Passage to Wonderland ~ Passages to Complete Your Day

We don’t choose the families we’re born into.  And that goes for young children who are adopted into families as well.  Like Alfred, or Alfie as he’s known – an eleven year old boy who grew up in poverty in Scotland is sent to Canada.  A new country.  A new family.  A new life.  This is a short story called The Boy in the Photograph by Alexander McCall Smith.

The Boy In The Photograph is by Alexander McCall Smith.  Copyright ©2020 Alexander McCall Smith.  A special commission for the Toronto International Festival of Authors.

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Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

Why would turning eleven years old be shocking?  But it is for Oma in the gripping story called “Rubber.”  It’s part of a collection of short stories called Step by award winning writer Deborah Ellis.  She explores the experiences of children around the world as they turn eleven – on the precipice of adulthood and taking the next “step” into their future.  As in the case of Oma in “Rubber.”  A stunning story crafted by a superbly gifted writer.  

“Rubber” is from a collection of short stories called “Step” by Deborah Ellis.  Copyright ©2022 Deborah Ellis.  Published by Groundwood Books groundwoodbooks.com.

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Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

Award winning filmmaker Ann Shin’s debut novel is a harrowing story about love, sacrifice and the meaning of freedom.  The Last Exiles centres on a young couple, Suja and Jin, who live in North Korea and face incredible challenges to be together.  In this excerpt, Suja and Jin are in the first flush of their relationship and feel an undeniable attraction to each other.

Excerpted from “The Last Exiles” by Ann Shin.  Copyright © 2021 by Ann Shin.  Published by arrangement with HarperCollins Canada.  https://www.harpercollins.ca/

***Will incl. info here about virtual interview with Ann Shin. 

Our success depends on your support!  Please rate, subscribe and check us out on social.  Twitter @p2wpodcast.   Instagram @passagetowonderland 

Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

To me a library has always been a magical place – a place of discovery, worlds unknown, and the unexpected.  Writer Cyrille Martinez, a librarian himself,  writes about the magical library.  His story is a loving meditation on the meaning of libraries and how they can come alive – a place where ideas and stories roam free.  In this excerpt, he looks at how it all began:  the origin of the Great Library.

Excerpted from “The Dark Library” by Cyrille Rodriguez.  Translated by Joseph Patrick Stancil.  Copyright © 2020 by Cyrille Rodriguez.  Published by arrangement with Coach House Books. https://chbooks.com/

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Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

Can you imagine if all your friends are superheroes?  And you’re not?!  That’s Tom’s life.  In fact, he’s even married to one – The Perfectionist.  Everything’s going great until their wedding day.  Then something happens and now Tom’s invisible.  What’s he to do to convince her that he’s actually there – even though he’s not.  Yikes!

Excerpted from “All My Friends Are Superheroes” by Andrew Kaufman.  Copyright © 2013 by Andrew Kaufman.  Published by arrangement with Coach House Books. https://chbooks.com/

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Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

You may think a Parisian restaurant is the epitome of elegance, class, and of course
gastronomic delights. But Edward Chisolm saw a completely different world on the other side
of the kitchen door – as a Parisian waiter. Get ready for a wild ride with Edward as he takes you to the unsavoury side of fine French dining.

Excerpted from 
A Waiter in Paris: Adventures in the Dark Heart of the City 
by Edward Chisolm 
©2022 Edward Chisolm. Published by House of Anansi Press www.houseofanansi.com


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Twitter @p2wpodcast. Instagram @passagetowonderland

Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

Here is the perfect passage to end your day.  Peaceful, poetic and beautifully reflective.

Writer Kirstijana Gunnars takes you to the lush and dreamy landscape of the B.C. interior where she once lived in a small cottage.  

 “The Substance of Forgetting” is from “The Scent of Light” the collected novellas of Kristijana Gunnars.  Copyright © 2022 by Kristijana Gunnars.  Published by arrangement with Coach House Books.  

Our success depends on your support!  Please rate, subscribe and check us out on social.  Twitter @p2wpodcast.   Instagram @passagetowonderland 

Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

There comes a time when roles reverse and you the child must take care of your own parent. 

The short story “Joy of Vicks” by Sidura Ludwig captures the powerful push and pull a daughter feels - the myriad of conflicting feelings - when she must take care of her own mother who’s ill.  Anyone who’s cared for a parent will identify with the struggle:  the sadness, the pity, the repulsion, the guilt.  And the love.   

“Joy of Vicks” is from the short story collection “You Are Not What We Expected” by Sidura Ludwig.   Copyright © 2020 by Sidura Ludwig.  Published by arrangement with House of Anansi Press.

Our success depends on your support!  Please rate, subscribe and check us out on social.  Twitter @p2wpodcast.   Instagram @passagetowonderland

Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

We've had a super busy summer, so we've had to extend our break just a little longer. Our apologies, but we'll be back on our new date of Wednesday, September the 14th with more compelling passages from books old and new. We'll explore love, death, romance, heartache, friendship and joy ~ the human condition in all its many forms.  We hope Passage to Wonderland gives you a sense of calm and completion at the end of a busy day. See you on September 14th!

Summer's almost here and it's time for us to take a break!

We've loved sharing all the wonderful stories provided by our partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press and Coach House Books.  

A big thank you to them along with the Temerty Foundation for their generous support.

And a special thanks to YOU for listening!

We'll be back with more compelling passages from books old and new.  So watch for our return on Wed. Aug. 31.

In the meantime, we hope you have a wonderful summer.

And if you missed any of our past episodes, now's the time to enjoy them!