Book ~ "The Weight-Loss Prescription: A Doctor's Plan for Permanent Weight Reduction and Better Health for Life" (2013) Ali Zentner

From Goodreads ~ Obesity specialist Dr. Ali Zentner has written the ultimate prescription for permanent weight loss and better health. Her revolutionary plan lets you customize your diet and ultimately change your lifestyle to help you conquer the weight-loss battle. The program helps you diagnose your patterns of eating behaviour and gives you strategies to change the way you look at food once and for all. Whether you are an emotional eater, a fast-food junkie, or a calorie drinker, The Weight-Loss Prescription will get you started on a new path to a healthy life.

Using her medical science background and experience working with thousands of overweight and obese patients to achieve their weight-loss goals, Zentner helps you identify your overeating pattern and shows you steps to modify your diet for dramatic, long-term change. Unlike other one-size-fits-all diet books, The Weight-Loss Prescription will help you customize a diet plan specific to your weight-loss goals. Filled with inspiring success stories, tools, strategies, and recipes, The Weight-Loss Prescription will motivate you to embrace a revolutionary lifestyle change.

Yes, this is is another book about weight loss.  But the key here is first determining which of the six eating personalities you are.  After that, there is a chapter dedicated to each personality which describes each eating personality and what to do about.

1. The emotional eater - if I have a bad day, a slice of pizza will fix it!
2. The calorie drinker
3. The fast-food junkie
4. The all-or-nothing dieter - This is sooooooo me!  I'm either on track or I'm not (and when I'm off track, I'm waaaaaay off track!) ... there is no in-between or balance for me.  I need to accept that it's okay to fall off track but I need to minimize the fall and get back on track almost immediately.
5. The portion distorter
6. The sitting duck

After that she gives helpful tips such as being happy and positive with the here and now, keeping a food diary (when I'm on track, I use Fitday), meal makeovers, the importance of breakfast, eating out, special situations (parties, holidays and vacations), what to do when you get derailed, and staying on track.

At the end, there are some meal suggestions along with lots recipes.

I've read lots of weight loss books over the years and I enjoyed this one.  I liked the writing style ... it wasn't boring or at a high level.  With the information provided, there are stories of her clients to make it more real.  Plus I liked that the focus was with the eating personalities ... I could definitely relate to the all-or-nothing dieter section.

I received a copy of this ebook at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Book ~ "A Taste of Heaven" (2013) Meg Tilly

From Goodreads ~ Madison Stokes leads a pretty average life: average mom and dad, average looks, average grades well, maybe her little sister is MUCH brattier than average but nothing out of the ordinary.

All that changes when quiet, secretive Alyssa Hawkins moves to town. When Madison takes Alyssa under her wing, the two girls quickly bond over chocolate-chip cookies and become best friends. Amazingly, Alyssa doesn't even mind Madison's bratty sister!

But there are some things Alyssa still won't share. Why won't she talk about her family? And why is she so reluctant to have Madison over to her house? She's harbouring a secret that could put their treasured friendship in jeopardy and when Madison finds out by accident, Alyssa makes Madison promise not to tell anyone, not even Madison's parents.

But should Madison tell them anyway? When is it all right to tell a little white lie and when should you come clean with the truth?

Madison is ten when Alyssa (also ten) moves to town and they become best friends right away.  They always hang out at Madison's house which to Alyssa is "a taste of heaven".  When Madison pushes Alyssa to hang out at her place for a change, Madison soon learns why Alyssa likes hanging out with Madison's family.  Madison discovers Alyssa's secret home life and pinky swears not to tell anyone.

I'm not sure who the target audience is with this book but I really enjoyed it, even though Madison and Alyssa are only ten.   I liked the characters, both the adults and kids.  I liked the writing style and didn't find it immature.  I think it would be suitable reading for age 10 right up to adults, though there is mild swearing once or twice.

If this is indicative of Meg Tilly's books, I look forward to reading more.

I received a copy of this ebook at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Book ~ "GPS Your Best Life" (2012) Charmaine Hammond and Debra Kasowski

From Goodreads ~ Obstacles and roadblocks can detour us on the way to success, or even prevent us from getting there at all. GPS Your Best Life helps you determine exactly where you are now, and through practical strategies and assessments, helps you clarify what you want in your personal and career life. GPS Your Best Life will help you map your destination and put you on the road to personal fulfillment, happiness, and success.

Bestselling author and transformational speaker Charmaine Hammond teams up with fellow speaker and founder/CEO of the Millionaire Woman Club, Debra Kasowski, to bring you a unique method for getting clear and achieving what you want in your life, your career, your relationships.

GPS Your Best Life gives you simple, practical strategies, accompanied by down to earth assessment tools. This book will put you behind the wheel to guide you from figuring out what revs your engine and what’s blocking your view, and following your unique road map to your desired destination while learning to navigate the obstacles and road blocks along the way.

There are lots of books out there to help you figure out your goals and how reach them.  This one does the same but with a twist ... it puts you in the driver's seat and let's you "GPS your best life".

The first step is to do the GPS checkup questionnaire which helps you get clear about your values, attitudes and wants, as well as give you ideas for where to focus your energies at the start of your journey.  You score yourself using 1, 2, or 3 ... 1 means you are ready to go, 2 means it's an area of strength but something you still need to work on and 3 means it's an area you need to improve.  I scored mostly ones in the attitudes/mindset section and relationships section ... less in the personal growth section.

From there, the book takes you down to path to achieve your goals, what to do when you hit roadblocks and potholes, and staying on track.

There are stories throughout the book to help you relate to the lessons.



I received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review. 

Book ~ "On Toby's Terms" (2011) Charmaine Hammond

From Goodreads ~ On Toby's Terms is an endearing story of a beguiling creature who teaches his owners that in spite of their trying to teach him how to be the dog they wanted, it was Toby who laid out the terms of being the dog he needed to be. 

When Charmaine and her husband adopted Toby, a five-and-a-half-year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever, they figured he might need some adjusting time but they certainly didn't count on what he'd do in the meantime. Turns out that Toby was a holy terror, beset by severe anxiety and destructive behavior that would take a miracle to curb: he routinely opened and emptied the hall closet, turned on water taps, knocked over the water cooler, pulled and ate things from the bookshelves, and spent his days rampaging through the house, knocking down everything in his path. Oddest of all was his penchant for locking himself in the bathroom, and then push the lid of the toilet tank onto the floor, smashing it to pieces. After a particularly disastrous encounter with the knife-block in the kitchen (and when the couple discovered Toby's blood and paw prints on the phone) Charmaine decided Toby needed professional help. Little did she know what they would discover about this dog.

I love dogs and reading stories about them!

This is the true story of Toby, a Chesapeake Bay retriever, who was adopted by Charmaine and Christopher when Toby was five years old.  Toby's original owners were an elderly couple.  When the husband died, the wife couldn't handle such an energetic young dog and put him up for adoption.  Though Toby lands in a loving home with Char and Chris, he's still grieving the loss of his owners and adjusting to his new home.  As such, he has severe anxiety issues which causes him to be destructive when left alone.

Book ~ "Breakaway" (2012) Michael Betcherman

From Razorbill ~ Sixteen-year-old Nick Macklin's life has been divided in two. Before and After. Before his father went to jail, and After.

Before, he was a talented hockey player, an A student, in love with his girlfriend, Sherry, and had the greatest dad in the world, a man who not only was there for him after his mom died of cancer, but who was also a star player for the Vancouver Canucks.

Then the bottom fell out. His father was convicted of murder and given a life sentence for a crime Nick is convinced he didn't commit.

Now living with his dad's agent, the only thing that keeps Nick going is a burning desire to seek justice for his father. Who framed him? And why? Drifting away from everything and everyone who matters, Nick spends his days roaming the city, looking for the bald man with a limp who is the key to answering these questions: the man his father swears planted the evidence that led to his conviction.

Finding him is like looking for a needle in a haystack—until Nick stumbles on a very real clue, an eye-opening revelation that just might get his father out of jail forever.

Nick's dad, a famous hockey player, is convicted of murder and sent to prison for life.  Nick's mom is dead so Nick goes to live with his dad's agent, Al.  Nick finds it hard to be satisfied with the once a month visits to see his dad in prison.  Believing in his dad's innocence, Nick rides the buses around Vancouver looking for Baldy, a bald man with no eye brows and limps who left some paint on Nick's dad's jacket on the night of the murder ... this ultimately convicted his dad.

Nick eventually puts his life in order ... he gets back on the hockey team and puts some effort into  improving his grades. Plus he makes peace with his ex-girlfriend, Sherry.  Then Nick and his friend, Google, come across a tip they can't ignore and the mystery is eventually solved.

This is a YA book that didn't seem like a YA book.  I enjoyed the writing style and didn't find it  immature.  The language and actions at times is actually mature.  The story was good and I'd recommend this book.

I  received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Book ~ "Night is a Shadow Cast by the World" (2012) Brian Panhuyzen

From Goodreads ~ A mysterious airplane lands behind Cordell and Marla Bechard’s house. Cordell steps out to investigate, and as Marla watches from the window, he climbs aboard – and it takes off. 

Marla is left grappling with a question – was Cordell kidnapped or did he leave willingly? The answer may be buried at Bechard’s Books, Cordell’s eccentric bookstore, a creaky, captivating shop packed to the rafters with books old and new, and serving as a hub for the town’s idiosyncratic bibliophiles. As she assumes management of the store – a task that includes overseeing Cordell’s awkward and hilarious assistant Daniel – she encounters puzzles she will be forced to solve if she is to understand not only what has happened to Cordell, but the very nature of his love for her. 

Cordell meanwhile is flung across the globe in a series of harrowing adventures that will test his mettle, compelling him to apply his vast scholarly knowledge to a practical endeavour in which he has been casually participating – an enterprise that involves political intrigue, clandestine dispatches, and violence. And to his horror he will discover that his role in this conflict has placed both himself and Marla in grave danger, and the only way to protect her is to remain silent about his whereabouts and safety. His journey will ultimately take him around the world to the place of Marla’s origin – and the core of her own secrets. But will they be reunited?

Imagine you and your husband are doing the dishes at home one evening.  He seems distracted.  A big old plane lands in your field, your husband runs out and climbs on board.  The planes takes off and you don't hear from your husband again.  Huh?!  You are left behind wondering what the heck just happened.  That's how this book starts.

The chapters alternate with the focus on Marla and then on Cordell.  Marla is concerned and puzzled about Cordell's disappearance but Cordell can't let her know where he is or what he is doing in order to protect her.

Book ~ Best of Bridge Slow Cooker Cookbook (2012) Sally Vaughan-Johnston

From Robertrose.ca ~ An exciting new collection of recipes from the Best of Bridge kitchen that are not only delicious but incredibly convenient. 

Sally Vaughan-Johnston and Best of Bridge — the team that brought you Bravo! and Fan Fare! — are back with this collection of recipes created specifically for the slow cooker. This truly is a winning combination: the convenience of a slow cooker, combined with sure-to-please Bridge recipes. 

This fantastic collection features recipes for everything from elegant appetizer, breakfast and brunch ideas to delectable desserts. And many of your favorite classic Bridge recipes have been adapted to work in the slow cooker. 

The Best of Bridge motto remains the same: “Simple recipes with gourmet results.” The recipes work, and the one-liners will keep you smiling in the kitchen.

I received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

When Gord moved in more than ten years ago, he brought along his crockpot.  He'd gotten it as a wedding present with his first wife back in 1976.  I'd never used a crockpot so stored it away.  Then I saw that my pal, Angie, was making crockpot meals.  It sounded easy so I got ours out ... and it was very easy yet yummy.

This book appealed to me because I thought it would be fun to expand past just chicken pieces and a bottle of BBQ sauce (though delicious) ... and it was.

It starts with "Slow Cooker 101", which was helpful and I learned a lot.

Book ~ "Full Frontal T.O.: Exploring Toronto's Architectural Vernacular" (2012) Shawn Micallef and Patrick Cummins

From Goodreads ~ For over thirty years, Patrick Cummins has been wandering the streets of Toronto, taking mugshots of its houses, variety stores, garages, and ever-changing storefronts. Straightforward shots chronicle the same buildings over the years, or travel the length of a block, facade by facade. Other sections collect vintage Coke signs on variety stores or garage graffiti.

Full Frontal T.O. features over three hundred gorgeous photos of Toronto's messy urbanism, with accompanying text by master urban explorer Shawn Micallef.

Patrick Cummins has photographed Toronto's built environment since 1978 and has worked as an archivist in Toronto since 1986.

Shawn Micallef is the author of Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto and a senior editor at Spacing magazine. 

I find it fascinating to see how Toronto has changed over the years.  Full Frontal T.O. is Patrick Cummin's photo diary of just that.  He has taken pictures of places over the last 30 years and goes back on a regular basis to note the changes.  Shawn Micallef provides commentary to the pictures.

I enjoyed this book because most of the pictures are of the west end of the city (which is where I live) and there are a lot from my 'hood.  I'd recommend it to anyone who lives or has lived in Toronto.

I noticed a couple errors, though ... for example, there are pictures that are noted to be on Queen Street W but are actually on Queen Street E.  Another is an updated picture of the corner Queen Street W/Shaw which was supposed to have been taken in 2001 but must have been 2011 since the County General, which is now on that corner and in the picture, only opened last year.

Book ~ "(You) Set Me on Fire" (2012) Mariko Tamaki

From Penguin.ca ~ This is a story about college, about fire and also about love.

Allison Lee is seventeen and off to college in the fall. So far, she's been in love once (total catastrophe) and on fire twice (also pretty bad). Both love and fire have left their scars.

Looking a little more burnt chicken and a little less radiant phoenix, Allison takes up residence in Dylan Hall at St. Joseph's College, where she discovers the true gift of freshman year: the opportunity to reinvent yourself. Miles away from the high school she's happy to leave behind, her all-female dorm is a strange new world, home to new social circles and challenges. Allison still feels like the odd girl out ... until Shar appears. Beautiful and blinding, Shar quickly becomes the sun at the centre of Allison's universe, drawing her in with dangerous allure.

Will Allison get burned again? And, if she does ... what kind of scars will she earn this time?

Allison is leaving home for the first time to go to university.  She hasn't had a happy time at school so far so she sees it as a chance to start over and make friends ... which she does until she meets Shar.  Shar is mean and rude to everyone (she's a bitch!) and Allison is drawn to her.  They hang out, skip school, and become friends.

This book was written in the first person in Allison's voice.  The style of the writing at times is like she is talking to you.  Depending on what's going on, the sentences tend to run on or they are short and choppy.  Sometimes words are capitalized for emphasis.  It was written in an abrupt and honest style and the language and content is mature at times.

Book ~ "Titanic: The Canadian Story" (1998) Alan Hustak

From Amazon ~ This is the untold saga of the 130 Canadian passengers aboard the ill-fated luxury liner bound for Canada, the Titanic. Drawn from interviews across Canada with direct descendants and relatives of Canadians who sailed on the Titanic's maiden voyage, this book unearths historic photographs and stories that contribute another dimension to the familiar tale. Chronicled are the poignant takes of passengers like Quigg Baxter, the young Montreal hockey player who risked all to smuggle his Belgian fiancee aboard; the Fortune family from Winnipeg, who failed to heed a clairvoyant's warning; and Harry Markland Molson, the richest Canadian aboard, who was persuaded by Toronto millionaire Arthur Peuchen to extend his stay in England and sail home with him on the Titanic. The scandalous behavior of passenger Joseph Fynney is disclosed, as is the story of the young honeymooners Bert and Vera Dick of Calgary, who started an enduring legend about the disaster. Some books insist the Titanic's last victim, found in a lifeboat a month after the disaster, was from New Jersey; others say he was from Chicago. In fact he was Thomson Beattie of Winnipeg. These stories and others have been overlooked or ignored by American and British historians and enthusiasts who have written about the Titanic.

With it being the 100th anniversary, there has been lots of attention this year to the sinking of the Titanic.

This is an interesting book because it tells the stories of the 130 Canadians who were on board.  There isn't a lot of detail about them, just enough so you know who they were and why they were on the Titanic.

The book starts with the building and launch of the Titanic, then tells us who the Canadians on board were, what happened when the Titanic hit the iceberg and started sinking, and what happened to the bodies when they were brought to Halifax.

It is a high level coverage of the story with just the right amount of detail for me.

Book ~ "Forgotten" (2012) Catherine McKenzie

From Goodreads ~ When everyone thinks you’re dead, how do you start your life over again? 

Emma Tupper, a young lawyer with a bright future, sets out on a journey after her mother’s death: to Africa, a place her mother always wanted to visit. But her mother’s dying gift has unexpected consequences. Emma falls ill during the trip and is just recovering when a massive earthquake hits, turning her one-month vacation into a six-month ordeal.  

When Emma returns home, she’s shocked to find that her friends and colleagues believed she was dead, that her apartment has been rented to a stranger and that her life has gone on without her. Can Emma pick up where she left off? Should she? As Emma struggles to recreate her old life, everyone around her thinks she should change – her job, her relationships, and even herself. But does she really want to sacrifice everything she’s working so hard to gain?

Can you imagine going on vacation for a month ... but because of an illness and an earthquake you don't make it back 'til six months later?  Someone else is living in your apartment, your job is no longer there, your boyfriend's phone number is no longer in service and you can't reach your best friend and just get her voicemail.  And when you do get back, you discover that everyone thought you were dead and life has moved on without you!

That's the premise of this book.

When Emma returns, she expects to pick her life back up as if she'd never left.  Dominic, who is now living in her apartment, advises Emma to use the experience to take a step back and see what is important to her ... does she really want her old life back?  She soon discovers that it's not as easy as she thought to carry on as if nothing had happened.

I enjoyed the writing style.  At times, it's funny and a bit sarcastic.  Warning:  the language is mature.  I found everything wrapped up very quickly at the end, though ... a bit too neat and tidy.

I'd never heard of Catherine McKenzie but I look forward to reading her other books.

Book ~ "The Professionals" (2012) Owen Laukkanen

From Goodreads ~ Four friends, recent college graduates, caught in a terrible job market, joke about turning to kidnapping to survive. And then, suddenly, it's no joke. For two years, the strategy they devise-quick, efficient, low risk ... works like a charm. Until they kidnap the wrong man.


Now two groups they've very much wanted to avoid are after them ... the law, in the form of veteran state investigator Kirk Stevens and hotshot young FBI agent Carla Windermere, and an organized-crime outfit looking for payback.

As they all crisscross the country in deadly pursuit and a series of increasingly explosive confrontations, each of them is ultimately forced to recognize the truth: The true professionals, cop or criminal, are those who are willing to sacrifice ... everything.

I'd read about this book in the Toronto Star in May.  I was attracted to this book because it's a mystery written by a Canadian.

Marie, Pender, Sawyer and Mouse recently graduated from university but can't find a job.  They decide to spend a few years crisscrossing across the U.S. kidnapping people and charging a $60,000 ransom.  It's a small enough amount so the families can get it and it will be more of an annoyance to the family so won't be reported.  But things turn ugly when they kidnap a man with mob connections who is cocky and mouthy.  Then it's a crosscountry chase to catch them.

I liked the characters.  I can see Stevens and Windermere teaming up again for a series of books.  They like each other and work well together.  I liked the kidnappers and was cheering for them.

I'll be keeping an eye out for other books by this author.

Book ~ Everything was Good-Bye (2012) Gurjinder Basran

From Amazon ~ The youngest of six daughters raised by a widowed mother, Meena is a young woman struggling to find her place in the world. Originally from India, her family still holds onto many old-world customs and traditions that seem stifling to a young North American woman. She knows that the freedom experienced by others is beyond her reach. But unlike her older sisters, Meena refuses to accept a life dictated by tradition. Against her mother’s wishes, she falls for a young man named Liam who asks her to run away with him. She must then make a painful choice — one that will lead to stunning and irrevocable consequences.

Heartbreaking and beautiful, Everything Was Good-bye is an unforgettable story about family, love, and loss, and the struggle with living in two different cultural worlds.

This story starts off in the 1990s when Meena is in her last year of high school. She is going to school with Liam and they become friends, which displeases her mother because he is white so she has to sneak around with him. Liam's homelife isn't great and he runs away. He asks Meena to go with him. She's torn and has a difficult decision to make. Does she defy her mother and culture and go with Liam or does she stay home and stay on the track? That's just the first section of the book and I don't want to ruin the story by telling you what she does (there are four sections).

The book is written in first person in Meena's voice. The Indian culture is so difference from mine and I can't imagine being bound by such traditions and rules like arranged marriages, not defying your parents, etc.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. It's not a happy funny story and I was cheering for Meena.

Book ~ "Magnified World" (2012) Grace O'Connell

From Goodreads ~ What's a girl supposed to do after her mother kills herself by walking into the Don River with her pockets full of unpolished zircon stones? Maggie removes the zircon stones from the inventory of the family's New Age shop and opens up for another day of business. Then her blackouts begin, as do the visits from a mysterious customer who offers help for Maggie's blackouts and her project of investigating her mother's past in the American South. Is Maggie breaking down in the way her mother did, or is her "madness" a distinctive show of grief? Nobody really knows, not her father, her boyfriend or her psychiatrist, and especially not Maggie, who has to make some crazy decisions in order to work to feel sane again. A vivid look at the various confusions that can set in after a trauma and an insightful, gently funny portrait of a woman in her early twenties, especially relatable to readers who grew up in the eighties and nineties, Magnified World dramatizes the battle between the head and the heart and the limitations of both in unlocking something as complicated as loss.

I'd read about this book this month in the Toronto Star. It attracted me because it's set in Toronto. It actually takes place just northeast of us ... Maggie's store is across the street from Trinity Bellwoods Park, in the same block as our vet.

I liked the writing style. Written in first person, I was drawn to Maggie's story of how she is coping with the suicide of her mom and discovering who her mom was. I found the secondary characters like her dad, boyfriend and best friend cold and unsympathetic. They didn't seem overly concerned that she was having blackouts and losing track of time. They let her drive a car and a bike, which have disastrous results.

When she starts to have blackouts, she starts to see a psychiatrist at CAMH (in our 'hood). I didn't find Dr. Rosenberg very likeable and I didn't see the point of why so much time was spent with him using her for his research. He took her blood samples and everything. Huh?

Gil is a fella she met after her blackouts began. Was he real? Was he a ghost? Was the a figment of her imagination? Was she crazy? I have no idea. I was waiting to find out the resolution of this but I never got it. I guess I missed something.

Though I liked this book, I found it confusing. I have no idea whether Maggie was following the same path as her mother or if she ended up being cured at the end. Perhaps you can read it and let me know.

Book ~ "Faces on Places: A Grotesque Tour of Toronto" (2006) Terry Murray

From Indigo.ca ~ Faces on Places takes us into the fascinating world of mythical and historical persons and icons that have been watching over Toronto and its inhabitants for centuries.

If you look up with author Terry Murray, you'll see beyond glass and steel and stone to spy Gargoyles, Griffins, Dragons, Angels, Portraits of Important Personages (and Caricatures of those same folk). Murray has photographed over sixty Toronto buildings, interviewed architects, stone carvers, and building occupants, and scoured archives for original architectural plans, to discover who these creatures are, and why they exist.

Faces on Places is organized by type of sculpture, and contains street addresses and maps for suggested walking tours. It is an elegant and reliable guide to the city's most silent and intriguing citizens.

Gord and I had done the Faces on Places Walking Tour — Gargoyles and Other Architectural Ornaments during Doors Open last month. We really enjoyed it. We are both into history and it gave us a chance to practice taking pictures.

Our guide was Terry Murray, author of this book.

This book is organized by chapters focusing on gargoyles, griffins, dragons, angels, etc. There is history of the sculptures, architects and buildings and stories to go along with them.

There is a map in the back along with a legend so you can go and see these crazy creatures for yourself. And with the book in hand, that's exactly what I'd like to do!

Book ~ "Town House" (2007) Tish Cohen

From Amazon ~ The son of a legendary rock musician, Jack Madigan has been living off his father's royalties for years, but things are looking dire as the money runs out. His wife has already left, unable to deal with Jack's refusal to confront his agoraphobia; his teenage son, who avidly embraces 1970s clothing because "uncool is the new cool," may relocate to California with his mom; and Jack's once magnificent Boston townhouse, now crumbling around him, is being repossessed by the bank. Even his work as a color consultant--he has been tinkering for years with a formula for the perfect white--is failing to provide the funds he so desperately needs. His only hope is the charming but hopelessly inept realtor assigned to sell the house. With the help of the little girl next door, whose dream is to become an Olympic skater, Jack suddenly finds himself motivated to face his greatest fear--stepping outside of his house. Rising above its obvious, overly tidy plotting, this highly readable first novel offers plenty of sardonic humor and a cast of endearing eccentrics.

I picked this book up at the library because it was on a table of books by Canadian authors. I hadn't read anything by Cohen before.

I enjoyed it. I liked the writing style. Given the subject matter, at times the book was funny.

The story was interesting. Though I have no problem leaving the house and have never known anyone who has agoraphobia, Jack did and I could feel his panic and fear when he tried to. He wanted to overcome it so much but couldn't.

I liked the characters. All were quirky in their own way. Jack's father had been a singer (I pictured a young Alice Cooper) before he died in an unfortunate accident when Jack was a kid. Jack felt the loss of his dad all his life. Jack's teenage son, Harlan, was great ... a funny kid. He knows his dad has a problem and, though he encourages him to get better, takes such good care of him. I was concerned that Lucinda, the little girl next door, would be annoying but she wasn't. She had a wacky family who neglected her and was a good friend to Jack. Dorrie, the real estate agent, sounded like a ditz who realized she kind of realized she was but didn't realize how much.

I'd recommend this book if you are looking for something quirky about an unusual topic.

Book ~ "Woefield Poultry Collective" (2011) Susan Juby

From SusanJuby.com ~ Woefield Farm is a sprawling thirty acres of scrub land, complete with dilapidated buildings and one half-sheared, lonely sheep named Bertie. It's "run"— in the loosest possible sense of the word—by Prudence Burns, an energetic, well-intentioned 20-something New Yorker full of back-to-the-land ideals, but without an iota of related skills or experience. Prudence, who inherited the farm from her uncle, soon discovers that the bank is about to foreclose on the property, which means that she has to turn things around, fast. But fear not! She'll be assisted by Earl, a spry 70-something, banjo-playing foreman, with a distrust of newfangled ideas and a substantial family secret; Seth, the alcoholic, celebrity-blogging guy-next-door, who hasn't left the house since a scandal with his high-school drama teacher; and Sara Spratt, a highly organized eleven-year-old looking for a home for her prize-winning chickens, including one particularly randy fellow soon to be christened Alec Baldwin.

I checked out this book because I'd read and enjoyed Juby's bio, Nice Recovery, and she's a Canadian author. To be honest, I was hesitant to read it once I saw the description ... plus, the first chapter didn't grab me. But I'm happy I kept with it because I enjoyed it.

It's a quirky story of Prudence who lives in New York and is into recycling and saving Mother Earth. When her great uncle Harold dies and leaves her his farm is British Columbia, she has dreams of making the farm sustainable. Unfortunately Uncle Harold owed a lot of money on the farm and Prudence lies to the bank manager to get a loan extension claiming she is going to open a treatment centre.

Living with the energetic and optimistic Prudence and working on the farm are an odd assortment ... Seth, Earl and Sara. The book's chapters are in their four voices. Seth is an alcoholic who swears a lot, Earl is an old man who has lived on the farm for years and Sara is a troubled kid keeps her chickens on the farm. They are all the family they have.

It's a fun book you should check out. In the U.S., it's known as Home to Woefield.

Book ~ "The Opposite of Tidy" (2012) Carrie Mac

From Penguin Canada ~ How do you come clean when your life is a mess?Fifteen-year-old Junie is barely coping. Her mother has started sleeping in the chair in front of the TV, and the house is so packed with junk, newspapers, cupboard organizers and other helpful items from the Shopping Channel that she can barely get in the front door. Her father is no help, since he’s always with That Woman. To top it off, she’s failing math.

So when Wade Jaffre, the hot new guy at school, offers her a ride home from school, it seems too good to be true. Junie surprises herself by accepting—and even talking! But as they approach her house, her parents are outside, screaming at each other. Junie doesn’t have to think twice about directing him on to her best friend Tabitha’s house, nor about continuing the charade of pretending she lives there.

Tabitha and her mother are understanding—and willing to go along, for the moment. But as the weeks go by, Junie’s lies start piling up and the opportunity to tell the truth seems to slip away. Until the day Junie’s world—and her mother’s—is literally turned inside out for the world to see, and Junie and her mother must face the consequences of her mother’s illness ... and the lies they both told to hide it.

I received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Junie doesn't have an easy life. She's failing math, even though her pal, Otto, is tutoring her. Marla, her mother, is a hoarder who doesn't shower and spends her days and nights in a chair ordering stuff off the Shopping Channel. Junie knows that if anyone finds out how serious the situation is with Marla, Social Services wouldn't let her live there any more and who would take care of her mother? Her dad had hired a life coach last year to help her mother but he ended up leaving Marla for the life coach, who Junie now despises and views as a homewrecker.

Along comes Wade, the new guy in school, and he likes her. Embarrassed and ashamed of her mother and their house, Junie tells him that her friend, Tabitha's house is hers and Mrs. D. is her mother. They get close and start dating.

That's a lot for a teenager to handle. Junie knows she's enabling her mom but when she tries to stand up to her, Marla lays the guilt trip on her. She's all her mother has.

Marla realizes she has an illness and makes a decision that she think will set her on the path of getting well ... but is she truly ready?

Though I'd consider this a book for young adults, I enjoyed it and would recommend it. The writing style kept me interested as did the story. I can't imagine anyone living like this. The tone is fairly serious as Junie struggles handle everything.

Book ~ "Stray Bullets" (2012) Robert Rotenberg

From Simon & Shuster Canada ~ In The Guilty Plea and Old City Hall, critically acclaimed author Robert Rotenberg created gripping page-turners that captured audiences in Canada and around the world. Rotenberg’s bestsellers do for Toronto what Ian Rankin has done for Edinburgh and Michael Connelly for Los Angeles.

In Stray Bullets, Rotenberg takes the reader to a snowy November evening. Outside a busy downtown doughnut shop, gunshots ring out and a young boy is critically hurt. Soon Detective Ari Greene is on scene. How many shots were fired? How many guns? How many witnesses?

With grieving parents and a city hungry for justice, the pressure is on to convict the man accused of this horrible crime. Against this tidal wave of indignation, defense counsel Nancy Parish finds herself defending her oldest and most difficult client.

But does anyone know the whole story?

Stray Bullets is Robert Rotenberg’s third intricate mystery set on the streets and in the courtrooms of Toronto.

I received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

I've read Rotenberg's first two books in this series and enjoyed them. Plus I'd heard him speak in September ... he did a reading from Stray Bullets, which at that time was still in a binder.

This books brings back characters from his last two books like Ari Greene, Daniel Kennicott and Nancy Parish. The story takes place in Toronto so I knew exactly where the action is happening. If you're not in Toronto, don't worry, you wouldn't find it annoying.

I liked this one the best of the three in the series. A child is shot and killed at a Tim Horton's downtown (at University Avenue/Dundas Street W). We think we know right away who did it and why (but do we?). In the first two books, we didn't find out until the end. It was interesting to see the twists and turns to get to the end.

We get to know the characters away from their legal roles and there is a possible romantic cliffhanger at the end.

I'd recommend this book and this series.

You can meet him on May 8 him at a free event at Indigo Books.

Here is the trailer video for the book.
And here is the author answering some fan questions.

Book ~ "Nice Recovery" (2010) - Susan Juby

From Goodreads ~ There are families, which, through a combination of genetics, culture, and inclination, produce a startling number of professional athletes, such as tennis players or hockey stars. Then there are families like the Baldwins, which produce a high percentage of actors. My family seems to specialize in people who enjoy drinking. And taking drugs. In such families, there is usually one person who stands out as particularly gifted in the field. When I was a teenager, that person was me. I was the star, the Alec Baldwin, if you will. I started drinking seriously when I was thirteen, smoking pot with a vengeance at fourteen, and getting into cocaine at sixteen. By the time I was twenty I was done. Nice Recovery is the story of how I slipped so far off course, how I got back on track, and, most importantly, what it's like to come of age as a sober young person.

I had this on my "wish list" at the Toronto Library for a while and downloaded the ebook last week. I forget where I found out about this book and probably put it on my wish list because the author is Canadian.

It's Juby's story of growing up in a small town in British Columbia and struggling to find her place in school among the jocks, popular kids, brainiacs, trouble kids, etc. She discovered while still in junior high school that alcohol and drugs helped her overcome her anxiety. The problem was that she was a nasty drunk prone to blackouts. After swearing each time to never do it again, she would be back at it once the hangover passed. Her grades started sliding. She got accepted into a fashion design school here in Toronto which had low standards ... and got asked to leave when her grades really slipped. She worked low end jobs to survive. Eventually at the age of 20 she realized she had to get her drinking under control and joined AA. She turned her life around and when to university and got a Masters degree.

It's a good book. Juby doesn't sugarcoat anything. Though the book is humorous at times, I could still feel the seriousness of her situation.

The last chapters are her interviews with young people in recovery, along with more information about AA and NA.

I liked her writing style and honesty and will be checking out her novels (directed at both adults and young adults).