Book ~ "The Missing Millionaire: The True Story of Ambrose Small and the City Obsessed With Finding Him" (2019) Katie Daubs

From Goodreads ~ In December 1919, Ambrose Small, the mercurial owner of the Grand Opera House in Toronto, closed a deal to sell his network of Ontario theatres, deposited a million-dollar cheque in his bank account, and was never seen again. As weeks turned to years, the disappearance became the most "extraordinary unsolved mystery" of its time. Everything about the sensational case would be called into question in the decades to come, including the motivations of his inner circle, his enemies, and the police who followed the trail across the continent, looking for answers in asylums, theatres and the Pacific Northwest. 

In "The Missing Millionaire", Katie Daubs tells the story of the Small mystery, weaving together a gripping narrative with the social and cultural history of a city undergoing immense change. Daubs examines the characters who were connected to the case as the century carried on: Ambrose's religious wife, Theresa; his long-time secretary, Jack Doughty; his two unmarried sisters, Florence and Gertrude; Patrick Sullivan, a lawless ex-policeman; and Austin Mitchell, an overwhelmed detective. A series of trials exposed Small’s tumultuous business and personal relationships, while allegations and confessions swirled. But as the main players in the Small mystery died, they took their secrets to the grave, and Ambrose Small would be forever missing. 

Drawing on extensive research, newly discovered archival material, and her own interviews with the descendants of key figures, Katie Daubs offers a rich portrait of life in an evolving city in the early twentieth century. Delving into a crime story about the power of the elite, she vividly recounts the page-turning tale of a cold case that is truly stranger than fiction. 

At age 53, Ambrose Small was a self-made millionaire who lived in Toronto and owned several Ontario-based theatres including the Grand Opera House in Toronto (where the Scotia Plaza now is).  On December 1, 1919, he sold his theatre holdings for $1.7 million and deposited a million dollar cheque in the bank.  The next day he met with his lawyer in his office at the Grand Opera House.  His lawyer left at 5:30 p.m. and was the last person to see Small ... no one has seen him or heard from him since.  Because he would take off, Theresa, his wife, wasn't overly concerned when he didn't arrive home for supper and didn't report him missing until a few weeks later.

This book is about the disappearance of Small and the investigation.  No one knows what happened to him.  Was he murdered?  If so, there were many suspects.  Theresa, who was very religious, might have gotten tired of his womanizing.  Jack, his assistant, wasn't a fan of Small's because he felt Small didn't treat him well.  Maybe Small took off to start a new life ... but it's weird that he didn't take any of the money with him.  Maybe he had amnesia ... but he was easily recognizable, especially with all the posters advertising a reward for his return.

It's an interesting story and the author did a thorough job in researching, even speaking with descendants of the Small and Jack.  The editing could have been a bit tighter, though, as there were some typos.

Book ~ "The Blind Mechanic" (2018) Marilyn Davidson Elliott

From Goodreads ~ Eric Davidson lost both eyes in the Halifax Explosion when he was two years old. Against all odds, he taught himself to become an auto mechanic and had a successful decades-long career as "one of the boys."

Eric Davidson was a beautiful, fair-haired toddler when the Halifax Explosion struck, killing almost 2,000 people and seriously injuring thousands of others. Eric lost both eyes - a tragedy that his mother never fully recovered from. Eric, however, was positive and energetic. He also developed a fascination with cars and how they worked, and he later decided, against all likelihood, to become a mechanic. Assisted by his brothers who read to him from manuals, he worked hard, passed examinations, and carved out a decades-long career. Once the subject of a National Film Board documentary, Eric Davidson was, until his death, a much-admired figure in Halifax.

This book does not gloss over the challenges faced by Eric and by his parents. Written by his daughter Marilyn, it gives new insights into the story of the 1917 Halifax Explosion and contains never-before-seen documents and photographs. While Eric Davidson has been mentioned in previous Explosion accounts, his story has never been told in such fascinating detail. Davidson overcame such odds that his life story might not seem believable if it had not happened.

The Halifax Explosion was a maritime disaster in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which happened on the morning of December 6, 1917.  The Norwegian vessel SS Imo collided with SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship with explosives, in Halifax Harbour.  About 2,000 people were killed by the blast, debris, fires or collapsed buildings, and an estimated 9,000 others were injured.

Nearly all structures within half-mile radius, including the Halifax community of Richmond, were obliterated.  A pressure wave snapped trees, bent iron rails, demolished buildings, grounded vessels and scattered fragments of Mont-Blanc for kilometres.  Across the harbour, in Dartmouth, there was also widespread damage.

Relief efforts began almost immediately and hospitals quickly became full.  Rescue trains began arriving the day of the explosion from across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick while other trains from central Canada and the northeastern United States were delayed by blizzards.

The blast was the largest man-made explosion at the time and in the North End of Halifax, there are several memorials to the victims of the explosion.

Eric Davidson (1915 - 2009) was two years old when this tragedy occurred.  He was watching out the window when the blast happened.  Shattered glass went into his eyes and the doctor determined that his eyes couldn't be saved.  His eyes were removed and he was fitted with prosthetics.  Quite an experience for such a young boy but he adapted.  When he was old enough, he was sent to The Halifax School for the Blind for his education and to learn a trade.  But he had an interest in cars and he really wanted to be a mechanic.  After understandably being turned down by garages, Eric taught himself how to fix cars and with his keen sense of hearing and touch, developed a reputation of being an expert at repairing cars and was eventually hired on at garages, fulfilling his dream.

Eric would marry Mary and have three children.  His daughter, Marilyn, is the author of this book.  She tells of Eric's life ... his childhood, his marriage and raising a family, his hobby of collecting and repairing antique cars, the recognition of his achievements and goodwill, and more.  With Eric's death in 2009, there was only one last survivor of the explosion still living.

I liked this book and found it interesting.  Despite what had happened to him, it sounds like Eric was a happy helpful fella who didn't let his disability stop him.  I liked the writing style ... it's told in a conversational manner.  You should check it out if you would like to know how the Halifax Explosion affected a family and how they moved on from the experience.  Plus it's a personal perspective on some Canadian history.

Book ~ "A Stranger in the House" (2017) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ Karen and Tom Krupp are happy - they’ve got a lovely home in upstate New York, they’re practically newlyweds and they have no kids to interrupt their comfortable life together. But one day, Tom returns home to find Karen has vanished - her car’s gone and it seems she left in a rush. She even left her purse - complete with phone and ID - behind.

There's a knock on the door - the police are there to take Tom to the hospital where his wife has been admitted. She had a car accident and lost control as she sped through the worst part of town.

The accident has left Karen with a concussion and a few scrapes. Still, she’s mostly okay - except that she can’t remember what she was doing or where she was when she crashed. The cops think her memory loss is highly convenient and they suspect she was up to no good.

Karen returns home with Tom, determined to heal and move on with her life. Then she realizes something’s been moved. Something’s not quite right. Someone’s been in her house. And the police won't stop asking questions.

Because in this house, everyone’s a stranger. Everyone has something they’d rather keep hidden. Something they might even kill to keep quiet. 

Tom comes home from work late one night and discovers the door is unlocked, Karen, his wife, is gone, her car is gone but her phone and purse are in the house.  Then he gets a call that Karen has been in a car accident and is in the hospital.  He rushes to the hospital ... Karen is battered but okay but has amnesia.  It's a good thing she has the support of Tom and Brigid, her best friend from across the street, to help her through this.  Then a dead body is found near where Karen had her accident and the police are looking at Karen for murdering the man ... the problem is, though, that Karen can't remember that night, why she was even in that 'hood and if she did indeed murder the man (and why).

I liked this book and as with this author's other books, there's always a weird twist at the end, which I liked in this one.  I liked the writing style ... it's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "An Unwanted Guest" (2018) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ A remote lodge in upstate New York is the perfect getaway. ... until the bodies start piling up.

It's winter in the Catskills and the weather outside is frightful. But Mitchell's Inn is so delightful! The cozy lodge nestled deep in the woods is perfect for a relaxing - maybe even romantic - weekend away. The Inn boasts spacious old rooms with huge wood-burning fireplaces, a well-stocked wine cellar and opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or just curling up with a book and someone you love. 

So when the weather takes a turn for the worse and a blizzard cuts off the electricity - and all contact with the outside world - the guests settle in for the long haul. The power's down but they've got candles, blankets and wood - a genuine rustic experience! 

Soon, though, a body turns up - surely an accident. When a second body appears, they start to panic. Then they find a third body. Within the snowed-in paradise, something - or someone - is picking off the guests one by one. They can't leave and with no cell service, there's no prospect of getting the police in until the weather loosens its icy grip. The weekend getaway has turned deadly. For some couples, it's their first time away. For others, it will be their last. And there's nothing they can do about it but huddle down and hope they can survive the storm. 

Ten people head for a weekend getaway to a quaint inn in the Catskill ... two girl friends, an engaged couple, a dating couple, a couple whose marriage is in trouble, an author and an attorney.  Because of the nasty wintry weather, staff and other guests can't make it and it's up to the owner and his son to take care of everyone.

On the second morning, one of the guests is found dead at the bottom of the stairs.  It looks like an accident but the attorney wants to make sure so asks that the body not be moved until the police arrive ... which probably wouldn't be until the next day.  Then another guest is found dead, obviously murdered.  And later that day, there is another murder.

No one trusts each other now.  Was it someone who was staying at the inn committing the murders?  Or was there someone else hiding there they aren't aware of?

This was an interesting story with lots of twists and turns to throw you off and get you thinking in different directions about whodunnit.  The whodunnit was a surprise to me and I bought it.  What I wasn't buying, though, was how they were caught (the clue they left behind).  I liked the writing style.  It's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Someone We Know" (2019) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ "This is a very difficult letter to write. I hope you will not hate us too much.  My son broke into your home recently while you were out."

In a quiet, leafy suburb in upstate New York, a teenager has been sneaking into houses - and into the owners' computers as well - learning their secrets, and maybe sharing some of them, too.

Who is he and what might he have uncovered? After two anonymous letters are received, whispers start to circulate and suspicion mounts. And when a woman down the street is found murdered, the tension reaches the breaking point. Who killed her? Who knows more than they're telling? And how far will all these very nice people go to protect their own secrets?

In this neighborhood, it's not just the husbands and wives who play games. Here, everyone in the family has something to hide.

You never really know what people are capable of.

When Amanda doesn't come home after a shopping weekend away with a friend, her husband, Robert, reports her missing.  It turns out she wasn't away with her friend after all and everyone assumes she has left her abusive husband ... until her body turns up.  Then the police start investigating.  It seems like all the men in the neighbourhood were attracted to Amanda (and she didn't discourage them) and because of this, their wives didn't like her.

In the meantime, Olivia and Paul's son, Raleigh, has been breaking into houses, not to steal anything, but to hack into their computers.  When Olivia finds out, she feels bad and sends anonymous letters of apology to the two houses she knows about.  This puts one neighbour on the hunt to find out who had broken into her house.

This was an interesting story with lots of twists and turns to throw you off and get you thinking in different directions about whodunnit.  The whodunnit was a surprise to me and I'm not sure I'm really buying it.  I liked the writing style, though.  It's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I look forward to reading other books by her.

Book ~ "I'm Not What I Seem: The Many Stories of Rita MacNeil's Life" (2016) Charlie Rhindress

From Goodreads ~ Rita MacNeil has long been recognized as one of the East Coast's great singer-songwriters. As a young girl with the dream of becoming a singer, she overcame a series of seemingly insurmountable obstacles and achieved success by believing in herself and refusing to give up. A trailblazer, Rita played an integral role in the women's movement in Canada and forged a path that was unique to her, paving the way for future generations of east coast musicians. 

Charlie Rhindress first came to know Rita as he collaborated with her on his play "Flying on Her Own", incorporating more than twenty of her songs into a script that told the story of her life. 

For this biography, Rhindress did extensive research and interviewed many of the people who worked with her and knew her best. The story of a strong, sensitive, complex woman emerged and the result is a powerful and moving portrait of a unique woman and important artist of her times. 

Rita MacNeil (1944 – 2013) was a Canadian singer/songwriter from Big Pond, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She was the fifth of eight children and was born with a cleft lip and palate, which made her shy but she found happiness through singing.  In addition, her childhood wasn't overly happy with her parents always fighting and drinking. 

Her family moved to Toronto for work when she was young, before heading back home to Cape Breton.  Rita moved back to Toronto when she was 17, hoping to make a name for herself as a singer.  Instead, she ended up pregnant by a man who wouldn't marry her and moved back home to Big Pond to the support of her family.

Rita moved back to Toronto after her daughter was born to again pursue her singing career.  She met and married David and settled in being a wife and mother.  She wanted more and became in involved in the women's rights movement and wrote songs of protest.  Rita and her family moved back to Big Pond, with Rita figuring that would bring her contentment.  But she knew that singing was what she wanted to do and that became her goal ... and she did everything to make it, including leaving her marriage.  Rita ended up with many top selling albums and awards from around the world.

I didn't know a lot about Rita and wasn't a fan, though I didn't dislike her music.  I like reading bios/autobios and I knew Rita had had an interesting life. The book included interviews with Rita's friends and former colleagues, in addition to the author interviewing Rita.  I liked the writing style and found the book interesting and honest.

Book ~ "One Man Grand Band: The Lyric Life of Ron Hynes" (2016) Harvey Sawler

From Goodreads ~ Author Harvey Sawler traces the life of Ron Hynes, one of the most respected singer-songwriters in Canadian history. Through personal conversations and interviews, Sawler captures the spirit of an artist whose stock-in-trade has always been authenticity over mere commercial acceptability, providing rare insight into the life of the man who penned some of the country’s best-loved music. 

Sawler guides us through the dark times of addiction to the triumphs of songs such as “Sonny’s Dream” and “Atlantic Blue” while capturing the true essence of Hynes and the source of his musical genius. 

Ron Hynes (1950 - 2015) was a folk singer-songwriter from Newfoundland and Labrador and was known as the Man of a Thousand Songs.  He wrote the song Sonny's Dream, which has been recorded worldwide by many artists and was named the 41st greatest Canadian song of all time on the 2005 CBC Radio One series 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version.  He was a founding member of The Wonderful Grand Band, one of Newfoundland's most popular performing groups (formed in 1978) and had released seven solo albums.   Hynes was a seven-time East Coast Music Awards winner and past Juno and Canadian Country Music Awards nominee.  In July 2012, Hynes was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent treatment.  He died in St. John's in 2015 at the age of 64.

I didn't know a lot about Ron Hynes.  I knew he'd written Sonny's Dream and that was about it.  But I like reading bios/autobios and it sounds like Hynes had an interesting life.

The book included interviews with Hynes' friends and colleagues, in addition to the author interviewing Hynes many times.  While there was a lot of detail about his tours and the author would go off on tangents about non-Hynes things, it is written at a high level with not a lot of details about his personal life.  Apparently Hynes had been married at least twice and had four daughters but this was barely touched on.  To me, if you are going to write a book about a person, this would be important information to include.  Hynes' drug addiction took him to the dark side and he died destitute but this was also covered at a high level.

The editing could have been better.  I found the writing was a bit repetitive.  It seemed like the chapters were written individually for a newspaper article, for example, because the author would tell who someone was in Hynes' life (for example, his friend and guitar player) and then later on say who they were again as if this was the first mention of them in the book.  Plus some of the stories were told a couple times ... as if they weren't told earlier.  It was weird.  And there were some typos ... on the same page, the Barenaked Ladies is spelled correctly but in a couple paragraphs above was spelled Bare Naked Ladies.

Book ~ "Safe Harbour" (2019) Christina Kilbourne

From Goodreads ~ Fourteen-year-old Harbour is living in a tent in a Toronto ravine with her dog, a two-month supply of canned tuna and an eccentric reading list. She’s not homeless, she tells herself. She’s merely waiting for her home - a thirty-six-foot sailboat - to arrive with her father at the helm. Why should she worry when the clouds give her signs that assure her that she’s safe and protected? 

When her credit card gets declined, phone contact from her father stops and summer slips into a frosty fall, Harbour is forced to face reality and accept the help of a homeless girl named Lise to survive on the streets. Lise shows Harbour how to panhandle and navigate the shelter system while trying to unravel Harbour's mysterious past. But if Harbour tells her anything, the consequences could be catastrophic. 

Fourteen-year-old Harbour's mother passed away when she was young.  Since then, she and her father have been living on their sailboat, sailing from port to port.  He drops her off with a phone, a credit card, some cash and her dog, Tuff, in a port city in the States and tells her to catch a bus and make her way to Toronto, where her mother was from.  He is going to sail there and join her in about five weeks.  While Harbour waits for her dad, she and Tuff camp out in a tent in a ravine, keeping a low profile.

Harbour meets Lise, a homeless girl who spends her days panhandling and knows where to get handouts of food, and spends her nights in a shelter.  When her credit card is declined, she is running out of money and her father is not answering his phone, Harbour must accept the help of Lise while she stubbornly waits for her father and never gives up hope that he will come for her even as summer becomes fall and then becomes winter.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it, though I'm older that its target audience.   I liked the writing style ... it is written in first person perspective in Harbour's voice.  It's not a happy story and I'll admit that at chapter 13 I did jump ahead to the end (chapter 18) as I wanted to see if there would be a happy ending ... and then I jumped back to chapter 13 and carried on.  I live in Toronto so it was fun that it was set here because I tried to figure out where the action was happening.

Book ~ "Cadillac Road" (2017) Kristin Andrychuk

From Goodreads ~ Starting in the 1950s, "Cadillac Road" is the story of Sharon Desjardins: from her earliest childhood memories leaving Northern Quebec and a violent father to adventures in Buffalo and Crystal Beach with her mother and younger sister, Gloria, to dreams of escaping claustrophobic poverty in shabby Grenville by going to Toronto and marrying a wealthy lawyer whom she doesn’t love, having turned down local boy Clinton McClary because she doesn’t think he’ll amount to much. 

In the end, depressed and on pills, Sharon realizes she needs to be true to her heart, abandons her marriage and takes to the road, a road that could very well lead back to her original hometown of Cadillac. 

In the mid-1950s, Muriel left her abusive husband in Northern Quebec and headed home to Buffalo with her two young daughters, Sharon and Gloria.  She lived with her mother but eventually found herself homeless across the border in rural Ontario.  She met and married Jimmy and went on to have children with him.  Because Jimmy didn't work all that much, they lived in poverty ... never having enough to buy nice clothes, a nice house , a nice car or enough food.  Seeing how much her family struggled, Sharon swore she would never have the same life as her mother.

As soon as she graduated from high school, Sharon escaped Grenville and headed off to Toronto to start her new life.  She got a job in an office and eventually married a rich young lawyer who gave her everything she ever wanted.  But then she discovered that having money and freedom isn't all she thought it would be and started to wonder if it was worth it.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  I liked the writing style ... it was written in first person perspective from Sharon's point of view.  I also liked the story and it drew me in from the beginning. 

Sharon and her family never had much but Sharon had pleasant memories from the early days.  After Jimmy and Muriel got married, Sharon didn't understand why they had to keep having kids when they couldn't support the ones they had.  It kept adding more and more responsibility onto Sharon ... and she did what she had to to survive until she was old enough to leave home.

Book ~ "Broken Man on a Halifax Pier" (2019) Lesley Choyce

From Goodreads ~ Fifty-five-year-old Charles Howard has lost his long-time journalism job and has been swindled out of his life savings. Standing by the edge of Halifax Harbour on a foggy morning, contemplating his dismal future, his ritual of self-pity is interrupted with the appearance of the mysterious and beguiling Ramona Danforth. And so begins a most interesting relationship. 

On a whim, Charles asks Ramona to drive him to his childhood home, Stewart Harbour, a fishing village populated by rugged individualists far down Nova Scotia’s remote Eastern Shore. Charles left the Harbour immediately after graduating from high school and never looked back. And now that he's returned, the past starts catching up with him in ways he could never have imagined. 

Charles is 55-years-old and unemployed.  He was a journalist until the newspaper shut down.  He has no money and no prospects.  One morning, he is standing on a pier on the Halifax Harbour and a woman starts talking with him.  Her name is Ramona and she is a former actress, now living off a trust fund provided by her father.  She invites him to breakfast.

Charles invites her to drive to his childhood home on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia.  He hasn't been back since he left for university many years ago.  His parents are now dead and his brother lives in Alberta.  Things move rather quickly and Charles and Ramona end up staying his father's old fishing shack.  The longer Charles and Ramona stay in Stewart Harbour, the more they become involved in the lives of those Charles had left behind ... a old fishing buddy of his father's (who was also a fisherman), his old girl friend, his ex-girl friend's ex-husband, his ex-girlfriend's son and others.

I've read a couple books by this author and this was the first fiction.  It is written in first person perspective in Charles' voice.  I liked the writing style and I liked the story.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

I'm originally from Nova Scotia (as is the author) so have been to some of the places Charles and Ramona went to ... like The Bluenose, where they had breakfast.  I lived for a year not too far from "Stewart Harbour" on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore.

I liked the characters.  I thought Charles and Ramona got together very quickly and it was a bit unbelievable to me that they would fall in love within days.  Though Ramona had lots of money and Charles had none, I thought it was weird that Ramona would be so generous so quickly and that Charles would be okay living off Ramona ... he didn't seem to have any ambition to make his own money or any qualms about accepting her generosity.

Book ~ "Turbulence" (2019) David Szalay

From Goodreads ~ Twelve people on the move around planet Earth, twelve individual lives, each in turmoil, and each in some way touching the next.

In this nuanced and deeply moving sequence, David Szalay’s diverse protagonists circumnavigate the world in twelve plane journeys, from London to Madrid, from Dakar to Sao Paulo, to Toronto, to Delhi, to Doha, en route to see lovers and parents, children and siblings, or nobody at all.

Along the way, Szalay deftly depicts the ripple effect that, knowingly or otherwise, a person’s actions have on those around them, and invites us to consider our own place in the vast and delicately balanced network of human relationships that is the world we live in today.

These are the stories of twelve people around the world, each with their own chapter, who are connected in some way.  Each has some "turbulence" going on in their lives.

The book begins with an elderly mother who has just spent time with her adult son who lives in London.  He has prostate cancer and she was there for him while he went through chemo.  On her flight home to Spain, she sits next to a father who is heading home and discovers there has been an accident involving a taxi.  The story then picks up with a passenger who was in that taxi who ended up running late for his flight because of the accident.  The next story involves the pilot of that flight.  And so on.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it.  It was a curious concept and it was interesting to see how the author linked one person to the next.  It's written in third person perspective with a focus on whose ever story/chapter it was.  I like the writing style and it was a quick read.

Book ~ "Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know" (2019) Malcolm Gladwell

From Goodreads ~ In July 2015, a young black woman named Sandra Bland was pulled over for a minor traffic violation in rural Texas. Minutes later she was arrested and jailed. Three days later, she committed suicide in her cell. What went wrong? "Talking to Strangers" is all about what happens when we encounter people we don't know, why it often goes awry, and what it says about us.

How do we make sense of the unfamiliar? Why are we so bad at judging someone, reading a face, or detecting a lie? Why do we so often fail to 'get' other people?

Through a series of puzzles, encounters and misunderstandings, from little-known stories to infamous legal cases, Gladwell takes us on a journey through the unexpected. You will read about the spy who spent years undetected at the highest levels of the Pentagon, the man who saw through the fraudster Bernie Madoff, the suicide of the poet Sylvia Plath and the false conviction of Amanda Knox. You will discover that strangers are never simple.

No one shows us who we are like Malcolm Gladwell. Here he sets out to understand why we act the way we do, and how we all might know a little more about those we don't. 

This book is about how we misunderstand people's actions and tones and give people the benefit of the doubt and assume the people we're talking to are being honest.

It starts with the story of Sandra Bland.  She was a Black woman who had just moved from Chicago to Houston.  She was stopped by a police office in rural Texas for failing to signal when moving into the right hand lane.  Things escalated and she was arrested and put in jail.  A couple days later she committed suicide in her cell.  What happened?  How did it go from a routine traffic violation to suicide?  Gladwell analyzes the behavior of both and give us his opinion.

Gladwell also analyzes what happened in other true situations including Hitler's convincing behavior with an English prime minister before World War II, a Cuba spy in Czechoslavia who defected to the U.S., Bernie Madoff's investment scam, pedophile Jerry Sandusky, reading the expressions of the actors of Friends, terrorist KSM, if alcohol an excuse for rape, the arrest of Amanda Knox for the murder of Meredith Kercher, the death of Sylvia Plath and more.

It was an interesting read as it gave background information I didn't know but also discussed stories I didn't know about.

Book ~ "Confessions of a Mountie: My Life Behind the Red Serge" (2016) Frank Pitts

From Goodreads ~ During one of many lectures, my trainer explained that throughout a police officer’s career he or she will be called “pig” many times. The trainer explained that it should not be a cause for you to lose your composure. He said to embrace it, as it stands for Pride, Intelligence, and Guts.

"Confessions of a Mountie" is the memoir of retired RCMP Officer Frank Pitts from Bell Island, Newfoundland and Labrador. His story begins with a terrifying standoff between him and a machete-wielding suspect. As his life flashes before his eyes, Frank Pitts recalls his enlistment, training, and cases both solved and unsolved that have led to this moment. Through these flashbacks, we learn what a day in the life of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer is like and that decisions, often made in the blink of an eye, can mean the difference between life and death.

Frank Pitts is a retired RCMP officer from Bell Island, Newfoundland.  While working for a couple years with Environment Canada, he ran into a friend who had just finished his training with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and that inspired him to join.  He spent the next 32 years at different posting assignments in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and British Columbia. He retired in 2014 and moved home to Newfoundland.

This book is about being a mountie ... from the training to actual situations the author was involved in, some funny and others more serious, including a machete-wielding man named Burt who claimed to have killed his girlfriend and taunts the author to kill him.

I liked the writing style and found this book to be interesting.  It's fairly high level with just the right amount of detail for me.  I've always had respect for police officers and it was interesting to read about what it's like being one and what they have to go through on a daily basis.

Book ~ "Say You Still Love Me" (2019) K.A. Tucker

From Goodreads ~ Life is a mixed bag for Piper Calloway.

On the one hand, she’s a twenty-nine-year-old VP at her dad’s multibillion-dollar real estate development firm and living the high single life with her two best friends in a swanky downtown penthouse. On the other hand, she’s considered a pair of sexy legs in a male-dominated world and constantly has to prove her worth. Plus, she’s stuck seeing her narcissistic ex-fiancé - a fellow VP - on the other side of her glass office wall every day.

Things get exponentially more complicated for Piper when she runs into Kyle Miller - the handsome new security guard at Calloway Group Industries, and coincidentally the first love of her life.

The guy she hasn’t seen or heard from since they were summer camp counselors together. The guy from the wrong side of the tracks. The guy who apparently doesn’t even remember her name.

Piper may be a high-powered businesswoman now but she soon realizes that her schoolgirl crush is not only alive but stronger than ever, and crippling her concentration. What’s more, despite Kyle’s distant attitude, she’s convinced their reunion isn’t at all coincidental, and that his feelings for her still run deep. And she’s determined to make him admit to them, no matter the consequences. 

Though her family was very extremely wealthy, when Piper was sixteen, her mother got her a job at a summer camp as a counselor.  Her mother, who didn't grow up rich, had gone to this camp and had fabulous memories and wants her daughter to experience the same thing.  Piper wanted go to Europe like her friends but soon changed her mind when she spied fellow camp counselor, Kyle.  Even though Kyle was poor and most of his family is in prison, they fell in love over the eight weeks.  Their relationship didn't survive the summer and Piper's heart was broken.

Thirteen years later, Piper is working for her father's company, being groomed to take over.  She has recently broken up with her ex-fiancé, David, who works for the company and whom Piper's dad loves.  Piper, though, still thinks about Kyle and what could have been.  Then she discovers that he is working as a security guard in her company's building and wonders if she should confront him to find out what happened all those years ago and perhaps pick up where they left off.

I've read and liked many books by this author ... but this one didn't do it for me.  I knew going in that it was a romance and while I don't mine romance in stories, I like there to be some substance besides that.  But because I like this author, I went ahead and read it.

It's written in first person perspective in Piper's voice.  The story alternates back and forth between the summer at camp and now (the chapters are labeled).  I found the characters a bit stereotypical ... an overbearing controlling rich dad, an older employee who does all he can to sabotage our heroine, the brother who was strong enough to break away from the family and do what he wants, the quirky friends, the poor boy ~ rich girl combo, etc.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

I had a hard time believing that Piper was still obsessed about Kyle.  Piper had it all ... friends, money, education, a high-power job and even an ex-fiancé ... but she still pined over a boy she fell in love with 13 years ago for eight weeks when she was 16!  No way!  I wasn't buying it.  The Piper of today sounded just as immature as the Piper from 13 years ago, which was not realistic.

I couldn't decide who the target audience was for this book.  When it was back in the camp days, it seemed more directed to young adults.  I found it icky as an adult reading the details of teenagers Piper and Kyle making out or thinking about making or talking about making out in the summer camp.  In the "now" timeline, it seemed more directed to adults ... though it was basically a repeat of what they did and felt at the camp but in a nice condo rather than in a cabin or on rocks.

Book ~ "Every Little Piece of Me" (2019) Amy Jones

From Goodreads ~ Ava Hart is the most reluctant cast member of a reality TV show based on her big city family's (mostly staged) efforts to run a B&B in small-town Nova Scotia. Every family has its problems but Ava has grown up seeing her family's every up and down broadcast on national television, after the show becomes an unexpected success for reasons that will take a heavy toll on the Harts. 

Mags Kovach is the charismatic lead singer of a struggling Halifax rock band hoping to be the Next Big Thing. For years she's managed to contain her demons and navigate the uglier aspects of being a woman in the music world but after a devastating loss, she turns her anger on the only person she can: herself.

As their private tragedies continue to set social media and tabloid headlines on fire, their every move subjected to an endless stream of public commentary, it will be their unexpected friendship that will save them. They will push back against the roles they've been forced to play, and take back control of something they thought they'd lost forever - the right to their own stories. 

It's 2009 and Ava is the eldest daughter of two married gay men ... she, her brother and sister were adopted.  When she was about 12, they were living in New York City.  Her dads receive and accept an offer for the family to be in a reality show ... they would be running a B&B in rural Nova Scotia!  What?!  Ava doesn't want to do it and does all she can to sabotage when they are filming.  She gets her wish when her younger sister, Eden, attracts the spotlight and Ava is able to blend more into the background.  She still resents having her family's lives constantly filmed and talked about on social media.

In the meantime, Mags and Sam are 15 and living in Halifax, Nova Scotia and dating.  Mags' mother had passed away a few years earlier and she is being raised by her alcohol and drug addicted older sister.  They have a falling out and Mags has nowhere else to go but to move (secretly) into Sam's family home.  Mags and Sam formed a band with a couple of friends with a goal of the big time.  Then Sam passes away at age 21 of cancer.  On the cusp of success, Mags turns to drugs and booze to help her with her grief so she and the band can carry on.

In 2014, Ava (now 18) and Mags (now 21) meet.  Both have their issues and their demons and they form a friendship because of their common bond of having to live and perform in the spotlight.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it.  When I read the first chapter, which is when Ava and Mags first meet in 2014, it wasn't grabbing me and I wasn't too sure if I was going to get into the story.  But I kept going and I'm glad I did because I ended up liking it.  The first chapter is, as I said, when they meet, and then the story goes back in time to 2009.  The chapters alternate between Ava and Mags until present day, which is 2015.   Plus there are chapters of what social media said about them and their behavior.

I liked the writing style ... it's written in third person perspective with the focus on Ava and/or Mags.  I'm originally from Nova Scotia and live in Toronto, where the story at times takes place.  I'm not far from where Mags "lived" here in Toronto and am just east of Parkdale, where she "parties".  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Frying Plantain" (2019) Zalika Reid-Benta

From Goodreads ~ Kara Davis is a girl caught in the middle - of her Canadian nationality and her desire to be a “true” Jamaican, of her mother and grandmother’s rages and life lessons, of having to avoid being thought of as too “faas” or too “quiet” or too “bold” or too “soft.” 

Set in “Little Jamaica,” Toronto’s Eglinton West neighbourhood, Kara moves from girlhood to the threshold of adulthood, from elementary school to high school graduation, in these twelve interconnected stories. We see her on a visit to Jamaica, startled by the sight of a severed pig’s head in her great aunt’s freezer; in junior high, the victim of a devastating prank by her closest friends; and as a teenager in and out of her grandmother’s house, trying to cope with the ongoing battles between her unyielding grandparents.

A rich and unforgettable portrait of growing up between worlds, "Frying Plantain" shows how, in one charged moment, friendship and love can turn to enmity and hate, well-meaning protection can become control, and teasing play can turn to something much darker. 

Though she was born here in Canada, Kara's family is Jamaican.  Her grandparents live in Toronto but don't get along ... her grandfather has his own apartment and sees other women and occasionally goes home to the family house.  Eloise, Kara's mother, got pregnant with her at age 17 and doesn't want the same thing to happen to Kara.  Kara has no contact with her father and Eloise is doing the best she can ... she want her daughter to do well in school and have a better life.  Because she is carrying such a burden, Eloise is overprotective and can be moody.  In addition to this, Eloise and her mother don't get along so she doesn't have a huge support system.

This is the story of Kara's life from a child until she was finished high school living in Toronto ... not having the freedom others had because of her mother, discovering boys, finding out how catty other girls (even friends) can be, dealing with her family's dysfunctional dynamics, living in Canada but with Jamaican traditions, etc.

Though I had nothing in common with Kara (she's young and Jamaican), I liked this book.  I liked that it was set in Toronto and I've been to many of the neighbourhoods and places mentioned.  It is written mostly in first person perspective in Kara's voice ... there are a couple chapters where it's in third person perspective.  I tend to read fairly quickly, which I could with the majority of this book.  When some of the characters were speaking in Patois, I had to pause at times, though, to figure out what they were saying.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

I liked the writing style and Kara.  I found the timeline at times confusing, though.  For example, Kara and Eloise were supposed to move back in with the grandmother but the next thing I know, they were living in a studio apartment.  What happened to living with the grandmother?!  It's not until later in the book years later that we find out what happened.

Book ~ "The Unfinished Dollhouse: A Memoir of Gender and Identity" (2018) Michelle Alfano

From Goodreads ~ No mother is prepared for the moment when a child comes out to her as a person whose physical gender is out-of-keeping with his emotional and psychological gender-identity. In Michelle Alfano's intimate memoir, she recounts her experience as the mother of a transgender child.

The central metaphor of "The Unfinished Dollhouse" tells the story: on Frankie's fourth birthday, her parents Michelle and Rob purchased a kit to create a beautiful dollhouse. Michelle imagined building the home, buying the tiny pieces of furniture and accessories to fill it and, more importantly, the times she and her daughter would spend constructing the perfect dollhouse - a fantasy of domestic and familial happiness. Frankie expressed no interest in such typically girlish pursuits because Frankie harboured a secret - a secret about gender.

In the years to follow, Frankie's parents experienced an education in parenting a child transitioning from female to male - which pronouns to use, how to disclose the information to friends, family, school and how to deal with the reactions of all - some heartening, some surprising, some disappointing.

Michelle and Rob are married, living in Toronto and had a daughter named Frankie.  Michelle had dreams of what her daughter would like ... frilly dresses, girly dolls, a dollhouse (hence the title of the book ... the dollhouse was never put together), etc.  Frankie instead like to play with "boy" toys, hated girly girly things and like to dress more masculine.  As she was getting older, she had severe bouts of illnesses, anxieties, depression and didn't want to leave her room.  Michelle and Rob took her to doctors, counselors, etc. to determine the cause.  Finally when she was in her mid-teens, Frankie revealed that she was a boy born in a girl's body.  And once she revealed this, she wanted to do something about it ... begin the journey to transition from a female to a male.

This is Michelle's story as the mother of a transgender child.  Michelle comes from a traditional Italian background and Rob is Asian ... how do they tell their family and friends?.  It's how they dealt with having a child who didn't want to leave their room and was depressed.  And when Frankie finally told them what she wanted, how they dealt with it ... the denial, the anger, the resentment and the acceptance.

I thought it was an interesting story to read what a family goes through when their child tells them they are transgender and all they have do to transition.  At times the book seems all about Michelle, rather than Frankie ... we learn a lot about her, her family and growing up.

The book could have been edited better.  There was a lot of repetition, sometimes even on the same page.  At 67% into the book, she said, "I called Frankie's dad ..."  Why wouldn't she say she called Rob?  This far into the book, I know Frankie's father's name.  And there was odd phrasing at times.  For example, she writes about the death of friends' son named Pablo.  Pablo was "one of two twins".  When I read that, I thought the family had two sets of twins.  But no, there was only one set of twins and Pablo was one of the twins.

Book ~ "Field Notes: A City Girl's Search for Heart and Home in Rural Nova Scotia" (2016) Sara Jewell

From Goodreads ~ “When my husband told me he didn’t want to be married any longer, I didn’t call a lawyer, talk to my minister, or even tell my best friend. My first thought - and only plan - was go to Pugwash.”

So begins Sara Jewell’s tender and heartfelt collection of essays. After a childhood of idyllic summers on Canada’s east coast, Sara knew the only place she could begin to rebuild her life - to find her heart and home - was amid the salty air and red dirt roads of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.

Part humorous observation and part honest self-reflection, Sara deftly explores the people, creatures, landscapes, and experiences that make her life in rural Nova Scotia so different from the big-city one she’d grown accustomed to.

They say you can never go back. But they are wrong.

Sara Jewell was born in Toronto and raised in Cobourg and Trenton, ON.  During the summers when she was growing up, she spent time vacationing in rural Nova Scotia with her family.  She's had various jobs over the years including as an educator, in radio and as an essayist. 

When her first marriage broke up, she was living in Vancouver, BC ... she packed up her stuff (including her dog) and headed east to Ontario to be with her parents and spent some time in Pugwash, NS.  She met and married met Dwayne, a "country boy", moving to his farm.  This book is a collection of her essays about living there.

The topics cover her friends, family, neighbours, local wildlife, farm animals, pets, living in the country and more.  Keep in mind that they were written by a "city" girl now living in the country.  I'm the opposite of Sara ... I'm originally from Nova Scotia and have been away for 30+ years.  So in some ways, I could relate (but in reverse perhaps at times?) to some of her stories. 

I enjoyed this book.  I liked the writing style and found it conversational.  As a head's up, there is some minor swearing.  My favourite story was The Rural Wavelength, which was about the "behavior genetically implanted" in Nova Scotians because they wave at everyone ... she surmises that waving must be how Maritimers got their reputation for being so friendly.

Book ~ "Unconventional Candour" (2019) George Smitherman

From Goodreads ~ From modest beginnings, George Smitherman rose to become one of the most powerful politicians in Ontario and then plummeted, defeated by one of the most notorious: Rob Ford. This memoir takes readers on the roller-coaster ride of his career and his personal life as a gay man struggling with the constraints of society and family. 

Smitherman offers candid insights into the hardball politics of city hall and the provincial legislature, as well as the Liberal government under Dalton McGuinty, including accomplishments like prescription drug reforms and the green energy plan, and the so-called eHealth, Ornge, and gas plant scandals. He reveals how he lost the mayoral race but managed to rebound from that defeat, as well from the suicide of his husband.

George Smitherman is a Canadian politician from Toronto. He represented the provincial riding of Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2010.  He was the first openly gay Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) elected in Ontario and the province's first openly gay cabinet minister.  He resigned from provincial politics to enter the mayor's race for Toronto in the 2010 municipal election (Rob Ford won).  He was also a candidate in the 2018 municipal election, running for Toronto City Council in Ward 13 Toronto Centre (he lost to incumbent Kristyn Wong-Tam). He shifted his focus to the private sector and has participated in the start up and growth of several companies

I'm not political at all and don't remember Smitherman from provincial politics.  I think he came onto my radar when his husband, Christopher, who was suffering from depression, was found dead after going missing in 2013.

When I was reading this book, I didn't find provincial politics stories overly interesting.  I was more interested in his personal life ... growing up in Toronto, coming out as a gay man, marrying his husband and adopting two children with him, dealing with his husband's suicide and eventually finding love again.  It was also interesting reading about him having to deal with Rob and Doug Ford (and what he thinks of them) and what it was like running for mayor in 2010 and for council in 2018.

I liked the writing style.  He seemed honest in telling his stories.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Deception Cove" (2019) Owen Laukkanen

From Goodreads ~ Former US Marine Jess Winslow reenters civilian life a new widow, with little more to her name than a falling-down house, a medical discharge for PTSD and a loyal dog named Lucy. The only thing she actually cares about is that dog, a black-and-white pit bull mix who helps her cope with the devastating memories of her time in Afghanistan.

After fifteen years - nearly half his life - in state prison, Mason Burke owns one set of clothes, a wallet and a photo of Lucy, the service dog he trained while behind bars. Seeking a fresh start, he sets out for Deception Cove, Washington, where the dog now lives.

As soon as Mason knocks on Jess's door, he finds himself in the middle of a standoff between the widow and the deputy county sheriff. When Jess's late husband piloted his final "fishing" expedition, he stole and stashed a valuable package from his drug dealer associates. Now the package is gone, and the sheriff's department has seized Jess's dearest possession - her dog. Unless Jess turns over the missing goods, Lucy will be destroyed.

The last thing Mason wants is to be dragged back into the criminal world. The last thing Jess wants is to trust a stranger. But neither of them can leave a friend, the only good thing in either of their lives, in danger. To rescue Lucy, they'll have to forge an uneasy alliance. And to avoid becoming collateral damage in someone else's private war, they have to fight back - and find a way to conquer their doubts and fears.

Mason Burke has spent the last fifteen years in prison in Michigan for committing murder.  Towards the end of his sentence, he was put in a program to train dogs.  Lucy, the dog he was assigned, was scared and timid when she arrived at the prison but became a great therapy dog six months later.

Lucy was given to Jess, a Marine veteran, who keeps reliving her time in Afghanistan, seeing her best friend get killed.  When Jess arrived home in Washington, she has PTSD and is a widow (her husband, Ty, had gotten drunk and drowned while she was away).  All she has left is the rundown house and Lucy.

The local deputy was involved in a scheme ... and Ty had stolen some drugs from him.  The deputy thinks Jess knows where Ty had hidden the drugs before he died.  With his life on the line, he does all he can to pressure Jesse for the information and even takes her dog from her, promising to kill Lucy.

When Mason is released from prison, he just wants to make sure that Lucy is okay and in a good home before he can start his new life.  When he hears that she is about to be put down for attacking a police officer, he heads to Washington to do all he can to save Lucy ... and gets himself involved in trying to save Jess' life too.

I've read many books by this author and have liked them ... though I tried to like this one, I couldn't get into it.  I enjoy reading books about and with dogs so was cheering for Lucy and that's what kept me reading.  Maybe I didn't find the story interesting?  I didn't find myself drawn to the characters and didn't find them overly believable.  As I was reading, I found myself hearing them talk and act like backwood hicks out of a bad movie.

It's written in third person perspective with a focus on the various characters.  As a head's up, there is swearing.