Book ~ "The Dream Daughter" (2018) Diane Chamberlain

From Goodreads ~ When Caroline Sears receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970 and there seems to be little that can be done. But her brother-in-law, a physicist, tells her that perhaps there is. Hunter appeared in their lives just a few years before - and his appearance was as mysterious as his past. With no family, no friends, and a background shrouded in secrets, Hunter embraced the Sears family and never looked back.

Now, Hunter is telling her that something can be done about her baby's heart. Something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Caroline has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage that Caroline never knew existed. Something that will mean a mind-bending leap of faith on Caroline's part.

And all for the love of her unborn child.

It's 1970 and Caroline is a young widow ... her husband has just been killed in Vietnam.  When she discovers she is pregnant, she is ecstatic but that turns to devastation when she learns that her unborn child has a birth defect and won't live after it's born.  Her sister's husband, Hunter, comes to Caroline with a solution to save her baby's life and she has to put a lot of trust in him to make it happen ... and she does.

And that's all I can say because I don't want to give anything away.  I started reading this book without reading other reviews so was pleasantly surprised at the direction the book took as it's a genre I enjoy.  And just when I thought things were going to work out for Caroline, there was a new twist I didn't see coming.

I liked the writing style and enjoyed the story.  It bounces around in different time periods and voices but the chapters are marked as to what the time period is and whose voice it is. It is written in first person perspective from Caroline and Hunter's points of view.  I liked the characters, except I found Hunter's mother to be a bit too cold and harsh.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Dad Is Fat" (2013) Jim Gaffigan

From Goodreads ~ In "Dad is Fat", stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan, who’s best known for his legendary riffs on Hot Pockets, bacon, manatees and McDonald's, expresses all the joys and horrors of life with five young children - everything from cousins ("celebrities for little kids") to toddlers’ communication skills (“they always sound like they have traveled by horseback for hours to deliver important news”) to the eating habits of four year olds (“there is no difference between a four year old eating a taco and throwing a taco on the floor”). 

I've been reading some heavy books lately and wanted to read something light and fun and I figured this book would do the trick ... and it did.

It is written by actor/comedian Jim Gaffigan and is his musings of his life as a husband, the father of five children (then aged eight to newborn) and living in a two bedroom apartment in New York City.

I liked the writing style and found it and his stories amusing.  I'm childfree by choice and can't imagine taking care of five young children.

Despite his stories about the trials and tribulations of having that many kids, it's obvious he loves them.

Book ~ "If This Is Home" (2017) Kristine Scarrow

From Goodreads ~ When her mom is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Jayce searches for her estranged father, hoping he can fix everything. 

Jayce Loewen has had to take on a lot of responsibility over the years. Her single mom works two jobs and long hours, leaving Jayce in charge of her four-year-old sister most of the time. When her mom is diagnosed with cancer, Jayce decides to track down her long-absent father in the hope that he will be able to make everything okay again. 

Looking for her dad was one thing but when she actually finds him, Jayce is in for a real shock. When everything in her life seems to be going wrong, Jayce has to figure out who her family really is, and how to live with the possibility of losing the person she loves most. 

Jayce is 16-years-old.  She lives in Saskatoon, SK, with her mom and four-year-old sister.   Her mother works two jobs to support them because their father is a singer in a band who is always on tour and deserted them.  She hasn't seen him in almost five years.

When her mother is diagnosed with cancer and is in the hospital, Jayce looks for her father for help.  She discovers a big a surprise when she finds him.  It's a good thing she discovers she has good friends for support during this trying time.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective in Jayce's voice.  Though it's probably written for a younger audience, I didn't find that it was too immature for me.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.

Book ~ "Beyond the Carousel" (2017) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ Laura Wilkes has everything a woman could want when she snaps the carousel picture. Her daughter, a happy little five-year-old, is holding the brass ring and smiling at a daddy who adores her. Each time the carousel circles around Laura snaps another picture, seven in all. This is a day of unforgettable happiness; one of the few Laura has left.

In the months following the stock market crash, Franklin Wilkes is killed; gunned down in senseless act of vengeance. The police know who did it but the man has disappeared. It’s the height of the depression and there are hoards of nameless, faceless men living in freight train yards and back alleys. The murderer is never caught but Laura and Emory, her father, never give up hope of finding him. Now, twenty-five years later, Laura’s daughter has fallen in love with Jack Mahoney, a policeman working crowd control with the strikers at the Telephone Company.

Right now Mahoney is a rookie, he has little or no power but Emory is hopeful he is the one person who can ultimately find Franklin’s killer and deliver the justice the family has long awaited.

This is the story of three generations of a family starting about 1920 and ending in 1955 ... Emory and Rose, Laura and Franklin and Christine and Jack.

Emory and Rose have a daughter named Laura.  Laura marries a stockbroker named Franklin and they have a daughter named Christine.  Franklin is murdered by a client during the stock market crash of 1929 and the killer disappears and isn't caught.  Christine grows up fatherless and eventually marries a police officer and they have a three children.

This is the tenth book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  Though this is the fifth in the Wyattsville series (I've read them all), they also work as stand alones.  It is written in third person perspective, though some chapters are in first person perspective ... they are short and italicized and the name of the person is at the beginning of these chapters so you know who the focus is.  This style works for me as it lets me get into their heads and know what they were thinking.

I'm enjoying this series and look forward to more.

Book ~ "A Fatal Twist" (2017) Tracy Weber

From Goodreads ~ Yoga instructor Kate Davidson’s life takes a chaotic turn once she agrees to not only be the doula for her pregnant best friend but also play foster mother to two puppies. The chaos only gets worse when Kate finds the dead body of a philandering fertility doctor and Rachel, one of her yoga students, fleeing the scene. 

Kate is convinced her student is innocent and she sets out to find the real killer before her testimony condemns Rachel to a life behind bars. But her hands are full with caring for three dogs, teaching yoga classes and gaining an unexpected crime-solving partner. If she’s not careful, Kate’s next yoga pose may be a fatal one.

Kate owns a yoga studio.  She is living with Michael, the owner of a pet store, and her German Shepherd, Bella.  Michael finds a couple young pups abandoned outside his store and brings them home until he can find a home for them and finds himself getting attached to them.  Since they are pups, they are wrecking havoc in their home ... chewing on things, not being housetrained and somehow getting out of their crate.

Plus Kate's friend, Rene, is about to give birth to twins and Kate is her doula, something she is just learning how to do.

In the meantime, Kate's friend, Rachel, has been arrested for murdering her husband and Kate doesn't think she did it.  So she sets out to find the real murderer and there are many who could have done it ... the husband's mistress, his ex-mistress, his business partner, his stepdaughter (Rachel's daughter), the husband of a former patient and more.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it.  It is the fourth in the Downward Dog series (I read and liked the first one a couple years ago).   Though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone ... I haven't read #2 or #3 and I never felt lost.  It's obvious the author writes from experience ... she has a yoga studio in Seattle and a German Shepherd named Ana (Bella is based on Tasha, her German Shepherd who passed away in 2016).  I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective from Kate's point of view.

Book ~ "No Living Soul" (2017) Julie Moffett

From Goodreads ~ Although I never expected it, my work as a computer geek has me traveling around the world, solving mysteries and fighting bad guys. Sometimes with my friends but always with trouble by my side. So you'd think by now, I would've expected to be plagued by danger when I headed to Egypt with my best friend, Elvis Zimmerman, and boyfriend, Slash, to help track down Elvis's missing and estranged father. Nope.

Genius runs in the family, and we quickly discovered Elvis's father is hot on the trail of an ancient and elusive artifact. One that people are willing to kill to find. Tombs, tablets, scarabs and code come together as we follow a set of clues that has been waiting millennia to be discovered. Cracking code is my specialty but I never expected to tackle one from fifteen hundred years before the advent of written language.

But the sands of time are running out. We are facing death as it was before the pyramids even existed. If the artifact falls into the wrong hands, we won't be able to rewrite history. So it's up to us to find and safeguard the secret to ensure no living soul ever encounters it ... again. 

Lexi is a master hacker and director for X-Corp, an intelligence and security company.  She is days away from moving in with her boyfriend, Slash, who is a government agent and fellow hacker, and a week away from being part of the wedding of two of her best friends, Basia and Xavier.

When Elvis, Xavier's twin brother and another of Lexi's best friends, receives a package in the mail from Arthur, his estranged father, the contents could cause catastrophic trouble if it falls into the wrong hands.  Over a long weekend before the wedding, Lexi, Slash, Elvis and Gwen (Elvis' assistant) travel to Egypt to find Arthur, which leads them to look for a secret artifact that has been hidden since the days of Moses.

Though this is the ninth (and latest) in the Lexi Carmichael series, it works as a stand alone as you are provided with background.  I've liked the series and thought this book was okay (I've read them all).

It is written in first person perspective from Lexi's point of view.  I liked the writing style and there was humour.  There wasn't a lot of hacking but there was lots of adventure.  It's been interesting to watch Lexi grow from being a geek with just one friend, no life and no social skills to not only having close friends, a boyfriend but also confidence.

Book ~ "Don't Ever Get Old" (2012) Daniel Friedman

From Goodreads ~ When Buck Schatz, senior citizen and retired Memphis cop, learns that an old adversary may have escaped Germany with a fortune in stolen gold, Buck decides to hunt down the fugitive and claim the loot. But a lot of people want a piece of the stolen treasure and Buck's investigation quickly attracts unfriendly attention from a very motley (and murderous) crew.

Buck Schatz is an ex-cop and now a cranky 87-year-old.  Jim, a former friend, calls him to his hospital bed and makes a deathbed confession.  The German SS officer in charge of the POW camp Buck had been in in 1944 may not be dead as everyone had believed.  In 1946, Jim had been working as an MP at a roadblock and the SS officer, with fake papers, bribed Jim with a gold bar to let him through.  Jim said the SS officer had a trunkful of gold bars ... gold that had been wrongly taken from the imprisoned and murdered Jews.

This leads Buck and his grandson, Tequila, who is a university student, on the hunt for the gold.  But they aren't the only ones looking for it and people who are getting in the way are getting murdered.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I enjoyed the writing style ... it was darkly amusing at times.  It is written in first person perspective in Buck's voice.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

I thought Buck was a hoot.  He is elderly and not hip to the times.  Things have changed since he was a cop.  He has no idea what "Google" is and refers to GPS (he vaguely knows what it is) as "GBH" and "GED".  His grandson's frat/nickname is "Tequila" but Buck callls him "Moonshine" and "Jagermeister", etc.  He doesn't like or tolerate many people these days but he has a deep love and respect for his wife, Rose.  His doctor suspects he has early stages of dementia and he physically can't get around as well as he used to.

This is the first of a series (of two of far) and I look forward to reading the next one.

Book ~ "Boomer's Bucket List" (2016) Sue Pethick

From Goodreads ~ When her cuddly canine companion, Boomer, is diagnosed with a rare heart condition, Jennifer Westbrook decides to take a leave of absence from her busy PR job - and take Boomer on the greatest road trip of his life.

Charting a course from Chicago to California, Jennifer plans some pet-friendly pit stops for her four-legged friend, including a dog show, a fire hydrant museum and a factory full of squeaky toys. But when she tries to sneak Boomer into a NASCAR press box - disguised as her seeing-eye dog - Jennifer’s cover is blown by a curious but very cute reporter named Nathan Koslow.

Boomer takes an instant shine to Nathan, unlike the other men in Jennifer’s life. When the charming journalist asks to join them on their journey, she can’t say no. But when she learns that someone has created a website called “Boomer’s Bucket List” - and it’s gone totally viral - the trip takes a wildly unexpected turn for Jennifer, Nathan and the dog who brought them together.

It almost seems as if Boomer’s last wish is that his two favorite humans fall madly, deeply, in love.

Jennifer is a busy successful PR professional in Chicago.  Besides work, the only thing she has in her life is her dog, Boomer.  When Boomer is diagnosed with a heart condition and is given a month to live, Jennifer decides to spend this last bit of time with Boomer.  She takes a leave of absence from her job, goes offline and takes Boomer on a road trip to California.

Nathan is a journalist who is delivering his brother's car to him in California.  Nathan and Jennifer's paths keep crossing and circumstances occur that lead them to travel together.

In the meantime, the PR company that Jennifer works for has put up a website called "Boomer's Bucket List" and is encouraging readers to post pictures of Boomer's adventures along the way ... but they have to do it secretly and not get caught by Jennifer to win a prize.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I thought it was okay.  I like reading stories about animals and that's why this book caught my eye.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on Jennifer and Nathan (or both), depending on what was going on.  It's a feel-good story about Boomer having fun but also about Jennifer and Nathan resolving issues from their past.

Book ~ "Defending the Inland Shores: Newfoundland in the War of 1812" (2016) Gordon K. Jones

From Goodreads ~ Newfoundland played a significant role in the defence of Upper Canada during the War of 1812.  "Defending the Inland Shores: Newfoundland in the War of 1812" tells this incredible story. 

The book describes many key battles, including the siege and capture of Fort Detroit, taking of an American naval schooner on Lake Ontario, a surprise attack against Ogdensburg, New York, and desperate defence of a British ship on the Niagara River during an American night assault. 

The War of 1812 (which lasted from 1812 to 1814) was a military conflict between the United States and Great Britain.  The origins of the War of 1812 were in the conflict that raged in Europe for almost two decades after Napoleon Bonaparte became First Consul (later Emperor) of France. The Napoleonic Wars caused Great Britain to adopt trade measures that aggravated the United States.  This prompted them to attack Canada, then a colony of Great Britain, in what they thought would be easy battles.

The Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in North America decided the Royal Newfoundland Regiment would best serve the War of 1812 if divided into smaller units and spread around key areas of the province.  In doing so, there was a Newfoundland soldier who fought in almost every major battle waged in Upper Canada during the War of 1812.  This is their story.

This well-researched book was an interesting read and I learned a lot about the War of 1812 and its impact on Upper Canada (and Canada in general).  I enjoy the writing style and thought it flowed well.

It will appeal to all Canadians, especially those interested in the War of 1812, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and the citizens of Newfoundland who are probably unaware of their valuable participation in a war thousands of miles away two hundred years ago.

Book ~ "Get Your Sh*t Together: How to Stop Worrying About What You Should Do So You Can Finish What You Need to Do and Start Doing What You Want to Do" (2016) Sarah Knight

From Goodreads ~ Do you ever find yourself snowed under at the office, or even just glued to the couch, when you really want to leave on time (for once), get to the gym (at last), and finally start that fun project you're always putting off?

You've really got to Get Your Sh*t Together.

In The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck, "anti-guru" Sarah Knight liberated you from shame, guilt and obligations. But what about all the sh*t you do give a f*ck about - like your career, health, relationships and bank account? Now Sarah's back with more hilarious advice to make life easier and better. Whether your dream is to quit your day job and buy a food truck, pay off your debt or just spend more time with your cat, Sarah cuts through the bullsh*t cycle of self-sabotage to show you how to be happy. You'll learn:

Three simple tools for getting (and keeping) your sh*t together 

• The Power of Negative Thinking 
• How to balance work and fun-and save money while you're at it 
• Ways to manage anxiety And tons of other awesome sh*t!

Soon you'll be setting real goals, crushing them, and getting out the door for happy hour-every damn day.

I had read The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck in May and enjoyed it.  Like the first book, the title of this one attracted me.

This book shows you how to set goals, how to push through small annoyances and obstacles to meet those goals and then how to imagine and achieve even bigger goals that you may not, until now, have thought possible.  It will liberate you from the stuff you think you should be doing so you can do the stuff you need to do and get started on the stuff you want to do.  Knight helps you breaks things up into small manageable chunks to leave you with plenty of free time to pursue your dreams.

I enjoyed the writing style. I found it amusing and sarcastic. Yes, there is a lot of swearing but you figured that out by the title, right?  Though it seems to be written in fun, I found there was a helpful message.

Book ~ "Scars" (2010) Cheryl Rainfield

From Goodreads ~ Kendra, fifteen, hasn't felt safe since she began to recall devastating memories of childhood sexual abuse, especially because she still can't remember the most important detail - her abuser's identity. 

Frightened, Kendra believes someone is always watching and following her, leaving menacing messages only she understands. If she lets her guard down even for a minute, it could cost Kendra her life. 

To relieve the pressure, Kendra cuts; aside from her brilliantly expressive artwork, it's her only way of coping. Since her own mother is too self-absorbed to hear her cries for help, Kendra finds support in others instead: from her therapist and her art teacher, from Sandy, the close family friend who encourages her artwork, and from Meghan, the classmate who's becoming a friend and maybe more. 

But the truth about Kendra's abuse is just waiting to explode, with startling unforeseen consequences. Scars is the unforgettable story of one girl's frightening path to the truth.

Kendra is fifteen and was raped from the time she was a toddler until she was twelve but she can't remember who her abuser was.  She had suppressed the memories and they just started coming back about six months ago.  She copes by seeing a therapist and by cutting herself.

Her mother, according to Kendra, is self-absorbed and doesn't understand her.  Her father is getting downsized from his job so has enough to worry about.  They may have to move to a cheaper hourse outside the city which will take Kendra away from her school, her therapist and her new friend, Meghan.

This is the first book I've read by this author.  It's an intense story and they weren't easy subjects to read about.  It is written in first person perspective in Kendra's voice.  As a head's up, there is some swearing.  I thought the writing style was just okay.  The writing seemed a bit juvenile (ie directed at teens) but I wasn't sure given the content of the story.

There is a lot going on in this book (too much, I thought) besides Kendra's abuse and cutting.  Kendra is gay (her last girlfriend turned on her because she couldn't handle the cutting) and her parents wonder if it's because she was abused by a man when she was younger.  Her mother is homophobic even though she has a friend who is gay but doesn't trust him around Kendra.  Kendra and Meghan (who sleeps around with guys and has a mother who abuses her) meet at school and are in love within a week with Meghan forsaking all others ... I didn't find this realistic.  I figured out who the abuser was pretty quick and found the wrapping up at the end too neat and tidy.

So I wasn't crazy about this book ... maybe it's because I'm not the target audience?

Book ~ "White Jade Tiger" (2017) Julie Lawson

From Goodreads ~ Jasmine is not sure she likes the idea of being stuck in Victoria while her father goes to China. But on a field trip to Chinatown, she changes her mind. Passing through a doorway in Fan Tan Alley, she mysteriously finds herself in the early 1880s. 

Adventure begins with a new friend, a journey to the Fraser Canyon during the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and a search for an ancient amulet. But Jasmine is not the only one searching for the white jade tiger.

Jasmine is thirteen and living in Victoria, BC, with her aunt while her father is working in China.  On a school trip, she goes to Chinatown and is suddenly transported to Victoria's Chinatown in the late 1800s.

There she meets Keung, a young Chinese man who is looking for his father who had come from China a few years earlier to work on the railroad so he could make money to better himself back home.  His father had found a white jade tiger amulet and instead of leaving it alone, he took it with him and brought tragedy to his family.  In addition to finding his father, Keung wants to return the white jade tiger to where it belongs to lift the curse from his family.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I enjoy time travel stories and what made this one more interesting is that it takes place in western Canada and involved history that we're not especially proud of.  It's an interesting story directed at a younger audience and I learned about the building of the railroad using Chinese workers who weren't treated well at all.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on Jasmine and Keung.

Book ~ "A Boy from Botwood: Pte. A.W. Manuel, Royal Newfoundland Regiment, 1914-1919" (2017) Bryan Davies and Andrew Traficante

From Goodreads ~ I’m going to tell my story. 

With those words, eighty-three-year-old Arthur Manuel set his remarkable First World War memoir in motion. Hidden in the Manuel family records until its 2011 discovery by his grandson David Manuel, Arthur’s story is now brought to new life. 

 Like many Great War veterans, Manuel had never discussed his wartime life with anyone. Determined to escape his impoverished rural Newfoundland existence, he enlisted with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in late 1914. His harrowing accounts of life under fire span the Allies’ ill-fated 1915 Gallipoli campaign, the Regiment’s 1916 near-destruction at Beaumont-Hamel, and his 1917 Passchendaele battlefield capture. Manuel’s account of his seventeen-month POW experience, including his nearly successful escape from a German forced labour camp, provides unique, compelling Great War insights. 

Powerful memories undimmed by age shine through Manuel’s lucid prose. His visceral hatred of war and of the leaders on both sides who permitted such senseless carnage to continue, is ferocious yet tempered by Manuel’s powerful affection for common soldiers like himself, German and Allied alike. This poignant, angry, witty, and provocative account rings true like no other. 

Arthur Manuel was a young man living in Newfoundland, then still a United Kingdom colony, when the first World War (the Great War) broke out.  Growing up in poverty and not having a lot of opportunities, Manuel joined the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (RNR) and was sent overseas to fight a war with little training.  This is his story of his experiences from 1914 to 1919, as a soldier and prisoner of war.

We all know the horrors of war but this book provides Arthur's version firsthand.  He tells of his disdain for the leaders heading up the English military who publicly broadcasted that things were going well when, in fact, they weren't.  Arthur's fellow soldiers and friends were getting massacred in battles they had no chance of winning.  He tells of his experiences as a prisoner of war ... some of the camps they were treated badly and starved whereas others the Germans were civil to them.

Arthur never spoke of any of this until 1980 when he bought a dictation machine and recorded his story.  He had it transcribed and then it got packed away until it was discovered by his grandson almost thirty years later (Arthur was long gone by this time).

I enjoyed the writing style of this book.  It is in Arthur's words, with interjections from the authors to explain what was going on at the time.  Though it is a difficult book to read because of Arthur's experiences, it was also very interesting and illuminating to the horrors of war to a poor boy from Newfoundland.

Gord's great grandmother was a Manuel in Newfoundland ... I imagine he is related to Arthur somehow.  One of these days, I'll see if I can figure it out.

Book ~ "The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway: African Canadians in Hamilton" (2010) Adrienne Shadd

From Goodreads ~ When the Lincoln Alexander Parkway was named, it was a triumph not only for this distinguished Canadian but for all African Canadians. "The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway" looks at the history of blacks in the Ancaster-Burlington-Hamilton area, their long struggle for justice and equality in education and opportunity, and their achievements, presented in a fascinating and meticulously researched historical narrative. 

Although popular wisdom suggests that blacks first came via the Underground Railroad, the possibility that slaves owned by early settlers were part of the initial community, then known as the "Head of the Lake," is explored. 

This book tells the history of African Canadians in Hamilton, Ontario, once known as Head of the Lake.  It starts in the 1700s with the first African Canadians arriving.  The last chapter provides the background of some prominent African Canadians who had made a difference.

There are eight chapters:

1. The journey begins:  slavery and freedom at the Head of the Lake
2. Routes to freedom
3. On course:  settling in by the Bay
4. Eyeing the summing, 1870 - 1900
5. Gathering Speed:   Anatomy of a community
6. At a crossroads:  the turn of a new century
7. Roadblocks head:  the Reverend Holland years
8. New pathways, old destinations:  contemporary fighters for social justice

This book is well-researched and provides details of many people, right down to family members, birth dates, where they came from and their backgrounds.  It starts by telling the story of slaves arriving in Hamilton, often escaping from the States via the Underground Railroad, wanting to make a new life for themselves and fighting for their rights, equality, education, etc. as free Canadians.

Book ~ "The Butler Speaks: A Return to Proper Etiquette, Stylish Entertaining, and the Art of Good Housekeeping" (2013) Charles MacPherson

From Goodreads ~ In a clear straightforward style, Charles MacPherson lays out the essentials of entertaining and household management in this beautifully illustrated style, etiquette and entertainment guide.

For anyone who rents or owns - be it a small urban condo or a lavish country estate, "The Butler Speaks" includes everything you need to know to simplify, organize and care for your home. 

It also offers modern advice on personal style and etiquette - how to receive guests; present your business card; make polite dinner conversation - and advice on entertaining at home - how to make a cheese plate; hold your cutlery; set a table - all with the flair, charm and unpretentious grace of the butler.

I read an article in the Toronto Star this week in which Charles MacPherson was interviewed and answered some questions about the dos and don'ts of restaurant behavior.  The article mentioned that he had written a book called The Butler Speaks and I thought it would be interesting (and it was).

The book has five parts:

1. The tradition of service - includes the history of the tradition of service along with a listing and hierarchy of jobs in an Edwardian household, staff greeting line, and proper conduct as per the French Jesuits in 1595
2. The butler speaks - includes the different types of butlers, how a butler should behave, how to shake hands, how and when to offer a business card, and the difference between high tea and afternoon tea
3. The etiquette of entertaining - includes how to host a dinner party, table settings, silver pieces and china, how to carve, where to put your napkin and cheese plates
4. Table manners for the 21st century - includes the 12 golden rule for dining as per Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin in 1825, dress codes, how to use a knife and fork, and how to eat hard-to-eat foods
5. The art of good housekeeping - includes how to make a bed, fold a shirt, polish silver, how to clean various rooms, how to make a bed, how to iron a shirt (don't put creases in the sleeves!) and which hangers to use

There are sections at the end with a glossary, food and wine pairings and a reading list.

I liked this book.  In the first chapter, I learned about the hierarchy of the various jobs years ago (sounds like hard work!).  There were lots of interesting tips in the other chapters.  It sounds like the author knows his stuff.

Book ~ "Mad Love" (2016) Nick Spalding

From Goodreads ~ Can two people who have never met make a marriage work? Popular dating site Sociality thinks so and is marrying London lad Adam to California girl Jessica to prove it.

What better way to show that your ‘love algorithms’ work than to put two complete strangers together in an expensive publicity stunt? But as livewire Jess and lazybones Adam quickly discover, just because a computer says you’re the perfect match, it doesn’t make it so! 

 Two million Sociality subscribers and the media are following the happy couple’s progress and they have to make a go of it or they’ll lose everything, look like idiots and destroy Sociality’s reputation. But can the mismatched pair, who seem to be constantly at each other’s throats, put their differences aside and work their way into each other’s hearts?

On a lark, strangers Adam and Jessica complete a profile on the dating site, Sociality ... Adam did his passing time while sitting on the toilet and Jessica did hers with a buzz on from some wine.  Needless to say, neither was completely honest in their answers.  They are paired as compatible and the prize is a fabulous wedding, a posh apartment for a year and some cash.  They both go ahead with it for their own reasons.

As they live together, they discover the white lies each had told and that their personalities clash and it eventually blows up into a tense situation.  If they back out, though, they lose the apartment and the money so both have to suck it up ... especially since Cassie, the owner of Sociality, is doing all she can to make it look like the two are deliriously happy and in love.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  I liked the writing style ... it was funny and sarcastic.  It is written in first person perspective, alternating between Adam and Jessica (the chapters are labeled so you know whose voice it is), plus blog and newspaper posts.  The author is English and the story takes place in London so some of the references aren't common to North Americans.  As a head's up, there is a lot of swearing and some adult activity.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.

Book ~ "The Legacy" (2016) Gary Gusick

From Goodreads ~ When the governor of Mississippi requests her help, Yankee transplant Darla Cavannah can hardly say no - even if the timing couldn’t be worse. She and her dreamy husband, Dr. Stephen Nicoletti, have just been approved to adopt a baby girl in China and getting wrapped up in a high-profile homicide will almost certainly complicate, if not derail, all their plans. But as Governor Wilson Burnett relays the details of the case, Darla feels deep sympathy - and blinding outrage at a promising life cut short.

On the campus of prestigious Ole Miss, a young African American student has been found killed just hours after her initiation into a previously segregated sorority. The murder would be shocking under any circumstances but this student is Caitlin Burnett - the white governor’s adopted daughter.

With public outrage building and media coverage intensifying, Darla’s partner, Rita Gibbons, proves invaluable. Her deep roots in the community - or “trailer trash cred” - helps considerably as the crime-solving pair sift fact from fiction. If this murder was racially motivated, why does the most damning evidence appear to have been staged? As the trail leads from Caitlin’s fellow Delta Betas to radical white supremacists and her father’s political enemies, the detectives close in on the disturbing truth - and a devious manipulator pulling all the strings.

Darla is an officer whose specialty is hate crimes.  She and her husband are hoping to adopt a baby soon and she plans on retiring so she can stay at home and raise the child.  She gets a call from the governor of Mississippi that his daughter, who was African American and adopted, was murdered and found hanging from a tree and he asks her to find out what happen.  Everyone assumes a white supremacist group was behind it and as Darla and her partner, Rita, start to investigate, they wonder if it isn't too convenient and obvious.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style and thought it was well-paced.  It's written in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is.  It was an interesting read especially if you are a fan of Delta blues music (like B.B. King).  The language at times is for a mature reader.

It is the third and latest in the Darla Cavannah series, a Philadelphian transplant in Mississippi, but it works as a stand alone.  You don't have to read the first two (I have) to know what's going on as there's enough background given.

I'm enjoying this series.

Book ~ "Officer Elvis" (2015) Gary Gusick

From Goodreads ~ After performing at a local old-folks home, off-duty police officer and part-time Elvis impersonator, Tommy Reylander, smoothes out his pompadour, climbs into his pink Caddy, and gets all shook up - fatally so, when a bomb explodes. Whether he was killed for his police work or bad singing is a mystery that detective Darla Cavannah is determined to solve.

Though it’s been several years since Darla (reluctantly) partnered up with Tommy, she convinces her boss to let her lead the murder investigation. As the new regional director of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Shelby Mitchell can think of better uses for his star detective’s time but not even the most hardened good ole boy can resist Darla’s smart, savvy persuasions. 

She soon embarks on a roller coaster ride through the world of Elvis tribute artists while tracking down one of the most bizarre serial killers in the history of the Magnolia State. Aiding her pursuit of the killer is recently reprimanded officer Rita Gibbons, fresh from the trailer park and described by Shelby as “half a licorice stick short in the manners department.” But Rita’s plenty smart, even when this case takes their suspicious minds in an entirely unexpected direction.

Tommy was a police officer and part-time Elvis impersonator tribute artist.  After playing a gig at a seniors' home, he gets in his caddy, which promptly blows up.  Darla, his former partner, takes the lead on the murder investigation, which leads her to talk with a former drug dealer who now saves catfish, the owner of a strip bar, a poker-addicted lawyer and Tommy's girlfriend, Cill (she was "Priscilla" in his act).  She eventually makes a link to other Elvis tribute artists as she tries to solve this murder.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style and thought it was well-paced.  It's written in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is.  It's an easy fun read ... you'll especially appreciate it if you are an Elvis fan.  The language at times is for a mature reader.

It is the second in the Darla Cavannah series, a Philadelphian transplant in Mississippi, but it works as a stand alone.  You don't have to read the first one (I read it in 2013) to know what's going on as there's enough background given and this book happens a couple years later.

I look forward to reading the next one in the series.

Book ~ "A Daughter's Deadly Deception: The Jennifer Pan Story" (2016) Jeremy Grimaldi

From Goodreads ~ From the outside looking in, Jennifer Pan seemed like a model daughter living a perfect life. The ideal child, the one her immigrant parents saw, was studying to become a pharmacist at the University of Toronto. But there was a dark, deceptive side to the angelic young woman. 

In reality, Jennifer spent her days in the arms of her high school sweetheart, Daniel. In an attempt to lead the life she dreamed of, she would do almost anything: lie about her whereabouts, forge school documents and invent fake jobs and a fictitious apartment. For many years she led this double life. But when her father discovered her web of lies, his ultimatum was severe. And so, too, was her revenge: a plan that culminated in cold-blooded murder. And it almost worked, except for one bad shot. 

The story of Jennifer Pan is one of all-consuming love and devious betrayal that led to a cold-hearted plan hatched by a group of youths who thought they could pull off the perfect crime. 

This is the true story of Bich and Hann Pan, who were Vietnam refugees who eventually settled in Markham, just north of Toronto.  They had two children, Jennifer and Felix, and lived frugally to give their children the best they could.  Bich and Hann had high expectations for their children and were strict disciplinarians.  Jennifer and Felix were expected to get high marks in school and win the awards in whatever they did ... for Jennifer, it was in skating and piano.

After grade eight, Jennifer discovered she wasn't the smartest in school anymore and her grades started slipping.  Rather than let her parents know, she adjusted her report card to keep them impressed and vowed she'd do better next year.  The years ago by and she is stunned to find out that she doesn't have enough credits to graduate from high school.  Rather than tell her parents, she forged a high school diploma.  Then she told them she was going to Ryerson University and a couple years later showed them another forged diploma.  What she was really doing was going to the library, working in a restaurant and hanging out with her boyfriend, Daniel.

Rather than being honest with her parents, she kept digging herself into a deeper hole.  When her parents found out, they were livid and put restrictions on her ... she had to break up with Daniel, she had to quit her job, she had to enrol in university, she wasn't allowed to leave the house.  They ultimately made her choose ... them or Daniel ... and she choose them.

Then she started plotting to have her parents murdered so she would be free from their rules and she could be with Daniel.  In November 2010, in what looked like a home invasion, Bich was murdered, Hann was wounded and Jennifer was left tied "helpless" to a banister.  As the police investigate, they learn the truth.  Jennifer and those involved were convicted and sent to prison.

This book and story caught my eye and I thought it would be interesting and it was.  Surprisingly I don't remember it happening.  I liked the writing style.  There was a lot of information and I thought the author did a good job in presenting it.  Not only does the book tell the story of the Pans and what happened that night in November 2010 but it also covers what happened leading up to it, the trial and where they are now.  In addition, there is interesting information about tiger parenting and analyses by experts of the Han family and Jennifer herself.

Book ~ "I Almost Forgot About You" (2016) Terry McMillan

From Goodreads ~ In "I Almost Forgot About You", Dr. Georgia Young's wonderful life - great friends, family, and successful career - aren't enough to keep her from feeling stuck and restless. 

When she decides to make some major changes in her life, including quitting her job as an optometrist and moving house, she finds herself on a wild journey that may or may not include a second chance at love. 

Georgia’s bravery reminds us that it’s never too late to become the person you want to be, and that taking chances, with your life and your heart, are always worthwhile.

Georgia is in her mid-50s, twice divorced and has a successful career as an optometrist.  Her two daughters are grown and moved away from home.  Though Georgia has some close friends, she's bored and lonely.  She decides to shake things up a bit by selling her house and changing her career ... she just has to figure out what she wants to do now.

She decides to make a list of the men who had meant something to her in the past and let them know what they had meant to her.  She starts to connect with them, including her two ex-husbands who are the fathers of her daughters.  In the meantime, one of her daughters is having marital problems, her other daughter has quit university, her elderly mother is in love and one of her best friends is talking about moving to Arizona.

It's been a while since I've read one of this author's books and I thought it was okay.  It is written in first person perspective in Georgia's voice.  It was a nice change to read a story about a woman who isn't in her twenties or thirties and was my age.  I like Georgia's spirit in trying to find herself but think she kind of sold out at the end (apparently you can't be complete and happy without a man).

I found there were a lot of characters to keep track of, especially the men ... some who stayed in the story and some just past through.  As a head's up, there is a lot of swearing (many many F-bombs) which I thought conflicted with how well educated Georgia and her friends were.