November Books

The Toronto Public Library was a victim of at cyber attack so all of its computer systems have been down for several weeks, and the news is that they won't be restored until the new year.  This all means that I am stuck with the books at my own branch and I can't place any holds.  Luckily I was able to find a few options to keep me entertained for the month. Interestingly I went looking for specific recommendations and then found an alternate book by the same author(s).  Once the library system is back up and running, I'll reserve the actual book I was looking for in the first place.

First up was The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones (looking for The Other Woman)

This was a fun suspense type book.  There is a wedding taking place in Portugal, attended by the British brother of the groom and his wife, and another couple.  There is a lot of is someone cheating on their partner and with whom?  Does someone end up dead by the end of this? And who was responsible.  I thought I had some things figured out but there were a few surprises.  I like books where the people are British and then setting is somewhere I've been (I've not been to the resort areas of Portugal but I have been to Lisbon).  An easy entertaining read.

Next was The Gown by Jennifer Robson (looking for The Coronation Year)

This book takes place in post-war England (with some jumping ahead to present day Toronto) and is told from the point of view of two young ladies, both of whom are seamstresses/embroiderers who worked on Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress.  It was a difficult time in London during these years and I could not believe how little they had to eat and the lengths they went to to save money.  The stiff upper lip was strengthened by these times, for sure. 

It's about the Royal Family, which I love, and it has the post-war element which I'm interested in, but feel like I've never read much about this time.  There was enough intrigue to wonder what was going on, but the author also had a good way of dropping details without being so obvious about it. I absolutely loved this book (and bonus it was Canadian!).  I can't wait to read more by this author.

And finally At the Moutains's Edge by Genevieve Graham (looking for Tides of Honour). 

This book takes place during the Yukon Gold Rush.  It tells the story of a young woman travelling from Vancouver to Dawson City to try and make a new life and start a store. And also of a young Mountie who is keeping order up there in the north during this time. It was a bit predictable, and a bit simple at times, but ultimately it was a pretty well written book and I appreciated the Canadian history lesson and reading about the challenges people faced on the Chilikoot Path.  It was sort of like it should be on a high school reading list, but that won't stop me from trying out a couple of other books by this author where I am interested in the topic.