Book ~ "The Road Years: A Memoir, Continued ..." (2023) Rick Mercer

From Goodreads ~ At the end of his memoir "Talking to Canadians", Rick Mercer was poised to make the biggest leap yet in his extraordinary career. Having overcome a serious lack of promise as a schoolboy and risen through the showbiz ranks - as an aspiring actor, star of a surprisingly successful one-man show about the Meech Lake Accord, co-founder of "This Hour Has 22 Minutes", creator and star of the dark-comedy sitcom "Made in Canada" - he was about to tackle his biggest opportunity yet.

"The Road Years" picks up the story at that exciting point, with the greenlighting of what would become "Rick Mercer Report". Plans for the show, of course, included political satire and Rick’s patented rants. But Rick and his partner, Gerald Lunz, were also determined to do something that comedy tends to avoid as too they would emphasize the positive. Rick would travel from coast to coast to coast in search of everything that’s best about Canada, especially its people. He found a lot to celebrate, naturally, and was rewarded with a huge audience and a run of 15 seasons.

"The Road Years" tells the inside story of that stupendous success. A time when Rick was heading to another town - or military base, sports centre, national park - to try dogsledding, chainsaw carving, and bear tagging; hang from a harness (a lot); ride the “Train of Death;” plus countless other joyous and/or reckless assignments.

Added to the mix were encounters with the country’s great. Every living prime minister. Rock and roll royalty from Rush to Randy Bachman. Olympians and Paralympians. A skinny-dipping Bob Rae. And Jann Arden, of course, who gets a chapter to herself. Along the way he even found the time to visit several countries in Africa and co-found and champion the charity Spread the Net, which has gone on to protect the lives of millions.

I like reading bios/autobios and I like Rick Mercer so that's why this book caught my eye. I'd read Talking to Canadians and this one picks up where that left off ... with the start of Rick Mercer Report, which ran from 2004 to 2018.

I liked Rick Mercer Report. With that show, Rick accomplished what he set out to do when he created it ... he got to see a lot of Canada, meet and hang with many Canadians (ordinary folks and famous people) and experience exciting things that many of us will never get the opportunity to. Obviously not all the shows could be discussed but many were highlighted and I found myself heading to YouTube to rewatch segments he talked about ... like tobogganing with Geddy Lee, spending the night when Stephen Harper was prime minister, fishing with Bob Rae, indoor skydiving with Alex Lifeson and more.

I liked the writing style. Rick was honest about what he thought of people, especially politicians, and he was usually amusing ... I could "hear" his voice in the writing. There were colour pictures at the end from some of the segments in the show.

Book ~ "Lost & Found in Lunenburg" (2023) Jane Doucet

From Goodreads ~ Rose and Jim, her husband of almost twenty years, have been living happily in Halifax, Nova Scotia, since moving from Toronto more than a decade earlier. With a satisfying career, two sweet rescue mutts, and her family nearby, Rose's life is golden - until one day, her world unexpectedly implodes. 

Widowed suddenly soon after her fiftieth birthday, Rose is addled by grief. Could that be why three months later, she decides to buy her friend Wendy Hebb's sex shop in the tiny coastal community of Lunenburg? As she rushes to rent her house and store her belongings, her older sister, Daisy, worries that Rose is running away - from the home that she and Jim lived in together and its constant reminders of what she's lost. 

When Rose lands in Lunenburg in a furnished condo with a year’s lease, a colourful cast of local characters keeps her from drowning in grief: a long-lost quirky cousin with a mysterious health condition; a busybody septuagenarian widow who pushes Rose to join a bereavement group; and a handsome restaurant owner who stirs feelings in Rose she isn’t ready to face. As the condo's lease creeps closer to its expiration date, Rose must make a choice - continue carving out her new life in Lunenburg, or move back to her Halifax home?

Jim throws an elaborate surprise party for his wife, Rose's 50th birthday. Two weeks later he is hit by a car while riding his bike and dies. This leaves Rose alone with their two rescue dogs. They say you shouldn't make any drastic life decisions in the first year after a tragedy but Rose needs a fresh start away from everything that reminds her of Jim. She quits her job as a freelance editor, rents out her house in Halifax and moves to the small fishing community of Lunenburg, almost an hour and a half away, to buy her friend's sex shop.

As she settles in, there's a lot of stress but excitement of starting her new life but Jim's presence is still with her. She makes friends, connects with her long lost eccentric cousin and runs her business. A local bar opener has a crush on her and she's attracted to him but she's not willing to pursue it until she knows she's ready.

This story picks up 10 years after Wendy has started the sex shop (the one Rose buys in this story) in Fishnets & Fantasies and Rose and Jim were still living in Toronto and deciding whether to have children in The Pregnant Pause (I've read them both). Because of Jim's death and illnesses and accidents of some of the local residents, it's a bit gloomier than the first two, though the humour is still there at times. The writing is in third person perspective with the focus on Rose. I found there were a lot of characters to keep track of and the author gave their backstory from the previous books even though it didn't really factor into the story (for example, so-and-so is the son of so-and-so he never knew he had and here's why and he is married to this so-on-one). As a head's up, there is some swearing.

Book ~ "Funny You Should Say That" (2023) Gerry Dee

From Goodreads ~ One of Canada’s top comedians shares the funniest stories from his life and career in this collection of hilarious essays.

For more than two decades, Gerry Dee has made audiences laugh, first as a hard-working stand-up comedian, and then as the star of his own CBC television program, "Mr. D". 

Dee became a physical education teacher, thinking he would have it all - coaching, summers off and a good pension. But he found himself dreaming of a career in comedy, until one day, years later, he turned in his teaching certificate and picked up a microphone. He went on to become one of Canada’s top comics. 

In his new book of essays, Dee writes about his life - being a kid in suburban Toronto, becoming a father, starring in his own TV show, going on the road to comedy clubs across Canada and the U.S. He takes us behind the scenes of "Last Comic Standing", "Mr. D" and everywhere in between. There was the time he set up his own DVD-signing appearances, only to have no one show up. Or the time he was flown to the Bahamas, where he performed for drunken fishermen and their “nieces.” And he shares his lifelong affliction with hypochondria and all the medical conditions he doesn’t have. This is Gerry Dee at his comedic finest.

Gerry Dee is a Canadian actor, stand-up comedian, game show host, director, producer and writer. This book caught my eye because Dee is Canadian, is from Toronto and went to the same university in Nova Scotia as I did (though I was a few years ahead of him). Plus I like reading books to get the behind the scene scoop on how things work in the entertainment world.

Dee tells his life in essays ... he talks about his parents and how they came from Scotland to Canada, how he was small as a child but loved sports (he was competitive ... he wasn't the best but he wasn't the worst), being a teacher until he discovered is passion for being a comic, the struggle of the years to make it as a comedian and actor in Canada and the U.S., his love for his family, being a hypochondriac and more.

I liked this book and Dee's writing style ... it's conversational. It was interesting to read about all he did to get to where he is and how his priorities changed when he got married and starting have children. As a head's up, there is some swearing. It would have been nice if there had been pictures (there were none).

I never watched Mr. D. when it was on from 2012 to 2018 so I'll check it out. He was funny as Donny on Trailer Park Boys: The Movie and Gord and I have been to the live tapings of Family Feud Canada (most recently in August).

Book ~ "Lay It on the Line: A Backstage Pass to Rock Star Adventure, Conflict and TRIUMPH" (2023) Rik Emmett

From Goodreads ~ Merging memoir, anecdotes and masterclasses on guitar, songwriting and the artist’s mindset, "Lay It On The Line" offers insight and perspective into the many roles Rik Emmett took on. 

"It” was always a parboiling, psychological and this book attempts to finally share the recipe. It also includes photos from Emmett’s own archives, plus the definitive, detailed reasons behind why he walked from Triumph - and came back two decades later. 

Rock star, it seems, was a character for Rik Emmett to inhabit … a great gig, a catalytic door-opener … it was a role that led to other adventures - and these are the stories he’s chosen to tell.

Triumph was a rock band that was formed in 1975 in Toronto, Ontario, and were popular in the late 1970s and 1980s. It put out 16 albums and DVDs and received 18 gold and nine platinum awards in Canada and the U.S. Triumph was nominated for many Juno Awards, including group of the year award. It was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2007, into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2019. 

Rik Emmett is now 70 and was a guitarist and lead/backing vocalist in Triumph until he left in 1988 to pursue a solo career ... this is his story. I know and liked some of Triumph's songs and like reading about Canadians so that's why this book caught my eye. Plus I like getting the behind the scenes scoop.

This book is very detailed and starts off even before Emmett was born with his maternal and paternal family trees. He has done a lot in addition to being in a popular rock bad and shares his experiences and thoughts. I found at times he was preachy and a "grumpy old man" at times but it's his book so he can be any way he wants. There are black and white and colour pictures from over the years at the end of the book.

Book ~ "Huge" (2023) Brent Butt

From Goodreads ~ It's 1994 and three stand-up comedians have embarked on a tour of smaller communities across a remote stretch of rural Canadian countryside. 

Dale is a 40-something comic from Chicago who's on the back half of a mediocre career and thinking about quitting the business. Rynn is a 20-something fast-rising comedy star from Dublin with a big break into TV on her horizon. And who is this third guy, the hulking young man added to the bill at the last minute by a booker with dubious motives? He goes by Hobie Huge, and his enormous physical presence is unfortunately not matched by his skills as opening act. But his brutal lack of ability as a comedian turns out to be the least of his companion's problems. 

Huge starts to show signs of a terrifying capacity for brutality offstage too - and for Dale and Rynn, the tour becomes less about getting laughs and more about getting off the road alive.

Dale is in his 40s from Chicago and had been a comic for years but has no money to show for it. His daughter is heading to university and his ex-wife expects him to share the cost. He has finished his run on the road but takes on another in rural western Canada to get the extra cash. Rynn is a comic in her 20s from Ireland, living in the U.S. and has a Canadian work VISA. While she's waiting to hear whether her big break in TV is coming up, she signs onto Dale's run of gigs. The third comic is Hobie Huge, signed on by the promoter to get experience. As they travel from small town to small town, Dale and Rynn discover that Hobie, who thinks he is amazing, actually sucks so they try to guide him and give him tips. They also discover that Hobie has a dark violent side and is quick to anger and they eventually experience the consequences.

This book was okay. I found it took a couple chapters for me to get into it ... it picked up once Dale, Rynn and Hobie were on the road and in the clubs. It is written in third person perspective depending on where the action was and whose focus it was. Butt's experience is obvious when Dale and Rynn are performing and when they are explaining to Hobie how he can improve. I found Hobie to be an extreme character and a bit farfetched. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "The Opportunist" (2022) Elyse Friedman

From Goodreads ~ When Alana Shropshire’s seventy-six-year-old father, Ed, starts dating Kelly, his twenty-eight-year-old nurse, a flurry of messages arrive from Alana’s brothers, urging her to help “protect Dad” from the young interloper. Alana knows that what Teddy and Martin really want to protect is their father’s fortune, and she tells them she couldn’t care less about the May–December romance. Long estranged from her privileged family, Alana, a hardworking single mom, has more important things to worry about.

But when Ed and Kelly’s wedding is announced, Teddy and Martin kick into hyperdrive and persuade Alana to fly to their father’s West Coast island retreat to perform one simple task in their plan to make the gold digger go away. Kelly, however, proves a lot more wily than expected and Alana becomes entangled in an increasingly dangerous scheme full of secrets and surprises. Just how far will her siblings go to retain control?

Alana has been living a quiet life in Toronto with her young disabled daughter. She is estranged from Ed, her father, and Martin and Teddy, her brothers, so she's surprised when Martin shows up and asks for her help. Their father, Ed, isn't well and is getting married to his nurse, Kelly, who is about 50 years younger. Martin and Teddy feel Kelly isn't genuine and is just after Ed's billions. Alana could care less but Martin offers her money which would help make her daughter's life so much better. Alana heads out west to spend time with the family and make an offer to Kelly that they don't think she will refuse ... but things don't go as expected.

I liked this story and it took some weird turns I didn't see coming, which was fun. It is written in third person perspective depending where the action was. It jumps back and forth in time to give background as to why things are the way they are today. As a head's up, there is swearing and child abuse.

Book ~ "The Pregnant Pause" (2023) Jane Doucet

From Goodreads ~ Just before her thirty-seventh birthday, Rose Ainsworth has her first attack of baby fever. She adores children, especially her sister’s kids, but she’s facing a dilemma. Not only is her husband refusing to commit to becoming a parent but her friends are drowning in the joys of mothering. She feels cut off and, worst of all, she’s worried that maybe she isn’t motherhood material. 

Rose’s journey through the potential pitfalls and prospects of parenting is a roller coaster ride - a journey that many women travel as they work, play and listen to their biological clock ticking away. 

Rose and her husband, Jim, have been married for a few years and living in Toronto. Her 37th birthday is coming up (Jim is a couple years younger) and it seems like everyone around her is having babies. Since she's getting older, she knows she has to make a decision soon about whether she wants kids or not. Jim has made it clear that he doesn't want kids but she's not sure. She loves her sister's three kids and has seen how having kids has changed her friendships once her female friends have had kids. Throughout the story, she waffles back and forth about what the right decision for her and Jim.

This was a cute story and I liked it. The writing is in third person perspective with the focus on Rose. I've always known that I never wanted kids so it was interesting to read Rose's arguments to have or not have kids. The story takes place in Toronto so I knew the neighbourhoods Rose was talking about. I'm originally from Nova Scotia, as is Rose, so I knew the places where she was when she went "home" to visit her sister, Daisy. As a head's up, there is some swearing.

Book ~ "Every Summer After" (2022) Carley Fortune

From Goodreads ~ They say you can never go home again and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.

Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek - the man she never thought she’d have to live without.

For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant and curling up together with books  - medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her - Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.

When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.

Thirteen-year-old Percy and her parents lived in Toronto and bought a cottage about four hours away. Next door was Sue, a single mom with two sons, one (Sam) was Percy's age, who lived there all year 'round. Percy and her parents spent every summer there and Percy and Sam became best friends and eventually fall in love. They end up going to separate universities hours away from each other and eventually break up.

Twelve years later, Sue had recently passed away and, despite not having any contact with the family for all those years, Percy immediately headed to cottage country for the funeral. When Percy and Sam run into each other as soon as she arrives in town, the spark is still there. But because of something she had done that had broken them up, she didn't feel like she was worthy of the possibility of picking up where they had left off.

This story bounces back from present day to flashbacks to when Percy and Sam first met when they were 13-years-old (the chapters are labeled). It's written in first perspective in Percy's voice. As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity ... it was cringy reading the details of teenagers Percy and Sam engaging in adult activity. Ew! 

I found it hard to believe that Percy and Sam, who haven't seen each other or been in contact with each other for 12 years (since they were 18), hadn't moved on emotionally and were STILL in love today at age 30 ... and that this love had dictated their relationships since they split up. It's like they still had the mentality of when they were 18-year-olds ... I would think their life experiences would have matured them more (she's an editor and he's a doctor). 

Book ~ "101 Fascinating Canadian Music Facts" (2023) David McPherson

From Goodreads ~101 true stories to surprise and delight Canadian music fans.

Did you know that Serena Ryder played the quietest concert ever from the ocean floor during low tide at Fundy National Park? Or that “I’ll Never Smile Again,” the hit that launched Frank Sinatra’s career, was written by Toronto pianist Ruth Lowe? What about Canadian R&B-singer Liberty Silver playing with the Wild Bunch and opening for Bob Marley at Madison Square Gardens when she was only twelve years old? Did you know that title of the Tragically Hip 1991 album "Road Apples" is not talking about apples?

In "101 Fascinating Canadian Music Facts", author and historian David McPherson shares these and 98 other tales gathered from his more than twenty-five years working in the music industry. Music lovers and trivia buffs alike will enjoy perusing this collection of stories - gathered from coast to coast - to discover fun facts and hilarious tales from Canada’s music industry.

This is an interesting and fun book of 101 stories for music fans, especially Canadian music fans. They range from the distant past about Wilf Carter and Hank Snow to recent times about Justin Bieber and Tate McRae, from rock like April Wine and folk like Stan Rogers, and bars like Lulu's Roadhouse in Kitchener and Toronto's Horseshoe. It was amazing to find out how far the Canadian reach is.

I liked the writing style ... the stories were short and snappy. I thought they were interesting and I found myself pausing at times as I was reading to Google to learn more about what I was reading about. I had no idea what a road apple is and "bop bada baa, bop bada baa" was a code with Crowbar ... ha! Some of the stories are well-known and some not so well-known like that of Maritimers MacLean & MacLean.

Book ~ "Everyone Here is Lying" (2023) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ Welcome to Stanhope! A safe neighborhood. A place for families.

William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper.

Hours later, Avery's family declares her missing.

Suddenly Stanhope doesn't feel so safe. And William isn't the only one on his street who's hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery's neighbors become increasingly unhinged.

Who took Avery Wooler?

Nothing will prepare you for the truth.

William is a doctor who is having an affair with a neighbour who is a volunteer at the hospital. Both have families to consider and the woman breaks it off. When William goes home broken-hearted, Avery, his nine-year-old daughter, is unexpectedly there. She has deemed "difficult" by everyone and does what she wants (her family lets her get away with it). She provokes William's anger, he slaps her, apologizes and then he leaves. When the family gets home, they discover that Avery is missing and contact the police. As the police investigate, they discover there are many who could have made Avery disappear ... her father, a couple older boys who live on the street, perhaps a stranger, and more.

I've read a few other books by this author and thought this one was okay. I would have enjoyed it more except I disliked Avery immensely and found her character way over the top and unrealistic ... I was hoping the kidnapper would kill her (nasty to say about a child, I know). It's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is. It ended abruptly ... I turned the page expecting a new chapter to start but there were only blank pages. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "The Lie Maker" (2023) Linwood Barclay

From Goodreads ~ Your dad's not a good person. Your dad killed people, son.

These are some of the last words Jack Givins' father spoke to him before he was whisked away by witness protection, leaving Jack and his mother to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives as best they could.

Years later, Jack is a grown man with problems of his own. He's a talented but struggling author, barely scraping by on the royalties from his moderately successful first book. So when the U.S. Marshals approach him with a lucrative opportunity, he's in no position to turn them down. They're recruiting writers like Jack to create false histories for people in witness protection - people like Jack's father.

The coincidence is astonishing to Jack at first but he soon realizes this may be a chance to find his dad. Only there's one problem - Jack's father hasn't made contact with his handlers recently and they have no idea where he is. He could be in serious danger and Jack may be the only one who can find him.

But how will he find a man he's never truly known? A man who has done terrible things in his lifetime and made some deadly enemies in the process - enemies who wouldn't think twice about using his own son against him.

Jack is an author. His first two books were minor successes and he's trying to get his third book published but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. He's approached by U.S. Marshals with an interesting proposition to create the back stories of people who are heading into the witness protection program. He will be paid well so he accepts as he has no other prospects and no money.

Jack's father had been put in the witness protection program many years ago and Jack realizes this new job may be a way to track him down and make sure he's okay. So he asks Gwen, his U.S. Marshals contact, to do some digging and she discovers his father has been missing for a while. Jack decides to try and find him, with the help of Gwen and Lana, his reporter girlfriend.

I've read many books by this author and I thought this one was okay. It is written in first person perspective when it's Jack's voice and third person perspective from other points of view, depending on where the action was. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "Meet Me at the Lake" (2023) Carley Fortune

From Goodreads ~ Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in Toronto. The timing was wrong but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn't.

At thirty-two, Fern's life doesn't look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern's back home, running her mother's Muskoka lakeside resort - something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend's the manager and Fern doesn't know where to begin.

She needs a plan - a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern's going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago. Will is hiding something, and Fern's not sure she wants to know what it is.

But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?

Fern was graduating from university in Toronto when she met Will ... he was painting a mural one day in the coffee shop where she worked part time. She was expected to return to her mother's resort in Muskoka where she grew up. But she loved Toronto and wanted to stay but knew her mother wouldn't like that. Will was heading back to Vancouver the next day so offered to show Fern some of his favourite places in Toronto. They spend the day and night wandering around the city. 

Because they both had a lot going on in their lives, when they part in the morning, they make a pact to not contact each other and meet in a year's time at her mother's resort. Alas, when the date arrives, Fern is there but Will doesn't show up.

Fern had been fulfilling her dream of working and living in Toronto so rushes back to take over the resort nine years later when mother was killed in an accident. Unbeknownst to her, the resort had been having financial difficulties and her mother had hired a consultant to help her. Imagine Fern's surprise to discover all this and that it's Will. He's very different from the carefree fun artist she met ten years ago.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I thought it was just okay. I had a hard time believing that Fern had been carrying a torch for a guy she spent one day with ten years earlier and who didn't show up as promised a year later. Not a big surprise that there is a happy ending but I wasn't buying it considering the way he treated her after they reconnected. It is written in third person perspective in Fern's voice, plus there are excerpts from her mother's diary from before Fern was born. As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

I liked that the story was partially set in Toronto. I've been to many of the places where Fern and Will spent their day ... Graffiti Alley, the AGO (art gallery), Kensington Market, eating nachos at Sneaky Dees, etc. Will has a buddy who lives in Liberty Village which isn't far from me.

Book ~ "Blind Date" (2022) Brenda Chapman

From Goodreads ~ Nobody’s safe when a killer has you in their sights.

True crime podcaster Ella Tate is shaken to her core by the horrific assault and murder of Josie Wheatly, a teacher she has never met ... because not only had Josie moved into Ella’s vacated apartment three months earlier but her Facebook photos reveal a striking resemblance between the two women.

Within days, two people close to Ella are harmed and she fears that she’s become the target of twisted revenge from her crime-reporting days. Reluctantly teaming up with her neighbour, Tony, a hairdresser who loves the finer things in life, and Liam Hunter, the persistent detective assigned to the cases, Ella struggles to stay one step ahead before she becomes the target of the final kill.

Ella recently got laid off from her job as a newspaper reporter and has started a crime podcast. She and her live-in boyfriend recently broke up, taking all of his furniture with him. She's barely scraping by now. She doesn't have many people close to her except her younger brother, Danny, who is a busker addicted to drugs and living on the streets, Finn, her childhood friend, and O'Brien, a police officer she has known for about ten years.

Ella starts to investigate the rape and suicide of a teacher named Josie, who had recently moved into Ella's old apartment. Ella realizes how similar they are in appearance and wonders if she was the intended victim. As she starts digging, she receives threats and terrible things start happening to people around her.

This is the first of two in the Hunter and Tate series (I'd read the second one in March) and I liked it ... there are lots of possibilities about who could have done everything. It's written in third person perspective in various voices depending on where the action was. I like the fact that it is set in Ottawa, ON, and they didn't hide it. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "Mommy Don’t - From Mother to Murderer: The True Story of Penny and Karissa Boudreau" (2023) Sherri Aikenhead

From Goodreads ~ On January 29, 2008, just days after a bitter winter storm, Nova Scotians watched with breaking hearts as a young mother in the small town of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, pleaded on the supper-hour news for help finding her missing twelve-year-old daughter. For thirteen days, the country held its breath as the search for Karissa Boudreau continued. When finally frozen toes were found poking out of a snowbank, police confirmed Karissa was dead. 

Shock quickly turned to anger when Karissa’s mother, Penny Boudreau, was arrested for the murder of her only child. A year later, Penny sat in the prisoner’s box in Nova Scotia Supreme Court. The moment seasoned journalist Sherri Aikenhead heard Penny confess to the killing, she knew she would write this story. 

Aikenhead scoured official Bridgewater Police records, RCMP investigative records, court records and Penny Boudreau’s Parole Board of Canada decisions to recreate what happened fifteen years ago. Through interviews with Karissa’s circle of family and friends, and including a first-hand account from a key undercover agent who reveals how the Mr. Big operation extracted Penny’s confession, Aikenhead skillfully builds a powerful and intimate narrative of what really happened to “Bridgewater’s daughter.” 

With fifteen black-and-white photos, some provided by Karissa’s family members, Mommy Don’t takes readers on a heart-pounding journey into the unfathomable question: how could a mother murder her own daughter?

I'm originally from Nova Scotia so that's why this book caught my eye.

Twelve-year-old Karissa had recently moved in with her mother, Penny, and her mother's boyfriend, Vernon, after living with her father, Paul. Karissa didn't like living there and was acting like any twelve-year-old would. Penny had had enough and took her for a drive to have a heart-to-heart chat. Penny stopped in the grocery store to pick up some things and while she was there, Karissa took off. Because there was a snowstorm happening and Karissa wasn't dressed for the weather, Penny drove around looking for her. She eventually called the police to report her daughter missing.

But that's not happened. Penny was scared she was going to lose Vernon because of all the bickering so she murdered her own daughter to keep her man. So sad.

I hadn't heard about this case and it was interesting to read about it. I liked the writing style and the author obviously did a lot of research. It wasn't a happy story and it's crazy that Penny, despite pleading guilty to second degree murder in 2009, is already allowed out on supervised outings.

Books ~ "Starter Dog: My Path to Joy, Belonging and Loving This World" (2023) Rona Maynard

From Goodreads ~ Rona Maynard wants to love her life again. Stuck in the what-next doldrums after quitting a big job, she needs a new bridge to the world.

So, well into their married life, she lets her husband talk her into their first dog, a rescue mutt named Casey. Rona frets about shedding, lost travel opportunities and arguments about walking duty. She doubts she can love a dog. But when Casey romps through her door, Rona falls hard.

Over time he gives her what no human could - a new way of seeing and a pathway to the heart of a moment. Her downtown neighborhood reveals its true face as she explores it with Casey, making new friends and discovering hidden beauty spots. She learns to have adventures on her own stomping ground. Through Casey, Rona falls in love with the world and her place in it, an animal among other animals.

Rona and Paul were in their 60s and had recently retired ... Rona had had a demanding job as the editor-in-chief of Chatelaine magazine (from 1994 to 2004). As a recent retiree, I can relate to figuring out what retirement life is. Paul suggested they get a dog and Rona wasn't crazy about the idea ... he had happy memories of having dogs while Rona's memory of her childhood dog wasn't a good one. It took them two years to finally get a dog as things kept getting into the way. They adopted a rescue dog they named Casey, who they were told had been in a shelter, had been trained in a prison program and then landed back in the shelter on death row before making his way to Toronto. 

I like reading stories about dogs (and animals) and that's why this book caught my eye. This is Paul, Rona and Casey's story, with a focus on Rona and Casey's relationship. The love Rona has for Casey and with him in their lives is obvious. It was interesting to read how Rona's feelings and views changed over time. In the beginning, she didn't really want a dog but by the end of the book, Casey was helping her see every day people and her 'hood in a different way. 

It's obvious that editing is Rona's background and she is well-educated. I found the writing style at times a bit over my head as I had to stop and look up some of the words and terms she was using. 

Book ~ "Everything She Feared" (2023) Rick Mofina

From Goodreads ~ When a teen falls off a cliff while taking a selfie, the last thing she sees before plummeting to her death is Katie Harmon, the nine-year-old girl she was babysitting, looking down at her. 

Investigators gather at the scene, and Katie’s mother, Sara, rushes to comfort her daughter, yet there’s a small, secret ping of alarm in Sara’s heart that she cannot share - though rookie detective Kim Pierce senses it. 

For years, others have tried to unravel this secret, from true-crime podcasters to a haunted journalist searching for a killer who vanished after being released from prison. And now, with detectives tightening the focus of their investigation, Sara is consumed by her darkest fear - that the babysitter’s death was not accidental.

Katie is nine years old and on a day trip with a bunch of other children and their counsellors. Katie and Anna, who is a counsellor and also babysits Katie, are the last to get off the bus. Stopping near a cliff to take a selfie, Anna falls off the cliff but manages to grab a branch and hangs on. Katie runs for help but by the time she gets back, Anna is dead at the bottom of the cliff. The police are called in and investigate ... was it an accident ... or suicide ... or was Anna pushed and if so, by whom?

In the meantime, Ryan's sister, along with others, were murdered by a serial killing couple back in the 1990s. The husband committed suicide in prison and the wife served her time and was released seven years ago. Ryan has been trying to track the wife because the whereabouts of the bodies is unknown and Ryan wants to know where his sister's body is so he can give her a proper burial and have peace at last. One of the trails he is following takes him to Seattle where Anna had died.

I've read a few books by this author and thought this one was okay.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is. The first part of the book is intentionally vague, alluding to things that Sara knows about her past and is ashamed of ... it eventually all comes out but as it was easy enough to figure out what was going to be revealed, the book could have been edited down a bit. The ending came together quickly and was a bit convoluted.

Book ~ "When Last Seen" (2023) Brenda Chapman

From Goodreads ~ The hardest part is not knowing…

Ottawa is baking under a July heatwave when the Homicide and Major Crimes Unit is called to help track down missing three-year-old Charlie McGowan. This is the second missing person case in nine months - a university exchange student never made it back to her Carleton University residence from a downtown party in November.

At first, the two disappearances appear unrelated but as true crime podcaster Ella Tate and Detective Liam Hunter dig deeper into both files, unsettling relationships begin to emerge. Evidence, however, remains frustratingly out of reach as the clock keeps ticking and concern for both missing victims takes on a heightened urgency.

And then Liam Hunter gets a call that a body’s been found on the Ottawa River Parkway ...

Three-year-old Charlie was playing in his yard with the neighbour's cat. His mother, Ginger, took her eyes off him for a few minutes and he disappeared. A search is done of the neighbourhood and the water not far from their house but there is no sign of him. Liam is the police officer in charge of the investigation and quietly works with true crime writer/podcaster Ella to get the word out and find Charlie. Hours turn into days and there's still no word about him. Ginger is frantic and David, his father, keeps himself busy with work.

Suddenly clues start coming out that David has had business meetings with suspicious men and then it's discovered that they may have connections to a Chinese-exchange student who went missing months before.

This was an interesting story and there were many possibilities on what could have happened to Charlie. It's written in third person perspective depending on where the action was. Though it is the second in the Hunter and Tate series, there seemed to be enough information from the first one so you can read this one as a stand alone (I haven't read the first one but will). I like the fact that it is set in Ottawa, ON, and they didn't hide it. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Hold My Girl" (2023) Charlene Carr

From Goodreads ~ Katherine is a woman full of obsessions. Everything clean, everything perfect, all the time. After seven years of trying - and failing - to conceive, she finally gives birth to Rose, her IVF miracle child. But she’s afraid that Rose may not be her daughter; her pale skin doesn’t match Katherine’s own.

Tess never got her happy ending. She took on IVF alongside Katherine and a group of hopeful mothers but her daughter, Hanna, was stillborn. After a series of poor choices, she’s divorced, broke and stuck in a job that’s below her skill set.

Ten months later, Katherine and Tess get a call from the fertility clinic that reveals shocking news: the two women’s eggs were switched. While Katherine’s perfect life beings to crumble around her, for Tess it’s the glimmer of hope she needs to get her life back on track. But it will take a custody battle to decide who deserves to be Rose’s mother, a battle that will push both women to the brink.

Katherine and Patrick had been trying for years to have a baby. Tess had also been trying to have a baby and though she and her husband eventually divorced, she decides to do it alone using a sperm donor. Both women become pregnant via IVF. Katherine delivers a healthy girl they name Rose. Unfortunately Tess' baby, who she names Hannah, is stillborn and because of complications, Tess will never be able to get pregnant again. While Katherine and Patrick are professionally successful and seem to have a perfect life, Tess is working a job that is below her skill level and using booze and men to numb her unhappiness.

Almost a year later it's discovered that someone at the fertility clinic had switched their eggs ... it was Katherine's egg that had been mixed with a sperm donor and that's the baby Tess had carried (Hannah) and it was Tess' egg that had been mixed with Patrick's sperm and that's the baby Katherine had carried (Rose). Needless to say, Tess wants her baby (Rose) and Katherine and Patrick want to keep Rose since biologically Patrick is her father and Katherine had carried and birthed her. The three can't come up with a solution so it goes to mediation and then court. There is a lot of dirt in Tess' background that can be used against her in a custody battle but as it turns out, Patrick and Katherine also have their own secrets that might hurt them.

This was an interesting topic for a story. Who is the actual mother ... the one who provided the egg or the one who carried the baby and was raising her? Apparently in Nova Scotia where the story takes place, there was no precedent (and maybe Canada?). Both Katherine and Tess thought they were the "real" mother. I thought the writing was okay, though I found the story a bit long and it could have been tighter. It's written in third person perspective in Katherine and Tess' voices. I wasn't overly sympathetic to either Katherine or Tess ... Katherine seemed too cold and Tess kept making dumb mistakes even when she knew so much was on the line. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "The Housekeeper" (2022) Joy Fielding

From Goodreads ~ Jodi Bishop knows success. She's the breadwinner, a top-notch real estate agent. Her husband, Harrison ... not so much. Once he had big dreams. But now he's a middling writer who resents his wife's success.

Jodi's father, Vic, now in his late seventies and retired, is a very controlling man. His wife, Audrey, was herself no shrinking violet. But things changed when Audrey developed Parkinson's ten years ago and Vic retired to devote himself to her care. But while still reasonably spry and rakishly handsome, Vic is worn down by his wife's deteriorating condition.

Exhausted from trying to balance her career, her family, and her parents’ needs, Jodi starts interviewing housekeepers to help care for Audrey and Vic. She settles on Elyse Woodley, an energetic and attractive widow in her early sixties, who seems perfect for the job. While Vic is initially resistant, he soon warms to Elyse’s sunny personality and engaging ways.

And Jodi is pleased to have an ally, someone she can talk to and occasionally even confide in. Until ...

She shuts Jodi out. And Audrey's condition worsens - rapidly. Who is this woman suddenly wearing her mother’s jewelry? What is she after? And how far will she go to get it?

Jodi is the married mother of two young children. As a real estate agent, she is the main support of her family. Her husband is a novelist who had success with his first book 10 years and and has been working on his second one since. Her parents are elderly ... her mother is bedridden and her father is her caregiver. As busy as Jodi is, her husband still seems to expect her to carry more of the load at home and is resentful when she cares for her parents. Somethings got to give so Jodi hires a housekeeper named Elyse, who seems perfect and it takes some pressure off Jodi. But things start taking a turn ... Elyse is controlling her parents' household, restricting access to them and wearing Jodi's mother's clothing and jewellery and there's nothing Jodi can do about it.

It was an intriguing story of how Elyse was able to take control of everything ... a bit farfetched but I went with it. I liked the writing style. It was written in first person perspective in Jodi's voice. As a head's up, there is swearing. 

I didn't find there were any likeable characters. Everyone, including her parents, husband and older sister, treated Jodi like crap. Despite her age (she's in her late 30s/early 40s) and having a successful career, she's a doormat and kept on taking everything so I had a hard time feeling sorry for her. Her family would insult her and she wouldn't say anything because that's the way they always spoke to her (they made no secret that her older freeloading sister was the favourite). When her husband treated her like crap, she took it because she didn't want to cause friction like she saw between her parents.