Clever Little Thing

Finished April 2

Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin

This psychological thriller is set in England. Charlotte, who is English, is married to Pete, an American. Pete works for a startup company using mushrooms to make biodegradable packaging. They have had some success, but are trying to get a big company on board, so Pete is working long hours. The couple have a daughter, Stella, who is eight, and Charlotte is pregnant with their second child. 

Stella has a lot of the signs of being neurodivergent, but they've not had her tested. She is very sensitive to noise, likes her food separated, and taught herself to read early. She very interested in birds and science, and as we see at the beginning, on a trip to the beach, she finds a dead bird that she wants to bring home to examine. Some of her behaviours can be offputting for the neurotypical kids in her class, and Charlotte is trying to socialize her more. 

Charlotte has a babysitter that looks after Stella, a woman named Blanka, who is very patient with her, and doesn't talk a lot. When Blanka suddenly quits without explanation, Charlotte is surprised and disappointed. When she finds out Blanka died a few days after quitting she is saddened. Shortly afterward, she begins to notice changes in Stella, who seems to be losing her fear over some things, but is becoming more withdrawn. She is using phrases that Blanka used to use like "Oh yes" in her responses, and doesn't seem interested in her usual passions. As Charlotte tries to make sense of these changes, Pete seems to think that Charlotte is making too much of it, and increasingly Charlotte feels herself alone, without anyone to tell her worries to. She reaches out to an unlikely ally and finds herself trusting to herself more than ever before.

This is a story that escalates slowly. We can see the changes in Stella as Charlotte notes them, and understand her growing worries, and why she takes some drastic actions. Charlotte loves Stella as she is, and while she wants Stella to be able to function more easily in school and have friends, she also feels that Stella isn't herself and finds herself thinking about Blanka and how Stella seems to be exhibiting more and more elements of Blanka's personality. 

This is a story of manipulation, of love between mothers and daughters, with an eerie underlying tone. The touches of creepiness are so well done, and you feel Charlotte's frustration and desperation as she tries to understand and save her children. 

Hard to put down. 

April Reviews for the 18th Annual Canadian Reading Challenge

 This is where you post links to the reviews for books that you finished in April that met this challenge. 

Add a comment as well!

Save the Date

Finished March 31

Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews

This novel has romance, drama, and intrigue, all set in Savannah, Georgia. Florist Cara Kryzik is a recent transplant to the city, coming from Ohio with her now ex-husband Leo. She had been working as a florist, when the owner retired and gifted her the business and its assets. She put her own money into it, and it is now an up-and-coming favourite for weddings, thanks to a previous client. She has an assistant Bert, who she also considers a friend. 

As the book opens, there is much drama around last-minute changes and work needed for an imminent society wedding. The mother-of-the-bride, Lillian calls several times a day, and has high expectations. 

When Cara's golden-doodle Poppy slips her collar, she is searching the neighbourhood for her, and sees her with a strange man who refuses to give her back. She and Bert have to leave for the wedding venue, so she can't deal with it at the time, and the police don't seem to consider it a priority.

As is usual, Cara stays at the wedding awhile, and sees the man, Jack, who had her dog there. He turns out to be related to the groom. 

The wedding goes well, and the next day Cara is pleased to find she is one of the florists being considered for another society wedding. Her competition is new in town, recently expanding from another city. When she gets the contract, the bride insists that she do it all, and Cara is put to the test. 

And when Jack keeps showing up at the weddings she is working at, she finds him growing on her. 

Cara is tight financially, having put all her money into her business, and dealing with an unresponsive landlord, a building that needs a lot of repairs, her ex wanting her back, and a possible lawsuit over a missing decor item a client entrusted her with, so there is a lot going on. 

I liked Cara for the most part, but she definitely has some baggage, but she's also worked through a lot starting her business and really making it her own, with her own flair and style. She works hard and has a high standard that she sets for herself. She is also one who creates relationships with her clients, so there is ongoing business that comes out of the initial contract. 

I also liked Jack. He's another hard worker with high standard, but also has some baggage. I was definitely rooting for them. 

A fun read. 

The Plague Maiden

Finished March 29

The Plague Maiden by Kate Ellis

This is the eighth novel is the Wesley Peterson mystery series set in Devon, England. As is typical, there are two storylines, a historical event brought to light through archeology and a modern-day crime that parallels the historical story. 

When a letter arrives addressed to a past police leader about a crime committed more than a decade earlier, one that someone is already in prison for, clearing him, the police have to face questions about their work in the past, and need to look at the crime again to see who else could have done it. The crime in question is the murder of a local pastor, one that seems to be a burglary gone wrong. The man in prison references a statement he made at the time about a youth he saw hanging about the area, that seems to have never been followed up on. 

An archeology dig in a nearby field, known as Pest Field, is happening, looking for a leper church that is rumoured to be located there. The field is the site for a new branch of a supermarket chain, and there is pressure to do the work within a certain time frame. When the archeologists, led by Wesley's old friend Neil, begin to dig up human remains, the police and coroner become involved. While most of the remains seem centuries old, perhaps those of plague victims buried in a common pit, one found closer to the surface is more recent and may relate to the newly opened case. 

I enjoy the puzzle of the two parallel events, with the historical ones loosely based in real history, and the more recent ones in which Wesley, with a background in archeology uses that and his police skills to connect them. 

I also like that the series includes both the police officers relationships with each other and attitudes, as well as some family life that varies in focus from book to book. Here we see many of the officers in action, and we see Wesley's wife in the later stages of pregnancy and the couple's interactions. I admit that with this and the previous book, I'm starting to rethink my impressions of one of the police officers in their personal life. 

Happy Place

Finished March 26

Happy Place by Emily Henry

One of the best contemporary romance writers around doesn't disappoint with this one. The narrator here is Harriet a doctor currently working her residency in San Francisco. Her fiancé Wyn had lived there with her until he needed to move back home to Montana to help with the family business. Over the last year, when this stretched into a more permanent situation, they agreed to break up, but neither of them have shared this information with friends or family. 

They are part of a friend group that all met in college. Sabrina comes from Manhattan, part of a well-off family, with her divorced parents distanced from her emotionally. Her dad cycles through relationships and is currently on his sixth wife. Cleo is from New Orleans and the daughter of a music producer and an essayist, who was studying painting. Harriet is from Indiana, second daughter of a teacher and a dental receptionist, and is always trying to please them since her sister is a rebel. 

Sabrina's father has a oceanside cottage in Maine that the group has been going to for a couple weeks every summer since their college days. One of the things that keeps Harriet going on her long hospital shifts is thinking of her 'happy place' this cottage. 

As the book opens, she's on her way, expecting Sabrina and her boyfriend Parth, Cleo and her girlfriend Kimmy, and not expecting Wyn. When Wyn is there, she is shocked and when he acts like nothing has changed between them, even more so. Then she learns two things, one that the cottage is for sale and this is the last year they will be able to go; and two, one of the other couple's has a special event planned. Harriet and Wyn agree that they can't break the news at this time, and make a pact to fake it for the two weeks. There are other tense relationship encounters during this time as well, as personalities and secrets come into play. 

I enjoyed the underlying messaging here about life choices, and how Henry shows the different mental stresses that each of the characters carries. There is lots of fun banter between the characters, and found the book a page-turner as expected. 

Tomb of Sand

Finished March 26

Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree, translated by Daisy Rockwell

This book is about character, history, family and memory. It was the winner of the 2022 International Booker Prize, and the winner of the 2022 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation, as well as awards for translations into other languages. It was the first novel translated from Hindi to win the International Booker Award. 

This is an extraordinary novel, that is rooted in the life of an eighty-year-old woman in India. Ma, as she is referred to, has lived with her eldest son Bade since before the death of her husband. Since that loss, she has shrunk into herself, spending much of the day in bed. When her son retires, he must leave his government house and move into an apartment, which he is renovating. 

After Ma goes missing on an unexplained nighttime outing, it is decided that she will live with her daughter, Beti, who lives an unconventional life as a writer. Never married, she's had lovers, and lives on her own in an apartment. Soon after Ma moves in, she starts to receive visits from an old friend, Rosie Bua, a person who is gender fluid, and who involves her in crafts and planning a trip to Pakistan. 

I just loved this book. It is so interesting, and the writing is beautifully done, with the story seemingly wandering off at times, but really giving us information that is important to the story, background information and information about relationships and important objects, such as canes and small statues. 

We also learn about birds that become part of the story, crows that live outside Beti's apartment window in the nearby trees. Trees that have their place in the plot. 

The novel describes Ma as a woman growing smaller, and Beti as a woman growing bigger, in an interesting way that the story evolves. The first chapter grabs you, gives you hints about what is coming, and doesn't let go.

A tale tells itself. It can be complete, but also incomplete, the way all tales are. This particular tale has a border and women who come and go as they please. Once you've got women and a border, a story can write itself. Even women on their own are enough. Women are stories in themselves, full of stirrings and whisperings that float on the wind, that bend with each blade of grass. The setting sun gathers fragments of tales and fashions them into glowing lanterns that hang suspended from clouds. These too will join our story. The story's path unfurls, not knowing where it will stop, tacking to the right and left, twisting and turning, allowing anything and everything to join in the narration. It will emerge from within a volcano, swelling silently as the past boils forth into the present, bringing steam, embers, and smoke. 

There are two women in this story. Besides these women, there are others who came and went, those who kept coming and going, those who always stayed but weren't as important, and those yet to be mentioned, who weren't women at all. For now, let's just say that two women were important, and of these, one was growing smaller, and the other bigger.

There were two women and one death.

Two women, one death. How nicely we'll get on, us and them, once we all sit down together!

Two women: one mother, one daughter, one growing downwards, the other growing upwards. One laughs and says, I'm growing smaller by the day! The other is saddened, but says noting when she sees herself growing bigger. The mother has stopped wearing saris now that she must stuff more than half the fabric into her waist and raise the hems of her petticoats a little higher each day. Does gradually growing smaller make you catlike, so you may slip through tiny cracks and escape? Puncture a border and slip right through? Develop a knack for near-invisibility?

This must be the reason that the mother was able to slip through to the other side of the border while the daughter was still fretting over how stuck they were. It's also possible that the smaller woman truly was innocent when she refused to confess to any crime of her part, be it regarding legal permissions, debates over names, or accusations of theft. 

Those who didn't understand her arguments considered her crazy, maybe even vicious. They suspected her of purposefully misleading.

She pointed out that men always get the high-quality dal and women just get leftover mash, don't they? Hmm? She spoke fearlessly. So? So does that make it right?

But if you stare at them fearlessly, will the border guards understand? You have crossed the border, they reprimand.

She chuckles. Anything worth doing transcends borders. Should I do nothing at all?

No, they retort, and no one is foolish enough not to know this. Even goats and cows know where not to stray. And your eyesight isn't so bad you can't see, so how can you be forgiven?

Who's asking for forgiveness? She roars with laughter and the growing-bigger daughter weeps. And is this all there is to see? Perhaps I too have seen a thing or two. Try seeing with my eyes for once. 

If she were to fall, she did not with for it to be facedown. Wherever the bullet came from, whenever it his, she would fall straight back and lie supine on the ground. Regally. Her eyes filled with sky.

Let me practise, she'd tell her daughter

The mother had started hiccupping all the time. She hiccupped and hiccupped and hiccupped. If the daughter had not been in such a state, she'd have grown suspicious as to whether these hiccups were real or fake. They won't stop with water; give me a slap on the back! the mother would command. If the slap isn't hard enough, then try a running kick, boom! Try it on my back or in my stomach or on my sides, and make sure I fall down, but on my back, eyes open, forehead facing up; then the hiccups will surely stop. It was a strange remedy, but the daughter did as the mother asked. She kicked and kicked, boom boom boom, and with this new game her mother kept falling over bam bam bam. After a bit of hullabaloo, observers would also burst out laughing--Can you beat it? This old lady's too much! But the mother told the daughter that she needed to be prepared.            

Anyway, long story short, what happened was this: a bullet did come flying towards her, but by then the mother had become an expert at falling backwards. A bullet came, punctured her body, shot through and out the other side. Anyone else would have sprawled facedown in the mud, but Ma flipped backwards like she was doing a somersault. She lay back on the ground in an attitude of victory, elegantly, faceup, as though she was reclining on a soft bed, the sky her coverlet. 

Those who consider death to be an ending took this to be hers. But those in the know knew that this was no ending; knew she'd simply crossed yet another border. 

So there's no harm in starting the story right here, that is, the way we're doing it right now.

You can see the way the story engages, draws you in, and makes you want to know the story for yourself.

The tone is light and a little amused, as if it is playing with us. She plays with many things here, and many borders, Highly recommended. 

Not Quite Over You

Finished March 24

Not Quite Over You by Susan Mallery

This novel is part of a series set in the small California town of Happily Inc., a town that a previous generation marketed as a wedding destination, and that the town now embraces as one of its main revenue streams. Silver Tesdal runs a mobile bar service out of an refurbished Airstream trailer, and her business is booming, so she wants to expand and has her sights on two old Airstreams currently for sale. She tried a few banks, but despite her well-thought-through business plan, no one is biting. When her last hope is gone, a unexpected offer comes her way. 

Banker Drew Lovato, who works at that last hope bank, was a three-month passionate relationship for Silver after high school, before Drew went off to university, when it ended. When he noticed that his aunt, head of commercial bank at their family bank, convinced the board to deny her the loan, he took a look at her application and business plan. 

He decides to purchase the trailers and come to Silver with a partnership offer. He hopes that the move will allow him to win back her trust, as well as support her in the town's major industry. 

Silver is wary, but her business acumen knows that his knowledge would be an asset to her, not to mention that he now has the trailers she wants. With his investment, she can move forward quickly on most of her plans, but she has a secret that he isn't fully aware of. That secret will change their relationship, and their plans for the future. 

I enjoyed this novel, which moved quickly. There were a lot of characters introduced, and I assume we see some of them in other novels in the series. Here, Silver and Drew take center stage, and we see their relationship grow, both personally and on the business side, and we also see family members from both sides have their influence. Friendships are also big here, with some having interesting international scope for plotlines in other books. 

A fun read from a series I'd definitely read more in. 

The King's Messenger

Finished March 20

The King's Messenger by Susanna Kearsley

Set during the reign of James I of England, this novel follows Phoebe Westaway, the only child of a scribe in the royal court and Andrew Logan, a Scot and one of the king's messengers. Andrew's father was a king's messenger and when he became ill, he asked that Andrew be given his job when he passed away. Previously Andrew had worked in the Queen's stable. 

The crown prince Henry had passed away recently after an illness and there has been talk about his death not being natural. Suspicion is now placed on his closest man, Sir David Moray. Sir David had been deeply affected by the death and had gone to France. He is now expected to return to his family home in Scotland and the king has tasked Andrew to go there to arrest him and bring him to London for questioning. He is sending a scribe along, and since the scribe is lately unwell, his daughter Phoebe will travel as well. 

In Scotland they arrive at the King's Wark, and soon begin the journey south, with Andrew alert for those who might chase them. 

Andrew has inherited an unusual ability from his mother's side of the family, where he can sometimes see moments in the future. He keeps it to himself as he doesn't want to be accused of witchcraft. He has seen a couple of moments of their journey and doesn't know entirely what they mean, but is wary. 

Phoebe had not been friendly with Andrew before, but as they journey south, the small group of Laurence and Phoebe Westaway, Andrew Logan, Sir David Moray, and a young stableboy, Hector Reid, get to know each, telling stories at evening and rest stops. In this way, we learn their stories as well. 

We see the characters grow and learn, and we see the complex situation in which they find themselves. There are also moments when we see the Queen and understand her nature and how she wields power in her own right. 

I really enjoyed getting to know more about this historical time period, as Kearsley does lots of research for her books, and many of the historical elements are true to what happened. She has an afterward where she talks about what she took from history and what she invented. 

She does characters very well in her books, and this is a great example. I always want to know more of their story by the end of the book. 

Skin Deep

Finished March 17

Skin Deep by Peter Dickinson

This is the first book in a series, featuring DS James (Jimmy) Pibble. I read the third book about thirty-five years ago, but don't remember much about it. This book, first published in 1968, is set in London, in a Victorian terrace house occupied by a small tribe of people from New Guinea. The book doesn't age all that well, in my opinion. 

The name they call themselves is Ku, and they are now using it as a last name. They came here after World War II, during which the rest of their tribe and the missionary and his wife who lived in their village were killed by the Japanese. The organizer of them here is Eve Ku, the daughter of the missionaries, who married one of the tribe, and went on to get to get a doctorate in anthropology based on her study of their customs and beliefs. Outside of her and her husband Paul, an artist, who have their own room, and the chief, who has his own room, the men and women live separately in large rooms they refer to as tents. 

Dr. Ku describes them as primitive compared to other New Guinea tribes. Their rituals and behaviours are described with detail as they arise in the novel. 

The story begins with the murder of their chief Aaron. He is an elderly man in poor health, but the death is obviously through violence, and since they keep their house door locked, and the death is outside of the actions expected from any tribe member, they are at a loss as to who would have done it.

As Pibble digs into the case, he takes in a lot of information on the tribe's activities, and even attends some of their ceremonies. 

All of the tribe members speak or understand English to some degree, some of them very well, and they have biblical names, presumable given to them by the missionary. They speak to each other in their own language, and are close to a couple who have a flat next door, as the man came into their lives back in the war. 

Some of the way the police and their neighbours talk about them uses language and attitudes that we find offensive now, but that was more commonly used at time of the writing of the book. It was an odd book to me, and I couldn't help wondering whether the author researched New Guinea culture or made it up. With the primitive beliefs and habits of the tribe juxtaposed against the educated speech of Eve and Paul, it just felt off. 

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years

Finished March 18

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan

This novel takes place in a ruined mansion on the coast in Durban, South Africa. The main character is a teenage girl, Sana Malek. In 2014, she and her father Bilal move from an inland farm to live in a small apartment in this large house, Akbar Manzil. Akbar Manzil was built over a hundred years earlier, and was abandoned a few years later. The house was used for apartments once before, but abandoned again. Now a strange set of misfits live there. The owner is an old man they call Doctor. He has lived other places, but eventually found himself back in the town he was born in. His secrets are kept close until events and Sana's actions bring him to reveal them. A older thin woman named Razia Bibi seems at odds with her upstairs neighbour and complains a lot. Her neighbour, Fancy, a small woman has a bird named Mr. Patel that she sometimes brings into the hall so he can get more sunshine from the window there. Pinky was hired to clean the house, but eventually became overwhelmed at the task and stopped. She lives in a small room off the main kitchen, where she watches Bollywood movies. Zuleikha is more reclusive, leaving her former fame behind as she ages. As Sana learns about them she records their stories in her notebook, particularly when they talk of love. 

Sana is a quiet girl. Her mother died four years ago, and her twin sister died when they were babies. But her sister has haunted and tormented her for years, Sana is obsessed with the idea of love after seeing a couple kiss at a wedding, and she has searched since to discover how love affects the shape of things. She is curious about her new home and explores the house, venturing into distant hallways, and finding a floor in one wing where the hallway is filled with discarded items, from furniture to boxes of odds and ends. As she looks through these things, venturing further in, she finds a locked door, and begins to wonder what is beyond it. She also explores the garden behind the house, which is filled with cages, many of them broken and odd assortments of bones. . The garden has mostly gone wild, but Fancy gardens in the evenings, and Sana begins to spend time bringing it back to order as well. When Sana finds the room behind the locked door, she becomes obsessed with the woman who lived there, Meena, and reads her words, wanting to know her story. 

We are introduced to the djinn of the title in the first chapter. It is 1932 and the djinn is weeping, hiding away deep in the house. When he hears things happening beyond his retreat, he wanders out, but sees only a mess of abandoned items, trunks and clothes. Outside the house, he looks up at it and wails. We gradually discover what he is grieving and this also leads us to the story of the house and its sad fate. 

The writing here is lovely, drawing you into the story, as it uses the foreign words of its characters to add to the atmosphere. The djinn is interesting, a creature that moves about, obsessed with a past tragedy. The story as it gradually reveals itself is one of love and pain, one of moments of happiness and of great sadness. The setting of the house and its garden come to life for the reader, even in its abandoned rooms. 

You Dreamed of Empires

Finished March 15

You Dreamed of Empires by Alvaro Enrigue, translated by Natasha Wimmer

This historical novel takes us to a very interesting place and time. It is 1519, and Cortes and his troops enter the city of Tenochtitlan. As part of his entourage, Cortes has Aguilar, a friar who had been a captive of the Nahua, and knows their language, so can interpret from Spanish to Nahua. He also has Malinalli, a Nahua princess who had been enslaved as a concubine to an Aztec leader. She can interpret from Nahua to the Aztec language. 

Cortes is a less than gracious man, bad at interpreting situations, and a man without respect to his host. When first meeting the emperor Moctezuma, he attempts to embrace him, and nearly gets killed. After a short rest, the Spanish group is given a welcome meal by the empress, Atotoxtli, sister and wife of Moctezuma. We see the subtle messages being given and received, and we begin to see what some of those at the banquet, as well as those not attending, are thinking. 

Allowed into the thoughts of one of Cortes; captains, Jazmin Caldera, who begins to question their hosts intentions, and into the thoughts of Malinalli as she strategizes what to interpret, what to add, and what to leave out. We also understand some thoughts of Moctezuma, as his reliance on hallucinogens becomes an issue, and those of his sister wife Atotoxtli as she tries to appease him while also influence him.  

Tenochtitlan is a well-planned city, managing its resources well, and working well for its inhabitants. Enrigue gives us a sense of the size, details, and impressiveness of the city and its amenities. 

As we begin to understand the complexities of the situation, Enrigue takes us into an alternative ending to the encounter, a development that takes us into 'what if' questions. 

An amazing and enlightening read. 

Fire from Heaven

Finished March 13

Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault

I've had this book on my shelves for a while, but recently reading The Golden Mean, and seeing Lyon mention this book as a recommendation for a different view of the same period drew me to taking it down and reading it. 

This is a book about the younger years of Alexander the Great, told in third person from a variety of viewpoints, including his, and his closest companion's Hephaistion. We see how Alexander grew up close to his mother, encountering Philip less often, and how his training began at a young age, with Aristotle, as he learned alongside other boys his age who were chosen by his father and him. 

We see him become a warrior and participate in a battle where he actively engaged with his opponent. We also see his struggle between his parent's affections and loyalties, and how at one point he withdrew from his father. 

This is a story that is richly detailed, that lets us into the thoughts of many of the characters, but Alexander himself is the main character and it is his life at the center of the story. Because we have access to character's thoughts, they have more depth, and the tone is more emotional at times. 

I enjoyed learning about his life and adventures. The book has a map on the endpapers, but I was sometimes frustrated when places named in the book weren't on the map. 

Detective Aunty

Finished March 11

Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin

This cosy mystery follows Kauser Khan as she faces a family crisis. Kauser and her husband moved from Scarborough to North Bay after the death of their younger son. Kauser took it very hard, and wasn't able to handle life in the same surroundings. That was years ago, and with Kauser's husband dying a little less than a year ago, she's been adjusting to a new solo life, while still keeping in contact with her daughter in Scarborough and her son in England. 

When her daughter, Sana, phones her to see that she needs her, and that Sana is suspected of murder, Kauser overcomes her fears and books the next flight to Toronto. Her best friend May drives her to the airport and we hear from her how Kauser is one of those people who notices things. Small things that others don't, but that tell one things about situations and people. She encourages Kauser to get to the bottom of things, but Kauser's first consideration is Sana and her family, particularly her two young daughters. 

After her children were both in school, Sana started a clothing boutique in a small strip mall near her home. Her husband was supportive, and Sana has been doing well. When she went into the store early one day, she finds her landlord in her store and very dead. When the murder weapon is found to be from the store as well, Sana finds herself the prime suspect. 

Kauser arrives at Sana's and lets herself in, but with no one home, she gives in to curiosity and walk over to the mall, checking out the investigation, and observing things closely. Back home, she finds that Sana has been released and both girls are home from school. 

Kauser notices some issues with Sana's relationship with her husband, and a tension within the family. As she digs deeper into the family dynamics, she also reaches out to old friends, both those of her and her husband, and those of her children. Using these connections, she arranges for a lawyer for Sana, and follows her instincts as she asks for other favours to answer the questions that come to her. 

The book also leaves a hint for a future sequel, one I would definitely be interested in. 

I liked the main character, and her skills with relationships. There's a lot going on, but she is able to use her skills, and the way that some underestimate her due to her age, gender, and religion, to gather the information that she needs. 

The Fervor

Finished March 10

The Fervor by Alma Katsu

This novel combines historical fiction with horror. 

The story begin in 1944, and Meiko Briggs and her daughter Aiko are in Minidoka, a Japanese internment camp in Idaho. Meiko's husband Jamie is a pilot, currently serving in the Pacific. Through the novel we learn how they came to be where they are now after his deployment. 

We also see Archie, one of Jamie's friends, as he and his wife Elsie take a group of children to a fishing area in the mountains near them. When an explosion happens and people are hurt, Archie begins questioning why. 

We also see Fran, a journalist in Nebraska, as she witnesses an explosion and discovers something interesting in the aftermath when she is in a remote area on a tryst with her lover. 

Along with these three stories, that gradually converge, are excerpts from a Japanese diary from seventeen years earlier, when a scientist studying winds comes across another discovery. 

This historical narrative becomes horror when people at the camp, in Nebraska, and in other places start to die from a strange disease. With a group of men in suits and expensive cars recently arrived at the camp, Meiko catches one of them in the kitchen at night and begins to suspect that they are using the Japanese there to conduct some kind of experiment. 

This novel is gripping and scary as you follow the clues to figure out who is doing what and whether anyone can be trusted. 

The Door-to-Door Bookstore

Finished March 8

The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn, translated by Melody Shaw

This is a novel of loss, loneliness, books, and human connection. Set in a small town in southern Germany, the story follows seventy-two-year-old Carl Kollhoff, who works for the City Gate bookstore and delivers books to people's homes. Carl's friend. Gustav Gruber owns the shop and Carl has worked there for years. Recently, Gustav has moved into a care home, and his daughter Sabine runs the store. Although she grew up thinking of Carl as a kind of uncle, she seems to resent him now, and he tries to keep a low profile while at the store, as he also helps regulars find the perfect book for them. 

Carl has a number of people he delivers to, and he wraps these books carefully before setting off on his deliveries. He has nicknames of a sort for these customers, based on literary characters they remind him of. From a nun who is the last resident of her abbey to a retired schoolteacher, he knows each client's reading habits and a tiny bit about their lives. He also has a relationship with a cat he meets along his route, one that makes odd noises and is happy to have short interactions with him. 

One day, as he sets off along his delivery route he is approached by a schoolgirl who seems determined to accompany him. She calls him the Book Walker and introduces herself as Schascha. Over the days, as she keeps returning, she gradually insinuates herself not only into his life, but also the lives of those he delivers to. She helps him learn more about these people and try to help them in different ways. But Schascha has secrets as well, and some of hers have an impact on Carl's life in large ways. 

This is a story of unusual friendships, of people looking for love and meaning in their lives, and of how books make a difference. 

The Book Club Hotel

Finished March 3

The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan

This novel is a book about female friendship with a touch of romance. Erica, Claudia, and Anna have been friends since college, which was nearly twenty years ago. Once a year they meet for a week at a hotel, and discuss a book that they've all read. Usually it is in the summer, but a personal crisis for one of the women delayed it, and they made tentative plans to go in mid-December instead. 

Erica has made a satisfying career as a crisis consultant, in demand all around the world. For the last few years, she's met a man Jack on a regular basis for intimacy, but says that she isn't interested in a relationship.

Claudia was dumped suddenly by her partner of ten years a few months ago, when he left her for someone younger. She's an accomplished chef, but has become tired of the negativity and grandstanding that often part of high-end restaurant kitchens. Now she's lost her job and is considering whether a career change might be in her future. 

Anna married Pete and has created a comfortable and loving home for him and their twins. Now that the twins are in their senior year of high school, Anna is focused on the loss of her purpose as a hands-on mom, already missing them. She can't see the possibilities for her and Pete as empty nesters. 

It is Erica's turn to plan their book club meeting, and she's chosen a charming hotel in small town Vermont. This is totally unlike her normal choices of luxury city hotels, and the other two know that there must be a reason for this choice.

There is a second storyline involving Hattie, the owner of the Vermont hotel who was widowed shortly after the hotel opened. She's been struggling to fulfil the vision her husband Brent had for hotel, and being a mom to her young daughter. She has a lot of support from the community, which is great. Some of the hotel staff that Brent hired have been causing her headaches though, and she isn't sure how to deal with them. 

As the two storylines meet, the characters become involved in each other's lives, and find new connections, new dreams, and a more promising and meaningful future. 

This is a feel-good story, with lots of Christmas cheer. I enjoyed seeing the four women grow and become more comfortable in their own choices. 

Memorial Days

Finished March 2

Memorial Days: A Memoir by Geraldine Brooks

This memoir moves back and forth between two times: one beginning on May 27, 2019, when her husband Tony Horowitz died suddenly; and one beginning in February 2023 when Geraldine went on a solo retreat to a small beach house on Flinders Island in Australia, her home country. 

Tony was on a book tour at the time, after writing a book that required intense research, and a tight deadline. She had met up with him at other points on the tour, but decided not to on this weekend. Their older son was on his way to Australia with his girlfriend, and her younger son was at boarding school. Tony's mom and siblings were at a family get-together in Maine. 

Geraldine was notified of Tony's death through a terse phone call from a hospital. When the follow-up call from the police came, they were, at least, kind. 

Because she was alone and far from where he died, on a holiday weekend where travel was difficult, she felt that she couldn't react the way that she wanted to. She had to hold herself together, and do what needed to be done. It wasn't until the trip she went on nearly four years later that she was able to truly grieve. 

The book moves back and forth between these two times, as she points out flaws in the system that she dealt with, the lack of planning for death she and Tony had done, and the various bureaucratic issues that she had to deal with immediately after her terrible loss. 

Geraldine grew up in Australia, and until she met Tony, an American, had every intention of living there and making her career there. Flinders Island, part of an archipelago between Tasmania and the rest of Australia had drawn her early in her adulthood, and in 2023, she tries to imagine what her life would have been like if she had spent it there instead of where her life took her. 

The beauty of the island, the nature that she describes paints a picture that is both wild and immersive. She watches the ocean, the sky, the land, and its creatures as she comes to terms with her loss and where it leaves her now, facing a future that is different than what she had imagined. 

This is a moving book, one that brought out emotions in me as I read it. She is an author I have read a lot and enjoyed immensely for her beautiful prose. Highly recommended. 

The Golden Mean

Finished March 2

The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon

This novel is narrated by Aristotle, the real historical figure, and creates a story around his time with Philip of Macedon, mostly taking place at the city of Pella. Philip had known Aristotle when they were both boys, and Aristotle arrives in Pella carrying a message from Hermias, the satrap of Atarneus under whose patronage Aristotle had been living. 

Along with Aristotle and his household, are his wife Pythias and his nephew Callisthenes. Aristotle soon meets Philip's sons, Arrhidaeus and Alexander, and is asked to work with both of them in very different ways. Arrhidaeus suffered an injury early in his life that damaged him, creating learning disabilities. Alexander is the golden child in many senses, spoiled, used to getting his way, and entitled. Aristotle is one of the few people who challenges him, and that creates an interesting dynamic. Aristotle covers many subjects in his teaching, but at the core of them is the idea of balance, the golden mean referenced by the book's title. 

We see Aristotle's personal life, his relationship with his wife, servants, slaves, and his nephew. We also see his inner thoughts about both this personal life and his more public responsibilities. 

Lyon makes her characters come to life, they have personality and flaws, and she has obviously researched the real people she portrays. 

This was her debut novel, and won the Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, as well as being a finalist for the Giller. I found it a compelling read. 

Fortunate Son

Finished March 1

Fortunate Son by Walter Mosley

I've read a few standalone books by Mosley, and I find they always have depth and make you think about the world in different ways. This one is no exception. 

When Tommy's mother Branwyn got pregnant with him, his father Elton wanted nothing to do with the situation. Branwyn managed on her own, and when Tommy was born with health issues, visited the ICU every day after work, hoping that he would survive. A doctor at the hospital, Minas Nolan, noticed her and began a courtship. He had recently had a son, Eric, and his wife had died in childbirth. His nanny Ayn did as well as she could but the child was inconsolable. When Branwyn and Eric meet, he is immediately calmed by her, and soon they become a small family. 

When tragedy comes to them, Tommy is separated from Eric, and though the two have a strong connection, they lose track of each other for years. 

Mosley shows how they class origins and the colour of their skin has a big effect on how they manage through life. Despite trauma and setbacks, Tommy gains the nickname Lucky, and feels that he is as well. Eric has a charmed life, and yet longs for something that he can't identify. 

When another tragedy brings the two back together again, they find more barriers between them and it is their found family members that each of them has gained along the way that help them find a way forward. 

This book explores social issues in America, particularly race and poverty, with the prejudices that underlie even the organizations that are supposed to support people. But it also explores outlook, and how each of us views the world we live in, and treats the people that we interact with along the way. A thought-provoking read. 

March Reviews for the 18th Annual Canadian Reading Challenge

 This is where you add your reviews for books finished in March that meet the Canadian Reading Challenge. Read more Canadian!

Still Life at Eighty

Finished February 27

Still Life at Eighty: The Next Interesting Thing: A Memoir by Abigail Thomas

This is the second memoir I've read by this author, following Three Dog Night, a memoir she wrote after her husband's death. This memoir is about aging, starting as she begins her eightieth year. Abigail doesn't want to relive her life differently, but she finds memories coming to her, forgetfulness becoming more common, and her body failing her at times. 

She has moved from New York City to a house in the Catskills, living with her four dogs, who are also aging. She watches nature both outdoors and as it creeps into her home. As lockdowns from Covid keep her from much social contact she relies on friends and family for support, and finds herself with memories, emotions, and the ability to notice even the small things. 

She writes about aging and its accompanying challenges and emotions, about her losses and small joys. 

This is a lovely book that will have you taking the time to notice the small things in your life as well. 

The Best Life Book Club

Finished February 26

The Best Life Book Club by Sheila Roberts

This feel-good novel has books, families, and romance. Karissa Newcomb has just moved to Gig Harbor, Washington from Seattle after her divorce. She has primary custody of her young daughter Macy, with her ex-husband having her on alternate weekends. Karissa has been betrayed by her husband and best friend who began a relationship that she discovered. She didn't want to live near them, and has found a job at a small publishing firm where she will work as the administrative assistant. The firm is run by two editors, Edward and Shirley. 

As Macy begins at a new school she finds her way into a friendship with another student after a few days of struggle. 

Karissa finds her way at work, among her co-workers and the authors they work with. She also meets her neighbours, Alice and Margot. Alice is in her late 50s, widowed by the love of her life, and just beginning to interact more with people beyond her family. Her older sister Josie spends a lot of time with her, trying to get her to overcome her fears and find a way forward. Margot is divorced and has a college-aged daughter. She's also just lost her management job, and is struggling to find a new one. 

Karissa decided to start a book club with these other women, and as they work their way through self-help and fiction, they find ways to move forward with their lives, opening new doors to personal fulfillment, professional growth, and romance. 

I enjoyed seeing the different women undergo growth and find happiness. 

A Pocket Guide to the Unheralded Artists of BC Series

Finished February 24

A Pocket Guide to the Unheralded Artists of BC Series: The Life and Art of Jack Akroyd, George Fertig, Mary Filer, Jack Hardman, Edythe Hembroff-Schleicher, Leroy Jenson, David Marshall, Frank Molnar, Arthur Pitts, Mildred Valley Thornton, Ina D.D. Uhthoff, Harry Webb, and Jessie Webb edited by Mona Fertig, with Introduction by Marsha Lederman

This small guide has a lot of information packed into it. The editor Mona Fertig began her project of creating a series of art books about lesser known artists after the death of her father George. She started her own publishing company when she couldn't find a publisher willing to take on the task. Except for Frank Molnar, all of the artists had passed away when she began the series, which covers artists working between 1900 and the 1960s. 

For each artists there is a biography and overview of their work, a portrait photograph, and several pictures of their art. At the front and back of the book are pictures of the artists in their studios. There is also a list of what public places one can find art by them. Besides going to these places, readers interested in more can go to the longer books Mona produced on the individual artists. 

I learned about artists I hadn't been aware of before, and appreciate this work she did to bring them to us. 

Against the Currant

Finished February 24

Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews

I heard about this book from one of my students and decided to try it. It is the first in a series of cosy mysteries set around a Grenadian bakery in Brooklyn, New York. The main character, Lyndsay Murray is just opening Spice Isle Bakery with her family. While she is the majority owner, her parents and grandmother also own part of it, and her older brother Dev, a lawyer, is eager to help out. He's even taken some time off to be there for the first week. Many community members are eager to see one of their own launch a new business, but the owner of another bakery, a few blocks away, isn't pleased. 

Claudio Fabrizi, owner of a bakery named for himself, as well as many pieces of real estate, has threatened Lyndsay repeatedly, and while she isn't one for confrontations, she isn't backing down on her dream. When he turns up at her soft opening and threatens her yet again, she ends up in a very public argument. 

Lyndsay doesn't even understand what his problem is, her bakery carries traditional West Indian fare that his doesn't, so they don't attract the same customers. But when Claudio is found dead the following morning, Lyndsay's public facedown with him means that the police have their eye on her. If she wants to salvage her reputation and get off of the police radar, she has to find the real killer on her own. 

This is definitely a new culture for me, and I enjoyed learning about it here. There are even a couple of recipes at the back of the book. 

The series holds promise, from Lyndsay's kickboxing routine to her strong family support, with many interesting characters, I can see this developing in interesting ways. 

Plan B

Finished February 23

Plan B by S.J.D. Peterson

This gay romance novel was a book I picked up at a library conference a few years back and I decided to read it now to meet the February portion for Novelist's reading challenge, which is a LGBTQIA+ romance. 

Danny Marshall, the main character is at college and sharing a dorm room with his longtime best friend Bo. Danny has ambitions to act professionally and always takes time with his appearance. As the two are getting ready for a frat party that Bo wants to go to, as a young woman he likes will be there, Danny takes time perfecting his makeup and hair, and chooses a vintage Stones tee along with jeans and boots. His look is often androgynous, and he doesn't mind getting attention. At the party, Bo soon finds Katie and likes this woman his friend is interested in. What he doesn't like is the attitude of her brother Lance, a man he's already had a tense encounter with as he grabbed a drink. 

Danny has very supportive parents, who are both professionals in the theatre world, and he loves art, theatre, and almost all that goes with it. Although he doesn't have dancing skills. Lance is at university on a football scholarship and has dreams of the NFL. 

After Lance apologizes for his behaviour, he says he wants to get to know him better, and Danny finds himself Lance's first experiment in a male-male relationship. Danny is attracted, but doesn't know if he wants to be in a secret relationship. 

This is a novel of attraction and Lance's fear of the fallout of being out is a big part of the story. His reaction to Danny is a little bit of a surprise for him, and he is at an age where he is discovering who he is in many ways, not just sexually. Danny knows who he is and has for years, but is still at the age where relationships are new, and the strength of his attraction and feelings add to the story in a big way. 

I enjoyed the novel, and could feel for the main characters. 

We Loved It All

Finished February 23

We Loved It All: A Memory of Life by Lydia Millet

This is the first nonfiction book by the author and is very hard to classify as it includes so many different things. While Millet has written several works of fiction, she has also had a long career at the Center for Biological Diversity, advocating for wildlife and climate change preparedness. 

This book mixes her personal memories with scientific facts, vignettes of animal and plant interactions with humans, and thoughts about life in general. 

The book is split into three sections, and she works to show our connections to others' experiences, and to life beyond the human. You can feel her emotions around many of these elements. Paragraphs within sections jump from the personal to the other elements, and sometimes feel like an expression of a stream of consciousness, with one thought leading to another. 

There are many things here that reminded me of my own memories of interactions with nature, and that revived knowledge I forgot that I had. There are also times where she taught me something new. This is a book that is hard to rush through, that one needs to sit with, and take time to examine one's reactions and thoughts. 

The Memory Stones

Finished February 18

The Memory Stones by Caroline Brothers

This book begins in Argentina in 1976, as one family enjoys its summer holidays in Tigre. Osvaldo Ferrero is a doctor, his wife Yolanda a teacher. Their oldest daughter, Julieta lives with her husband and children in Miami, and their younger daughter Graciela, is nineteen, in college, and in love with her boyfriend Jose. Shortly after this, the military stages a coup. People begin to disappear. When Osvaldo miscalculates a cartoon he draws for an entertainment weekly, he finds himself a target and must make a sudden and difficult decision. Soon after this Jose is kidnapped, and Graciela goes into hiding. They were both involved in literacy projects for the poor. Then Graciela goes missing as well. 

Yolanda is beside herself. As she discovers the Grandmothers, she is drawn to them, especially when information leads to the idea that Graciela may have been pregnant when she disappeared. 

As Oswaldo and Yolanda search for information about their daughter, they face more tragedies, and struggles. 

This is a story centred on one family among many in Argentina that had family members that disappeared under the Junta. It brings to life the emotions, the desperation, and the grief surrounding this difficult period of Argentinian history that makes it relatable to all readers.

The characters of Yolanda and Oswaldo in particular are drawn with depth and complexity, and the changing viewpoints give us access to the different lives people led during this time. 

Taking us beyond the borders of Argentina to Europe and Mexico, and beyond the time of the Junta to the present day, we see the broad and long term effects on this family. 

A definite winner that would also be a great book club read. 

See It, Dream It, Do It

Finished February 17

See It, Dream It, Do It: How 25 People Just Like You Found Their Dream Jobs by Colleen Nelson and Kathie MacIsaac with illustrations by Scot Rictchie

This book is similar to their previous career information book, If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It. The careers covered here are:

* Fitness Trainer / Coach

* Skydiving Instructor

* Ranch Owner / Equine Therapist

* Architect

* Teacher / Basketball Coach

* Palaeontologist

* Radio Host / Multimedia Journalist

* Cave Microbiologist

* Forensic Artist

* Ambassador of Canada to Iceland

* Private Investigator

* Park Ranger

* Heavy Equipment Technician

* Stand-Up Comedian / Actor

* Pilot

* Travel Company Owner

* Psychologist

* Charter Captain

* Community Advocate / Mentor & Coodinator

* Midwife

* YouTube Content Creator / Former LEGO Designer

* Cybersecurity Analyst

* Electrical Engineer

* Funeral Director

* Ballet Dancer

Most of the people profiled have some connection with Canada, which is helpful. Looking to our own country for inspiration in terms of jobs is a way to see yourself within your own community. 

As in their other book, they also list some jobs that are related, and briefly feature another person who is successful in a related job. 

Exposure to such a variety of possibilities opens children's eyes to the wide range of things they can consider for their future. 

The Cemetery of Untold Stories

Finished February 17

The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez

This novel is set mostly in the Dominican Republic. Alva Cruz emigrated to the United States as a child with her parents and three sisters, but often visited her home country. She is a well-known author and has been having a writer's block recently. When her father passes away, she and her sisters divide up the properties he owned with Alma agreeing to a large property beside a dump. She intends to use it as a graveyard for her unfinished works. After organizing them, she engages with a local sculptor to create sculptures for each work that will sit above their resting place. 

Alva finds that she can still hear her stories, even as they revise themselves, as well as hearing other stories. 

The construction of her fenced cemetery and sculpture garden attracts local interest, and Alva ends up hiring one of the locals, Filomena, to be the groundskeeper. She also asks her to spend time at each burial site and listen. 

Filomena can also hear the stories, and she spends most of her time at two of the graves. One has the story of Bienvenida Trujillo, the second wife of the dictator El Jefe. Another is the story of a Dominican doctor named Manuel Cruz, who fought with partisans and emigrated to the United States. 

As we learn these stories, we also learn the stories of Alma, and of Filomena and her sister Perla. 

This is a novel that flows beautifully, with stories weaving themselves into each other and giving us a sense of the country and its people. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Finished February 11

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

This is the first in a series of cosy mysteries set in a small town in Minnesota called Lake Eden. Hannah Swensen has moved back home after her father's death, and started a shop called the Cookie Jar, where she sells all types of cookies and squares as well as beverages. She also has a young employee, Lisa, who stayed after high school to look after her father who has Alzheimer's. 

Hannah's mother keeps setting her up with any possible eligible man, which Hannah deals with kindly. She's not really interested in any companion other than her cat Moishe. The latest man offered up is Norman Rhodes, who has recently moved back to town after his father's death and taken over his father's dentistry practice. He seems nice, if a little boring. 

As the book begins, Hannah is off to work, passing a few regulars on her way, including her neighbour Phil, who works at a local manufacturing company; Ron, the dairy delivery driver on the route that comes to her store; and Claire, owner of the fashion boutique next door to the Cookie Jar. 

As we begin to get to know the townspeople including Hannah's sister Andrea, and her husband Bill, a police officer, we see how everyone is connected in a variety of ways.

When Ron is late and Hannah checks the alley to see if he's close, she finds his truck, and him dead in it. As she helps Bill follow the clues, often a step ahead of him, we find ourselves caring about the different characters whose lives are affected by this death. When another body is found, things get more tense in town. 

I enjoyed getting to know the characters, which I'm sure will reappear and get more depth as the series continues. The introduction of a new detective to the force brings anticipation for future books, on both the mystery and romance fronts. 

And as with most food based cosy mysteries, there are lots of recipes included here.

The Sweetness of Water

Finished February 10

The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris

This historical fiction novel is set just after the end of the United States Civil War. George Walker and his wife Isabelle have a farm a little way outside of a small southern town called Old Ox. George often walks his land and the forest that is part of it, partly searching for a creature his father told him of, and partly to think. Towards the end of the day, one he spent wandering, he comes across two middle-aged black men. Their names are Prentiss and Landry and they were recently owned by Ted Morton, George's neighbour. The two men decided to leave once they were emancipated, but haven't got any idea of the outside world or where to head. George has a burden of sadness on him, one that he soon shares with Isabelle, and the two reconsider their future plans. George determines to clear and farm some of his land, and he approaches the two black men to offer them work helping him. When George offers them work, they are grateful to be able to earn some to take them away and into a new life. But George's actions cause issues with others that resent the loss of their traditional social order. 

Trust grows between George, Prentiss, Landry, and soon Isabelle as well, and another family member who has seen things in the war that changed him. 

When a tragedy happens to this group, it becomes a larger issue, one that both destroys friendships and creates new ones. The trust between them becomes something more, and while there is hope, more tragedies happen in the town and this household. 

I found this novel moving and thought-provoking. Crimes lead to insults, and insults become crimes. An engaging debut novel that won attention from celebrity book clubs and was longlisted for the Booker. 

Friday Black

Finished February 10

Friday Black: Stories by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

This dark collection of stories had me both wanting more and needing to take breaks from reading. This is the debut collection for the author, and draws on his own experiences as a black man in the United States for some of his themes. The collection contains twelve stories, with some characters reappearing in other tales. 

The first story, The Finkelstein 5, draws on racism, white privilege, miscarriage of justice, and frustration at all these societal flaws. The second tale, Things My Mother Said, touches on poverty and religion. The third, The Era takes us further into dystopia with revisionist history, genetic selection, and bullying. Lark Street deals with abortion, relationships, and the onus on women. The Hospital Where has elements of pain and wonder set around healthcare and the things we do for our dreams. Zimmerland makes racism and violence a form of entertainment where there are no consequences. Friday Black takes us to a surreal dystopian version of Black Friday sales, where bodies are swept to the sides as sales take precedence. The Lion & The Spider takes African folklore, family responsibility, and takes us to the backroom of retail. Light Spitter has elements on incel culture, school shootings, and trying to change outcomes. How to Sell a Jacket As Told by Iceking brings us back to the characters and world of Friday Black on a less dark day. The following story, In Retail, is in the same world, but from a different point of view. The final story, Through the Flash, is set in a world where the days reset over and over, death and violence are ever present, and the characters are aware of it, and hope for a glitch in the system. 

These are dark stories, offering little hope for the future, but also stories that are gripping and captivating. Many of them relate to the world even more today than when they were written. 

Say You'll Be Mine

Finished February 9

Say You'll Be Mine by Naina Kumar

This romance is very engaging. The narration does vary between the two main characters. The main female character, Meghna Raman, is a Dallas-area middle grade English teacher who has long aspired to write plays, and is working with her students to do the school's first production, My Fair Lady. Her parents and brother are all engineers and, in the eyes of her mother, engineering is the only profession worth doing. Meghna has received the speech on this many times, but her mother launches a new one now, convincing her to marry an engineer. Meghna's parents are a love match, and they've never proposed any introduction before, but she finds herself faced with an arranged marriage proposal, a rishta, now. Perhaps it is because she is nearing thirty without a serious relationship. 

Karthik is a mechanical engineer working in New York City for a large engineering firm. He likes his work, but has pushed off serious relationships and any discussion of them for years. He has finally made a deal with his mother to meet marriage possibilities for a certain time period on condition that if he doesn't find someone she won't bring it up again. And Karthik has no intention of finding someone. He has seen his parents' marriage and has no desire for anything like theirs in terms of a relationship. He has been trying to be as little like his father for most of his life. That's partially why he chose engineering instead of medicine, with his father teaching at NYCU medical school. 

The meeting, at Meghna's parents' house goes well, except for Karthik telling her that he has no intention of marrying anyone when the two of them have their one-on-one. Yet he finds himself telling his mother he needs time to think about her as a potential wife instead of just saying no. And then he digs himself in deeper yet. 

So when he contacts Meghna with a proposal to move ahead with a fake relationship, he has to find something that they both get out of it. And Meghna has a secret that only her best friend Ankita knows that might be the motivation she needs. 

As their story unfolds, it seems that there are more secrets, from Karthik, Ankita, and parents on both sides. 

I liked learning more about some aspects of Indian culture as well as seeing this plot unfold. The characters of Meghna and Karthik are ones with some depth, and we see their vulnerabilities as well as their strengths. I also liked the character of Paul, an intern at Karthik's company. 

I had trouble putting the book down as I needed to see how things worked out. 

The House on Mango Street

Finished February 6

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

The copy of this that I read is the 25th anniversary edition, which has a foreword by the author reflecting on the work, as well as where she is now. I think that it added a lot to what I felt as I read the book. 

The book has short chapters that are connected vignettes around the street in Chicago, where the girl narrator, Esperanza Cordero, lives, called Mango Street. The house she lives in is the first home that her family has of their own, not an apartment, that they can change as they wish to. She has siblings and extended family, friends and neighbours, who all appear in their own way in this book. 

Esperanza learns things, about herself, her community, and about life, especially about growing up. I'm glad that I finally took the time to read this short book, and see through the eyes of this observant young girl. 

Rose Addams

Finished February 5

Rose Addams by Margie Taylor

Rose Addams is in her early sixties and working at a Vancouver area public library. She's a woman who enjoys her work, and takes an interest in her children's lives. On her way home one day in late August, her daughter Morgan calls and asks her to call back when she gets home. Morgan, who lives in Toronto with her fiancé Ian, and is nearing the final portion of her Ph.D. dissertation tells her that the engagement is off.

A few days later, she on her way to work when a young man she's seen sitting outside the nearby grocery store approaches her and tells her how he knows her. Rose is surprised and saddened. This reminds her of the early days of motherhood and how her and her husband Charles had handled an earlier childcare challenge in their lives. 

When she arrives home, she has more surprises in store. Her husband Charles, just a few years older than her, informs her that he has retired from his job as a university professor, and chair of his department. He tells her that it is due to a conversation that he had with an undergraduate student around student expectations. She is surprised and disappointed that he made such a big decision without even talking about it with her first. She is further surprised by a call from Morgan saying that she is coming home in a few days, just after the Labour Day weekend. 

As Rose and Charles host a dinner party the following evening with friends and colleagues, and he announces his retirement, the guests are surprised and dismayed. They include another professor and friend, Garnet, and his newest paramour a young graduate student, Lauren; the department secretary Bernadette and her brother Richard; and Rose's best friend Marie, a children's author, and her accountant husband Jeff. Bernadette is particularly dismayed and surprised, but Garnet is also disappointed that he wasn't consulted about the move, since he originally took Charles under his wing when Charles joined the department as a young professor. 

Rose likes Morgan's partner Ian, but is less enamored of her son Jason's partner Lee, who she feels judges her. She hasn't spent much time with Lee though, and not everyone see what Rose feels. 

As Rose deals with all these changes, and more, she questions her own feelings, second guesses her impulses, and finds herself dealing with a future she didn't imagine. 

I really enjoyed this book, and many of the issues that Rose is faced with felt very real and relatable. A book from a Canadian writer new to me, that I will definitely look out for.