The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, Doubleday Canada
How do you write a novel involving murder, humour, a marriage breakdown and family crisis when you use an autistic narrator who does not understand humour or emotion? Read this touching, funny, sad novel and find out. An excellent book (and Haddon’s first novel, the talented bugger!!)

I just finished the main part of Fire and Ice: The United States, Canada and the Myth of Converging Values by Michael Adams, head of Environics (the pollsters). His thesis is that contrary to the right-wing think-tanks that state that Canada and the United States are becoming so similar in values and attitudes that Canada should just hurry up and become the 51st U.S. state, Canada and the U.S. are actually diverging in social attitudes. Canadians are gradually becoming more skeptical about government and religion while becoming more accepting of differences in people; Americans are becoming more religious and lockstep behind their politicians (while not bothering to vote) and at the same time more intolerant in their social attitudes. This is interesting stuff, and even though I do quibble with a few of his statements (he having a bit of a Liberal party slant), and wonder somewhat at his polling methods (I generally find polling methods a little, shall we say, greasy), I think his conclusions definitely have merit. Just look at the differences between Canadian and American attitudes over gay marriages!

A relatively quick read and very thought-provoking.