As I write this, southern Ontario is currently in its third wave of ‘fake spring’. The sun is shining, I’m wearing a springy jacket, I misplaced my sunglasses but I’m too happy with the Vitamin C to be bothered. I’m sipping an iced caramel latte, double-checking there is not a single cloud in sight, and plan on swinging by my local candidate’s office to sign up to volunteer. March has been kind, and I’m excited for what April will bring!
It’s that time when I share my best of the month. I wrote an entire post on my trip to Montreal that I planned on sharing when I got back, but got sick, sidetracked with existential dread, etc etc. I thought it was still worth sharing because I figured many Canadians would be looking for domestic places to visit this year. I’m here to tell you the Montreal food scene is just as good as everyone says! Though I will say — they take their time. Waiting for food, at some places, took up to 45 minutes. When the hanger took over, I thought my boy Carmy would NEVER let this happen.
Where to eat: restaurants
Dinette Marcella: A wonderful vibey Italian place. My only qualm was it took an hour to get our food after we ordered it (about 45 minutes after appetizers), but the beef ragu was amazing and worth the wait.
Modavie: Probably the best meal of the trip. This French restaurant had the best service and live music in the evening. We had a charcuterie board, I opted for the french onion soup and creme brule for dessert (the steak pictured was my sister’s). It still haunts me that I can’t figure out the celebrity that our waiter looked like, but you win some, you lose some.
Mckibbins Irish Pub: If you’re looking for something cozy and familiar after a long day out in the cold this is it. I had poutine and Irish stew. Can’t say no to a good pub!
Parloir: This high tea spot was such a fun experience and a short walk from Mont Royal (which has a lot of cute shops). It’s a small but cute place that serves tiered sandwiches, scones, and desserts. You need reservations in advance, and if you have any dietary restrictions or allergies they’re very accommodating.
Where to eat: coffee & bagels
Le Petit Dep: Super cute general store with tons of plants and greenery. The matcha was excellent.
Crew Collective and Cafe: The flat white was just okay, but the interior was incredible — it used to be an old RBC building.
St. Viateur & Le Fabrique de Bagel: Montreal bagels are just as good as everyone says. Though we were carry-on only, we were able to fit 4 dozen bagels to take back home!
Montreal bagels.
Everything I ate in Montreal.
Saying yes to things I normally would say no to (more on this next week).
Getting back on my hockey skates for the first time in 13 (!!!) years.
Finding a great new smoothie bowl place.
Jumping back into the Survivor universe (I have not watched this since I was 12; I am very obsessed with this season!).
Stumbling across a used bookstore and finding two used (yet, in perfect condition) books by Zadie Smith to round out my collection.
Meeting up with some online book friends (see below).
Seeing Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey speak at Toronto Public Library (see above).
Booking an appointment for a new tattoo.
Visiting the ROM on its ‘Third Tuesday Free’.
Getting the highly coveted window seat at my favourite coffee shop.
Being a first-time published writer (in the Globe and Mail, no less)!
Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda: This is a short story collection, with 13 linked stories that follow 13 Mexican women and how they fight, cheat, and lie to get out of their unwanted circumstances. Here’s the Booker blurb: “Life’s a bitch. That’s why you’ve got to rattle her cage, even if she’s foaming at the mouth.” You can read my full review below.
Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell: A story about how leaving is hard, but staying away is that much harder. Beautiful storytelling and characters. The Irish know how to write a book.
The Tell by Amy Griffin: In her 40s, a woman discovers a secret she’s repressed since childhood. The audio was really good.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy: The Queen of Climate Fiction Charlotte McConaghy has written another winner. A small island near Antarctica used to be full of researchers planning on how to sustain the world during a climate crisis, but the water levels have risen a lot, and quickly, so all that’s left on the island are Dominic and his three children… until a mysterious woman appears. Very atmospheric and unsettling (in a good way).
Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver: I needed a fun romance read this month, and this delivered. Pop star Skylar finds herself in small-town Rose Hill wanting to record the music she wants to record, and connects quickly with single dad West and his kids. I liked it even more than the first one in the series!
Careless People by Sarah Wynn Williams: Hell hath no fury like a corporate girlie scorned and ready to shout it from the rooftops. In this tell-all memoir about her time at Facebook, Williams divulges the toxic and egotistical company culture and the people who lead it. The author seems super smart, so I didn’t buy how she lasted so long at the company (I don’t think she was that naive), but hindsight is always 20/20.
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami: A speculative fiction tale about a woman being held in a retention centre because her ‘risk’ score was high. You can read my full review below.
Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa: A disabled young woman makes a proposition to one of her nurses. A super quick read, but one that I don’t think will stay with me.
Crooked Seeds by Karen Jennings: Deidre finds herself in the middle of a police investigation where her brother is being investigated for his involvement in a pro-apartheid group in the 1990s after human remains have been found on her family’s old property. A character-driven look into a dark part of South African history.
It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Over by Anne de Marcken: A literary, uniquely told story about a zombie in a post-apocalyptic world trying to hold on to her humanity.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi: Cozy Japanese fiction about a cafe that lets you travel back in time, as long as you return before the coffee gets cold. I think if I read this one vs. listening to it on audio I would have liked it more.
A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre: The story of an intense friendship between the narrator and his close childhood friend, Fanny, who suffers from psychological disorders. (This is another reminder to myself that if I force myself to read longlisted books, I’m not going to like them all).
This was a longer-than-usual newsletter, and if you’ve made it this far, thank you! Back to a personal essay next week.
Until next week,
Rachael