This is a good book of short stories. My book has a different cover.

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Sent to JudySlump612 for the General Liturature VBB.

Arrived here safely today, and what a pleasure! I had read some of these stories in the New Yorker, and I'm happy to have them now all handily collected. Also, thank you, Kally93, for the nifty bookmarks!

Really enjoyed reading this collection through. 'Passion' was the story I remembered most vividly, but the title story, 'Runaway,' is the one that impresses me the most now. Just look at how much information Munro slips you in the opening paragraphs, and how she makes it seem as easy as rolling over in bed. What a great writer!

But that's just one person's opinion. Future readers, what do YOU think of this book?

Sent to gypsysmom for the Canadian Literature Sweepstakes. As the winner, or a decoy? Ooh, mystery!

Thanks JudySlump612. It seems I am indeed the winner. You picked a great book for me because I just finished reading this book which mentioned Alice Munro. And I had thought to myself, "Yes, I have to find some more stories by Munro." And presto, here it arrives in the mail today. I love these BookCrossing coincidences.

I always say I'm not really a fan of short stories but in the hand of a master like Alice Munro I am transformed. I think you have to be a consummate writer to craft a short story that doesn't leave the reader wishing there was more. On the front of this book the New York Times Book Review is quoted "Alice Munro has a strong claim to being the best fiction writer now working in North America." I may not have the breadth of experience that the reviewers of the New York Times have but I do think Munro is a fabulous writer.

All of these stories deal with people who have run away or been abandoned or sometimes run away and then been abandoned. I think it is interesting that these stories are not contemporary; they mostly are set between the two world wars or just after the Second World War. I think it was maybe easier then to run away and not be found. Today with the World Wide Web and instant methods of communicating and the need to document all your financial transactions it is much less likely that people could disappear.

My favourite story was the last one, Powers. Two couples are contrasted in this story. On the one hand there is Nancy and Wilf, the couple that stayed in their Ontario town for most of their life where Wilf had a successful doctor's practise. On the other hand are Tessa and Ollie. Ollie is Wilf's cousin who met Tessa when Ollie came to town after spending time in a sanatorium for TB. Tessa has the power to find lost objects as well as some other extrasensory powers. Nancy introduced Ollie and Tessa but was surprised when Tessa went away with Ollie. Years later Nancy is called to a mental institution where Tessa has been for years and Ollie is presumed dead. The institution is being shut down and the authorities are looking for people to take the cases that no longer need to be in an institution. Nancy can't do this because Wilf has dementia and it is all she can do to look after him. Some time later, after Wilf's death, Nancy encounters Ollie on a street in Vancouver. Ollie tells Nancy that Tessa died of leukemia. Nancy doesn't disclose to Ollie that she knows differently. I can't help but ask myself what I would do in the same situation. That's always the mark of a good story for me.

Thanks JudySlump612 for the great read. I'll be releasing it for the 2013 Canada Days release challenge.

I left this book on a bench at the corner of Broadway and Carleton Street. I didn't exactly runaway to do this release but I did escape from work to go walking with my Walking Club.

This release is for the 2013 Canada Days release challenge which seeks to get Canadian books out into the wild.

When I got the alert that this book had been released just a couple of blocks from me, I hemmed and hawed about whether I ought to go out and look for it. I've already read it. But see, here's my problem. Alice Munro is one of my most favourite authors. Several years ago she announced she was retiring. I was panicked. Whatever would I do with no Alice Munro to read? She didn't retire then and, in fact, went on to write lots more, but since then I decided I would not read her most recent book until I was sure there would be another.

Now of course she has announced her retirement. I am still panicked. Worse I took a few peeks into her most recent book, Dear Life. Oh how good it is. So now what do I do? Put that book on hold and just dole little bits of it out to myself, like every five years or so, saving the last story to read on my deathbed. Or, do I gobble that one up and then start all over on all the books that I have already read and enjoyed? The latter does sound attractive.

So I've nabbed this book. But I think I should start my re-read with the first books and work through them in the same way as I first did. So until it is this book's turn, I imagine I will release it to Little Free Library #2873 for a while. I'm greedy but I do share. :)

I came home this afternoon to discover that LFL #2873 had developed some empty spaces on its shelf. Yay! So I added this book. This book was originally released as part of the 2013 Canada Day release challenge running from June 22nd to July 1st in celebration of Canadian Literature by gypsysmom.

To the finder of this book:

I hope you enjoy this great book by a Canadian author. Happy Canada Day!

Welcome, also, to the wonderful and wacky world of BookCrossing! Here you'll find a unique and worldwide community of book lovers sharing their books. This book is now yours! Read it, enjoy it. Keep it or pass it on to someone you know, return it to any Little Free Library or even release it into the wild. It is all up to you.

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