Gretchen McCulloch: Just read A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland and I LOVED it, if you like queer fairy tale retellings or were a fan of Robin McKinley back in the day I cannot more strongly grab your lapels and insist you read this book (Link is to the Canadian cover, which I like better)

Just read A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland and I LOVED it, if you like queer fairy tale retellings or were a fan of Robin McKinley back in the day I cannot more strongly grab your lapels and insist you read this book (Link is to the Canadian cover, which I like better)

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland | Penguin Random House Canadawww.penguinrandomhouse.ca When a young woman in 19th century Nova Scotia uncovers a magical secret about her neighbour, she’ll have to fight to keep the truth—and the woman she loves—safe in this stunning queer reimagining of ...

It was especially neat for me personally to read this book as someone who also grew up in rural Nova Scotia like the author, about 80% of the surnames in the book were like "oh yeah I went to high school with someone with that surname" But this was more of a fun easter egg for a very gripping book

Not sure if we'll get to A Sweet Sting of Salt on Lingthusiasm bc @superlinguo.bsky.social doesn't read a lot of historical fiction (though I'd argue it could also be shelved under fantasy or romance...) but there are definitely some linguisticsy elements especially wrt learning a language

Anyway I also need to know whether @oliviawaite.bsky.social has seen A Sweet Sting of Salt yet because I think it would be very much up her alley

Ooh, I’ve seen it but haven’t had a chance to try it out yet! Am thrilled to have your rec about it!

It's very pacey and well done, I couldn't put it down at ALL

I look forward to you pitching this book to me in our next meeting! (we haven't done a language learning in fiction episode!?! already mentally starting to build a list!)

My grandfather’s family came through PEI and NS, doing genealogy is a nightmare. There are like four surnames in PEI and maybe only a dozen more in NS…

From This Hour Has 22 Minutes I have learned that everyone in PEI is surnamed Gallant

That’s not true, Anne of Green Gables taught me there are at *least* three other names

My grandpa was from PEI and there are whole boatloads of Larges and MacKinnons (his mom) still on the island. :)

And burhoe/brehaut/other variants? I’m mostly those and the Wood/Reid.

I only have a few in my tree, they must have been on the west side of the island.

I once made the mistake of asking if anyone could direct me to the Mercer residence in Bay Roberts, NL.

Hahahah which of these seventeen residences would you like

Hilarity ensued. Of the six people in that gas station other than me, four were Mercers.

Where in NS? My husband is from Bridgeport (well, a Christmas tree farm in that area).

Fictional town that I had a fun time figuring out the real location of from context clues (confirmed in the back matter) but I can say that it's near Lunenburg

Nice! I've been to Lunenberg a few times, I always take a million pictures of local doors. 😁

Just reserved at the library - thank you!

That sounds right up my alley! Placed on hold, thank you!

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