Mercy Among the Children by David Adams RichardsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Periodically there are books which come into our lives we choose to read not because they are guarantors of entertainment, escapism, pleasure, but because we are aware the writer has something to say, hopefully says it well, and the scent of which lingers in years to come like a primal memory, an underlying truth. Such is the case with David Adams Richards’…
Why Men Lie by Linden MacIntyreMy rating: 4 of 5 stars The last in MacIntyre’s Cape Breton Trilogy, Why Men Lie completes the fallout from a brutal act in WWII which has haunted the men involved and their families. In this novel MacIntyre visits the character of Effie Gillis, who lived in silent fear for years, and now as a middle-aged woman attempts to reconcile that past and her own visceral, instinctive reactions to any…
The Long Stretch by Linden MacIntyreMy rating: 4 of 5 stars The first of MacIntyre’s award-winning Cape Breton trilogy, The Long Stretch is a beautifully crafted illustration of the axiom: the sins of the parent shall fall upon the children. The narrative, set on Cape Breton Island, reveals the mystery and horror of one brutal act during WWII, and how the men involved in that crime attempt to retain some semblance of normalcy for themselves…
The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon SandersonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars Sanderson was recommended to me as a genre author worth reading. I’m not sorry I followed up on that recommendation. The Emperor’s Soul presents an intriguing story of a forger who is able to create reproductions through magical carving of seals, inscribed with the history and detail of the object and its maker. In fact, she is so good at her art she is…
Touch by Alexi ZentnerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Zentner presents a fascinating, historical story of hardship, endurance and superstition set in the British Columbia/Yukon interior around the late 19th century. The characters are well-defined, the environmental descriptions vivid, the plot intriguing. Memorable, readable, recommended. View all my reviews
Gibberish: Tall Tales & Domestic Disasters from Beyond the Microphone by Gordon R GibbMy rating: 4 of 5 stars An engaging, witty, often hilarious series of articles, anecdotes and broadcasts by Peterborough native and broadcaster, Gordon R. Gibb. The collection is highly readable, written in very easy and accessible language. Very much put me in mind of Stewart McLean. Great reading for the commute, the waiting room, wherever, whenever. View all my reviews