MaryLou Driedger

Finding Flora My friend Marguerite recommended the book, Finding Flora by Elinor Florence and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The title is apt because the protagonist, Flora, a young Scottish woman who has just immigra…

I throughly enjoyed Finding Flora by Elinor Florence. It's an historical fiction novel about early female settlers in Alberta. Read more in my post below.
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Popular Books About Old People I just finished reading Theo of Golden, a self-published novel by lawyer and songwriter Allen Levi that’s been riding high on the bestseller lists for quite some time now. It’s the stor…

Why are so many recent bestsellers about older people making the most of the last years of their lives? Find out by reading my post below.
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A Gift From the Book Fairy Yesterday morning, my husband drove me to my volunteer job at Canadian Mennonite University, and we decided to have coffee in their Folio Cafe together before I went to work. I noticed someone had …

I received a book from a book fairy yesterday at the restaurant where I had breakfast. What is a book fairy. Click on the link to find out.
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SNAP- A Good Entertaining Read What happens when a usually normal, calm person SNAPS and loses their temper in a very public and embarrassing way? The three main protagonists in Susin Nielsen’s book SNAP are about to find …

What would happen if suddenly you SNAPPED and behaved inappropriately and perhaps even criminally? A new novel by Susin Nielsen explores that possibility with humour and heart. Read more in my post below.
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A beautiful new book, Levi's Gift by Kathy Stinson, about a man who gives away his cherished violin, will be in my violin-playing granddaughter's stocking this Christmas.

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How The Penguins Saved Veronica I’ve heard from so many readers that they enjoyed The Correspondent after I reviewed it here on my blog. The same friend, Simone, who recommended I read The Correspondent, also thought I&#821…

Read my review of Hazel Prior's engaging novel, How the Penguins Saved Veronica.
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I love Colleen Nelson's latest middle-grade novel, which is set in a historic Winnipeg library.
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A Different Sort of Christmas On Sunday, we went to see our granddaughter’s Christmas program at the church our children attend, and they put on a little drama about how a snowstorm changes the way a family experiences Ch…

A new children's book, The Christmas That Almost Wasn't by Laura Alary, had me thinking about how we can make Christmas memorable even if things don't go as we planned. @lauraalary.bsky.social
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Write, Writer, Write! Deborah Froese is a seasoned Winnipeg editor. Dozens of authors, including me, have trusted her to help them hone and refine their precious manuscripts and have been so glad they did. Now she has c…

My editor, Deborah Froese, has created a series of podcasts that both experienced and novice writers will find very helpful. Read more in my post below.
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Two Novels About Lost Children I recently finished reading two very interesting novels, one right after the other, whose storylines revolved around lost children. The first was a Pulitzer Prize winner called The Snow Child by Eo…

I recently finished two novels about lost children. Read my reviews in the post below.
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Essential Children’s Books My copy of Ezra Jack Keats’ A Snowy Day is 50 years old. It is considered one of the 65 essential pieces of children’s literature. The Atlantic recently ran a story about what they beli…

The Atlantic recently published a list of what they believe to be essential children's picture books. I agreed with some of their selections, but not all of them. Read more in my post below.

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The Story of A Little Free Library I love being the librarian at my church In 2016, I had the idea of opening a Little Free Library at Bethel Mennonite Church. When I took on the position of church librarian in 2014, my first task w…

I helped set up a Little Free Library in Winnipeg which has been thriving for a decade. Read more in my post below.
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The Correspondent-A Life in Letters We may think that as people age, their lives get lonelier and less rich and meaningful, but just the opposite happens to Sybil, a retired law clerk, in an absorbing new book I read called The Corre…

A story told entirely with letters? I was skeptical, but The Correspondent by Virginia Evans won me over. It was an absorbing and intriguing read. See my review in the post below.
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Learning About Green Worlds Karen Krossing, who was the instructor in a picture book writing course I took in the spring, introduces Paul Coccia, who taught us about green worlds. At the Packaging Your Imagination conference …

I learned about a new idea that will change the way I think about my reading and writing, and my life experiences, at a children's writing conference in Toronto. Read more in my post below. #PYI2025
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A Good Book For I Read Canadian Day Today is I Read Canadian Day, when Canadian authors are celebrated, especially those who write books for young people. What is really exciting is a noted trend that books written to appeal to the y…

It's I Read Canadian Day, and I'm celebrating a new book for middle-grade kids by British Columbia author Nikki Bergstresser. Read more in my post below. #IReadCanadianDay @heritagehouse.bsky.social @nikkibergstresser.bsky.social
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Jean Pendziwol gave a truly inspiring talk about the value of curiosity at the children's writing conference I attended in Toronto. Read more in my post below. #PYI2025
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I Had Lunch With Tim Wynne-Jones As a tall man sat down at the same table where I was having lunch, at the Packaging Your Imagination conference for Canadian children’s authors and illustrators in Toronto on Saturday, I whis…

At a conference for children's book writers and illustrators in Toronto, I was lucky enough to have a chat over lunch with well-known Canadian author Tim Wynne-Jones. Find out what we chatted about in my post below. #PYI2025
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Writing A Poem For Winnipeg Winnipeg’s poet Laureate Jennifer Still has a really cool project on the go. She is inviting everyone in the city to help write a poem about the place we all call home. She’s made these…

The Poet Laureate of Winnipeg, Jennifer Still, is asking people to help her write a collaborative poem about the city. You can add your contributions to a neat little fold-up map available at public libraries. Check out my post below.
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Friends of the Library Week Did you know that today is the beginning of Friends of the Library Week? There are 642 public library systems in Canada, and many of them have Friends of the Library groups who support libraries in…

Did you know today is the start of Friends of the Library week? I'm part of that organization here in Winnipeg. Read more in my post below.
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A Rambling Autobiography At a recent workshop I led on writing memoir, I introduced the thirty participants to a form called a rambling autobiography. I wrote a little sample about my own life to get them started. I was bo…

A rambling autobiography is a great way to write a memoir. Read my sample to see what I mean.
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The Heart of Winter A friend recommended Jonathan Evison’s latest novel, The Heart of Winter. It provides a history of the 70-year marriage of Abe and Ruth Winter who meet in college in 1953. People have often r…

A novel that chronicles a 70-year marriage had me thinking about my own marriage. Read more in my post below.
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Drawn and Quarterly-Finding New and Wonderful Children’s Books in Montreal On my visit to Montreal in September I went to a book store called Drawn and Quarterly which had been recommended by my Winnipeg friend Laura, who is a frequent visitor to the Quebec city. What a u…

In a unique bookstore in Montreal I found some newly released books by Canadian children's authors I admire. Read more in my post below.
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People Reading The Guardian newspaper did a review of a new book by David Hurn called On Reading. It features photos of folks reading in different places and spaces around the world. It inspired me to look throug…

Inspired by David Hurn's new book On Reading I collected photos of people reading from my collection.
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Mouth-Watering and Spine-Tingling Description I just finished reading Manitoba author David Bergen’s latest book, Feasting and Rejoicing, and oh my, his descriptions of food are mouth-watering and his step-by-step detailed account of mur…

In his latest book Canadian author David Bergen engages readers with his descriptions of food and a protagonist desperately trying to cover up a murder.
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Sad and Slow-The Berry Pickers I read The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters on my Kindle in airports and on planes and in hotel rooms during our recent trip to Quebec. One of my very favourite books to read to children is Robert Mc…

Amanda Peters' book The Berry Pickers reminded me of a children's book where children are separated from their parents while picking berries. Read my review in the post below.
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Banned Book Puzzle I did this puzzle last week. It depicts some sixty books that have been banned from schools and libraries at some point. I simply couldn’t think of reasons why many of the books in the puzzle…

I just did a jigsaw puzzle that challenged me to think about why books I'd read and discussed with my students had been banned from schools and libraries. Read more in my post below.
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Cycling trip in Quebec.

Louise Penny and French Pastry Standing across the street from the Brome Lake Books One highlight of today’s biking trip would definitely have to be visiting Knowlton, which is the inspiration for the community of Three Pi…

On a cycling tour in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, we visited the community that inspired the Three Pines setting in the mystery novels of Louise Penny. Read more in my post below.
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Children Like Us I told a friend I had just finished reading an autobiography by Steinbach area author Brittany Penner called Children Like Us.  “Is that the same Brittany Penner who is my doctor?” m…

Read my review of Brittany Penner's new book, Children Like Us.
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Part of A Canadian Vacation Guide In the summer issue of BOOK NEWS published by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre there’s an article called Traveling Across Canada Through the Pages of a Book. It invites kids to explo…

It was great to see my two novels included in a Canadian Vacation Reading Guide in the latest edition of Book News. Read about it in my post below.

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