I need to dig deeper and read more widely.  Being informed as well as I can will at least help me feel confident that I can bring some real substance to the discussions of politics when they do occur.  I find myself increasingly using references to novels to help broaden out the thinking of those around me.  One of the skills I learned during a training about how to handle conflict was to avoid "theory" and simply report my own experiences.  Hopefully referencing some fiction that others might read will serve a similar purpose.

Now, just in case I haven't persuaded you that science fiction is a good reading option let me provide some evidence that you're not going to find it poorly written and simplistic.  Here's some evidence of the quality of the writing.  From Mira Grant's website:

 "Feed is a distopian political zombie thriller set in against the backdrop of a national political campaign. It was named #76 on NPR’s Top 100 Killer Thrillers List, and was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2010."  

In this year of another election, I think it's worth reading the series to have some grist for processing current events.

Fire Touched, by Patricia Briggs

I enjoy Brigg's books--all of them!   She writes a number of fantasy series and all are well written and engaging.  Yes there are werewolves and shape-changers as well as a variety of supernatural creatures and ancient gods!  But, the books have good narrative arcs and a number of well rounded characters.

But, I am embarrassed by the covers.  I actually found myself turning the book face-down in doctor's offices and coffee shops when I was not actually reading.  If you look at the covers you will probably expect a fantasy romance novel.  There is little if any "romance" other than the developing relationships between main characters--the normal romance found in most novels.

What do I like about these books?  Well, ancient gods always appeal to me!  I'm fascinated by our mythologies and the "character" of the gods, demi-gods, and other "divine" beings.  This series, along with the Iron Druid, Artemis Fowl, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flammel, and Percy Jackson series as well as individual titles such as American Gods have pulled me into a wide range of mythologies.  Brigg's books are set in Southeastern Washington State (the tri-cities area) and thus also resonate with my northwestern US home.  Her details of the setting and region throughout this series may enhance your enjoyment of the books if you are familiar with the area.  If you are not, then they may encourage you to come visit!

It's a great summer read (and you can create a book cover to hide the cover image!).  In this case don't be fooled by the cover.

The Fifth Wave, by Rick Yancey (2013)

There have been so many dystopian books that it is hard to imagine a "fresh take."  Yancey has managed to create something that feels fresh within the sub-genre and is compelling.  As soon as I finished this book I put a reserve on the next title in the series. 

This particular dystopia is created when an interstellar spaceship arrives above earth and circles for a bit and then begins a wave of invasions.  Their goal is simply to get rid of humanity.  And they are doing it in extremely clever ways.  Yancy's book pulls you into and through the story with a narrative and a voice that help you forget that this is the latest is a long series of "end of the world as we know it" books, movies, and tv series. 

I've read many of Yancey's other books (The Monstrumologist series and
The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp).  I look forward to the next book in the series and his future novels.  He's definitely on my "alert" list as new titles come out.

The "readability" on this title is late 4th grade with an interest level of 7th-12th grades. It is a perfect choice for an older teen who has relatively undeveloped reading skills. I do worry a bit about what our young teens are reading.  I'd have a little trouble recommending it for 7th and 8th graders.  But then perhaps I am naive.  I know they watch Walking Dead.  This dystopian novel is not quite as obviously bloody and has more positive messages for young adults.  At times as I was reading it felt like an adult book.  Not because of any particular content but because of the literary merit.  At one point I actually double checked the age designation.

The book has been given many awards including:   
            Winner of the 2014 Red House Children's Book Award
            2014 Children’s Choice Book Awards Finalist for Teen Book of the Year
            A YALSA 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults
            A YALSA 2014 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers
            A Booklist 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults
            A VOYA 2013 Perfect Ten 

The Fifth Wave is being translated into film to be released in May.