6:40 to Montreal

Finished November 9

6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk

This locked room mystery is quite the page-turner. The narrator is Agatha, a woman who wrote a mystery book featuring a yoga instructor that became a best seller. Now, she's trying to work on a second book, but is coming up short on ideas. She's also been undergoing cancer treatment and as a result has been stuck in a depression. Her husband Teddy has given her a gift of a business-class, round-trip ticket from Toronto to Montreal by train, thinking that she can use the uninterrupted, mostly internet-free journey there and back to write. She's a little disappointed in the gift, which doesn't even include a night in Montreal before returning, and she has planned something on her own that he isn't aware of.

It a day of a winter storm, and by the time Agatha gets down to Union Station the snow is coming down quite intensely. The attendant, Dorcas, seems professional and friendly and then gets distracted by the task of teaching an intern the basics of the job. Agatha is one of the first people on the car, and notices a mother and young adult son, Vivien and Rupinder get on because they are seated in the emergency exit row, and Dorcas explains the emergency procedure to them. 

The car isn't full, yet an older man, Finch Weatherby, sits beside her and tries to get her to give up her seat to him. She takes an immediate dislike to him, and that only increases as he makes some loud phone calls that are abusive and demeaning to the person on the other end. A couple other people get on, but Agatha has been distracted by Finch and doesn't really notice them.

She still has trouble focusing on writing and finds her mind going in other directions. When the train suddenly stops and all but emergency power goes off, the passengers begin to ask questions and worry about how long they will be stopped. When they discover that one of the passengers is dead, they begin to suspect each other. As the passengers begin to get more anxious and the tension increases, they find even more to worry about and tensions continue to build. The doors on their car have been locked in the emergency and they can't move away from each other. 

Fast-moving and dark, this novel offers lots of twisty elements. 

Did one of them kill the passenger, and if so, why? 

Murder on the Intergalactic Railway

Finished May 20

Murder on the Intergalactic Railway by Kate MacLeod

This sci-fi mystery is the first in a series featuring two military cadets at a remote training school. This novel is set on the railway journey to the school. 

Murdina Ritchie is a young woman who dreamed of being a diplomat for the Union of the Free Worlds, and has tried to get in to the training program for years. She had almost given up hoping, but has finally been accepted. One of the reasons that she's had so much trouble is the disgrace involving her father Gustav Ritchie, a diplomat. Before the disgrace, she had led a happy life in an upscale area of one of the worlds. Shackleton Fitz IV has been kicked out of numerous military academies for his behaviour, and this school is his last chance. He knows that he has to take this seriously and change his attitude. He and Ritchie grew up as best friends, until the change for her family led her and her mother to move away, and they lost touch. He knows he should have tried to reach out to her before, but he also knows things that have led to his choice to let her slip out of his life. 

When they realize that they are two of four cadets on this train, escorted by Colonel Hansen who is also travelling there. As they travel from the Intergalactic Transport Depot Delta-Gamma-Delta to the Oymayakon Foreign Service Academy they begin to renew their friendship after a frosty stary, and find themselves teaming up to solve what they believe to be a murder case. They also want to stay in the good graces of Colonel Hansen, after both getting off to bad starts. The other cadets, Moreau and Weld seem pleasant enough. Ritchie hasn't travelled much and is fascinated by the details of the train and the views from it. The train trip will take at least twenty-four hours, arriving on the world the following afternoon and then moving towards their destination. The train goes into what it is called jump space to travel long distances. The world they are going to, Oymayakon, has no space ports due to the perpetual storms that surround it. The navigator will look for the calmest patch to drop through the atmosphere and then the train will continue the journey anchored to the ground by guidance pods. 

At dinner that evening, they see some of the other passengers. One is Lady Marie-Claire Fabron, a woman previously on probation for attempts to colonize another world. She is accompanied by her assistant Mr. Rose and a pet Felzkinder, a species that has recently been declared sentient. It strikes Ritchie as looking like a cross between a charming toddler and a sweet puppy. But like a toddler, it occasionally has a tantrum. Another passenger is Captain Berger, who they meet at lunch the following day, a man who hunts avidly. 

As Ritchie and Fitz investigate, I enjoyed seeing their ideas work together and how they supported each other. The plot was interesting and I found the mystery plot engaging as well. A good read, and I plan to read more in this cross-genre series.

Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting

Finished May 7

Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley

This gem of a novel follows a group of people who commute by train into London with Hampton Court being the other end of the line. They interact with each other as each faces work and life issues and get help in figuring out next steps. We see their stories from each person's viewpoint, and I really enjoyed how we noticed different things from seeing them from different eyes. This also lets us see the personal thoughts, concerns, and dilemmas they face. Each chapter tells you who the narrator is, the time, and the train location. 

The title character Iona is in her late fifties, flamboyant, opinionated, and proudly lesbian. She works as an advice columnist for a women's magazine, but is facing agism issues at her work, and dealing with a life challenge that is revealed later in the story. She has given nicknames to other commuters that she sees regularly and we find out their stories as they begin to interact with her. She also goes almost everywhere with her French bulldog Lulu. She also carries a bag that seems to contain just what is needed for any occasion. In the mornings it is a flask of tea, a cup and saucer, mail, and her iPad. In the evenings it is a glass and a flask of premixed gin and tonic, along with lemon slices

Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader is an investment banker who dresses in bespoke suits ands has an arrogant attitude, but when he (Piers) almost dies in front of her on the train, a friendship gradually begins. Up until now, he has thought of Iona as Crazy Dog Lady. He is a man who is having a life crisis but still loves playing with numbers. 

Sitting next to Piers during the near-death incident is Impossibly-Pretty-Bookworm, a woman in her twenties who dresses well but not conservatively and is always reading a book. She is Emmie and works for an advertising agency. She also lives with a man Toby, that we see only briefly. She also begins getting occasional anonymous hateful messages that target her confidence. 

Coming to the rescue of Piers is Mr.-Too-Good-to-Be-True, otherwise known as Sanjay, a nurse. Sanjay has thought fondly of Iona as Rainbow Lady. Sanjay thinks of Emmie as Girl-on-the-Train and is working up to approaching her to ask her out. Sanjay suffers from anxiety, but tries to hide it from others. One of his ways to distract himself from an episode of anxiety is to recite the periodic table in order. 

Also coming into the story is Martha, a teenager struggling with fitting in and discovering her own identity. Her arrival is also a scene stealer as she vomits on Piers' computer. She has done something that creates a personal issue for her and needs help figuring a way to change her image. She also needs help in math. She thinks of Iona as Magic-Handbag-Lady. 

David enters the picture when his wife leaves a note in his lunch that has him wondering how to fix the situation. Iona, naturally offers assistance, helping him to plan an approach to this challenge in his life. 

I loved how Pooley brings the characters to life through their stories, and I found myself liking all of them as I knew them better. 

A fantastic read. 

The Sleeping Car Porter

Finished January 31

The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr

This book has been getting a lot of buzz, even more so after winning the Giller Prize last year. I got a copy for Christmas and as it fit a January reading challenge, I decided to fit it in before the end of the month. 

The narrator, Baxter, is a sleeping car porter for a Canadian railway. He started the work as a summer job, but soon decided to stay until he could afford to go to school to become a dentist, a dream he has had ever since finding a dentistry textbook. He is always noticing people's mouths and diagnosing dental issues that he longs to fix. Baxter is black, like the rest of the sleeping car porters that he works with, and he is also gay, something he is careful to keep to himself. Here it is the summer of 1929 and he gets a shift as a last minute cancellation on a train going from Montreal to Vancouver. He has to memorize his passenger list, with their names and seats on the train, and where they will board and alight. When the train gets stuck for a long time in the mountains due to a mudslide, the routine is lost, and Baxter struggles to stay awake and keep his secrets to himself.

There are many situations that Baxter struggles with. One of them is his relationships with the other porters, from Templeton the head porter to Eugene the union agitator. Eugene also is related to a man that is never far from Baxter's thoughts, Edwin Drew, the Porter Instructor who trained him in his job, and who also touched his life in a more personal way. 

Another is the ghost that Baxter sees around the train, crouched in the linen closet, in the corridor, and the other ghosts he sees in passing, in trees and in the cold that emanates from some parts of the train. 

Sleep deprivation is a big issue for all the porters, but Baxter has more issues than usual on this cross-country journey, partly due to the ghosts, but also due to a child who attaches herself to him and will hardly leave his side. 

We see the working conditions of these men, who are on duty 24/7, responding to any call from the passengers. From glasses of water, trips to the bathroom, and shoes left for shining in the night to cleaning berths, compartments, and washrooms at every opportunity, these men not only have to be quick to respond, but cheerful as well. They have to be careful in their interactions with passengers, never arguing or insolent, even if they don't get called by the name on their nametag. They have to ignore deliberate insults and be respectful to everyone, never batting an eye at even the oddest requests. They have to pretend not to notice the passenger's secrets, and hope that all of these things that they do will result in tips and in no complaints. Complaints bring demerit points and there is a limit to how many a porter can get before his job is taken away.

Baxter is a man with ambitions, a man who longs for a real relationship with someone who cares about him but is also passionate, and above all a man who is good and kind.

This story draws attention to historic social issues, some of which are still in play today. It shows the common humanity of people, and how being in close quarters for a lengthy time can stress relationships. 

This is an amazing read, that had me reflecting on many things. 

Listen Up! Train Song

Finished September 1

Listen Up! Train Song by Victoria Allenby

This picture book shows different kinds of trains, different parts of trains and connects them to different sounds. It plays with onomatopoeia by showing kids how the sounds that the trains make are described by words that sound similar and encourages them to explore this concept. 

The book is written in a song pattern with repetitive lines linking the different verses. The photographs have close-ups of some of the train parts making sounds like horns and brakes. There are also some train-related items like crossings that have noise that get included here. Parts of the trains like engines and boxcars have their own particular noises. 

The types of trains include modern stream-lined trains, subway trains, metro trains, traditional freight trains, and steam trains.

There is a short section at the back of the book that gives ideas of how to explore the concepts from the book in other ways. 

With kids often fascinated by trains, this book is sure to appeal to many.