Wonder World by K.R. Byggdin (Enfield & Wizenty)
When I saw the cover of this book (a jar of pickles?), I knew I had to read it. (And–although Byggdin grew up in Manitoba–they are now living on the East Coast.)
Isaac Funk has been living in Halifax for ten years; for ten years he has been estranged from his Mennonite family in Manitoba. When he was caught kissing another boy at his high school graduation party, he was asked to leave the church.
But now his Opa has died. And his father cared enough to find out how to get in touch with him to let him know. Not only that, but he has inherited his Opa’s farm.
Isaac’s mother left when he was only two, and his father kept himself at a distance. So, it was at his Opa’s farm where Isaac felt most loved. This is enough to bring him home, even if just for the funeral.
Beyond the revolving doors, the sweltering afternoon heat immediately engulfs me. Gone is the briny fishy air of the Maritimes, replaced by the scent of dirt clods and manure.
Wonder World is filled with humour while covering universal, relatable topics like faith and belonging.
He makes one of those specific kinds of disapproving noises only Mennonites with wearisome children can produce from the back of their throats.
My people love to help someone they can judge at the same time.
… people in Mennoland believe you can pray the gay away, that even atheists can be reasoned with. But once you’ve gone over to the United Church? Your spot in hell is all but guaranteed alongside feminists, pro-choicers, and anyone who’s ever voted NDP.
A life without rhubarb sauce is a sad life indeed.
Winnipeg in March is a snotty nose, all snotty discharge and crusty concrete.
Some Maintenance Required by Marie-Renee Lavoie (House of Anansi)
Lavoie’s last two novels (Autopsy of a Boring Wife and A Boring Wife Settles the Score) have been about a middle aged woman moving forward after her husband left her because she was too boring. They were both entertaining, especially the first one. In Some Maintenance Required, Lavoie goes back to a style that reminds me more of her first book, Mister Roger and Me. In fact, the character and the Bingo hall setting show up again – I remembered it immediately.
Laurie’s Dad works at a garage and her Mom works as a parking lot attendant at the hospital. I loved the details about her mother’s job. Over the years she’s made the little booth she works in cozy with pictures, plants, and stacks of books to read. Actually making it sound like an appealing job. Laurie’s been coming to visit her there for years, too, and once she was old enough, could spell her mother off so her mother could take a pee break.
Laurie visits her father (who eats toast with butter and mustard everyday for lunch) at work, as well, where all the other men at the garage treat her like their own daughter. When Laurie starts seeing someone, he comments that he’s never dated a girl with 6 fathers before.
Laurie was born to her mother late in life, and the three of them are very close. They’ve also taken a stray neighbourhood child under their wing. Cindy is neglected by her parents and rough around the edges, but she and Laurie adore each other. We get to see Laurie’s feisty side come out over an incident with Cindy’s mother. It comes out again and again over the injustices of life.
I couldn’t help but love Laurie (and her family) and root for them all the way. I’m hoping she’ll show up again sometime. This book is a real heart-warmer.
Favourite line: “Impossible stories have their charm; they line our memories with velvet, a cushion for whenever life proves too harsh.”
Been There, Ate That by Jules Torti (Pottersfield Press)
A kind of memoir in essays, Been There Ate That is a nostalgic stroll through the ’80s and ’90s, primarily through sense of taste. Which is why I wanted to read it – who doesn’t want to remember the tastes of their youth? Fried bologna, maraschino cherries, Jello-O salad, canned soup casseroles, Chef Boyardee, Fun Dip, Nerds, Cheese Whiz, and Voortman cookies. Personally, I didn’t get to taste a pop tart until I was much older, and then I was disappointed.
But it’s not just about food… Torti includes other experiences, like finding the prize in the cereal box, her Dukes of Hazard lunch box, taking Flintstone vitamins, collecting smelly stickers and Petro Canada’s Limited Edition 1988 Calgary Olympics souvenir glasses. There’s music, such as Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now” and Alias’s “More Than Words Can Say.” And TV shows like Growing Pains, Family Ties, and Who’s the Boss?.
There are lists at the end of the book that include a highlight reel of questionable things eaten by the author, ten pro tips gleaned from her mother, reading recommendations, and–best of all–an exclusive recipe for fried worms.
What foods remind you of childhood? Have you ever eaten a worm?
#LoveYourLibrary @ BookishBeck
Consumed by Ink 
Thanks for the review
Thanks for dropping by! 🙂
My pleasure.
All of these sound great but I particularly like the sound of Wonder World.
Both of the novels have a lot of heart!
All three of these sound great! (I still enjoy Pop Tarts, ha ha!) I ate a lot of friend bologna as a kid. 🙂
I think I need to find the Marie-Renee Lavoie. Sounds like something I’d enjoy.
You *would* enjoy that one, Laila! I hope you can find it!
We ate so much bologna as a kid, as well as fried ham slices and hotdogs with processed cheese slices. Lol
Hi Laila, I just tripped over this review (and your comment) about fried bologna. Although your comment says “friend bologna”–great typo, really. Bologna was one of my BFFs as a kid! I’m the author of Been There, Ate That—I actually bought a box of Pop-Tarts to celebrate the publication of this book. They pair really well with prosecco. There’s even a S’mores flavour now!
All of these wound excellent Naomi, particularly Wonder World.
They are! 🙂
I would have picked all of these up for the titles and covers alone. I think I’d especially like the Torti for all the food and pop culture references — some very familiar stuff there!
That book was a lot of fun! My sister and I even made our little brother eat a worm once. Or maybe we all ate them? Eck. But better than a fuzzy caterpillar. Lol
Hi Rebecca—this is a very late reply to your comment but I just happened upon this fab review of my book by Consumed by Ink. The cover was painted by a friend of mine, Pamela Detlor. She’s a mixed media artist (among other things) from Summerside, PEI. The painting now hangs in my pantry! If you love pop culture and soda pop, I hope you’ll find a weekend to pair this one with your favourite indulgent snacks if you haven’t already. Warning: it will induce odd 80s cravings!
I have never eaten a worm but I have licked a slug!
I ate a cooked slug – still pretty gross.
My son had a pet slug when he was three, and he liked to put him/her on the swing and give gentle pushes. 🙂
WHY??? Why would you go to the trouble of cooking it??
That’s pretty adorable. A slug is a good pet because they can’t run away.
I kept wondering what was going through the slug’s mind… Did it enjoy the swing? Was it terrified? Or was it completely indifferent to the whole experience?
Well, eating a cooked slug wasn’t entirely my idea… Lol
Even the slowest swing would be pretty fast for a slug! But I have no idea how aware slugs actually are of their surroundings.
We gave it very gentle pushes. 🙂
😂
Hi Karissa—I’m the author of Been There, Ate That (I am only seeing this wonderful shout-out now—but it’s never too late!). Did you lick a slug on a bet? The fried worm content in my book was inspired by my favourite childhood book by Thomas Rockwell: How to Eat Fried Worms. I included my own recipe in the back of the book. A few years ago I applied for a job at a butterfly conservatory during March Break. They had a big Bug Fest on for the kiddos and part of my job interview included eating ants and larvae!
Very cool! How did they taste?
Several foods remind me of my childhood. Mother made homemade waffles on Sunday nights in the winter. So, the smell of waffles with melted butter is a good memory. Cornbread. Pot roast with vegies. Mother called it a plain cake, but she’d sometimes put in lemon or vanilla flavors, plus drizzle an icing on top. The icing did not cover the cake it only drizzled over the top portion.
I’ve not eaten a worm, but my brothers who are 10 and 12 years older fed me a pill bug when I was about 2. They still laugh about it.
Us older siblings tend to want to feed our younger siblings gross things, when you’re too young to really know how gross it is. It was surprisingly easy to get our brother to eat his worm. Did you protest, or go along with it?
Those memorable foods your mother made sound warm and cozy. My mom also liked to make cornbread. And we had homemade cookies All The Time. Cookies are still my favourite. 🙂
Hi Annette—thanks for sharing your bites of waffles, cornbread and pot roast. When you mentioned the plain cake I immediately thought of a book called The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. You will adore it. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7048800-the-particular-sadness-of-lemon-cake Here’s a teaser: On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein, a girl at the periphery of schoolyard games and her distracted parents’ attention, bites into her mother’s homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the cake.
It’s been two years since you commented here–just wondering if you found a copy of my book Been There, Ate That: A Candy-coated Childhood? I sense your love of food and nostalgia are strong forces. I’ll buy you a slice of cake if you’re disappointed!
I have the latest Marie Renee-Lavoie on my shelf but haven’t gotten to it yet because it wasn’t in my favourite series about the wife. I’m guessing by your review that this means this newest one isn’t hilarious like her last two?
It’s still funny, but more innocent, because the character is younger. I feel sure you’ll still like it!
Ok Naomi, I trust your instincts, I’ll give it a try for sure!
Wonder World brings to mind Casey Plett’s Little Fish. I’ll have to keep an eye out for that one!
And I still have to read Little Fish! Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
Hi Naomi! Thank you for this wonderful surprise and I apologize for not finding this review of my book Been There, Ate That: A Candy-coated Childhood until now! I was looking for a link to something I wrote a few years ago about my childhood fave, How to Eat Fried Worms, and found your blog. I have a travel memoir coming out this fall called Trips That Went South: From Point A to B(eware). I’d love to send you a copy in appreciation. Just wondering if you have migrated over to Substack (I had a WordPress blog as well)? I write a weekly post on Substack called Out of Office (because I usually am). Here’s the link: https://julestorti.substack.com/
Thanks again, Naomi. I’m grateful!
Hi Jules! It’s so nice to get this comment from you – I had fun reading the other ones you left, too! Been There, Ate That was such a fun book. I’d be delighted to read your new one!
I’m not on Substack – I’m very slow when it comes to new online places to be. I feel like I’m just barely keeping up with the ones I have!
If you want, you can email me at ndm88@hotmail.com and I’ll send you my address. Thanks so much for dropping by! 🙂
Hi Naomi. My reply time is like spring–so slow to finally commit and appear. I’ll email you with details–and thanks again. Sending you a virtual strawberry Pop Tart (once cooled) in thanks!
Your reply time sounds just like mine – I love it! 🙂