Two from Gooselane Editions: ‘The Gunsmith’s Daughter’ and ‘This Is the House That Luke Built’

The Gunsmith's Daughter by Margaret Sweatman It's 1971 and Lilac Welsh is 18-years-old. She lives in an isolated location near Winnipeg, Manitoba with her parents. Her father--Kal--who was a professor of psychology, was severely injured in Vietnam in 1961, after which he moved his family to this isolated location and became very successful creating fire … Continue reading Two from Gooselane Editions: ‘The Gunsmith’s Daughter’ and ‘This Is the House That Luke Built’

Confessions With Keith by Pauline Holdstock

Confessions With Keith is a perfect palate cleanser to something heavy. Written as journal entries by a 40-something woman with a rocky marriage and four busy children, it reminded me of an older, more mature Bridget Jones. Vita is trying to create a writing career while raising four children, and working around a husband who … Continue reading Confessions With Keith by Pauline Holdstock

From the Library: Finding Edward, Quiet Time, and Ducks

Finding Edward by Sheila Murray (Cormorant Books) Finding Edward is a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction. The two main characters in this book are Jamaican-Canadian with a 70 year age difference. Cyril grew up in Jamaica and--having just lost his mother--has recently come to Toronto to attend university. Edward was given … Continue reading From the Library: Finding Edward, Quiet Time, and Ducks

The Winter-Blooming Tree by Barbara Langhorst

This book surprised me with its complexity of familial relationships and marriage; the perspectives we have of ourselves versus the ones others have of us. The Winter-Blooming Tree focuses in on the Neiderhauser family in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. [The setting made me realize how few books I've read set in Saskatchewan. I learned that Humboldt--named for … Continue reading The Winter-Blooming Tree by Barbara Langhorst

The Most Precious Substance on Earth by Shashi Bhat

This is a novel made up of stories highlighting different stages of a woman's life. I loved this book for the structure, the humour, and the character's flaws. Not to mention the Halifax setting - as you know, I always appreciate a local setting. There is an incident that takes place early on in Nina's … Continue reading The Most Precious Substance on Earth by Shashi Bhat

The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed

It is sometime in the future and the world as we know it is completely unrecognizable. People are living in pulled-together communities, using what they can find to get by. Unlike our own world, the community members have to work together to make sure everything essential gets done each day, each hour, each minute. Which … Continue reading The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed

From the Library: return of the boring wife, an apocalyptic love story, and some feminist historical fiction

I just realized that I have a trio of books that represent present, past, and future. All three are new books from authors I have read and loved. A Boring Wife Settles the Score by Marie-Renee Lavoie (2021) Not long ago I read Lavoie's Autopsy of a Boring Wife in which Diane's husband leaves her … Continue reading From the Library: return of the boring wife, an apocalyptic love story, and some feminist historical fiction

Jane Doucet: ‘The Pregnant Pause’ and ‘Fishnets & Fantasies’

When I learned that author Jane Doucet was from my neck of the woods, I made it my mission to read her books. Happily for me, her books are so much fun that it was a piece of cake! Jane Doucet "never planned to write fiction, but when she looked for a lighthearted novel about … Continue reading Jane Doucet: ‘The Pregnant Pause’ and ‘Fishnets & Fantasies’