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 ~ "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 ~ "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 ~ "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 ~ "The Twenty-Three" (2016) Linwood Barclay

From Goodreads ~ Everything has been leading to this.

It’s the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, May 23rd, and the small town of Promise Falls, New York, has found itself in the midst of a full-blown catastrophe. Hundreds of people are going to the hospital with similar flu-like symptoms - and dozens have died. Investigators quickly zero in on the water supply. But the question for many, including private investigator Cal Weaver, remains: Who would benefit from a mass poisoning of this town?

Meanwhile, Detective Barry Duckworth is faced with another problem. A college student has been murdered and he’s seen the killer’s handiwork before - in the unsolved homicides of two other women in town. Suddenly, all the strange things that have happened in the last month start to add up.

Bloody mannequins found in car “23” of an abandoned Ferris wheel, fiery, out-of-control bus with “23” on the back, that same number on the hoodie of a man accused of assault.

The motive for harming the people of Promise Falls points to the number 23 - and working out why will bring Duckworth closer to death than he’s ever been before.

On Saturday of a long weekend, many in the small town of Promise Falls wake up, enjoy a cup of coffee ... and then become violently ill and die. It's eventually narrowed down that something poisonous was added to the town's water supply.

In the meantime, a university student is found murdered in her dorm room ... the same way two other women in the town were murdered over the last three years.

Randy is the sleazy ex-mayor who is running for mayor again. He owns a bottled water company and generously donates water to the residents of Promise Falls ... but is he doing it because he cares or does he want the free publicity?

David is a former journalist and is now working for Randy. David's girlfriend, Sam, has disappeared with her son and his voice messages and texts to her have gone unanswered. He discovers that her ex-husband has escaped from prison and he is determined to find Sam and her son to make sure they are okay.

This is the third and final book in the Promise Falls series and I've read all three. It could work as a stand alone but I think you'd be better off reading the first two before you read this one. There was a lot going on in the first two (too much actually) and things continue in this one. There are references to the stuff that happened in the other books and if I picked this one up without reading the first ones, I would find it a bit confusing and overwhelming. Even having read the first two, sometimes it took me a bit to remember who was who (there are a lot of characters!) and what had happened to them. Stuff that had happened in the first book had no real relevance in this one (like the history of Marla and her baby) but it was something that was brought up and it just added to the confusion since there was so much going on as it was.

I've read many books by this author over the years ... some I've liked a lot and some not so much. I like the writing style in this one and was okay with the switching of perspectives ... sometimes it was third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action was and sometimes it was first person perspective (in Detective Duckworth's voice). As a head's up, there is swearing (lots of F-bombs).

By the end of this book, the major plot lines of the murders and the significance of the number 23 were finally solved. I found it annoying that when the first two books ended, everything was still outstanding. I like reading books in a series but I like each book in the series to have closure and an ending (so they can work as stand alones) ... the three books in this series didn't (even this book left one of the storylines hanging). You have to read this one (the third in this series) to finally find out whodunnit in the first and second book.

I bought the "whodunnit" of the number 23 incidents but found the the murderer of the women unbelievable.

Book ~ "Advocate" (2016) Darren Greer

From Goodreads ~ When Jacob is called back to Advocate, he is not only returning home again, something he knows he cannot really do; he is going to face his dying grandmother and the people of the town who turned on one of their own.

Twenty years earlier, when his uncle David came home, it was to die. The response in Advocate was typical of most towns, large and small, in 1984: when his disease became known, Jacob, his grandmother, his mother and his aunt were shunned, turned out from school and their jobs, out of fear of an until-then unknown virus. 

Jacob lives in Toronto and is a counsellor, giving comfort and guidance to men living with AIDS.  He was born and raised in Advocate, a small town in Nova Scotia.  He has to head home when his mother informs him that his grandmother is dying.  He isn't close to his grandmother because of things that had happened in the past but his mother makes him go.

In 1984, Jacob was about ten and living with his mother, aunt and grandmother in Advocate.  His uncle, David, who had been living in Toronto, went home for a visit.  It turns out that David was sick and had returned home to die.  He had AIDS, a disease no one knew much about back then.  When the town discovered David's illness and fearing that they would be contaminated, David and his family were ostracized.  Until this point, Jacob's grandmother, the wife of a deceased doctor, had held a prominent position in the community.  She was old-school and rather than side with her family, she too had the same views as the town, which caused extreme tension within the house.  In addition, she refused to acknowledge the severity of David's illness.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective in Jacob's voice.  It's definitely not an upbeat story and I think the author did a excellent job in capturing the terror, confusion and misunderstanding of the unknown disease back in the 1980s when it was becoming known.

I liked the characters.  The events of 1984 scarred Jacob and still influence who he is today.  His mother and aunt were more open and with it and did all they can to take care of their big brother.  Their mother is a good representation of her generation in a small town.  She was a God-fearing Catholic and respected in her community.  She didn't understand why David couldn't have become a doctor or a lawyer and settled down with a wife and children ... it was against her beliefs that he would instead like other men.

I'm originally from Nova Scotia ... I lived in a small Catholic town in the 1980s about a half hour from "Advocate" so I could relate to the mentality and the people at that time.  I've known people who were similar in temperament, outspokenness, keeping their emotions hidden inside and worrying about what others would think.  Looking back, I know I would have been more open and non-judgmental as David's sisters were.

Darren Greer will be appearing at Toronto’s 2016 International Festival of Authors:

• Wednesday, October 26 - 8pm Stories of Men (Reading/Round Table)
• Sunday, October 30 - 3:30pm Stories of Redemption (Reading/Round Table)

The 37th edition of Toronto’s International Festival of Authors (IFOA) is a celebration of words and ideas, of writers and readers.

In 2016, IFOA welcomes over 200 Canadian and international participants to Toronto. The Festival brings together the world’s best writers of contemporary literature for 11 days of readings, interviews, artist talks, round table discussions, public book signings and a number of special events. The IFOA takes place at the Harbourfront Centre, where the city meets the lake, from October 20th to the 30th.

Book ~ "Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE" (2016) Pat Patterson

From Goodreads ~When Pat Patterson was 17 years old, he was asked to leave his home after telling his parents he was in love ... with a man. Moving from Montreal to the United States in the 1960s, barely knowing a word of English, he was determined to succeed in the squared circle. Back when homophobia was widespread, Pat lived in the super-macho world of pro wrestling.

In this fascinating and revealing memoir of revolutionary talent, pioneer, and creative savant Patterson recalls the trials and tribulations of climbing to the upper ranks of sports-entertainment - as a performer and, later as a backstage creative force.

Many in the WWE Universe know Pat Patterson as a ring legend, the prestigious first holder of WWE’s Intercontinental Championship, a WWE Hall of Famer, and one of Vince McMahon’s “stooges” during the Attitude Era. But Patterson is no stooge. He has long been one of Vince McMahon’s trusted advisors. Still active in WWE today, Pat delivers his no-holds-barred story of going from unknown to WWE luminary.

Pat Patterson was born Pierre Clermont, one of nine kids, 75 years ago in Montreal.  He always knew he was different and it wasn't until he discovered wrestling that he found his passion in life.  When he was in his late teens, he revealed to his parents that he was gay and his father asked him to leave.  Pierre borrowed some money from one of his sisters and headed to Boston, speaking very little English, to pursue his dream of being a wrestler.  Over the next 50+ years, he won many championships and eventually became a colour commentator and the right hand man to Vince McMahon, owner and CEO of  the WWE.

This is Pat's story.  He talks about being on the road and his interactions with many wrestlers from the 1960s right up to today.  He was/is quite the prankster and jokester.  He talks of meeting the love of his life, Louie, when they were young and spending 40 years together before Louie passed away in the late 1990s (he is still missed).  In those days, one didn't acknowledge being gay and Louie was referred to as his friend (Pat came out as gay publicly in 2014).

I'm not a big wrestling fan (though I did watch it in the 1970s and 1980s and even went to Wrestlemania VI here in Toronto in 1990) but I thought his story would be interesting and it was.  Because I haven't tuned in wrestling in many years, I hadn't heard of some of the current wrestlers and didn't get the references to things like WWE Legends House.

 As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Canada Year by Year" (2016) Elizabeth MacLeod and Sydney Smith

From Goodreads ~ Award-winning author Elizabeth MacLeod's year-by-year tour of Canada's fascinating history highlights a single milestone for every year from the country's founding in 1867 up to its 150th anniversary in 2017. 

Divided into ten distinct eras, coverage ranges from politics, sports, business and arts and culture, and includes significant events both at home and in world affairs. A few examples:

• 1881 - A railway across Canada is begun
• 1893 - The Stanley Cup is first awarded in hockey
• 1908 - Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables is published
• 1947 - Oil is discovered in Alberta
• 2015 - Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau is elected prime minister

Along with the featured stories for each of the 150 years, the pages are filled with sidebars - with content such as short biographies, quotes, important firsts and trivia - that are linked to that year.  There are also 39 capsule biographies of noteworthy Canadians at the back of the book. 

The topics chosen offer an inclusive historical perspective, incorporating women, Aboriginal peoples and people with disabilities into Canada's rich and diverse narrative. 

Illustrations by awarding-winning artist Sydney Smith bring a contemporary feel to the stories of the past. 

This book provides chunks of information about Canada, for 150 years starting in 1867 right up to 2017.  The sections are:

• Introduction:  a country is born
• A new country: 1867-84
• Canada grows:  1885-99
• A new century:  1900-1913
• Wartime and beyond:  1944-28
• The great depressions:  1929-38
• Return to war:  1939-53
• Boom years:  1954-66
• Happy birthday!:  1967-79
• The digital age:  1980-99
• A new millennium:  2000-17
• Great Canadians

The book chooses one topic to highlight every year since 1867 and covers in politics, sports, entertainment, people, space, wars, nationalities, etc.  There are also side notes for some years.  The year I was born discusses the changes in immigration laws (you don't have to have a sponsor but could live here if you  have the required education, skill or other qualifications).

Though it is written for children, I found this book interesting and not childish or immature.  The tidbits were short enough to keep my attention but told me enough.  The accompanying drawings were cute.

Book ~ "On Herring Cove Road: Mr. Jew and the Goy Boy" (2014) Michael Kroft

From Goodreads ~ Mr. Rosen, once an amusing extrovert with a reputation as a prankster, is entering his senior years as a stoic, thirty-year converted introvert who hates change, has little to no interest in people and is more than content to have his wife sit at the navigator’s seat of his life. Since becoming a practising introvert, there have been almost no changes in his life, and for the few that there were, his wife had walked him through them, including the recent move to a much smaller home in a lower/middle class neighbourhood where he lives directly next-door to a racist whose nine-year old son addresses him as Mr. Jew.

Mr. Rosen had seen the move coming and he is very much aware of the enormous change to come sometime in the, hopefully, far off future; though, he refuses to give it any attention. That change will come on slowly and painfully and will eventually force him to chart his own life’s route.

This heartwarming, feel-good novel offers a rollercoaster ride of emotion as Mr. Rosen's world of habitual routine begins to implode while on a collision course with the chaotic world of an innocent child, its troubled mother and vengeful father.

Mr. and Mrs. Rosen are in their mid-60s.  Mr. Rosen owns a chain of drug stores in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Mrs. Rosen, because of health issues, is now a housewife.  Downsizing, they have recently moved into a smaller house which is easier for Mrs. Rosen to take care of.  Mr. Rosen is an introvert and his happy letting his more extroverted wife direct his life.

Next door to the Rosens are the Dixons.  Because their nine-year-old son, Dewey, always calls Mr. Rosen "Mr. Jew", Mr. Rosen ignores the boy.  But an accident brings the two families together and Mr. Rosen discovers that Dewey's father is a racist and Dewey is innocently repeating what he hears from his father.  Dewey and his mother, Lisa, become friends the Rosens, and Mr. Rosen's world opens up.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  The story takes place in the mid-1970s in Spryfield, a community in Halifax where my sister lives (so I've driven on some of the roads and been to some of the places mentioned in the book).  It's before computers (they played old-school games like Trouble and Monopoly), cell phones, etc.  The Rosens don't have a TV and spend a lot of their time reading books.

I liked the writing style and connected with the characters.  I liked that the story took place in the present (well, the 1970s) and jumped back to tell the background stories of Avriel and Ruth Rosen and Lisa and Paul Dixon.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

It is the first in the "Herring Cove Road" series and I look forward to reading the other three.

Book ~ "Kill Fee" (2014) Owen Laukkanen

From Goodreads ~ The billionaire picked a heck of a way to die. 

On a beautiful Saturday in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, state investigator Kirk Stevens and his occasional colleague FBI special agent Carla Windermere witness the assassination of one of the state’s wealthiest men. The shooter is a young man, utterly unremarkable - except in his eyes. There is something very wrong in his eyes. 

And it’s only the beginning. The events of that sunny springtime day will lead Stevens and Windermere across the country, down countless blind alleys, and finally to a very flourishing twenty-first-century enterprise: a high-tech murder-for-hire social media website. But just who has the dead-eyed shooter targeted next ... and who’s choosing his victims? That’s where things get complicated.

Carla Windermere is an FBI special agent and Kirk Stevens a special agent with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).  Over the last few years, they have worked a couple cases together and have become friends.  They have gotten together for a visit when they witness a wealthy man being gunned down in broad daylight.  They give chase to the sniper but he gets away.  Windermere and Stevens are then assigned to this case.

As more people start getting murdered, Windermere and Stevens discover that there is a killer-for-hire website and they start crisscrossing the country trying to get ahead of the mastermind behind it.

Though this is the third in the Stevens and Windermere series, it works well as a stand alone.  I had read the first one when it came out in 2012 and enjoyed it.  I came across the fifth one and read it in April (and remembered the series) so now I'm catching up on them.

I liked the writing style and found the story interesting, though it took me a bit to get into it.  The story is a bit unrealistic but I went with it.  It's written in third person perspective with a focus on the various characters.  I like the short and/or choppy chapters.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

I've never been a big Windermere fan and I didn't find her overly endearing in this book.  Despite Stevens being in love with his wife and them having children, there has been an attraction between Windermere and Stevens and they come close to stepping over the boundaries.  Then there's Mather's, Windermere's new younger partner, who is also attracted to her.  I found this love triangle distracting and it didn't add to the story.

Book ~ "Detached" (2016) Christina Kilbourne

From Goodreads ~ Anna has always been so level-headed, so easy-going, so talented and funny. How could anyone have guessed she wanted to die?

Anna is not like other people. For one thing, she’s been an accomplished artist since she was a preschooler. For another, she’s always felt like she didn’t belong: not with other kids, not with her family, not in her body. It isn’t until her grandparents are killed in a tragic accident, however, that Anna starts to feel untethered. She begins to wonder what it would be like if she didn’t exist and the thought of escaping the aimless drifting is the only thing that brings her comfort.

When Anna overdoses on prescription pain killers the doctors realize she has been suffering from depression and start looking for a way to help her out of the desperate black hole she never thought she would escape. It’s then that rock bottom comes into sight and the journey back to normal begins. 

From the outside, it seems like teenager Anna has everything.  She has caring parents, she lives in a nice house, she is an accomplished artist and she has friends who care about her.  Then why is she so unhappy and wants to kill herself?

Anna is ready to die.  The story is about her trying to figure out what the best way would be so she considers them all ... falling off a bridge, jumping in front of traffic, drowning, hanging, etc.  As she's doing this, she tries to live her life normally so no realizes how unhappy she really is.  She finally decides that an overdose of pain killers would be the best way and that's what she eventually does.

This is the first book I've read by this author.  It's not a happy story and I think the author handled it well.  In the introduction at the beginning of the book, Kilbourne said that it was a hard book to write and she didn't want to write it at first.  But she was approached by a mother whose son had committed suicide and she wanted a book she cold use in her outreach efforts.

I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective from Anna, Aliya (Anna's best friend) and Anna's mother's points of view (the chapters are labeled so you know whose voice it is).  I think the target audiences can be teenagers (so they'll ask for help if they start feeling as Anna did) and parents of teenagers so they'll know what signs to look for.

Book ~ "Justin Trudeau: The Natural Heir" (2016) Huguette Young

From Goodreads ~ This unauthorized biography provides a rare look at the real Justin Trudeau, retracing his steps from his early days to the height of power.

Having grown up in the shadow of his famous father, a political giant who dominated Canadian politics for almost sixteen years, Justin Trudeau took many detours before discovering that he was a natural politician, with qualities, such as a charismatic ease with the public, that his father never possessed.

Yet to most Canadians, Trudeau remains a blank slate. Inexperienced and underestimated, he was able, in his early forties, to catapult the Liberal Party of Canada from third to first place in one giant sweep. It was a historic feat that left a nation amazed and wondering what to expect next.

In this unauthorized biography, journalist Huguette Young, who has conducted numerous interviews with Trudeau’s entourage, gives a look inside his inner circle and shows the path his leadership might take. Meant for supporters and skeptics alike, Young’s is a revealing account of one of Canada’s most compelling and enigmatic figures. 

I don't have a lot of interest in politics but I thought it would be interesting to learn more about our new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.

This book provides a very high level account of his life, giving some background about his parents (former Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, and his ex-wife, Margaret), his education and career path, getting into politics and finishing with the election in which he became our 23rd Prime Minister in the fall of 2015.

In the back of the book, there are notes to support the information and stats mentioned throughout the book.  The sources of information include newspaper and magazine articles, books, interviews (some of the interviewees are anonymous sources), etc.  Though the author didn't actually interview Justin Trudeau, she used information from his book, Common Ground.

Book ~ "This Is Not My Life: A Memoir of Love, Prison, and Other Complications" (2016) Diane Schoemperlen

From Goodreads ~ For almost six turbulent years, award-winning writer Diane Schoemperlen was involved with a prison inmate serving a life sentence for second-degree murder. The relationship surprised no one more than her. 

How do you fall in love with a man with a violent past? How do you date someone who is in prison? 

"This Is Not My Life" is the story of the romance between Diane and Shane - how they met and fell in love, how they navigated passes and parole and the obstacles facing a long-term prisoner attempting to return to society, and how, eventually, things fell apart. While no relationship takes place in a vacuum, this is never more true than when that relationship is with a federal inmate. 

In this candid, often wry, sometimes disturbing memoir, Schoemperlen takes us inside this complex and difficult relationship as she journeys through the prison system with Shane. Not only did this relationship enlarge her capacity for both empathy and compassion but it also forced her to more deeply examine herself.

In 2006, Diane met Shane when she began volunteering at a hot-meal program in Kingston. Shane was on an escorted temporary absence from a minimum-security prison ... he was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder. Within a few months, she and Shane, both in their 50s, became friends.  A year later, they were in love and in a relationship.

Shane was eventually paroled and moves in the Diane.  He was extremely needy and manipulative and totally disrupted her live.  She makes her living as a writer and he was constantly calling her and giving her the space she needed.  He was mean and nasty and didn't treat her very well at all.  Forty-nine days later, he moved out, they broke up and Shane eventually ended up back in prison.

Within a year, though Shane was still in prison, they were back together.  She felt that they didn't have the support they needed for their relationship to succeed and this time they did.  But the relationship failed again and they broke up, this time for good.  For Shane, it seemed to be all about him.  He'd spent 30 years in prison and didn't know how to act in the real world and wasn't willing to change and adapt.  Diane put up with a lot, not wanting to give up on the relationship or Shane.  She saw a lot of good in Shane and they had some good times but it seemed like the bad times outweighed them.

I found this to be an interesting story.  Not only did it give insight on Diane and Shane's relationship but also on the Canadian prison system and what's it's like to date an inmate.  I liked the writing style.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

Book ~ "We're All in This Together" (2016) Amy Jones

From Goodreads ~ A woman goes over a waterfall, a video goes viral, a family goes into meltdown - life is about to get a lot more complicated for the Parker family. 

Like all families, the Parkers of Thunder Bay have had their share of complications. But when matriarch Kate Parker miraculously survives plummeting over a waterfall in a barrel - a feat captured on a video that goes viral - it's Kate's family who tumbles into chaos under the spotlight. 

Her prodigal daughter returns to town. Her 16-year-old granddaughter gets caught up in an online relationship with a man she has never met. Her husband sifts through their marriage to search for what sent his wife over the falls. Her adopted son fears losing the only family he's ever known. Then there is Kate, who once made a life-changing choice and now fears her advancing dementia will rob her of memories from when she was most herself. 

Kakabeka Falls, ON

Kate, who has always been a free spirit but now suffering from advancing dementia, decides to go over Kakabeka Falls in barrel and ends up in a coma.  Over the next four days her family rallies around her at the hospital.

There are quite the cast of characters in this messed-up family:

• Kate's 30-something daughter, Finn, has been living in Mississauga and heads home.  She had left Thunder Bay suddenly years ago and isn't happy with her life.  The rest of the family are still in Thunder Bay.  
• Nicki, Finn's twin sister, is the mother of four kids (from three different fathers, none of whom she'd been married to, nor are they are in their lives) and is now married to Hamish (a bootlegger) and running a hair salon.  
• Shawn, their adopted older brother, is married to Katriina (a realtor who is stressed out because she is trying to sell a house where a young girl recently hung herself) and running a pancake restaurant.  Shawn and Katriina have two sons and have been trying to have another baby which keeps resulting in miscarriages.
• Walter, Kate's husband, runs a tour boat company and is torn between his love for Kate and Lake Superior.  
• London, Nicki's oldest daughter, is a teenager and obsessed with sharks.  She is in love with the star of a shark show and they are online friends.

This was a wacky story and I liked it.  It is written in third person perspective from the various characters' points of view (ten in all).  As such, something that happened is retold a couple times from the different points of view.  Sometimes the story jumps back and forth from the present to the past but I found it was fairly obvious.  As a head's up, there is swearing, self-harm and adult activity.

I look forward to reading future stories by this author.

Book ~ "Invisible Dead" (2016) Sam Wiebe

From Goodreads ~ Dave Wakeland isn't the usual PI. A 29-year-old ex-cop, he makes a habit of bad ideas. Chelsea Loam falls squarely into that category. 

Chelsea disappeared eleven years ago, leaving a trail leading towards career criminals and powerful men. Taking her case quickly starts to look like a good way to get killed. Whatever ghosts drive Wakeland, they drive him inexorably, addictively toward danger and the allure of an unsolvable mystery.

Dave Wakeland is a former cop and now private detective in Vancouver, BC.  He is in partnership with Jeff Chen, who is totally the opposite of him.  Dave wears a suit when he has to and has an old table in his office instead of a fancy desk.  He isn't afraid to stick his nose in things and use violence to get the answers he needs.

Dave has been hired to find a hooker and drug addict named Chelsey who disappeared eleven years ago.  Her mother, who is dying, feels that no one cares about finding her and is hoping Dave can find out what happened to her.  As Dave starts digging into Chelsey's past, he discovers that her clients included lawyers, artists, rich businessmen and bikers.  Any of them might have gotten rid of her.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style ... it was dark and humorous at times (Dave could be sarcastic).  I liked Dave.  Even when everyone tells him to forget about looking for Chelsey and he is viciously assaulted, nothing deters him.  It is written in first person perspective from Dave's point of view.  As a head's up, there is swearing, violence and adult activity.

This seems to to be the start of a series (I hope so) and I look forward to reading future books by this author.

Book ~ "Last of the Independents" (2014) Sam Wiebe

From Goodreads ~ Twenty-nine-year-old Michael Drayton runs a private investigation agency in Vancouver that specializes in missing persons - only, as Mike has discovered, some missing people stay with you. 

Still haunted by the unsolved disappearance of a young girl, Mike is hired to find the vanished son of a local junk merchant. However, he quickly discovers that the case has been damaged by a crooked private eye and dismissed by a disinterested justice system. Worse, the only viable lead involves a drug-addicted car thief with gang connections. 

As the stakes rise, Mike attempts to balance his search for the junk merchant's son with a more profitable case involving a necrophile and a funeral home, while simultaneously struggling to keep a disreputable psychic from bilking the mother of a missing girl. 

Mike Drayton is a former cop and is now a private detective in Vancouver, BC.  He has a couple cases open ... an ongoing one of a missing girl who disappeared years ago and the other is to figure out who is having sex with dead bodies in a funeral home.  He is then hired to find a young boy who disappeared a couple months ago.  The boy's father is abrasive but Mike promises to do what he can, picking up where the first private detective the father hired and the cops left off.  Also on Mike's team is his part-time assistant, Katherine, who is a student, and Ben, a bored video game designer and the brother of the girl who disappeared years ago.

Mike lives with his grandmother and his dog.  He loves his dog, which is old and sick and should be put down but Mike doesn't have the heart to.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style ... it was dark and humorous.  It is written in first person perspective from Mike's point of view but at times it's also written in third person perspective when Mike wasn't around.  As a head's up, there is swearing, violence and adult activity.  I liked the characters.  Mike has a big heart and doesn't take any crap from anyone.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.