Book ~ "The Armchair Detectives" (2025) Matt Dunn

From Goodreads ~ They might be over the hill but they’re far from six feet under and now there’s a murder to solve!

Meet Martin Maxwell. As a former government operative, at eighty-four-years young he always pictured a retirement sipping shaken-not-stirred martinis on a far-flung island. But in need of some care after a new hip, he finds himself at Twilight Lodge on the decidedly cloudy English coast.

From the outside, it’s a picture-perfect place to recuperate. But when popular resident Elsie dies unexpectedly, Martin suspects foul play. She’s the third death in less than two weeks and always had a clean bill of health. Armed with a walking stick and his trusty notebook and pen, Martin decides to investigate.

While nobody believes him – death is an inevitable part of care home life after all – Martin is convinced something sinister is afoot. With his wheelchair-bound sidekick and former nemesis Albie in tow, they begin questioning the residents. Soon they learn that there are several suspects in the frame.

When they discover Albie’s love interest Barbara is in the killer’s sights, Martin knows time is running out. Will Albie’s heart be broken forever, or can they battle the effects of old age and each other, outwitting a murderer before it’s too late?

Martin is 84 and a widower, recovering from hip surgery and not wanting to burden his daughter to have to take care of him. Instead he checks into Twilight Lodge, a seaside care home where he plans on taking it easy and recuperate. But taking it easy doesn’t last long. When one of the residents dies unexpectedly (and then others start dying), Martin’s old instincts kick in. Martin isn’t your average retiree ... he used to work for “The Company” (something very spy-like). When he starts connecting the dots, he’s sure there’s foul play involved. Luckily his old partner, wheelchair-bound Albie, who claims to not remember Martin, is also at the home and the two end up sleuthing together along with Martin’s wild theories and his notebook full of half-remembered clues.

This was a fun story and it was interesting to have it written from the first person perspective of an 84-year-old man. It's surprisingly a cozy mystery as there is no swearing or violence. The interactions between Martin and Albie were cute. There are some red herrings and I was okay with the whodunnit. It seems like it's the first of a series and I look forward to reading the future books.

Book ~ "Nogged Off" (2016) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ ‘Twas the week before Christmas and Julia Snowden’s escape from New York has just hit a snag. Fresh off accidentally poisoning half her colleagues with her “Killer Eggnog”, Julia’s would-be subletter, Imogen Geinkes, is now jobless and homeless - leading Julia to invite the young woman home for the holidays in Maine. But when they unload the rental truck in Busman’s Harbor, they find something that wasn’t on anyone’s packing list: the body of Imogen’s former boyfriend. 

Suddenly, the wordplay in Imogen’s name - “I’m a jinx” - isn’t so adorable. But for all the calamities that follow in Imogen’s wake, Julia’s certain she’s no killer. As Julia digs into the case, the appearance of the ex’s brother - his identical twin - doubles the confusion. Has Imogene been double-crossed by an evil twin? Was the eggnog “accident” no accident at all? If Julia doesn’t unwrap the murderer’s true identity soon, one of the twelve days of Christmas could be her last.

Julia thought her quick trip to New York would be simple ... grab the last of her stuff from her apartment, head back home to Busman's Harbor, Maine, and settle in for Christmas with her boyfriend and family. Instead she finds her apartment still occupied by her subletter, Imogen, a heartbroken mess who has just lost her job and her boyfriend. Rather than kick her out right before the holidays, Julia does the kind thing and brings her home to Busman’s Harbor. Julia's moving truck is stolen in the middle of the night from her mother's driveway and when it's found, they find more than boxes and furniture ... the body of Imogen's ex-boyfriend.

This quick read (it's a novella) was written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. It had a couple interesting twists at the end. It's a cozy mystery so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity. At the end, there are recipes that were mentioned during the story for hazelnut wreaths and pecan puffs.

This novella is 4.5 (of 12) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. I read the first four in the series recently and will keep moving through the series.

Book ~ "The Summers Between Us" (2025) Noreen Nanja

From Goodreads ~ A young ambitious lawyer returns to her family's rural property after 10 years and must confront her deepest fears and long-buried secrets for a second chance at love with the one that got away, despite her family's expectations.

Lia is a corporate lawyer who seems to have her life completely figured out ... she’s got the high-powered career, a potential boyfriend her mother will approve of and the perfect immigrant daughter image everyone expects from her. 

When her aunt, who has been staying at the family cottage needs surgery, Lia agrees to stay at the cottage to care of her teenage cousin. Next door to their cottage live Wes, Lia’s first love, and his mother. Lia and Wes' teenage romance happened over five summers but it didn’t last because of family expectations, cultural clashes and a secret (which we don't learn about until near the end) drove them apart. She runs into him again at the cottage after not seeing him for about ten years and she tries to resist the emotions that are coming back.

I thought this story was okay, though not original. It moves back and forth between the past (the five summers when Lia and Wes fell in love) and the present (the chapters are labeled). It's written in first person perspective in Lia's voice. I liked that it was set in Ontario and the author didn't try to hide that. I found it hard to believe that Lia and Wes, after not seeing each other for about ten years and nearing age thirty, still carried a torch for each other after all these years, considering it was a teenage romance. There is swearing and adult activity and it was icky reading about the teenage Lia and Wes partaking. I didn't find Lia and Wes overly believable as teenagers as they seemed too mature.

Book ~ "Fogged Inn" (2016) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ An autumn chill has settled over Busman's Harbor, Maine, but Julia Snowden is warming up the town by offering lobster stew at the local diner. When her landlord discovers a dead body in the walk-in refrigerator, Julia must figure out who ordered up a side of murder. 

Nothing's colder than a corpse - -especially one stashed inside a sub-zero fridge. The victim spent his last night on earth dining at the restaurant bar so naturally Julia finds herself at the center of the ensuing investigation. Lost in the November fog, however, is who'd want to kill the unidentified stranger - and why. It might have something to do with a suspicious group of retirees and a decades-old tragedy to which they're all connected. One thing's for sure: Julia's going to make solving this mystery her early bird special.

Julia is running Gus’s Too, a restaurant, with her boyfriend, Chris, in Busman’s Harbor, Maine, during the off-season of her family's clambake business. Their cozy spot is attracting regulars since it's the only place to eat out at night. One morning a man is found dead in the restaurant’s walk-in cooler. Nobody seems to know anything about him but Julia soon realizes four couples who were eating at the restaurant the night before are tied together in some way. The more she digs, the more she uncovers old secrets and tangled connections that someone wants to keep hidden.

This story was written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. I found with the four couples it was hard to keep track of who they were married to and what their past backstories were. I was okay with the whodunnit. It was interesting following Julia's investigation (even though the police told her to back off) but she made some dumb dangerous decisions. It's a cozy mystery so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity. At the end of the book, there are recipes that were mentioned during the story including split pea soup with ham and lobster and corn chowder.

This is the fourth (of 12) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. I read the first three recently and will keep moving through the series.

Book ~ "Musseled Out" (2015) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ The busy summer tourist season is winding down in Busman's Harbor, Maine, but Julia Snowden senses trouble simmering for the Snowden Family Clambake Company. Shifty David Thwing - the "Mussel King" of upscale seafood restaurants - is sniffing around town for a new location. But serving iffy clams turns out to be the least of his troubles.

When Thwing is found sleeping with the fishes beneath a local lobsterman's boat, the police quickly finger Julia's brother-in-law, Sonny, as the one who cooked up the crime. Sure, everyone knows Sonny despised the Mussel King ... but Julia believes he's innocent. Proving it won't be easy, though. It seems there's a lot more than murder on the menu, and Julia needs to act fast.

Summer’s winding down in Busman’s Harbor, Maine, and Julia is stressing about her future. Should she head back to her fast-paced New York career or stick around to keep helping her family’s clambake business? Her personal dilemma is soon overshadowed by the arrival of David Thwing, an arrogant entrepreneur known as the “Mussel King”, who announces plans to establish a competing clambake operation. Tensions mount quickly but the conflict takes a turn when Thwing is found murdered, tangled in ropes beneath a lobsterman’s boat. Suspicion falls on Julia’s brother-in-law, Sonny, whose disagreements with Thwing were no secret. 

Determined to clear her family’s name, Julia begins her own investigation. As she starts digging, she uncovers rivalries, secrets and hidden motives within the close-knit community. Along the way, Julia also has to face some tough personal choices about her future, her career and her relationship with her boyfriend, Chris, who isn't going to leave Busman’s Harbor.

This story was written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. It's a cozy mystery so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity (just brief references that it had happened). There was lots going on with rivalries between the different lobster communities, a secret that Chris has been keeping about his disappearances during the summer that they agreed not to discuss, a beloved senior collapsing and more. The whodunnit was a bit convoluted but I was okay with it. At the end of the book, there are recipes that were mentioned during the story like lobster, shrimp & fennel scampi and apple pie.

This is the third (of 12) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. I read the first two recently and will keep moving through the series.

Book ~ "Boiled Over" (2014) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ For Julia Snowden, the Founder’s Day summer celebration in Busman’s Harbor, Maine, means helping her family’s clambake company to prepare an authentic taste of New England seafood. Any Mainer will tell you that a real clambake needs wood for the fire ... so why is there a foot sticking out of the oven? 

The townspeople want to pin the murder of the RV park owner on Cabe Stone, a new employee of the Snowden Family Clambake Company, who bolted from the crime scene and disappeared. 

Julia knows having another murder associated with her family’s business is a recipe for disaster ... but who is the killer? Cooking up a proper investigation doesn’t leave much time for the rest of Julia’s life, and this is one killer who’ll do anything to stop her from digging up clues.

In the spring, Julia had returned from New York to her hometown of Busman’s Harbor, Maine, to help save her family’s struggling clambake business. The town’s annual Founder's Day celebration is in full swing, with fireworks, food and lots of tourists. Julia’s family clambake has a booth at the festival but things go downhill when a body is discovered in the fire pit used for cooking clams. Even worse, the prime suspect is Cabe Stone, one of Julia’s summer employees. 

Cabe is a young drifter with a troubled past who had found stability working for the Snowdens. Julia believes Cabe is innocent and, determined to clear his name (and protect her family’s reputation), she starts investigating. As she digs, she uncovers secrets in the small town, which she hopes gets her closer to finding the killer.

This story was written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. It's a cozy mystery so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity (just brief references that it had happened). There were lots of characters to keep track of so at times I had to stop and remember who was who. I was okay with the whodunnit. At the end of the book, there are recipes that were mentioned during the story like lobster deviled eggs and blueberry pancakes.

This is the second (of 12) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. I read the first one last week and liked this one better so I'll keep moving through the series.

Book ~ "Clammed Up" (2013) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ Julia Snowden returned to her hometown of Busman’s Harbor, Maine, to rescue her family’s struggling clambake business - not to solve crimes. But that was before a catered wedding on picturesque Morrow Island turned into a reception for murder. 

When the best man’s corpse is found hanging from the grand staircase in the Snowden family mansion, Julia must put the chowder pot on the back burner and join the search for the killer. And with suspicion falling on her old crush, Chris Durand, the recipe for saving her business and salvaging her love life might be one and the same.

Thirty-year-old Julia left her fast-paced life working in finance in New York City and returned to her hometown of Busman’s Harbor, Maine, to help save her family’s struggling business, the Snowden Family Clambake Company. The business hosts traditional clambakes on a nearby island, which they own, but on the first big event of the summer, which was a wedding, disaster strikes ... the best man was found dead before the festivities even began. 

The loan arrangement Julia had made with the bank only allowed them to have five days in which they could be closed. With the best man's death and the police investigation, this could eat up those days and the bank would call their loan and their business and property would be gone. So it's in Julia and her family's business' best interests to figure out who killed the best man and why.

This story was written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. I thought Julia was okay. She seems smart enough but I found it hard to believe she STILL has a crush on Chris, a fella she went to high school with ... she hasn't seen him in about ten years but still feels the same as she did when they were teenagers. They are friends (he seems to be her only friend) but he's never given her any indication he feels more. I wasn't buying the whodunnit or the ending so that was a bit of a disappointment. 

I didn't think Julia's mother was written realistically. She's probably in her late 50s and has been widowed for about five years. With all the troubles the family business was in, everyone protected her by keeping it all from her. Considering this was a family business she ran with her late husband, I found it unbelievable that she was that clueless as to how bad things were. Julia's goal was to ensure the business didn't go under and her mother wouldn't lose her house and island that had been in the family for many generations. Mom needs a dose of reality.

It's a cozy mystery so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity. At the end of the book, there are recipes that were mentioned during the story like clam chowder and lobster mac 'n cheese.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I thought it was just okay. It's the first (of 12) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. I liked it enough to check out the second in the series.

Book ~ "The Girl in the Ice" (2016) Robert Bryndza

From Goodreads ~ Her eyes are wide open. Her lips parted as if to speak. Her dead body frozen in the ice … she is not the only one.

When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation.

The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London.

What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding?

As Erika inches closer to uncovering the truth, the killer is closing in on Erika.

The last investigation Erika led went badly wrong … resulting in the death of her husband. With her career hanging by a thread, Erika must now battle her own personal demons as well as a killer more deadly than any she’s faced before. But will she get to him before he strikes again?

After the body of a young woman is discovered frozen beneath the ice of a London park, Detective Erika Foster is called back to duty. The victim is Andrea Douglas-Brown, a beautiful, wealthy young woman from a powerful and politically influential family. Her murder attracts immediate media attention and pressure from high-ranking officials who want the case solved quickly and discreetly. 

Erika is still grieving the loss of her husband, a police officer who was recently killed in the line of duty. But she is determined to find the truth, even if it means going against her superiors. Erika soon uncovers that Andrea’s glamorous life was not as perfect as it seemed. Andrea was hiding secrets and moving in sleazy circles. As Erika digs deeper, she faces opposition from Andrea’s family, who are more concerned with their reputation than justice. She moves forward, piecing together Andrea’s last hours and linking her death to a series of earlier murders of young prostitutes. 

This is the first book I've read by this author and I thought it was okay. Because it was set in London, England, there were references to things I hadn't heard of (like windscreens) and I'd sometimes stop to Google to see what they were. It's written in third person third person perspective with the focus on Erika and the killer. The editing could have been better ... there were typos and grammatical errors. As a head's up, there is swearing (including an annoying overuse of the word "bloody") and violence. 

This is the first in the Detective Erika Foster Series (there are currently nine) and I liked it enough to read the next one in the series.

Book ~ "It's Always the Husband" (2017) Michele Campbell

From Goodreads ~ Kate, Aubrey and Jenny. They first met as college roommates and soon became inseparable, even though they are as different as three women can be. Twenty years later, one of them is standing at the edge of a bridge ... and someone else is urging her to jump.

How did things come to this?

As the novel cuts back and forth between their college years and their adult years, you see the exact reasons why these women love and hate each other - but can feelings that strong lead to murder? Or will everyone assume, as is often the case, that it’s always the husband?

Kate, Jenny and Aubrey met in their freshman year at an elite college as roommates. They couldn’t be more different ... Kate was rich and wild, Jenny was ambitious straitlace townie and Aubrey was poor, desperate to fit in and obsessed with Kate (it seemed that everyone was obsessed with Kate). There was lots of partying, questionable decisions and eventually a tragic incident. Fast forward twenty years and the three are back in their old college town, each with their own lives but still friends (but were they?). When one of them died, the police investigated and secrets were revealed. 

I thought this story was okay, not great. It tended to be a bit draggy at times and the writing could have been tighter. It's written in third person perspective. The timeline jumps around from the past (when the women met and were friends/roommates in college) to present day. I didn't find any of the women (or any of the characters) likeable. As the ending drew near, there were suddenly lots of possibilities as to who could have dunnit and I found who actually dunnit a bit of a letdown. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "John Candy: A Life in Comedy" (2025) Paul Myers

From Goodreads ~ From his humble beginnings in sketch comedy with the Toronto branch of Second City, to his rise to fame in "SCTV" and Hollywood film classics like "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", "The Great Outdoors" and "Uncle Buck", John Candy captivated audiences with his self-deprecating humour, emotional warmth and gift for improvisation. Now for the first time since Candy’s tragic death, biographer Paul Myers tells the full story of the man behind the laughs.

Drawing on extensive research and exclusive interviews with many of Candy’s closest friends and colleagues including Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Steve Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short and many more, "John Candy: A Life in Comedy" celebrates the comedian’s unparalleled talent, infectious charm and generosity of spirit. Through ups and downs, successes and failures, and struggles with anxiety and self-doubt, Candy faced the world with a big smile and a warm demeanour that earned him the love and adoration of fans around the world.

This book is a behind-the-scenes look at the life and career of John Candy (1950 - 1994). It dives into Candy’s rise from local sketch comedy in Toronto to Hollywood fame, while also showing the kind, generous and sometimes troubled man behind all the laughs.

Candy grew up in Toronto and got his comedy start at Second City. Thanks to Dan Aykroyd, he landed a spot on SCTV and became a breakout star with his big heart and even bigger characters. From Stripes to The Blues Brothers to Uncle Buck, Planes, Trains and Automobiles to Cool Runnings, Candy built a career on playing lovable funny underdogs. This book takes you through those roles and others (there are whole chapters on most of his movies).

The author spoke with a lot of Candy’s friends and co-stars (including Steve Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Tom Hanks, Martin Short and Dan Aykroyd) to show the deep affection and admiration so many had for him. Off-camera Candy was generous and thoughtful ... for example, buying Thanksgiving dinner for entire film crews, comforting homesick extras and always making time for people. The book also looks at Candy’s struggles with anxiety, his weight and the pressure of being “the funny guy.”

I was (and still am) a fan of John Candy. He passed away just over 30 years ago and I'm surprised it's taken this long for someone to write such a book about him. I enjoyed it and it was interesting to learn more about Candy. It's obvious that it's well-researched and honest ... though he knew better (his father had passed away young of a heart attack), Candy liked his smokes, rum & Cokes and food. It would have been nice, though, to have some photographs included as it's just all text.

Book ~ "Living in the Present with John Prine" (2025) Tom Piazza

From Goodreads ~ In the spring of 2018, Tom Piazza climbed into a 1977 Coupe DeVille with the great singer-songwriter John Prine, taking a Florida road trip that soon evolved into a deep friendship, full of jokes and tall tales over epic meals, afternoons digging around antique malls and record stores, and long nights playing guitar and trading songs. 

Eventually they decided to write Prine’s memoir together and Prine shared intimate, often hilarious stories of his youth and family in Chicago and Kentucky, his breakthrough into the national spotlight, his riotous early years in the Nashville country scene, and much more. 

When Prine died suddenly of COVID in April 2020, that unfinished memoir evolved into an intimate narrative of the artist’s final years. Piazza offers fans an unforgettable portrait of the beloved musician in his late glory - as a boyish cut-up, an epic raconteur, a great American poet, and most importantly, the good friend his fans have always imagined.

John Prine was an American country/folk singer-songwriter who has been around since the early 1970s. I've been a fan of John Prine for over 40 years. I've seen him many times in concert and was happy I attended his last concert here in Toronto (The Tree of Forgiveness tour). I think his death during COVID probably hit me the hardest of all the celebs who had passed away during that time.

Tom Piazza spent time with Prine at home and on the road with the intent of writing an article about him before Prine asked him to work on a memoir about him. They ended up enjoying a two year friendship before he passed away. Piazza shared moments that showed Prine's sense of humor, his love for the simple things and the way he saw the world a little differently than most. Even after surviving cancer, Prine didn’t dwell on the past or future ... he was all about appreciating what was right in front of him (especially food and dessert!). Prine's songs were simple but packed with emotion, real life, heart and a touch of wry humor. 

I enjoyed this book. I like that there were actual interviews with Prine transcribed so we got to know Prine in his own words and his sense of humour. Prine sounds like a fun guy to hang out with. In addition to spending time with Prine, Piazza also spent time with his family including Prine's wife, Fiona, his sons and his late older brother, Dave. It was nice to see the intimate pictures of Prine as a regular guy. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Don't Try to Find Me" (2014) Holly Brown

From Goodreads ~ Don't try to find me. Though the message on the kitchen white board is written in Marley's hand, her mother Rachel knows there has to be some other explanation. Marley would never run away.

As the days pass and it sinks in that the impossible has occurred, Rachel and her husband, Paul, are informed that the police have "limited resources." If they want their 14-year-old daughter back, they will have to find her themselves. Desperation becomes determination when Paul turns to Facebook and Twitter and launches FindMarley.com.

But Marley isn't the only one with secrets.

With public exposure comes scrutiny and when Rachel blows a television interview, the dirty speculation begins. Now the blogosphere is convinced Rachel is hiding something. It's not what they think; Rachel would never hurt Marley. Not intentionally anyway. But when it's discovered that she's lied, even to the police, the devoted mother becomes a suspect in Marley's disappearance.

Is Marley out there somewhere, watching it all happen, or is the truth something far worse?

Fourteen-year-old Marley disappears one day, leaving her iPhone behind and a note on a whiteboard saying, “Don’t try to find me.” Her parents are shocked, especially Rachel, her mom, and Paul, her father, starts a huge online campaign to bring Marley back. But as her parents goes public, cracks start to show in their seemingly perfect life and and it becomes obvious Rachel has been hiding things.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I thought it was okay, not great. It is written in first personal perspective jumping back and forth in Rachel’s and Marley’s voices and different timelines (the chapters are labeled). As the story progresses, we eventually discover why Marley ran away and the ramifications of her decision. The police don't seem overly effective or interested in finding Marley and I found it unbelievable that Paul's online campaign was more instrumental than them. Why wasn't there an amber alert issued right away? I didn't find any of the characters overly likeable. As a head's up, there is swearing and teenage "adult" activity.

Book ~ "Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook" (2010) Anthony Bourdain

From Goodreads ~ "Medium Raw" marks the return of the inimitable Anthony Bourdain, author of the blockbuster bestseller "Kitchen Confidential" and three-time Emmy Award-nominated host of "No Reservations" on TV’s Travel Channel. 

Bourdain calls his book, “A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook,” and he is at his entertaining best as he takes aim at some of the biggest names in the foodie world, including David Chang, Alice Waters, the Top Chef winners and losers and many more.

Medium Raw is Bourdain’s follow-up to Kitchen Confidential, which I read last week. It's a series of essays where he writes about the food world, the people in it and how much everything (including himself) has changed. Bourdain’s older, in his second marriage, dad to a young daughter and no longer living the reckless chef life.

He talks about the behind-the-scenes reality of restaurants, shares some opinions on celebrity chefs (some he loves, some he absolutely does not) and gives props to the underappreciated people doing the real work in kitchens, like immigrant line cooks and fish guys who never get the spotlight. 

I thought this book was just okay. Because it is a series of essays, it jumps around a lot about many subjects. Some of the essays were interesting (like personal ones about himself) and some weren't. He makes references to people and restaurants I've never heard of (maybe they were part of the New York scene?) and I didn't really care about them. As a head's up, there is lots of swearing.

Book ~ "The Names" (2025) Florence Knapp

From Goodreads ~ Can a name change the course of a life?

In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son's birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she'd like to call the child, Cora hesitates.

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora's and her young son's lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, "The Names" explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.

In 1987, Cora has just had her second child and is heading to register her son's name. Gordon, her dominating and abusive husband, wants their son to be named "Gordon" after him and his father. Cora wants to name him "Julian". When she asks their nine-year-old daughter, Maia, what she would like him to be named, she suggests "Bear". What follows are the three different versions of the naming of their son over the 35 years. It's not the name itself that affects their lives but Gordon's reaction to the name and the repercussions.

I thought this was an interesting premise for a story ... kind of like the movie, Sliding Doors, which I've seen many times. The story is chopped up in seven year increments over the next 35 years, each covering the three name versions. I liked the writing style but I found I really had to focus because when the stories changed names and time periods, I'd have remember what was going on and who was involved. In hindsight, it might have been better to skip ahead and read all the same name sections at one time (so all the Bears, then Julians and then Gordons). As a head's up, it was hard to read the parts with the domestic violence.

Book ~ "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly" (2000) Anthony Bourdain

From Goodreads ~ Over two decades ago, the New Yorker published a now infamous article, “Don’t Eat Before Reading This,” by then little-known chef Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain spared no one’s appetite as he revealed what happens behind the kitchen door. The article was a sensation and the book it spawned, the now iconic "Kitchen Confidential", became an even bigger sensation and megabestseller. 

Frankly confessional, addictively acerbic, and utterly unsparing, Bourdain pulls no punches in this memoir of his years in the restaurant business.

I don't really enjoy cooking but we just finished watching the fourth season of The Bear and we watch Gordon Ramsay's reality shows. This book has been around for years but I've never read it so I thought I'd give it a go. It looks like a crazy brutal industry to be in!

Kitchen Confidential is Bourdain’s look (it’s part memoir and part exposé) at what went on behind the scenes in restaurant kitchens ... and it sounds like he'd been in many up to this point. He started with his journey of being a young punk washing dishes to eventually becoming a seasoned chef in New York’s culinary scene. He talked about his past with drugs, the crazy (and sometimes offensive) characters he worked with and the intense and chaotic vibe of professional kitchens. 

It was interesting to find out some industry secrets  ... like why you should never order fish on a Monday or what really goes into your fancy restaurant meal. It was obvious that he did have a deep love for food and the people who cooked it. I liked the writing style and found most of the chapters interesting. If you’ve ever thought about what life in a professional kitchen is really like, you should read this book. I know it wouldn't be the life for me! As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Dark Ambition: The Shocking Crime of Dellen Millard and Mark Smich" (2019) Ann Brocklehurst

From Goodreads ~ In 2013, Tim Bosma of Hamilton, Ontario, put his truck up for sale online and then disappeared during a test drive with two strangers. In the disappearance and the murder investigation that followed, he made headlines on over several weeks that spring. Weeks later, two men were arrested for Bosma's murder: a petty criminal with the Dickensian name of Mark Smich, and Dellen Millard, the good-looking heir of an aviation millionaire. 

Disturbingly there appeared to be no motive for the gruesome killing of Bosma, whose charred remains were found on Millard's farm. It seemed to be a cold-blooded "thrill kill" carried out by what some would deem a psychopath and his sidekick. Furthermore, the investigation of Bosma's death would eventually lead to the discovery of two other murders: the pair would be charged with the murder of Laura Babcock, Millard's former girlfriend, who disappeared in 2012, and Millard alone would be charged with the murder of his own father, Wayne Millard, whose death was previously ruled a suicide. 

Dark Ambition tells the true story of Dellen Millard and Mark Smich, two men from Ontario who were eventually convicted of multiple murders. The book focuses on how a guy from a prominent aviation family (Millard) and his sketchy drug dealing friend (Smich) ended up being cold-blooded killers. 

The story starts in 2013 when Tim Bosma, a regular guy and father from Hamilton, vanishes after taking two strangers on a test drive in his truck one evening. The truck and Tim are never seen again ... not until police uncover a horrifying trail that leads to Millard’s farm, where Tim’s remains were found incinerated in a piece of farm equipment called “The Eliminator.” As investigators dig deeper, they connect Millard and Smich to two other suspicious deaths ... Laura Babcock, Millard’s ex-girlfriend, who vanished in 2012, and Wayne Millard, Dellen’s father, whose death had originally been ruled a suicide in November 2012. 

It was a shocking story when Tim Bosma disappeared. His family didn't give up hope that he would come home but alas, he never did. The sad part is that it wasn't just about the plan to steal his truck ... it was also about the thrill of a kill. Millard could afford to buy anything he wanted but he and Smich went on "missions" to steal things like Bobcats, trailers, etc. Millard and Smich ended up getting consecutive life sentences for Bosma and Babcock's murders (so not eligible for parole for 50 years) plus Millard got a consecutive life sentence for the murder of his father so isn't eligible for parole until he's 103!

It was a hard book to read but interesting to learn more about what happened. I found it to be an interesting read, though confusing at times as the timelines bounced around a bit and it got a bit technical and detailed. It's obvious the author did a lot of research. There are some photographs at the end.

Book ~ "She Didn't See It Coming" (2025) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ When a beloved wife and mother disappears, a luxurious condo building transforms into a potential crime scene, and the investigation begins: can the detectives find her before it's too late?

Bryden and Sam have it all: thriving careers, a smart apartment in a luxury condominium, supportive friends and a cherished daughter. The perfect life for the perfect couple.

Then Sam receives a call at his office. Bryden - working from home that day - has failed to collect their daughter from daycare. Arriving home with their little girl, he finds his wife’s car in the underground garage. Upstairs in their apartment her laptop is open on the table, her cell phone nearby, her keys in their usual place in the hall.

Except Bryden is nowhere to be seen. It’s as if she just walked out.

Bryden and Sam are a successful married couple with a young daughter named Clara. One day when Bryden fails to pick Clara up from daycare, Sam gets the call. But when he gets home, he finds Bryden’s car in their underground garage and her belongings including her purse, laptop and phone, inside their condo. The only thing missing is Bryden herself. Worried, Sam calls the police and soon the investigation begins with Sam quickly landing under suspicion, as is often the case with spouses. 

I’ve read a few books by this author and thought this one was okay. I did enjoy the writing style. It’s told in third person and shifts focus among several characters. As the story unfolds, there are quite a few people who might be involved in Bryden’s disappearance and they all have secrets ... Sam, her sister, her best friend, a neighbour with a disturbing past, a man she was in a car accident with recently and others. There’s a good twist when the truth comes out but I didn’t fully buy into the reveal. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "The Retirement Plan" (2025) Sue Hincenbergs

From Goodreads ~ Three wives wanting a new life, three husbands in their way ...

After thirty years of friendship, Pam dreams of her perfect retirement with Nancy, Shalisa, Marlene and their husbands - until their husbands pool their funds for an investment that goes terribly wrong and their dreams of beachfront condos and a sunny carefree retirement vanish. The golden years are looking as dreary as their marriages.

But when one husband dies in a freak accident, the other three women are shocked to see his widow rebound with a huge life insurance payout and a new life in Florida. In the aftermath, the women discover that their husbands have identical, seven-figure life insurance policies. A new dream forms and this time, it involves a hitman.

Meanwhile, their husbands have a secret retirement plan of their own. So when things begin to go awry, they fear their own scheme may have backfired ... with deadly consequences. The husbands scramble to stay alive but they may not be fast enough to outmaneuver their wives.

What follows is a high-stakes tale of cat and mouse, both laugh-out-loud funny and unbearably tense, while ultimately a bighearted look at marriage, friendship, and middle-age.

Couples Pam and Hank, Nancy and Larry, Andre and Shalisa and Marlene and Dave have been best friends forever. Things turned sour a couple years ago when Hank talked the guys into investing their retirement savings into a scheme that went bad. Now in their early 60s, instead of enjoying their relaxing retirement, they are all still working and the women feel bitter and unappreciated. 

When Dave suddenly dies in a freak accident and Marlene gets a huge insurance payout (and a fresh start in Florida), the other wives can’t help but wonder if the same thing can happen for them. Pam, Nancy and Shalisa start plotting their own "accidental" retirements and find a hit man to bump off Hank, Larry and Andre so they too can get a huge insurance payout and join Marlene. The husbands felt bad about ruining their retirement dreams and unbeknownst to the wives, have been illegally growing the assets back over the last four years as a surprise. Then things don't turn out as planned.

It is the debut novel by this author and I enjoyed it. The story itself was intriguing (and no, it didn't give me any ideas ... ha!). I liked the writing style ... it was humorous with lots of twists and turns. It's written in third person perspective with a focus on the various characters. I liked the characters ... the four couples were my age so I could relate to where they were in life. There were some other funny characters ... Padma, Hank's clueless boss at the casino whose mother in India keeps trying to marry her off via a matchmaker; Hector, the barber/hitman; Brenda, Hector's wife; and even Elmer, Pam's rescue dog. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "The Age of Hope" (2012) David Bergen

From Goodreads ~ Born in 1930 in a small town outside Winnipeg, beautiful Hope Koop appears destined to have a conventional life. Church, marriage to a steady young man, children - her fortunes are already laid out for her, as are the shiny modern appliances in her new home. All she has to do is stay with Roy, who loves her. 

But as the decades unfold, what seems to be a safe predictable existence overwhelms Hope. Where - among the demands of her children, the expectations of her husband and the challenges of her best friend, Emily, who has just read "The Feminine Mystique" - is there room for her? And just who is she anyway? A wife, a mother, a woman whose life is somehow unrealized? 

This beautifully crafted and perceptive work of fiction spans some fifty years of Hope Koop's life in the second half of the 20th century, from traditionalism to feminism and beyond. David Bergen has created an indelible portrait of a seemingly ordinary woman who struggles to accept herself as she is, and in so doing, becomes unique.

This story is about Hope, the only daughter of Scottish mother and a non-practicing Mennonite father, living through changing times in a small Mennonite town outside Winnipeg, Manitoba. Set from the 1950s through the early 2000s, it follows Hope, a conventional housewife, as she goes through marriage, motherhood, societal expectations and personal discontent.

On the surface, she has a pretty typical life and instead of following her dreams, does what was expected ... she marries Roy, a car salesman, and raises their four children. But deep down, she’s often unsure of her place in the world. As time goes on and society shifts (feminism, changing family roles, new cultural norms, etc.), Hope finds herself feeling restless, confused and sometimes lost. She doesn't always know what she wants but she senses there's more to life than what she's been told to expect.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it. It's written in third person perspective, with a focus on Hope. It explores things like identity, mental health, growing older (at the end of the story, Hope is in her 70s) and what it means to live a good life. As a head's up, there is some swearing.

Book ~ "The Franchise: Toronto Blue Jays - A Curated History of the Jays" (2025) Keegan Matheson

From Goodreads ~ This thoughtful and engaging collection of essays captures the astute fans’ history of the franchise, going beyond well-worn narratives of yesteryear to uncover the less-discussed moments, decisions, people, and settings that fostered the Blue Jays' distinctive identity.

Through wheeling and dealing, mythmaking and community building, explore where the organization has been, how it came to prominence in the modern major league landscape, and how it will continue to evolve and stay in contention for generations to come.

Jays fans in the know will enjoy this personal, local, in-depth look at baseball history.

If you're a Blue Jays fan, you should check this book out. Instead of walking through every season, Matheson picks out the best, wildest and most emotional moments from nearly 50 years of Jays history. 

For example, such as the Jays' dramatic and super-secret attempt to sign Shohei Ohtani in 2023. They rolled out the red carpet with custom lockers, team gear and even a special dog jacket for his dog. But in the end, Ohtani signed with the Dodgers.

The chapters include:

1. Origin Stories
2. Only in Toronto
3. Faces of the Blue Jays (such as Dave Stieb, Cito Gaston, Joe Carter, Carlos Delgado John Gibbons, etc.)
4. Stories of the Seasons
5. The Glory Years
6. The Storytellers (such as Tom and Jerry, Dan Shulman and Buck Martinez)

The book isn’t just about blockbuster deals. Matheson also dives into quirky and heartfelt moments ... like players trying to stay warm at freezing Exhibition Stadium with soup and the emotional return to Rogers Centre after nearly two years away during the pandemic. 

I liked the writing style. It was as detailed as I needed it to be. Because Matheson covers the team for MLB.com, he brings a unique insider vibe so can share personal stories, player memories and little moments that most fans never hear about. What would have made the book even better is if there had been photographs. As a heads up, there is a swearing (some baseball people surprisingly have potty mouths ... ha!).