Diana Stevan
While mourning her father's death, Tessa Curzio learns that he left behind a diary, one that reveals his true feelings about his children. Shocked by what he's written about her, Tessa struggles to make sense of the man she thought she knew.
The author, Lorraine Devon Wilke, does a masterful job revealing Tessa's family dynamics, from her complicated relationships with her brothers and sisters to the aunt, who as both a nun and therapist, does much to help Tessa come to terms with her father's “sucker punch”. As a former therapist myself, I was impressed by how well these family interactions were portrayed. And what a great title! A very satisfying and enjoyable read.
An excellent little mystery, suitable for 10-14 year old readers who like a good story but not one they have to struggle with. When 15 yr. old Christine visits her colourful Aunt Maude, she discovers not only more of her aunt's quirkiness but also some of her own hidden talents as a detective. With a thief playing havoc in the community, Christine checks out a hot young man who is not all that he appears to be, and a few other suspicious visitors who deserve a second look. I've read a number of Kristin Butcher's books. She never disappoints.
I'm in awe of Mary Novik's talent. What I love about her work is that through her active prose, she immerses the reader in the experience of the times.
In Muse, through the eyes of Solange, a young girl who has already witnessed too much for her age, I was taken back to the 14th century, to Avignon. As she grows up and becomes a scribe, I learn about the poet Petrarch, and how she comes to love him. Through their encounters, many lessons of love emerge. As I followed her story, I witnessed the life of the poor, the devotion of nuns and the extravagance of the reigning Pope.
I was especially pleased with this read as I had visited Avignon a decade ago and toured the former Papal Palace. After I had heard some of its stories, I wanted to know more. This book satisfied some of that curiosity and gave me an entertaining read as well.
What a fun read! B.C. Stone has crafted a who-dunnit along the lines of Agatha Christie's stories. He retains the classiness of this master of storytelling and adds sparkle by weaving in old Hollywood. I was delighted to find characters like Errol Flynn and of course, the amateur detective, played by real life actress, Kay Francis. This is the first of a series, delightfully told.
I first ran into author, Rob Piccoli, on a now defunct bloggers website. At the time I was very impressed by his intellect and his curiosity. Both shine through Blessed Are The Contrarians, a book of essays which covers a wide range of topics—nature, beauty, politics, art, and religion. Though I consider myself to be well read, this book introduced me to writers I've missed. Among them—Montaigne, G.K. Chesterton, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. By sharing who's inspired him, Rob has now inspired me to read their works as well.
A philosopher by nature and education, Piccoli writes about political life in both his native country, Italy (the whole Berlusconi fiasco) and in America (the ongoing battles between Obama and the Republicans). Because I'm left leaning in politics, it was refreshing to read his point of view, which is more conservative than mine. I was enlightened in ways I couldn't have imagined.
Some of his essays are about religion. Since I've drifted away from organized religion, I was fascinated by his attention to God, and the Catholic church. Though I didn't agree with all his positions, he made me think, and he opened my mind up to other possibilities. He gave me a new understanding of the Crusades and how it's been misinterpreted by Islam and others.
But there is much more. Piccoli also draws on the writings of Shakespeare and the Bible. He discusses the advances made by Galileo, the furor caused by Dante, and the art of Giotto.
Though he's drawn his ideas from the news and from history, he's also peppered his writing with anecdotes from his own life. I was especially moved by his story of how, during a family vacation, he had stumbled upon a group of volunteer soldiers who had come out to help earthquake survivors. Unbeknownst to Rob, among them was a man who “had helped to carve the tombstone” of his father's grave. This is just one of the many stories that will give you pause.
Blessed Are The Contrarians is an intelligent discourse of our times—from the value of solitude to the nature of beauty. This is a book I want to read again.
I found it worth reading because of the history. It showed a side of Hitler's world that hasn't often been revealed in other books. Though he doesn't show up in the novel, he's very much there. What bothered me was the omissions. The author slid over the fact that millions of Jews were being murdered at the time. There were only two references in the whole novel to Jews, and none mentioned the horror. It was as if the “problem” didn't exist. Maybe this is how the majority of Germans dealt with what was going on out of sight. But I found the omissions disturbing.
Again, Joy Fielding doesn't disappoint. I did feel that a couple of her characters were less textured, and therefore, less credible than ones she's written in other books. Still, the ending surprised me, and so I was satisfied with the read. She is one amazing storyteller.
What I loved about Sugarland is how quickly author Martha Conway engaged me as a reader. Within the first two pages, I was hooked. It's 1921, and Eve Riser, a young black jazz pianist, finds herself in both a romantic and frightening situation on a train in Chicago, one that will lead to more dangerous challenges in the future. I was particularly taken with Eve's step-sister, Chickie, a vulnerable and likeable singer, who has her own troubles with gangsters fighting for control of the bootlegged trade during this time of prohibition. Add to the mix, Lena, a white woman who becomes involved with Eve and Chickie after an unexpected murder, and you have a compelling mystery that also highlights the racism that prevented talented black musicians from getting the notice they deserved. Highly recommended.
This is the third book I've read in J P McLean's unique and superbly written fantasy thriller series. As I've mentioned in an earlier review, this is not a genre I typically pick up but I was intrigued by “the gift” that the protagonist, Emylynn Taylor gets from a woman on the beach. It's a gift that puts her in league with those who have similarly been gifted, and soon she's swept up into a world that challenges her in ways unimagined.
The very appealing man she comes up against is Jackson, but he isn't what he first appears to be. It's in this novel, The Gift: Betrayal, that we learn about his motives and why he acted the way he did when he first encountered Emylynn. What I marvelled at was the author's ability to draw the male character so well, and also her skill at portraying intimate, sexual acts up close. For those readers who want a trip to a world we can only dream of and like their sex graphically portrayed, this is the series for you.
I've read a few of Mathias B. Freese's book and I've never been disappointed. He is an exceptional writer, who shares his perspective, gained through his work as a psychotherapist, and also as a recipient of psychotherapy himself. This book appealed to me, as it portrays one man's choices and how he measures them in the winter of his life.
I've been to Thoreau's Walden Pond, so I welcomed the author's choice to walk with him and talk to him. Mathias B. Freese does not go gently in the night. He is candid about his own faults as well as his own strengths. He shares not only his difficulties moving geographically in the USA from an urban lifestyle in his beloved New York City to a rural home in Alabama, but also his sadness over his broken relationship with his daughter. The latter is balanced by his loving words about Nina, the new partner in his life.
His writing is at times uplifting, at times depressing, but that's what life is. The loss of health, family ties and place are not easy subjects, but Mathias B. Freese does it with grace and honesty. And woven in all of that is a nice dose of Thoreau.
A very intriguing read. It read like a stream of consciousness. Like reading an abstract painting, there is so much there if only we look. In ways it's also meditative, as the imagery, as described by the protagonist, a photographer, assists you in seeing the American landscape through his eyes and lens. It's a book that I probably should read again, as it left me with many questions. The only quarrel I have is that it has very long paragraphs and I like some white space to give me a chance to reflect on what I've read.
Sophisticated and intricate, this debut novel by Karen Dodd starts with a bang, and keeps you turning the page right to the end. It has intrigue, romance on a number of levels, and an inside look at the high stakes of real estate development that I haven't seen before. Her characters jump off the page, and no matter what danger they're facing, you can't help but be involved. I particularly loved Dodd's description of the settings. Whether she was describing West Vancouver,British Columbia, Carmel, California or Tropea in Calabria, Italy, I felt she had an intimate knowledge of these places, which immersed me even deeper in the story. Karen Dodd is an author to watch.
What I loved most about this story,and there is much to love was Jared's style. He knows the genre of pulp fiction well. He skillfully tells the story of an ingenue in old Hollywood, an aspiring actress who is both in the right place and the wrong place at the same time. The characters she meets in her pursuit of fame could've come off as caricatures in the hands of a less skilled author, but that's not the case here. Though we recognize certain types, Jared breathes life into each one, so that the scenes he paints come alive in the reader's mind. I also appreciated that he didn't mince words and moved his story well. He kept my interest throughout, and gave me an ending I didn't expect.
My son-in-law got this book for me as I'm writing one myself about a woman in Ukraine. This story is set in Chernobyl, after the nuclear accident that affected so many. Baba Dunja is a very likeable and wise character, also one with a good sense of humour. This latter character trait was enough to keep me interested. Her interactions with neighbours and a stranger give the story a home-spun feel. It's a book I plan to read again.
This is the first book I've read of Kay Kendall's and what a charming ride it was. Wallie MacGregor, a 23 year old wannabe female sleuth, has her hands full when her Uncle Rory, the black sheep of the family, comes to visit. The tension between him and Wallie's father leads her to suspect there are family secrets worth investigating. Especially when a tragedy happens unexpectedly. Was it an accident or was it murder? And who is that woman in the photo Rory carries? And why was her uncle so afraid?
This cozy mystery is set in the 1920s, a time of prohibition and brutal gangs like Al Capone's. Unlike many other authors who choose to write about that time and subject, Kay Kendall doesn't exploit sex or violence in the telling of her tale.
I was kept guessing until the end, which is always a sign of a good mystery, well-written.
I've been a fan of Lorraine Devon Wilke's ever since I read After The Sucker Punch. This novel impressed me even more. In The Alchemy of Noise, the author tackles the issue of race in America. Two people–one black, the other white–fall in love, a love that is beautifully and sensitively portrayed. It's also honestly depicted. How work, family and society's views affect their interracial relationship is a difficult subject and yet Wilke does a masterful job in showing us what's at stake.
How various people react to Sidonie and Chris's relationship is what powers this story. To write about a subject matter that can be so divisive takes courage and exceptional skill. The author made me feel a little of what it's like to be black in America and that was horrifying. A highly recommended read, both for the love story and for understanding the impact of racism on innocent lives.
Great story about two unlikely teens caught in an ugly web, with no way out. From the beginning, Julia Barrett brings the reader inside the heads of both central characters, Caleb and Jael, and the dilemma that forces them to question every move. Will the next step lead them to further danger or escape from the evil circle they find themselves in.? The author has the incredible ability of keeping us engaged, as we watch these two teens struggle with their emotions and their need to grow up fast. A well written and timely book, given the age we're living in.
A very sweet book about a young girl, who is passionate about hockey. Unfortunately, her father thinks it's only for boys. A chance encounter with Isobel Stanley (whose family the Stanley Cup is named after) inspires the book's protagonist and she decides to pursue her goal of playing no matter what others think. This is an inspiring tale for young readers who don't always get the support they need to follow their dreams.
Shattered reality is the story of Brooklyn, her journey from childhood to adulthood, in and out of Hollywood, a place that's known for both glamour and sordid tales. When Brooklyn meets a man who appears to be the right one, she takes a leap into marriage but soon finds that satisfaction is a long way off. When illness strikes, she is further tested, as is her husband. It's not until Bo enters her life that she feels she is truly in love. But Bo is married and that poses more challenges than Brooklyn anticipated. Falling in love with an unhappily married man is no guarantee of a happy ending. Bo has a wife that will stop at nothing to get revenge.
This chronicle reads like a diary, and that in itself is not easy to pull off. I liked the author Brenda Perlin's no-holds-barred writing style. Brooklyn is an interesting character. At times, you will cheer her along on her journey. At others, you may question her decisions, especially when she digs her heels in to make her point in court. Authentic and well written, Shattered Reality is the first book of a trilogy. It's a story that is bound to entice readers to want more.
What an enjoyable read! Mallory, a grieving nurse arrives in Loss Lake, looking for a new beginning. The author, Amber Cowie, describes the small town of Loss Lake and its quirky inhabitants in exquisite detail. She kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next. The story is a curious blend of a thriller, mystery, and romance. Highly recommended.
I've always been interested in paranormal and found this book enlightening. It was reassuring to read about the author's own personal experiences with mysterious happenings and how common these are in the general population. He references many professionals–doctors, scientists, psychologists and other psychiatrists– who've also experienced paranormal phenomena. There is so much we can't explain. This non-fiction book, which was a finalist for the 2019 Whistler Independent Book Award, doesn't explain these mysterious occurrences, but at least Dr. Matas does a good job in de-stigmatizing events and feelings of this nature, ones that so many have.
If you like travelling to places like Kandahar, Afghanistan and Trieste, Italy, where the women are exotic and beautiful, sex is fast and furious, and danger lurks around every corner, then you're sure to enjoy Blood Rain in Trieste, a thriller by author, George Henry.
I was given an advance copy to review, and though this is not a genre I typically read, I found myself engrossed because of the writing. What impressed me the most about Henry's style were his cinematic descriptions, humor and clever dialogue. The central character, Milo Marchetti, a guitarist and part owner of a music club, introduces himself to the reader as “I was a killer or a murderer or a patriot, too. The semantics game was a waste of time.”
And Milo isn't the only character who's hard to pin down. The alluring Carla, who looks like a high class hooker, is also not who she seems. She wants Milo to murder someone who's causing her trouble. The musician considers the offer but thinks, “She was as much trouble as a cageful of adolescent monkeys on a pub crawl but I was a sucker for her kind of beautiful simian with a sob story.”
The author's witty dialogue reminded me of speeches I've heard in film noir. How Milo navigates the underbelly of Trieste with its mobsters, prostitutes and high stakes will keep you enthralled to the very end.
This novel was originally a screenplay called Shrinkproof. It got the attention of Jody Foster's agent in Hollywood but the actress eventually passed on it. In my book, there's a young mother who becomes mute after giving birth to her baby and ends up on the psychiatric ward. At the time, Jody was becoming a new mother herself. I can only guess at the reasons she passed on the script. It was also sent to Meg Ryan at the time and it was also a no go.
Making a film is a difficult business. I was an actress for a while and I know that any producer who embarks on a film has to love it so much that they're willing to invest big bucks and stay with the project for up to three years with pre-production and post-production work. When my agent lost interest, I decided to convert the story into a novel because it was a story I couldn't let go of.
The Rubber Fence was inspired by my first job as a clinical social worker on a psychiatric ward in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I'd been trained as a family therapist by my professor who'd worked for ten years as a family therapist in the Wisconisn Mental Health Centre. So when I arrived on the ward in the early 1970s and discovered that shock treatment still existed and was often the treatment of choice for serious depression, I was stunned. I was of the opinion that people needed a chance to tell their stories, that there were more than biological reasons for their depression. Anyway, some of those emotions and experiences made their way into my novel.
I haven't read romance for quite a while, especially a contemporary one. MaryAnn Clarke's story of Kate, a mediator, who's bent on helping a young couple resolve their differences was very well done. She's also dealing with trauma from a number of events in the past, one of which is a love affair that went sour.
When Simon, the ex-lover who she never got over, shows up unexpectedly at the mediation session, her work suddenly becomes much more complicated. There's a lot at stake both professionally and personally. The author did a great job showing Kate's struggles to resolve the fears that were standing in the way of her happiness. She was also masterful in portraying the work of a mediator. Marital conflict is not easy to show on the page and the author does this with aplomb.
I received an advance copy of Scare Away The Dark in exchange for an honest review. I had read the author's first book, Deadly Switch, and because it was such a great read, I looked forward to another suspense/thriller featuring investigative reporter, Jordan Stone. This time, one that pits her against a stalker, whose identity and motivation is as mysterious as the whereabouts of her father. Karen Dodd took me on a daring and terrifying ride, one that surprised me as I followed Jordan in her dangerous quest to find her father, who disappeared somewhere in Italy.
Though the novel begins in a dark place and barely lets up, there are moments of tenderness, humour and sexual tension, as Jordan encounters one intriguing character after another, like the gruff but likeable RCMP inspector Quinn and the appealing and attractive Interpol agent Simon. It's a thrilling journey that takes the reader from the quiet village of Dundarave in West Vancouver, British Columbia to Tropea, Italy, where violence and love share the stage.