Her Big City Neighbor

Finished June 27

Her Big City Neighbor by Jackie Lau

This is the first book in the Cider Bar Sisters series, a series set in Toronto around a group of female friends. Amy Sharpe has inherited a house in Toronto from her great aunt. She takes the opportunity to leave her small Ontario town and go back to university for her masters degree in engineering. Her family has depended on her for a lot of things and they have trouble adjusting to her not being near them. 

In Toronto, she decides to take on a roommate to share her house, and finds one that shares the same name as her favourite fictional character. The roommate introduces her to her friends group and Amy fits in well with the diverse group. 

Amy really explores the city, visiting different areas of it and, since Amy is a foodie, she also explores the wide variety of food and drink available in the city. This is prominent in the novel, with mentions of restaurants, cafés, and bars along with descriptions of the food experiences. 

Amy also notices her next-door neighbour, Victor Lau, only a few years older than her and with a habit of sitting in his yard, and mowing his lawn shirtless. She makes friendly advances and the chemistry between them moves things along. Victor is quiet and keeps to himself, partly because he is still grieving the loss of a sibling. He is close to his sisters and mom who all still live in his hometown of Edmonton. 

There is a theme her of strong female characters, from Amy's grandmother and great aunt to her own generation. Amy works hard to ensure she doesn't fall into traps from the past where she was taken for granted in her relationships. 

A very enjoyable read, and my copy has a teaser from the next book in the series.  

Clifford

Finished June 26

Clifford: A Memoir, a Fiction, a Fantasy, a Thought Experiment by Harold R. Johnson

This is an intriguing book, and the subtitle gives you an idea of the scope of the book. Johnson talks about his older brother Clifford, a man who had a major impact on Johnson's entire life. Early in life, Clifford helped him overcome a speech impediment, so important as formal assistance wasn't an option for them in their small northern Saskatchewan community. We get a great sense of what it was like growing up there and how their lives changed when they were forced to move away into a larger community. 

Their father was from Sweden and their mother was Cree, and their father assimilated into the local Cree community. Clifford died in a vehicle accident, and it was a loss to the family and the community and we get a real sense of this here. Clifford cared about people and showed it through his actions. There is humour and there is sadness, but overall we are shown an extraordinary human being. 

The book is framed as Johnson camping near the abandoned house that he and his family lived in when he was young. It encompasses memories, the nature around him, the feelings he has about the loss of his brother, the what-ifs, and the way they move forward.

From the examples of scientific discussions we get a great sense of how Clifford's mind worked, so open to new ideas and being able to connect disparate ideas across subjects. His ideas changed over time as he learned new things. 

Johnson is a true storyteller and this book is a great example. 

The Breakwater House

Finished June 18

The Breakwater House by Pascale Quiviger, translated by Lazer Laderhendler

This literary novel follows Lucie as she goes through a difficult period in her life, with flashbacks to her past. Lucie grew up with her single mom Aurore, struggling financially. Early on she meets Claire, who is only five days apart by birth, but who lives with her wealthy mother Suzanne. The girls are almost inseparable. Aurore wove stories about her own past and relatives that she told the girls, but when Lucie turned fifteen, Aurore left and began a life elsewhere. Lucie grew even closer to Claire and when Lucie in turn has a child on her own, Claire moves in with her and becomes another parental figure in her daughter Odysśee's life. 

When tragedy comes into their lives, Lucie struggles, and she eventually finds a house by the sea, where an older woman lives, that is for sale. When she moves to the remote house, with no connection to the rest of the world she finds strange occurrences, odd dreams that bleed into her waking life, and time that passes in an elusive fashion. 

This is a story of grief and loss and how one woman experiences it. Captivating. 

Every Time We Say Goodbye

Finished June 18

Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner

This is the third book in the series The Jane Austen Society. It is set mostly in 1954-1955 with flashbacks to a related storyline in 1943. The main character is Vivien Lowry, a British playwrights. She's recently premiered her second play on the London stage, but it wasn't well received by critics. Her contacts, which include several well-known women including Peggy Guggenheim, Daphne du Maurier, and Ava Gardner, arrange a job in Italy for her, working on the script of an American director. Many of those working on the film have left the United States due to the McCarthy investigations, including her fellow writer American Jew Levi Bassano, a young man who served with a Field Photo unit in the U.S. armed forces during World War II. The lead actress in the film is American Claudia Jones, a beautiful biracial woman who passes for white. As she engages with the film community in Rome, we see other real people enter the story, including a young Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, and Gina's husband Milko Skofic. Vivien becomes friends with Claudia, who recently starred in a film as a nun and who is making some life decisions of her own. We also see the strong influence the Vatican had on the film industry at the time. 

Vivien is still coming to terms with the disappearance of her fiancé David, who had been captured by Italian forces during the war and then gone missing. She hopes to be able to gather more information while she is still in Italy. 

An Italian director is looking to do a film about a young woman known only as La Scholaretta, who was a partisan during the war and who was executed for the assassin of a Nazi SS Commander. He also has a personal connection to her story. In the 1943 portion of the plot, we see this young woman in the hours surrounding the assassination and her motivations and actions during this time.

I found it interesting to see how these two plots came together and how the repercussions of the war were still being felt during this time. As part of the series, this book centres women who make their own careers and decisions and who support each other doing so. 

I also enjoyed learning that the author is Canadian. 

Red: A Haida Manga

Finished April 6

Red: A Haida Manga told and illustrated by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas

This creative book founded a new art form, combining traditional manga with Haida imagery. The story is a traditional Haida Gwaii folktale from the oral tradition. Red is an orphaned leader, a man blinded by revenge, leading to a tragic situation. 

When he was young, raiders attacked his village. Red escaped, but his sister Jaada did not. Red is angry and wants to exact revenge on the men who kidnapped his sister. He wants to find her and save her. But his anger doesn't allow for the feelings of anyone else affected by the situation, not his sister, not his people, no one. 

The art here is in full colour and hand-painted. Taken as a whole the panels create a Haida formline image thirteen feet long. A miniaturized version of this image is shown on the inside cover of the book. Really understanding this work and the art that depicts the story takes time to reflect, to think, to learn about the culture. The form is a key part of the story and neither can stand alone. 

Moving and thought-provoking. 

Regreen

Finished January 8

Regreen: New Canadian Ecological Poetry edited by Adam Dickinson and Madhur Anand

The anthology is one I've owned for a while, but only got to reading late last year. As with most poetry I read, it is something I tend to take my time with, reading a poem to two at a time, and thinking about what the poem says.

There are thirty-five poets represented here with the number of poem from each ranging from one to eight. Most are short, a page or two. 

Both editors wrote informative introductions that I found helpful. Besides both of them being poets, Madhur was at the time of this book, the Canada Research Chair in Global Ecological Change at the University of Guelph. I think this brings an interesting consideration to the collection.

The poems are divided into three sections: a triumph of tubers; pristine modernity, the dreams; and a leaf that looks like a mouth. The all have some relation to the environment, sometimes nature-based, sometimes to do with man's activities that affect nature. There is joy and there is regret. There is also hope.

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? 

Mya's Strategy to Save the World

Finished May 23

Mya's Strategy to Save the World by Tanya Lloyd Kyi

This children's novel is narrated by Mya, a 12-year-old girl, living in Vancouver. Mya and her best friend Cleo are the co-leaders of her school's social justice club. Each month they pick a cause or theme and work to support it. Mya's dream is of working for the United Nations. 

As the novel begins, Mya's mother leaves for Myanmar where Mya's grandmother has taken ill, where she plans to look after her until she is able to travel back to Canada. 

Mya is engaging is a lot of things typical for her age: trying to convince her parents that she deserves to have a phone like most of her friends do, beginning to take an interest in boys, and starting to make money from babysitting. With her mom away, Mya also takes on more responsibilities around the house like learning how to cook. She is also tasked with picking up her younger sister from school and supervising her skateboarding lessons. 

There are successes and missteps in her various endeavours. When an accident leaves Mya to take charge without warning, she proves herself up to the challenge.

I enjoyed seeing Mya come to live and grow as a person. She's earnest, but also has a lighter side. A fun read. 

Berani

Finished May 20

Berani by Michelle Kadarusman

This children's novel takes the reader to Indonesia, where young Malia has chosen a controversial topic for a school assignment, stop using palm oil to save the habitat of orangutans and other native animals. When she starts an online petition, she finds herself in real trouble, as the government education regulator suspends both her and her teacher. 

Malia is the child of an Indonesian father and Canadian mother, and goes to a private school. Recently Malia's father died and her mother plans to move back to Canada. So while she won't have long term effects from this, her teacher would. Malia looks to find a way to apologize while still being true to her feelings and values. 

Along with Malia's story is the story of Ari. He grew up in a small village where his family grew rice. His extended family saved for him to go live with an uncle and go to school. Ari works in his uncle's restaurant after school and weekends. He feels bad that his female cousin Suni isn't also given the educational opportunity as he feels that she is smarter than him. His uncle keeps an orangutan that he won in a card game in a cage in front of the restaurant. The orangutan, that they call Ginger Juice was treated like a loved pet when she was young, but put in the cage as she got older. His uncle also has a mynah bird called Elvis Presley that he keeps in cage as well. Both of them are considered 'attractions' by the uncle. Ari has connected with Ginger Juice and feels badly for her situation. When he attends a chess tournament and sees a flyer Malia created, he begins to wonder if he can change things, and save the orangutan. 

Besides the personal stories of these two young people, we also get to see how the orangutan feels. She reflects on her life with her mother before being captured, how she misses her life in the rainforest and her mother. She remembers the name her mother called her Berani, and thinks of herself as that. This aspect really shows the reader the intelligence in this animals and the cruelty of keeping them in this situation. 

This is a book that opens children's minds to other ways of living, and of choices that can be made that might take courage to begin. A really interesting and engaging novel. 

Out of the Valley of Horses

Finished May 10

Out of the Valley of Horses by Wendy Orr

This children's novel is set in a near future where a family decides to leave the city during a difficult time. There has been a spreading illness, and societal unrest as a result. The main character, Honey, is a young child, and her grandfather used to drive an ice cream truck. After he retired, he and her grandmother converted the truck into a small camper van equipped with solar panels. Honey's parents and her grandmother took her and her younger brother and went into the countryside looking for a place to camp and live for a while. They came to a place where a bridge took them into a mountain valley where there were a number of extraordinary horses. 

This all happened seven years earlier. Honey and her family discovered that they could no longer find their way out of the valley soon after they arrived. Since then, they've lived off the land and the supplies that they brought with them. They are generally content there, but miss their extended family. 

They have grown close to the horses. Each family member has been chosen by a horse who will let them ride it and whom they have a close relationship with. Honey's horse is Moongold, a name she knows belongs to it. The horses do dances together and sometimes make communal noises that sound like a song to the family. 

The story is interspersed with texts from the family looking for them, and hoping they are well, unsure what happened to them. Each of the adults in the family has phones, but they aren't connecting with the outside world. 

When Honey's father starts feeling unwell, they try harder to find a way out, but nothing they try seems to work, all trails leading back to their valley. They are reminded of a story of their great-grandfather's when he took a ride out of the city on his horse and found a valley. He stayed there for seven years, in a cabin he built himself, and then was able to leave and come out to the rest of the world. 

Honey's upcoming eleventh birthday will be exactly seven years since the family entered the valley. She can't help but wonder if this will be the chance they have to leave the valley they love to save her father, even if it means leaving the valley forever. 

I really enjoyed this tale of magic and resilience. The family has used their skills and resources well, growing some food, and finding others in their environment. The adults teach the kids, and share stories as part of a routine. Honey is at the age where she is adult enough to notice changes in the situation and look for ways to help. A great story. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Goodbye, Again

Finished January 15

Goodbye, Again: Essays, Reflections, and Illustrations by Jonny Sun

This lovely collection of writing gets very personal as Jonny explores his past, his relationships, and his present. He covers personal issues of loneliness, depression, anxiety, and burnout. He thinks about where home is, and coming back to places that you once lived in and don't fit into the same way anymore. This includes looking at the idea of belonging, and how relationships change when you venture in different directions. 

He examines paying attention to the details of his surroundings and I particularly loved the series of essays on his experiences with houseplants. 

He is funny, wry, and vulnerable. Some of the essays here are a single sentence, that really makes you think like 'Visiting'. Others, like many of the houseplant ones include his illustrations. One is done as a series of cels, like a comic strip. 

The essays are organized into sections: Goodbye; Go Slow; Take Care; Hello; Hello, Again; and Goodbye, Again. 

I took my time reading this as his writing is so relatable that I could find many things that moved me and that made me think about my experiences and my life. 

A great read. 

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch

Finished November 12

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay

This fun holiday romance has a lot happening, and was a page-turner for me. On the evening before her wedding, Holly Beech's fiancé Matt tells her that he won't go through with the wedding, that they aren't really 'in love' with each other, and that he's met someone else. Holly is at her best friend, Ivy Casey's apartment getting ready for the wedding, and Ivy is left consoling her and feeling that she was right in her sense that Matt wasn't the right man for Holly. 

Holly can't bear to go to the luxury Hawaiian resort that her parents paid for, and since it is nonrefundable, she suggests that her and Ivy trade vacations. Ivy, a graphic designer, has an art vacation every year, where she uses her favourite oil pastels to create landscape pictures. Ivy has compartmentalized her art and makes it special for this time only. She has booked an eco-cabin in the Hudson Valley for this year. 

Both women are in for surprises when they arrive at their destinations. Holly finds the host of her cabin, who drops by to help her figure out some of the technology involved, is her high school academic rival Aiden. Ivy finds that someone else is already in the honeymoon suite at the Kauai resort, Matt and his new girlfriend. As she tries to find a place to stay in the popular season there, the extremely attractive bartender at the resort, Oliver, comes to her rescue. As both women weigh the decision to engage in a new relationship, they also must come to terms with their own issues, of confidence and routines. 

This is a novel of friendship, of unexpected love, and of taking chances. Thoroughly enjoyable. 

The Library of Legends

Finished August 13

The Library of Legends by Janie Chang

This historical fiction novel also has elements of fantasy. It is set in China in 1937, as the war with Japan begins to have an impact on the safety of China's citizens. The point of view shifts between a few characters. One of them is nineteen-year-old Hu Lian, who is a scholarship student at Minghua University in Nanking, which was the capital of China at the time. The government has a strong belief that the students at universities from around the country are key to the country's future, and they begin to organize relocations of the students and professors into cities further from the front lines. Some students decide to go home, some choose to enlist as soldiers, but there are many who join the migration of their schools. 

Lian has a secret, she and her mother took new identities after the death of her father and moved to a large city to get away from people who might know them. They didn't have a lot of money, but her mother spoke English and was able to use a typewriter, and that gave her opportunities to earn enough to cover their costs. Lian would like to go to her mother, who has told her that she is heading to a mission in Shanghai, but with Shanghai now in control of the Japanese, she isn't sure exactly where her mother might be, and she is convinced that waiting until she knows where her mother has settled and lets her know via the school will be the only way they can be sure to find each other. So Lian goes on the journey with her assigned group, consisting of students, professors, administrators, and staff who do things like cook their meals. 

One of the professors is Professor Kang, the dean of literature and a recognized expert on classics of the Tang Dynasty. He dresses as a traditional scholar, in a long dark-coloured gown with a high neck. He is particularly interested in a set of volumes that contain folk legends and myths, known as the Library of Legends. Each student will carry one volume of the set and read the stories in that volume along the journey. They will also have to write a term paper on one of the tales in the book they carry. Lian has a volume called Tales of the Celestial Deities. Kang is another of the characters that we sometimes see the thoughts of. 

Liu Shaoming, known as Shao, is a fourth year student who meets Lian after a bombing attack where they both took what shelter they could. He and his servant, a young woman called Sparrow Chen accompany her back to canvas and are part of the same group from the university. We also sometimes see his thoughts. 

As the journey progresses, the travelers encounter hardships, from the danger of bombs and rough living conditions with limited food options, to political differences. They learn how to find footwear that will carry them on their long walk, and friendships as well as rivalries grow. 

Lian and Kang learn that two of their fellow travelers have a link to a folktale in the volume Lian carries, "The Willow Star and the Prince" a story of love that continues over reincarnation after reincarnation, but has no happy ending. They also learn that the times have coincided with a exodus of the many gods, large and small, through the Gates of Heaven which are open to them for a limited time. As they ponder why this change is happening, they also see how it affects the world they are used to. 

I really enjoyed the folktale aspect of the novel, and the way that only some people can see the gods in their true form as the move to leave the places where they've been worshipped and go home to where they came from. 

I also liked Lian as she faced challenges with reason, looking for a way to be her own person, and not rely on others more than she has to. 

A very different and interesting read. 

Flight Plan

Finished August 10

Flight Plan by Eric Walters

This novel is in the same world as the Rule of Three series and features characters that have some relation to the characters in the earlier books in the series. Here, we see the same time period beginning with the triggering event of computers failing. 

The central character is a thirteen-year-old boy Jamie. He's been visiting his grandmother and she's driven him to the Chicago airport for his flight home to the Toronto area. When he gets escorted by airline staff to his gate, he is soon met by the pilot, Stuart Daley. Stuart is a friend of Jamie's father, who is also a pilot. Stuart is also the father of the main character in the first few books in the series. The second pilot on the flight is a younger Korean-Canadian woman named Doeun Kim. They ask if he'd like to sit in the cockpit for the flight, and he agrees. Jamie is pretty comfortable flying and his mother is a pilot as well. 

They get cleared for early takeoff, but before they get off the ground the triggering incident happens with all computers shutting down. As they are trying to figure out what happened, they do an emergency evacuation of the plane and move towards the terminal. Once they begin to realize that this is a widespread event, two of the crew stay with the plane and Daley leads the rest to the hotel the airline uses, which is nearby. The hotel has gone into lockdown, but allows them in, and the next morning, Daley leads a small group back to the airport to begin to unload the plane and see what onboard items might be useful. With many in the group calling Toronto or nearby communities home, they eventually decide to try to get home by land. 

The journey is a difficult one, as things in many places have descended into chaos, violence, and fear. The group has individuals with valuable skills that they teach to the others, and use to deal with different issues and barriers that arise along the way.

This is an interesting look at human behaviour, and how working as a group that keeps the idea of overall compassion and realistic choice in the front of their minds. Jamie is forced to deal with things that most adults don't have to deal with, and try to keep it from affecting him negatively. The situations portrayed seem realistic, with details regarding exact places along the way kept vague. One thing that I noted was that there was never any mention of crossing the border between the countries, not even that they found the border posts unmanned. It was just not part of the story at all. 

I enjoyed seeing Jamie deal and learn from the situations that he was forced to face, and I liked what I saw of the other characters in their group, some of which we saw in more depth than others. A captivating read. 

I Will Ruin You

Finished July 22

I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay

This novel has lots of twist and turn that will keep you guessing. High school English teacher Richard Boyle looks out his classroom window one day and sees a man with what looks like explosives strapped to him approaching the school. He leaves the classroom abruptly, telling his students briefly to alert authorities and protect themselves and runs to try to intercept the man. He is able to avert a major tragedy, but recognizes that there is still a tragedy, and a motivation that the former student had to act the way he did. 

Unbeknownst to him, his appearance on the news triggers another situation, as he is approached by a man who tries to blackmail him based on supposed acts he did years before. 

As one would expect, this has a big impact on Richard, both in terms of thinking of ways to avert the situation or deal with it, and in terms of what this new accusation might say in terms of the actions of the first man in terms of validation. 

Richard's wife Bonnie, a principal at an elementary school is also dealing with a tragedy, the loss of the mother of one of her students. Bonnie's sister Marta, a police officer was involved with the case of the mother's death, and her investigations lead her towards a drug ring. 

As the two cases begin to connect, all involved will find themselves trying to protect those they care about as well as finding the truth. 

This is a novel that took a while to get me hooked, but that did engage me, both with the intriguing plot, and with the characters. 

A Friend in the Dark

Finished May 31

A Friend in the Dark by Samantha M. Bailey

The main character, Eden Miller, has had a lot happening in her life lately.  Her only child Ava is just starting college at the nearby University of Michigan. Her husband has been pulling back from her for a while, ever since his father, a big presence in their lives died. In the parking lot of the university after they'd moved all Ava's stuff into her room and said goodbye, her husband Dave tells her he wants a divorce. 

Eden thought they'd always had a great relationship, and is frustrated that Dave won't tell her why he wants to end their marriage. He keeps telling her that she's done nothing and that she's perfect, but she feels like failure. 

After the prologue teaser, the book begins with Eden, alone in her home on her birthday. Her friends sent her over some wine, but she didn't feel like being with other people, so she's alone drinking, and she makes an impulse decision to friend her college crush, Justin Ward, on Facebook. She is very surprised when he responds and seems to be interested in her, giving her compliments and saying that he thinks of her as "the one that got away."

She tutored him at university, and kissed him at a party at his fraternity house, but she doesn't remember much about that evening, other than running for a toilet, throwing up a lot, and being taken home to her shared apartment by her now-husband Dave. But something else happened that night. Eden's co-worker, Tyler, who also lived in the frat house, and was a friend to her and Dave, disappeared that night and no one has ever solved that disappearance. Tyler was a nice guy, and got along with most people. 

As Eden becomes more involved with Justin online, she finds herself doing things out of character, and taking crazy risks. But things aren't always what they seem, and Eden finds that her family has been put into danger through this online relationship. 

I liked the teaser at the beginning that lets you know that things get very bad. I also appreciated seeing how Eden's low self esteem made her a target, and I could see the gradual hold this online relationship began to have on her. An engrossing and fast read.