More reading

Thanks to Pitt Meadows library for enlivening my fractured nights. The book on crows can't hold a candle to Crow Country by Mark Cocker, but the novels (by Canadian authors) were entertaining. The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson is the poignant story of Ambrose and Zappora. David Adams Richards' book is the first in a trilogy, set in a small town in New Brunswick; I found it annoying at first but persisted and find it sticks in my mind.

A Map of Glass by Jane Urquhart was just the ticket - there are many artists among the characters - using paint, textiles, and the landscape to make art. The book starts with a quote from Robert Smithson, and was full of quiet places as well as suppressed drama. I was impressed also by the description of dementia - losing your mind, losing everything - in the first chapter.