Carina van Heyst

@time4reading

she/her…retired educator in Toronto, Canada Books, nature, Raptors, knitting… I write about books at www.instagram.com/time4reading with a focus on literary fiction, translated fiction, book prizes, CanLit, and nature non-fiction.

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Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Jul 8

With a little under three weeks to go until the reveal of @thebookerprizes.com longlist, I continued the long-standing tradition of making a sure-to-be mostly wrong prediction. I wrote more about it over on IG: www.instagram.com/p/DafneMIlYx... Will you be following the Booker? #booksky

A collage of the covers of 13 books that I am predicting will make the Booker longlist. The books are:

Top row:

Son of Nobody by Yann Martel
Life of M by Rachel Cusk
Uprising by Tahmima Anam
John of John by Douglas Stuart
RABBITBOX by Wayne Holloway-Smith
A Private Man by Stephanie Sy-Quia

Bottom row:

This is Where the Serpent Lives by Daniyal Mueenuddin
Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli
The Disappearers by Marlon James
Gloria Don’t Speak by Lucy Apps
Transcription by Ben Lerner
Code Noir by Canisia Lubrin
Land by Maggie O’Farrell

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Jun 13

When you’re right on the edge of the storm. Pic 1: the view south Pic 2: the view north (North end of Lake Scugog) #onwx #onstorm

A view down a rural road. Green leaves and grass. A blue sky with just a few wispy clouds.

View across a farm field with a low green crop. Green trees on the edges. Dark turbulent skies in the distance and overhead.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· May 27

I finally got around to writing up my thoughts on Maria Stepanova’s The Disappearing Act (tr. Sasha Dugdale) over on IG. Gorgeous writing/translation, a really interesting take on escaping life and “running away to the circus”. @bookhugpress.bsky.social #booksky www.instagram.com/p/DYzdPvkOs7...

A white hand holds a book in front of a lake. The book is The Disappearing Act by Maria Stepanova (translated by Sasha Dugdale). The book is beige with an illustration of a circus “big top” tent and what looks like a train track leading up to its entrance. All the text is in handwriting.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· May 11

I recently finished Douglas Stuart’s John of John and wrote about it over on IG. Vivid setting and characters. I loved it. #booksky @groveatlantic.bsky.social Knopf Canada www.instagram.com/p/DYM9bTaDio...

A white hand holds up the book John of John by Douglas Stuart in front of a sky with clouds coloured orange by the setting sun. The book cover has white text on a background photo of similar-looking clouds.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· May 8

So excited to watch @tempobasketball.bsky.social tonight! And my Tempo-inspired sock project is coming along well! #knitsky

A half-knit short sock still on needles and two balls of yarn sit on a grey couch. The sock is mostly light blue with a burgundy cuff and decorative burgundy stripes.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Apr 23

I can't resist the temptation to knit some summer socks in honour of @tempobasketball.bsky.social Toronto's new WNBA team. Pretty pleased to find these yarn colours. Now to take inspiration from their logos and plan…. #knitsky

A white hand holds two balls of yarn, one light blue and one burgundy.

A burgundy slide showing the various Toronto Tempo logos in a pale greyish blue. They are different versions of the name, a letter T, and a basketball shape. The text is capitalized and italic and there’s a recurring motif of six stripes used in the logos.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Apr 23

I recently read Ivana Sajko’s Every Time We Say Goodbye (trans from Croatian by Mima Simić). Long, flowing prose of the narrator’s thoughts as he travels by train and considers migration, relationships, and his own childhood. More on IG: www.instagram.com/p/DXZfZDsjhK... @biblioasis.bsky.social

A white hand holds a copy of the book Every Time We Say Goodbye by Ivana Sajko in front of a lake. The book cover has the photo of the back of someone’s head with a white splotch on top of the photo.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Apr 11

If you have the chance to see authors talk about their work, I highly recommend doing it. This week I was fortunate to see Yann Martel at Toronto Public Library and Olga Ravn at Type Books and both were fascinating. #booksky

A fuzzy picture of interviewer Jessica Allen and author Yann Martel seated on a low raised stage with wood paneling behind them.

Author Olga Ravn stands in Type Books reading from the English translation of her book The Wax Child. There’s a bookshelf on the left and a red wall and ceiling behind her. She wears a rust coloured jacket, has curly hair, and is holding a microphone.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Apr 7

Happy pub day to Yranscription, a deeply thought-provoking book about the power and perils of technology, and how it’s replaced our trust in memory. I wrote about it over on IG. #booksky @fsgbooks.bsky.social www.instagram.com/p/DW1gUYiDqx...

A white hand holds an ereader above a wooden floor. On the ereader is the cover of the book Transcription by Ben Lerner. The cover image shows a rock that’s the shape of a cell phone. The rock has cracks and the impression of fingerprints where you would hold it if it were a phone.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Apr 4

Just started The Disappearing Act by Maria Stepanova about a writer in exile and so far, am enjoying it! #booksky @bookhugpress.bsky.social

A white hand holds a beige book with a drawing of what looks like a railway going into a circus tent. The title and author are in a handwriting script. The book is The Disappearing Act by Maria Stepanova (translated by Sash Dugdale).

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Mar 10

Seems like a good time to share pics from our visit to Wiarton this past September…

A black poodly-looking dog sits as far away from a giant white sculpture of a cartoon groundhog as his leash will permit. The groundhog has a dapper bow tie. Behind are grass, benches, and water with lots of geese.

A large stone sculpture of a groundhog standing up from amongst a pile of rocks sits in front of a bay. Behind is water and the opposite shore with trees and the masts of many sailboats. It’s a sunny blue sky day. The plaque says the sculpture is called “Willie Emerging” (yes, really).

Close up of the plaque on the sculpture in the previous photo. It says:

"WILLIE EMERGING"

SCULPTOR: DAVE ROBINSON
MEDIUM: ADAIR DOLOMITIC LIMESTONE
DONATED BY
ARRISCRAFT CORPORATION
TO HONOUR THE 40TH ANNUAL
GROUNDHOG WEEKEND CELEBRATIONS
1936 - 1996
COMMISSIONED BY
THE WIARTON AND DISTRICT LIONS CLUB
WITH THANKS TO TOM AND DEE CHERRIE-ASHMAN
WIARTON WILLIE, A GENUINE ALBINO GROUNDHOG
(MARMOTA PREDICTICA) IS WIARTON’S MASCOT.
HE IS KNOWN INTERNATIONALLY AS
CANADA'S FOREMOST WEATHER PROGNOSTICATOR.

A block of limestone with engraved image of the cartoon head of a groundhog emerging from a hole and the following text:

In Memory Of Wiarton Willie

The sun has set for the last time on these Wiarton Willies, never to cast a shadow again. This monument is dedicated to these great prognosticators to honour their unwavering service throughout the years.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Feb 26

I’ve long appreciated being in between the understated efficient use of space of the Pape branch and the rather grand Riverdale branch which commands its street corner.

A close up of the door area of the Riverdale library branch. The building is semi-round with a stone railing above the door and stone trim and accents and red brick.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Feb 25

Aiming to fill up this tracker over the next few weeks. At first glance, I think I’m going to really enjoy this International Booker longlist.

A tracker for the 2026 International Booker showing covers of the 13 longlisted books and the title “What I’ve Read”. Green checkmarks are on the books We Are Green and Trembling, The Remembered Solider, The Director, and The Wax Child indicated that I have read these ones.

The remaining books are:

The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran
The Deserters
Small Comfort
She Who Remains
On Earth As It Is Beneath
The Duke
The Witch
Women Without Men
Taiwan Travelogue

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Feb 21

Over on IG, I posted my International Booker longlist predictions/wish list/out there possibilities: www.instagram.com/p/DU0zitkkf5... #booksky

A graphic of 13 book covers on a white background.

Title: International Booker
Prediction/Wish List

Books pictured:

Top row:

Venice Requiem, Khalid Lyamlahy (trans. Ros Schwartz)
The Remembered Soldier, Anne Daanje (trans. David McKay)
Double Room, Anne Sénès (trans. Alice Banks)
The Place of Shells, Mai Ishizawa (trans. Polly Barton)

Middle row:

Sakina’s Kiss, Vivek Shanbhag (trans. Srinath Perur)
Bloody Awful in Different Ways, Andrev Walden (trans. Ian Giles)
The Deserters, Mathias Énard (trans. Charlotte Mandell)
The Director, Daniel Kehlmann (trans. Ross Benjamin)
Imagine Breaking Everything, Alina Munar Guerva (trans. Ellen Jones) OR She Who Remains

Bottom row:

I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Towards Darkness, Irene Solà (trans. Mara Faye Lethem)
Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun, Mónica Ojeda (trans. Sarah Booker)
The Disappearing Act, Maria Stepanova (trans. Sasha Dugdale)
Death and the Gardener, Georgi Gospodinov (trans. Angela Rodel)

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Feb 15

Getting excited for the International @thebookerprizes.com longlist but have been down with a head cold so I haven’t got a prediction/wish list together yet. Until then, here are the eligible books I’ve read. #booksky

A white hand holds a stack of books in front of a snowy yard. The books are:

- On the Calculation of Volume, Book 3 by Solvej Balle (trans. Sophia Hersi Smith & Jennifer Russell)
- The Wax Child by Olga Ravn (trans. Martin Aitken)
- Death and the Gardener by Georgi Gospodinov (trans. Angela Rodel)
- The Remembered Soldier, Anjet Daanje (trans. David McKay)

A graphic of four book covers on a white background. The books are:

- We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Camara (trans. Robin Myers)
- Repetition by Vigdis Hjorth (trans. Charlotte Barslund)
- The Director by Daniel Kehlmann (trans. Ross Benjamin)
- Vaim by Jon Fosse (trans. Damion Searls)

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Feb 10

Huh. (Just learned this at a National Geographic Live talk last night)

A map of North America showing the current range of the Gray Wolf; the vast majority of Gray Wolves are in Canada. It also shows the historical range which was most of the US except the west coast and the southeastern quadrant of the country.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Feb 8

Hello, why yes, my dog does look ridiculous (but it’s -20, feels like -32 so…) And for #knitsky : did you know that knitting a dog hat is basically the same as knitting a sock?

A black poodly looking dog in his humiliating winter outfit of the day: black suspender boots, a black coat, a grey knit hat, and a circumspect look on his face. It’s sunny and snowy.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Jan 28

Here’s something for east siders (who got more snow than the west)

The plow map of Toronto showing streets west of the Don River having been plowed and streets on the east side with no plowing in the past 12 hours

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Jan 28

Can you imagine if the Canadian Olympic team managed to turn up in these???? (Some of my favourite cosy clothes are Province of Canada)

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Jan 27

I’m a retired educator, into books and nature, and I’m right between two great toboggan hills.

The Riverdale West toboggan hill on March 4, 2023. We’d had a heavy snow the day before but it turned sunny and warm, classic spring skiing weather. There’s blue sky, sunshine and lots of people either sledding down or walking up the hill. On the far side of the hill are some trees and a contemporary building which is Bridgepoint Health Centre and then a few other bigger buildings. Closest to the camera a woman is sledding down the hill wearing a sleeveless top so her arms are bare.

The Withrow Park toboggan hill today, a snow day after a record-breaking snowstorm. Blue skies, deep snow, and lots of people with colourful jackets and sleds either sliding down or walking back up the hill.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Jan 25

A little before and after of my backyard. Apparently there’s still another 20-30 cm to come and I have no idea where I’m going to put it. #ONstorm #onwx (And yes, I never did get all of my outdoor furniture put away)

Lots of white snow with a couple of bird feeders sticking out of it and a garage in the background.

The same backyard after the snow has been shoveled revealing two small sets of stairs. The snow on either side of the path is easily 18 inches deep

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Jan 20

This was a heck of a pair of images to take up to this morning

Truth Social post by Trump showing him with EU leaders sitting around his desk in the Oval Office. A map on a chart stand shows North America and norther South America. The US, Canada, Greenland, and Venezuela are coloured in with an American flag.

Screenshot of a headline from the Globe and Mail:

(In all caps which is not their usual way of writing headlines):

EXCLUSIVE

MILITARY MODELS CANADIAN RESPONSE TO HYPOTHETICAL AMERICAN INVASION

Subhead:
Armed Forces envision insurgency tactics like those used by Afghan mujahedeen, sources say. But officials and experts stress a U.S. operation is unlikely, and the scenarios are conceptual

ROBERT FIFE and GAVIN JOHN

6 min read

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Jan 14

Checking out boardwalks? I’m in! (Wye Marsh, Ontario)

A boardwalk stretches through a marsh. It is fall and much of the plant life is brown. There’s an observation platform coming off on the left hand side. It has a red/orange flag, an interpretive board, and a couple of picnic tables.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Jan 4

Quick look at my last/now/next: Last: Ultramarine by Mariette Navarro (trans. From French by Cory Stockwell) Now: Medicine Walk, Richard Wagamese and listening to Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma, Claire Dederer Next: Death and the Gardiner, Georgi Gospodinov (trans. from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel)

Three books sit on top of a weather wooden box that has faded writing on it. The books are Ultramarine by Mariette Navarro, Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese, and Death and the Gardiner by Georgi Gospodinov.

This is the cover of the book Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer. The cover is white with black text and a photo of a shirtless man in front of water. He’s likely wearing swimming trunks but most notable he is wearing a fake head of a bull.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Jan 3

This one’s gonna break my heart, isn’t it? #booksky

The book Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese sits open face down on someone’s lap. The cover is light blue with white text and has an image of two people on horseback silhouetted against a sunset (or sunrise) sky.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Jan 2

These were my favourite reads of 2025. Looking forward to where 2036 takes me. The book titles are all listed in the ALT text. #booksky

A colourful stack of books in front of a bookshelf. The books are (top to bottom):

The Sea, The Sea, Iris Murdoch
Small Boat, Vincent Delecroix
1984, George Orwell
On the Calculation of Volume, Books 1, 2, and 3, Solvej Balle
Fingersmith, Sarah Waters
A Life’s Work, Rachel Cusk
The Snag, Tessa McWatt
Audition, Katie Kitamura
The Remembered Soldier, Anjet Daanje
The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst

A collage of five photos each showing a book cover. Four are on ereaders and the fifth is a cell phone with an earbud case indicating it was an audiobook. The books are:

We Do Not Part, Han Kang
The Director, Daniel Kehlmann
Goodlord, Ella Frears
We Are Light, Gerda Blees
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, Omar El Akkad

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Dec 23

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Nov 25

I finished Anjet Daanje’s The Remembered Soldier and, in short, I loved it. In long…I wrote an excessively long (continued in comments long) post about it over on IG. #booksky @newvesselpress.bsky.social @pgcbooks.bsky.social www.instagram.com/p/DRfBJwmkd0...

The book The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Daanje (translated by David McKay) sits on a rock. An evergreen shrub is to the left. The book is olive green and has an image of a hand reaching down to grasp the shape of a hand reaching up. In the reaching up hand is a photo of a World War 1 soldier carrying a camera.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Nov 21

Currently reading and loving: The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Daanje (trans. David McKay). Love the way Daanje blends and layers dreams and memories and the “present” (of the book) in a flowing present tense narration. #booksky @newvesselpress.bsky.social

The book The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Daanje sits on someone’s lap. The book is olive green with white text and a black and white photo of a First World War soldier holding a camera or some kind of viewing device (I’m not sure). A black and white coffee mug that says “I’m library people” is being held above the book.

Carina van Heyst@time4reading· Oct 31

Obligatory pumpkin design here in Toronto (excellent freehand copying by my husband) #gojaysgo