Like so many favourite books from the distant past, this is one I hadn’t read since the first time, so didn’t remember much of the story (and in fact was confusing it in my memory with The Stone Angel). Like with A Prayer for Owen Meany, I decided to read it again to refresh the... Continue Reading →
The Cost of a Hostage, by Iona Whishaw. Pub 2025
The latest in the Lane Winslow series, this time we find Lane and Darling in the wilds of Mexico seeking Darling’s kidnapped brother, while back home in Nelson the young police officers solve a local kidnapping, murder, and smuggling ring. I enjoyed this split story – I bit like A Match Made for Murder –... Continue Reading →
Fifteen Dogs, by André Alexis. Pub 2015
A friend suggested this to me, not really as a recommendation but just something she happened to be reading (which surprised me, as she's previously said she's not a fan of anthropomorphizing animals in stories). This turned out to be an enjoyable light-ish and short read, just the thing to truly cleanse the reading palate.... Continue Reading →
A Way to Be Happy, by Caroline Adderson. Pub 2024
This book was a birthday gift last year, from a good friend and colleague with whom I meet regularly for lunch and discussion. For our birthdays, we often exchange books, and I always find something new and interesting in these gifts. Short stories are a tricky space. The author must get the reader engaged early... Continue Reading →
Curiosities, by Anne Fleming. Pub 2024
This was a Christmas gift from my sister, who heard an interview with the author and thought it sounded interesting. She was oh-so right. This book was terrific – engaging, surprising, well-written, and lives up to its name. This is historical fiction at its finest, with a few kernels of real history enveloped in an... Continue Reading →
Neuromancer, by William Gibson. Pub 1984
This is one of those books: when I say I haven’t read it, people who have and loved it are SHOCKED. “How can you not? Oh, you must!” The latest was my brother, and so to enable a conversation with him about it, I finally read it. Neuromancer is revered in modern sci-fi circles as... Continue Reading →
The Berry Pickers, by Amanda Peters. Pub 2024
This book was recommended by the same friends that recommended Project Hail-Mary. Since that one was good, I dove into this one with enthusiasm. Like that previous recommendation, this one was also good. This lost-and-found family story begins with a Nova Scotian native family of berry pickers working in Maine. One random summer day, after... Continue Reading →
The Rise and Fall of Magic Wolf, by Timothy Taylor. Pub 2024
Timothy Taylor has long been a favourite author, one who I search for regularly in the hopes of a new book. This summer, my persistence was rewarded: a new book in September! I saved it up for a vacation read. Taylor is a Vancouver-based writer whose stories are often set here. He’s also a food... Continue Reading →
Lawrence & Holloman, by Morris Panych. Pub 1998
We saw this play in 1998 at the Arts Club Granville Island stage, and It is one that has stuck with me ever since. Morris Panych is a favourite playwright, with several good plays seen over the years at local theatres. Briefly, things start out casually, with Lawrence chatting with Holloman over a beer at... Continue Reading →
Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel. Pub 2022
This is my second Mandel book for 2024, chosen based on how much I enjoyed Station Eleven. I actually liked this one even more. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, the story is about a world of the future where time travel is possible (and also illegal). Over the centuries, there are many pandemics – COVID-19... Continue Reading →
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