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Ruth Ha...
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Michelle Barker

Goodreads Author


Born
in Vancouver, Canada
Website

Twitter

Genre

Influences
Fantasy: Ursula le Guin, Stephen King, Anthony Doerr
Poetry: Mary Olive
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Member Since
February 2013


I was born and raised in Vancouver. I attended Arts One at UBC, studied for a year at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and graduated with a BA from UBC in English literature. After a short foray into comp lit, I left the Master's program and worked as a research/editing assistant to Sherrill MacLaren. Sailed across the Pacific from Vancouver to Hawaii, had four children, lived for a summer in Montreal, a year in France, and then the Eastern Townships of Quebec for 10 years. After spending 7 years in the Okanagan, I've returned to Vancouver. I received my MFA in creative writing at UBC's optional-residency program in 2015 and work as a senior editor with https://darlingaxe.com

Winner of gold National Magazine award in personal journalism
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Popular Answered Questions

Michelle Barker I don't get writer's block. I give myself permission to write crap, which takes the pressure off.…moreI don't get writer's block. I give myself permission to write crap, which takes the pressure off.(less)
Michelle Barker Don't give up! Read and write as much as you can. Take creative writing classes. Remember that rejection isn't personal. Don't expect to get it right …moreDon't give up! Read and write as much as you can. Take creative writing classes. Remember that rejection isn't personal. Don't expect to get it right the first time. Writing is rewriting.(less)
Average rating: 3.97 · 811 ratings · 258 reviews · 8 distinct worksSimilar authors
The House of One Thousand Eyes

3.91 avg rating — 365 ratings — published 2018 — 4 editions
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My Long List of Impossible ...

4.05 avg rating — 174 ratings — published 2020
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A Year of Borrowed Men

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3.89 avg rating — 131 ratings — published 2015
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Immersion and Emotion: The ...

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4.50 avg rating — 48 ratings — published 2023 — 2 editions
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The Beggar King

3.78 avg rating — 40 ratings — published 2013 — 3 editions
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Tesseracts 14: Strange Cana...

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3.64 avg rating — 33 ratings — published 2010 — 2 editions
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Story Skeleton: The Classics

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4.62 avg rating — 21 ratings3 editions
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Old Growth, Clear-Cut: Poem...

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2012
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BMO Marathon Race Report

 

The last six months have been all about running, and I haven’t written anything about it because I was starting to feel superstitious. Getting to the BMO start line was uncertain thanks to injury, and I didn’t want to write about something that I wasn’t completely sure I could do. And then, when I finally made my ‘come hell or high water’ decision, I didn’t want to jinx it.

So, let’s back up t

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Published on May 07, 2025 18:36

Michelle’s Recent Updates

Michelle Barker rated a book did not like it
Living with the Monks by Jesse Itzler
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I suspect the experience was wasted on him, but I didn't bother reading far enough to find out. All I needed to know was that he went to a meeting with his editor without having written anything—because this book reads mostly like filler. Too bad: gr ...more
Michelle Barker rated a book did not like it
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
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And here I come with another unpopular opinion. I had high hopes for this book, given how popular it is, but it was disappointing almost right from the beginning: meandering, cute, and an overarching feeling of "Look, old people can be useful, too." ...more
Michelle Barker rated a book it was amazing
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
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Undeniably a niche book. I feel like anyone who isn't a writer would be bored to tears by most of it. Lucky for me, I am a writer. I loved it. And maybe I'm also a bit dense, but I did not see the twist coming. I'm always interested in the issues of ...more
Michelle Barker rated a book liked it
Solve for Happy by Mo Gawdat
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A good book with some important ideas about presence and happiness, but I feel like it could have been about 1/3 shorter.
Michelle Barker rated a book it was ok
Life in the Third Reich by Paul Roland
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Felt superficial. The book is thin and it felt thin.
Michelle Barker rated a book it was amazing
Hitler's People by Richard J. Evans
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Fantastic book centered on the people who were involved in various facets of the Nazi regime. Evans has such a talent for bringing history to life and I like that he focussed on more than just the usual suspects. Highly recommend.
Michelle Barker rated a book liked it
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Yellowface
by R.F. Kuang (Goodreads Author)
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I started out loving this book and then somewhere along the way I fell out of love with it. It might be because after awhile the satire felt a little... thin. The plot also seemed to run out of gas and ended up veering a little too far into the 'not ...more
Michelle Barker rated a book liked it
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
The Dream Hotel
by Laila Lalami (Goodreads Author)
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5/5 for the premise
2/5 for its execution
Such a great idea but the story really slowed down and felt like it was going in circles. By the end it got quite messagey, telling us things we could have easily been left to figure out on our own.
Michelle Barker rated a book liked it
Life in the Third Reich by Richard Bessel
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Into the Magic Shop by James R. Doty
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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Harry Potter Fans : What book are you reading right now? 317 254 Dec 04, 2018 08:14AM  
Ursula K. Le Guin
“The road goes upward towards the light; but the laden traveler may never reach the end of it.”
Ursula K. Le Guin, The Tombs of Atuan

Margaret Atwood
“You want the truth, of course. You want me to put two and two together. But two and two doesn’t necessarily get you the truth. Two and two equals a voice outside the window. Two and two equals the wind. The living bird is not its labeled bones.”
Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin

Patrick Rothfuss
“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”
Patrick Rothfuss, The Wise Man's Fear

Patrick Rothfuss
“Where do you think stories come from, E'lir Kvothe? Every tale has deep roots somewhere in the world.”
Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

Patrick Rothfuss
“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts. There are seven words that will make a person love you. There are ten words that will break a strong man's will. But a word is nothing but a painting of a fire. A name is the fire itself.”
Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

220 Goodreads Librarians Group — 293083 members — last activity 0 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
80507 YA Writers and Readers — 744 members — last activity Aug 27, 2025 11:11AM
Basically this group is just a place to read, recommend, and spend time talking about books. Involving a group book every month that we read and discu ...more
31471 THE Group for Authors! — 12854 members — last activity Sep 09, 2025 12:00PM
This is a group for authors to discuss their craft, as well as publishing and book marketing.
37092 Writers and Readers — 3088 members — last activity Sep 08, 2025 03:21PM
A group for writers and readers to meet and discuss books and the writing process. The group allows promotion of books, but please post in the designa ...more
149466 YA, MG, Seriously — 196 members — last activity Feb 06, 2017 09:55AM
For readers and authors of literary young adult and middle grade fiction--all genres. We’ll be reading and discussing books with innovative, intimate, ...more
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