Summer Reads

Even though autumn is my favorite season, I love summertime.  Though there are more family commitments at this time I still paint...a lot.  Today I'll add stencils and patterns, probably with more vibrant colour as well to this 36x48 inch canvas...I think this neutral base will allow the other colours to pop.  I'm also currently helping my daughter to complete a diptych for herself.  It's interesting how I've chosen earth-toned colours for mine - bronze, unbleached titanium, burnt umber - and she's chosen vibrant pinks, turquoise and yellows.  Kind of like our wardrobes.

I've also been reading...a lot.  And I find it interesting that my summer reads tend to be quite deep.  It's thrilling when I'm on a run of great literature:

And the Mountains Echoed
by Khaled Hosseini

This is the first book I've read by this author even though 'The Kite Runner'  received so much praise and recognition and now I can't wait to read it along with 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'.  The story was reminiscent of 'A Fine Balance' by Rohinton Mistry and 'The God of Small Things' by Arundhati Roy (both which I loved) though they felt much heavier to me.  This story basically revolves around a brother and sister and the people that weave in and out of their lives.  Mr. Hosseini writes so beautifully about love and loss, about how each one of us has a different perspective about the same things, and about how something that can be perceived as negative or harrowing by one person may feel like salvation to another.  Ultimately, he shares how the choices we make resonate for generations.

Inside
by Alix Ohlin

Another Scotiabank Giller shortlist which I've been intrigued by, this one (once again) didn't disappoint.  This story revolves around Grace and her ex-husband Mitch, both therapists in Montreal.  Both characters learn through difficult experiences that we cannot be held responsible for another person's life and that the choices we make are ultimately our own to make.  But that we can also begin again.