Book ~ "The Hitchhikers" (2025) Chevy Stevens

From Goodreads ~ The open road beckons. A chance for them to reconnect. Then they make a fatal mistake.

It’s the summer of 1976 and Alice and Tom set out on the remote Canadian highways in their new RV, hoping to heal their broken hearts after a devastating tragedy.

They’ve planned the trip perfectly, taken care of every detail. Then they meet two young hitchhikers down on their luck and offer them a ride. But Simon and Jenny aren’t what they seem. They’ve left a trail of blood, destruction and madness behind them.

Now Alice and Tom are trapped, prisoners in a deadly game, with nowhere to turn. As the tension builds, the lines blur, and the question becomes, In whose heart does evil truly lie? What secrets are Jenny and Simon hiding? And who will live another day?

It’s the summer of 1976 and Alice and her husband, Tom, who are from Seattle, are taking a road trip through Canada in their RV, meandering their way from British Columbia to the Olympics in Montreal, hoping to heal after some heartbreaking losses. Along the way, they pick up two young hitchhikers who go by “Ocean” and “Blue.” At first, they just seem like free-spirited kids but Alice soon finds out they’re not who they say they are ... they are Jenny and Simon and are wanted for a horrific crime. 

From there, the trip takes a violent turn. Tom gets badly hurt and Alice is forced into a terrifying journey with these strangers who get more violent as time goes on. Alice has to figure out how to survive, protect Tom and hope more people don't get hurt along the way.

I thought this book was okay, though I found it long. There was so much going on and I found it dragged the story down. It got repetitious after a while with the violence. The details of a couple of the beatings could have been left out because I got right away that Simon wasn't a nice stable guy. Plus I didn't need every detail of when Alice cooked. The story was interesting enough and I was curious to see how it would end. 

The author is Canadian and didn't hide the fact that Alice, Tom, Simon and Jenny were traveling through British Columbia. It's written in third person perspective in Alice and Jenny's voices (the chapters are labeled) and sometimes goes back in time so we get Jenny and Simon's backstories. I didn't find Jenny to be a very believable character. Unbelievably after all the killing, robbing and kidnapping they'd done, she still thought she and Simon had a future. Because it's set in 1976, it was a time before cell phones and the Internet so there's no way Jenny and Simon could have stayed on the run as long as they did had it been set in present day. As a head's up, there is violence, swearing and sexual assault.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The chapters include:

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

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

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

Book ~ "Women Who Woke up the Law: Inside the Cases that Changed Women's Rights in Canada" (2025) Karin Wells

From Goodreads ~ Behind every “landmark case” is a woman with a story.

Karin Wells pulls us into the lives and the legal trials of a group of women integral to the advancement of women’s rights in Canada. 

Eliza Campbell, Chantale Daigle, Jeannette Corbiere Lavell - these Women Who Woke Up the Law often had no idea what they were facing in the courts or the price they would have to pay. 

Some never saw justice themselves but they left a legal legacy. Their bold determination is something we need now more than ever to guard the hard-won gains in women’s rights.

This book is an exploration of 10 groundbreaking legal battles led by Canadian women that changed life for women and often, the law itself. It brings us behind the scenes of ten big legal battles led by everyday women who stood up to unfair systems and pushed for justice, even when the odds were totally against them:

1. Eliza Campbell (divorce law) - wrongly accused of adultery in the 1880s, she fought for her reputation and alimony and her struggles prompted early reforms in divorce rights
2. The Famous Five - in 1929, challenged the idea that only men were “persons” under the law and won
3. Florence Murdoch (property rights) - an Alberta ranch wife whose decades of labor went unrecognized until her fight brought attention to women's entitlement to shared property
4. Jane Doe (sexual assault ["No Means No"]) - in 1999, a consent ruling that defined clear boundaries around marital and extramarital sexual violence
5. Stella Bliss (maternity benefits) - her pursuit of unemployment insurance during maternity leave helped define equal treatment
6. Jeannette Corbiere Lavell and Indian Status Laws - she challenged the discrimination that stripped Indigenous women of their status when marrying non‑status men
7. Chantale Daigle (abortion rights) - in Quebec in the 1980s, she fought in court for her right to choose abortion
8. Jane Hurshman (domestic violence and homicide in self‑defense) - her killing of her abusive partner brought about legal protections for battered women
9. Viola Desmond and Rachael Baylis (racial justice) - these Black women’s legal battles brought attention to discrimination
10. NDAs and power - examines legal conflicts over non‑disclosure agreements and the right to one’s own narrative as it pertains to Jan Wong, Kaarina Pakka, Peter Nygård and others

I thought this topic would be interesting and it was. Some of these cases I'd heard of (like Jane Hurshman and Viola Desmond, for example) while others were new to me. I was expecting it to be dry and dull but it wasn't. There was just enough information and when/if I wanted more, I Googled. It's obvious the author did a great deal of research. It's an excellent book for women to read and thank those who came before us for all they did. As a head's up, there is swearing and descriptions of violence.

Book ~ "Crow" (2019) Amy Spurway

From Goodreads ~ When Stacey Fortune is diagnosed with three highly unpredictable - and inoperable - brain tumours, she abandons the crumbling glamour of her life in Toronto for her mother Effie's scruffy trailer in rural Cape Breton. Back home, she's known as Crow and everybody suspects that her family is cursed.

With her future all but sealed, Crow decides to go down in a blaze of unforgettable glory by writing a memoir that will raise eyebrows and drop jaws. She'll dig up "the dirt" on her family tree, including the supposed curse, and uncover the truth about her mysterious father, who disappeared a month before she was born.

But first, Crow must contend with an eclectic assortment of characters, including her gossipy Aunt Peggy, hedonistic party-pal Char, homebound best friend Allie, and high-school flame Willy. She'll also have to figure out how to live with her mother and how to muddle through the unsettling visual disturbances that are becoming more and more vivid each day.

Stacey was almost 40, living in Toronto and working for a marketing firm when she discovered she had brain tumours. Having just broke up with her fiancé, she needed someone to take care of her as she was dying so she headed home to rural Cape Breton and moved in with her mom, Effie, in her trailer. Effie works long hard hours as a cleaning lady in a motel and outwardly doesn't have a lot of time or patience for Crow (as Stacey is known at home) feeling sorry for herself. But as we get to know Effie, we find out she really is a caring woman.

Crow doesn't have a lot of support around her. Allie, her best friend, has been living in Halifax taking care of her dying mother. Char, another good friend, has been traveling the world having wild adventures and arrives home with a baby whose father was a murdered Congolese criminal. Peggy, her mother's sister, is a gossip. Willy is an old flame from high school who has a garage and sells weeds on the side. Her father disappeared about a month before she was born and his well-to-do family has never acknowledged her so Effie raised her as a single mom.

This sounds like a dreary story but it was actually amusing and quirky for the most part. I wanted to like it more than I did but it fell apart for me around the 80% point when it took some some weird turns which was disappointing. It's written in first person perspective in Crow's voice. As a head's up, there is swearing.

I lived in Cape Breton in my teens so could relate to some of the places and expressions. For a time, I lived in the general area where Effie's trailer was (on the Bras d'Or Lake).  "Town Town", which was the nearby city is really Sydney (where I lived) and "Bayflower Mall" is really the Mayflower Mall in Sydney. There were references to the "Butterscotch Palace", which was a psychiatric hospital in Sydney and has since been demolished and not far from where I lived.

Book ~ "The Jackass Whisperer" (2019) Scott Stratten and Alison Stratten

From Goodreads ~ A rallying cry for everyone tired of keyboard commandos and people who use speakerphones in open plan offices, "The Jackass Whisperer" is your guide to dealing with the worst people on earth.

Jackasses are those who make our lives needlessly harder. They drive too slowly in the fast lane and too quickly in the slow lane, reply all, heat up fish in the microwave at work and share way too much information about their cleanse on Facebook. They live in our homes, work in our offices and shop at our stores. Jackasses are among us and we have some bad news for you: if you can’t spot the Jackass at the (enter literally any place on the planet), then the Jackass is you.

After a lifetime of research, Scott and Alison Stratten offer the definitive guide to surviving the Jackassery in your life and making the world a better place, one set of noise-cancelling headphones at a time.

The Jackass Whisperer explores the frustrating world of difficult people, who the authors call jackasses. The message is that while we can’t control other people’s behaviour, we can control how we respond to them. 

With 125 different scenarios, they show common types of jackassery encountered in everyday life. Each chapter focuses on a different setting (at work, online, in traffic, in parenting, etc.) offering advice on how to respond with a jackass reaction or a whisperer reaction. At the end, you can tally your reactions and see what you are (I had mostly whisperer reactions).

I've read other books by Scott and have liked them. Like this one, not only is there humour but there are some skills you can take away and put in practice in your life.

Book ~ "A Family Outing" (2016) Ruby Remenda Swanson

From Goodreads ~ Ruby Swanson’s life changed when her sixteen-year-old son walked to her office, closed the door and with his hand still on the doorknob said, “I’m gay.” Despite her initial reaction of shock, fear and denial, Ruby became a public advocate for equality and acceptance of the LGBT community. "A Family Outing" is the story of Ruby’s experiences. She addresses the deeply homophobic time in which baby boomers grew up, the emergence of the gay rights movement and how the AIDS epidemic transformed the LGBT landscape.

"A Family Outing" is a memoir about discovering gay great-uncles and learning about their lives. It is about operating spotlights at a drag queen show and about marching in Pride Parades. It is about the discrimination that gay people continue to face today and what emerges from the direct, clear-eyed prose. Finally, it is the picture of a woman who endured taunts from religious fundamentalists and political protestors to become an LGBT advocate.

This is a memoir by Ruby, an Alberta mom, who shares her journey after her oldest son, Carl, came out as gay when he was a teenager in 2003. At first, she struggles but the book tells about the about the ups and downs of that experience.

Swanson doesn’t just talk Carl's coming out to her family and friends. She also discusses society has treated LGBTQ+ people over the years, from the AIDS crisis to Pride marches. She discovers other gay family members along the way including a member of Lawrence Welk's band and a drag queen in Toronto.

I liked the writing style. There was a lot of interesting information and it was at a high enough level that it wasn't too much information. It's amazing that it wasn't until 1968 that Canada decriminalized homosexuality. The American Psychiatric Association didn't remove homosexuality from its manual of mental disorders until 1973. Gays and lesbians couldn't join the Canadian Armed Forces until 1992. Same-sex marriage in Canada wasn't legalized until 2005.

Book ~ "Dinner with Edward: A Story of an Unexpected Friendship" (2016) Isabel Vincent

From Goodreads ~ When Isabel meets Edward, both are at a crossroads: he wants to follow his late wife to the grave and she is ready to give up on love. Thinking she is merely helping Edward’s daughter - who lives far away and asked her to check in on her nonagenarian dad in New York - Isabel has no idea that the man in the kitchen baking the sublime roast chicken and light-as-air apricot soufflé will end up changing her life.

As Edward and Isabel meet weekly for the glorious dinners that Edward prepares, he shares so much more than his recipes for apple galette or the perfect martini, or even his tips for deboning poultry. Edward is teaching Isabel the luxury of slowing down and taking the time to think through everything she does, to deconstruct her own life, cutting it back to the bone and examining the guts, no matter how messy that proves to be.

"Dinner with Edward" is a book about sorrow and joy, love and nourishment, and about how dinner with a friend can, in the words of M. F. K. Fisher, “sustain us against the hungers of the world.”

Edward was in his early 90s and had just lost his wife, Paula, of over 60 years. He wanted to join her in death but she had him promise that he wouldn't. So instead he's sadly living his life. Isabel's marriage is falling apart ... things are tense and she's unhappy. When Valerie, her oldest friend and one of Edward's daughters, becomes worried about him, she asks Isabel to check on him (Valerie lived in Toronto, his other daughter lived in Greece and Isabel and Edward lived in New York). Isabel does and that begins their friendship and their frequent dinners with Edward doing the elaborate cooking and them sharing stories about their lives.

I thought this story was okay. It was nice that they found each other in their times of need and became friends. It's written in first person perspective in Isabel's voice. I found Isabel and Edward a bit snooty at times, though. I know Edward was from a different generation but it was odd to have him advising her on how to better herself (telling her to wear more red lipstick, going fancy dress shopping with her, etc.) and Isabel going along with it. It would have been nice to have some photographs of them ... apparently Edward had tons in his apartment of his life with Paula.

Book ~ "Rowdy: The Roddy Piper Story" (2016) Colt Baird Toombs and Ariel Teal Toombs

From Goodreads ~ In early 2015, Roderick Toombs, aka Rowdy Roddy Piper, began researching his own autobiography with a trip through Western Canada. He was re-discovering his youth, a part of his life he never discussed during his 61 years, many spent as one of the greatest talents in the history of pro wrestling. Following his death due to a heart attack that July, two of his children took on the job of telling Roddy's story, separating fact from fiction in the extraordinary life of their father.

Already an accomplished wrestler before Wrestlemania in 1985, Roddy Piper could infuriate a crowd like no "heel" before him. The principal antagonist to all-American champion Hulk Hogan, Piper used his quick wit, explosive ring style and fearless baiting of audiences to push pro wrestling to unprecedented success. Wrestling was suddenly pop culture's main event. An actor with over 50 screen credits, including the lead in John Carpenter's #1 cult classic, "They Live", Piper knew how to keep fans hungry, just as he'd kept them wishing for a complete portrait of his most unusual life. He wanted to write this book for his family; now they have written it for him.

Roddy Piper was professional wrestler and actor. He was born in Saskatoon, SK, in 1954 (I didn't know he was Canadian). He was the youngest of three children and his family moved around a lot because his father worked for the CN Rail Police. His father was a strict disciplinarian and Roddy left home at an early age and fell into wrestling. Starting out, he did the circuits across Canada and the States before becoming the mouthy heel "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. He was in the process of researching and writing this book when he passed away in suddenly in 2015 and two of his children took up the job of finishing his story.

I was a fan of wrestling in the late 1980s and early 1990s (I even attended Wrestlemania VI in April 1990 at the SkyDome here in Toronto). I knew wrestling was fake but it was fun. I like reading bios and have had this on my to-be-read list for years so finally read it. Despite his persona of being a heal, Roddy sounds like a nice fella who was loved and respected by all. It was interesting to read the behind-the-scenes stories of the wrestling world and the wrestlers who were villans and enemies but actually good friends of Roddy's. I found it was written at a high level with just enough detail. I found myself Googling the names of wrestlers I haven't thought about in years to see what they are up to today (alas, many had passed away young). It's an interesting book if you are/were a wrestling fan. There are lots of pictures at the end. As a head's up, there is swearing and descriptions of drug and alcohol use.

Book ~ "Beverlee Beaz meets Lowree Louise, the Blue Burmese" (2025) Regan W. H. Macaulay and Wei Lu

From Mirror World Publishing ~ Beverlee Beaz, the brown Burmese, longs to share her creative adventures with someone special. When she meets her new sister, Lowree Louise, the blue Burmese, she knows she has found a true friend with whom to play imagination games ... if only she can teach the little kitty how. 

Join Beverlee in her latest tale as she mentors her sister in the ways of imagination.

Beverlee Beaz is a brown Burmese cat with a very active imagination.  Her world is perfect except she realizes that something is missing in her life. Her human parents coincidentally surprise her with a new sister named Lowree Louise, a blue Burmese cat. Beverlee is really excited because now she has someone she can play with and mentor. And so begins the adventures of Beverlee Beaz teaching Lowree Louise the best game in the world, which is using their imaginations.

This is a story for young children and not only is it cute but it also encourages children to use their own imagination. So instead of just seeing a red cardinal, imagine that it's a fire breathing dragon! The illustrations are gorgeous and colourful. At the end of the book, there are a couple activities ... colouring a picture of Lance the white stallion as a pegasus and a word scramble.

Book ~ "Unravelled" (2007) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ Beth wasn’t sure that joining a knitting circle was going to fill the void created when she left her sweet but commitment-phobic boyfriend, Colin, and moved in with her frumpy and judgmental roommate but it was worth a try. 

Armed with a bottle of Merlot and a positive attitude, she attended the first meeting of the stitch ’n bitch club. In attendance were Sophie, a young mom grappling with a toddler and a passion-deficit marriage; Nicola, an eerily sweet and demure bride-to-be; and Martin, a charming magazine editor who just had to be gay - or was he?

Beth is in her early/mid thirties and had been living with Colin for four years. She assumed they'd be married and have their first child by the time she was 35. When she discovered Colin liked the way things were, she moved out.

Angie, her friend, starts a stitch 'n bitch club and invites Beth. Also in the group are Sophie, Nicola and Martin. Beth is a freelance writer who occasionally works for Martin, who they assume is gay. In the meantime, Beth starts dating Jim, an engineer she had interviewed. Because he is older, he seems to be everything Colin isn't and Beth starts to see a future with him.

I was looking for something light and this seemed to fit the bill. Plus I'm a knitter. It started off fairly light but then things started getting went off in a few unbelievable directions. This story is written in first person perspective in Beth's voice. I didn't find anyone all that likeable. Beth and her friends were supposed to be in their thirties but acted like they were in their teens or early twenties, so immature. I figured there was a twist coming up. And there were a couple ... I saw one coming and the other one was farfetched. As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

Book ~ "The Arrangement" (2019) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ Natalie, a young art student in New York City, is struggling to pay her bills when a friend makes a suggestion: Why not go online and find a sugar daddy - a wealthy older man who will pay her for dates and even give her a monthly allowance? Lots of girls do it, Nat learns. All that’s required is to look pretty and hang on his every word. Sexual favours are optional.

Though more than thirty years her senior, Gabe, a handsome corporate finance attorney, seems like the perfect candidate, and within a month, they are madly in love. At least, Nat is ... Gabe already has a family, whom he has no intention of leaving.

So when he abruptly ends things, Nat can’t let go. She begins drinking heavily and stalking him: watching him at work, spying on his wife, even befriending his daughter, who is not much younger than she is. But Gabe’s not about to let his sugar baby destroy his perfect life. What was supposed to be a mutually beneficial arrangement devolves into a nightmare of deception, obsession, and, when a body is found near Gabe’s posh Upper East Side apartment, murder.

Nat is an arts university student in NYC barely making it financially. She was recently fired from her part-time job and her roommates keep threatening to kick her out because she can't pay her share of the bills. When a fellow student tells her about a website where she can look for a sugar daddy, in desperation Nat signs up. Right away she connects with Gabe, a 55-year-old divorced attorney and he sets up her up financially and they fall in love. Though Gabe does care for her, what she doesn't know is that is Gabe actually has a wife and daughter and plans on keeping his secret life secret. Then the time comes for Gabe to make a choice ... Nat or his family. He chooses his family and Nat doesn't take it well at all.

I liked this story (such an intriguing premise) and the writing style. I kind of knew things weren't going to end happily ever after for Nat so it was interesting to see what happened. The ending had a bit of a surprising twist and I was buying it. This story is written in third person perspective. As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.

Book ~ "The Swap" (2020) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ Low Morrison is not your average teen. You could blame her hippie parents or her looming height or her dreary, isolated hometown on an island in the Pacific Northwest. But whatever the reason, Low just doesn’t fit in - and neither does Freya, a once-famous social media influencer who now owns the pottery studio in town.

After signing up for a class, Low quickly falls under Freya’s spell. And Freya, buoyed by Low’s adoration, is compelled to share her darkest secrets and deepest desires. Finally, both feel a sense of belonging ... that is, until Jamie walks through the studio door. Desperate for a baby, she and her husband have moved to the island hoping that the healthy environment will result in a pregnancy. Freya and Jamie become fast friends, as do their husbands, leaving Low alone once again.

Then one night, after a boozy dinner party, Freya suggests swapping partners. It should have been a harmless fling between consenting adults, one night of debauchery that they would put behind them but when one of the women becomes pregnant, Low finds the perfect opportunity to unleash her growing resentment.

Low is a high school senior who will be graduating in a couple months. She is an awkward loner, lives with her polyamorous parents (and their partners) and her siblings on a farm and has no friends. When she sees a sign for pottery lessons, she signs up and becomes friends with Freya, the teacher. Freya and Max, her retired hockey player husband, recently moved to the isolated island after a controversy involving Max. Low is happy to finally have someone who seems to care about her. 

When Freya meets shop owner, Jamie, they become friends and Low is left out which pisses her off. Freya and Max started hanging out with Jamie and Brian, her husband, and one night they are partying and doing mushrooms. Some time during the night, they swap partners and one of the women becomes pregnant, possibly from that encounter. Low knows who the father of the baby is as she'd been watching the couples and uses this knowledge to her advantage.

I thought this story had an interesting premise and it turned out to be a crazy mess. Teenager Low and adult Jamie were lonely and desperate for company and Freya seemed to be the only one wanting to hang out with them ... but not together or at the same time. Freya was mean and rude to both but they still kept coming back for more. Freya didn't treat Max very well either but he felt like he deserved it. None of the characters were likeable. The ending was unbelievable and over the top and I wasn't buying it.

This story is written in third person perspective in Low, Max, Jamie and Brian's voices. As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.

Book ~ "The Hanged Man's Noose" (2018) Judy Penz Sheluk

From Goodreads ~ Journalist Emily Garland lands a plum assignment as the editor of a niche magazine based in Lount’s Landing, a small town named after a colorful nineteenth century Canadian traitor. As she interviews the local business owners for the magazine, Emily quickly learns that many people are unhappy with real estate mogul Garrett Stonehaven’s plans to convert an old schoolhouse into a mega-box store. At the top of that list is Arabella Carpenter, the outspoken owner of an antiques shop, who will do just about anything to preserve the integrity of the town’s historic Main Street.

But Arabella is not alone in her opposition. Before long, a vocal dissenter at a town hall meeting about the proposed project dies. A few days later, another body is discovered and although both deaths are ruled accidental, Emily’s journalistic suspicions are aroused.

Putting her reporting skills to the ultimate test, Emily teams up with Arabella to discover the truth behind Stonehaven’s latest scheme before the murderer strikes again.

Emily is a freelance journalist in Toronto. When she gets hired to be the editor of a local magazine in a town north of Toronto, it's an offer she can't resist. Wealthy Torontonian Garrett Stonehaven has recently bought a rundown school there. Though many support his idea of turning it into a megastore, others don't. Personally Emily has issues with Garrett because she feels he is the cause of her mother's death. As townspeople start having deaths that are ruled accidents and she learns about Garrett's past, Emily and her new friend, Arabella, suspect something is going on and start investigating.

This is the first in the Glass Dolphin mystery series and I thought it was okay. It's written in third person perspective. I like that the author didn't hide that it was taking place in and not far from Toronto. The storyline and ending was a bit convoluted but I went with it. The "whodunnit" was obvious about halfway through though Emily didn't clue in until the end. The editing could have been tighter as there were some grammatical errors and some history lessons that could have been deleted as they didn't impact the story.

Book ~ "I'll Never Tell" (2019) Catherine McKenzie

From Goodreads ~ What happened to Amanda Holmes?

Twenty years ago, she was found bludgeoned in a rowboat at the MacAllister family’s Camp Macaw. No one was ever charged with the crime.

Now, after their parents’ sudden deaths, the MacAllister siblings return to camp to read the will and decide what to do with the prime real estate the camp occupies. Ryan needs to sell. Margaux hasn’t made up her mind. Mary believes in leaving well enough alone. Kate and Liddie - the twins - have opposing views. And Sean Booth, the groundskeeper, just hopes he still has a home when all is said and done.

But it’s more complicated than a simple vote. The will stipulates that until they unravel the mystery of what happened to Amanda, they can’t settle the estate. Any one of them could have done it, and each one is holding a piece of the puzzle. Will they work together to finally discover the truth, or will their secrets finally tear the family apart?

It's the summer of 1998 and the MacAllisters run a summer camp. Margeaux is one of their teenage daughters and works there along with her best friend, Amanda, as camp counsellors. Amanda is found dead in July and no one was ever found guilty of her murder.

Twenty years later, the elder MacAllisters had died that spring in a train accident and their wish was to have their will read at the end of the summer. Ryan, Margeaux, Kiddie, Kate and Mary, their now adult children gather at the camp to attend the reading of the will. They assume they will all inherit the camp and some have plans/hopes to sell it while others don't. It turns out the will is convoluted so it's not as easy as they think. No one can forget about Amanda's death as it factors into the division of the property.

It's been a few years since I've read one of this author's book and I wasn't crazy about it. I found the writing boring and draggy and hard to get through. Alas, by the time I got to the end, I didn't really care "whodunnit" and it was actually a bit of a letdown. It is written in the adult children's voices in third person perspective and Amanda's voice in first person perspective (the chapters are labeled). As a head's up, there is swearing.