May and June Books

Here are the books I read over the past few months, some good ones! 

Tomorrow is for the Brave by Kelly Bowen 

This is the second of three Kelly Bowen book I have read this year (another coming up below). This one follows a well to do young woman from the South of France, starting in the couple of years before World War II. Her father has plans for her to marry a suitable man with business plans in mind. Then the war begins and the young woman has other goals. She becomes something of a known figure and we get to learn about different contributions made by women. There is also a man that features in the story because of course there is, but is he who he seems?

It’s a good book, I like the strong female character, exposure to the risks the Allies faced from spies, and what was going on in Northern Africa. Bonus, the author is Canadian!

Once and Again by Rebecca Serle

I like a Rebecca Serle book, she always has a bit of a mystical element to her novels. In this book the females in the family all have the opportunity use a “magic ticket” to go back in time and prevent something (usually a tragedy) from happening. Here the main character of the book is moving home to the beach in LA with her parents for the summer while her husband is working in New York. She starts slipping back into old patterns, and we hear about the times when the “magic ticket” was used by her mother and great grandmother. 

This was pretty good, although not her best. I enjoyed the characters but didn’t feel as interesting as some of her other books. I think it’s because by now I know what she’s doing with these mystical elements now. But what a good imagination to come up with these plots!

Stars in an Italian Sky by Jill Santopolo

A novel that goes back and forth from post-WWII Italy and present day New York City. After the fascists have been removed from power, the people of Italy are going to vote on becoming a republic and removing the monarchy (and by extension the royal titles). The main character of the story has lost her mother during the war, and is now a seamstress in her father’s shop, along with her sister.  Her sister wants to emigrate to the United States with her husband, but our main character likes things the way they are and wants to stay put.  She then becomes reacquainted with one of those members of the aristocracy when he comes into the shop for some alterations. He had lost his older brother in the war and is now the heir to his family’s title and estate. They strike up a relationship but the looming vote weighs on how they see their own futures.  The present day part of the story is a young couple getting married, both with links to Italy. 

This is another author that I enjoy and although some of the story was a bit predictable, I really enjoyed hearing about this period of history, one I didn’t really know about. 

The Garden of Lost Secrets by Kelly Bowen

Another Kelly Bowen book to round out my list. And another book that goes back and forth between narrators and timeframes.  The story starts with a Dutch teenage girl, visiting her grandparents in France, in the 1930s, meeting a teenage boy who is living in an old estate, managing his father who his suffering from PTSD from WWI. Fast forward a few years later when WWII is about to begin and they are young adults. They get pulled into different roles during the war and we get to learn, typical of this author, about parts of the war that do not usually get as much exposure as other things we are so familiar with. The present day story is about two sisters who have purchased that aforementioned old estate and are restoring it after a fire. They find some old papers and start making connections to the past.

No complaints about this novel, it follows the formula that she has used for The Paris Apartment, and it works. She writes a good character and I like that not everything works out perfectly for them.

March and April Books

 I read some great books these past two months, here is what I thought of each of them:

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book takes place in the ‘80s and tells the story of a female astronaut and how she became an astronaut but more importantly about her relationship with a colleague. It starts with an emergency in space and then goes back to tell the story leading up to that moment.  

You may already be familiar with other books by this author. I have enjoyed a few books by her. My only critique about this book was that it seemed very much like the show For All Mankind, if you're seen that on Apple TV.  It is a fictional retelling about the space race and focuses on women in the program and relationships between the astronauts, similar to this book. It was an enjoyable read though and with the recent attention to space with Artemis II, it was a timely.

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand with her daughter Shelby Cunningham

A story about a private boarding school in the United States. We get the perspective of different students and staff. Like many Elin Hilderbrand books, there are lots of characters but their stories are well woven together and it’s not hard to follow.  She brought her daughter in as a co-author as someone who had attended boarding school and could give a unique perspective to the story.

I found this book pretty fascinating as I have no knowledge of the private school or boarding school systems but I know they are a thing. I know they are just teenagers, but there is a different level of maturity (and immaturity for that matter) for kids that are living away from their parents. I see there is a sequel, which I guessed since the main characters in this book still had one more year of school. 

The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen (Canadian!)

A young woman has recently inherited an apartment in Paris from her grandmother. No one knew she even had an apartment in Paris, but when we get inside it appears to be untouched since the mid-1940s. It is full of art, fancy clothes, and a hidden compartment with even more art. There is also Nazi magazines and a personal note from one of Hitler's top commanders. Was the grandmother a Nazi sympathizer? 

The main character finds an art dealer to try and figure out where the works came from, and together they try to untangle the mystery. Fortunately we also get to go back in time to hear from two women, including the grandmother, from those war years.

 

This was a very good book and I had a hard time putting it down. I had a few things figured out but was kept guessing by others. I wanted more.

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

This book was floating around on a few book lists, so when I saw it on the Best Bets shelf at the library I picked it up. We meet the main character living with her husband on a farm. An old boyfriend has just moved back in next door, about 10 years later from when they dated. He is a famous writer and has brought his son to live with him, having gotten divorced. There is an immediate interaction between the two families and the story goes from there. There are also flashbacks to when they dated, and broke up, and the early family life between the woman and her farmer husband. 

This was an extremely moving book and I cried a few times reading it. It's not just what happened in the plot, but the compassion shown to various people at different times. 

My only critique is that although the book took place in England in the 1960s, it felt like it was set in modern times. Aside from the lack of cell phones, and a passing commentary on women attending college, the way the characters interacted with each other seemed more modern. Not sure why that bothered me, but I think it's because I would forget it was set in the "olden days".

Last Call at the Savoy by Brisa Carleton

Cinnamon (yes, that's her name) is called to be with her sister who is on bed rest for the last few weeks of her pregnancy. Her sister has just moved to London for a job but since her flat isn't ready yet, she is staying at the Savoy Hotel. Cinnamon has to hang around the hotel to make sure she is close by to her sister in case something happens. She meets some new (and old) friends, spends time in the bar, and learns about a female bartender that worked at the hotel in the 1920s.  This part of the story is true and the Savoy Cocktail Book is a real book.

This was a fun book, but had some serious themes as well. She drank a lot of cocktails created by the aforementioned bartender, as the "American Bar" at the hotel was the original cocktail bar, and they sounded so tasty. I am planning to go to London later on this year so now I want to go to this hotel bar to try one of them.

January and February Books

A look at the books I've read over the past couple of months, all pretty good ones!

Other People's Houses by Clare Mackintosh

Clare Mackintosh is always a reliable author, and her Welsh police dramas are always engaging. I knew the main characters Ffion and Leo from when I read The Last Party and A Game of Lies and I believe this is the third or fourth book that features them, however you can read this book on its own, no need to have read the previous novels. 

In this book Ffion is investigating a suspicious death and Leo is investigating some random burglaries in the nice part of town. Meanwhile they are navigating their somewhat new relationship and encounters with Leo's ex-wife and son. 

Five Star Weekend by Elin Hildebrand 

This was a fun little book by another reliable author, Elin Hildebrand. The main character’s husband has just died in a car accident. She is a food blogger/influencer and decides to host four friends at her summer house in Nantucket for a weekend as a way to relaunch her blog and to try and find something to look forward to after a few months have passed since her husband died.  The four friends will be from different period of her life and the five of them are the "five stars" of the weekend.  There is a bit of drama and interesting back stories but I mostly just like reading descriptions of beautiful places and delicious food.

Nora Webster by Colm Toibin

This is the same author that wrote Brooklyn (made into the movie of the same name starring Saorise Ronan) and the sequel Long Island. This book takes place in the same town where Ellis is from, but there isn’t really any overlap with that story. Nora, the title character, is recently widowed and has two young sons. The book follows Nora over the course of some years, her thoughts about her life, and how she finds a job, mothers her boys, finds new friends and interests. One of the reviews I read about this book says that Colm writes a book that is like “drinking a glass of water” and that is actually a perfect description.  It’s not flashy, it’s plain, it’s plodding, it’s just there. 

Promises to Keep by Genevieve Graham

Another great book by this author, I have read most of her works by now. She always chooses some aspect of Canadian history and gives us more details than when we would have learned in school. This one is about the Acadian Expulsion. In the 1700s, French settlers, known as Acadians, were living in what is now Nova Scotia (my home province). After much fighting between the French and English, the English decided they didn’t like the Acadians being there and shipped them off to the Southern United States. I remember learning about this, but this book really gave me some insight into how it would have been for the actual people and families that suffered this experience. 

This story is about a young woman and her family living in Grand Pre. The story takes place over several months and includes the actual deportation and subsequent events. She becomes acquainted with one of the British soldiers and that features in the fate of her and her family. There are interactions with the local indigenous people, the Mi'kmaq. 

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

I am going to call this now as my favourite book of the year. This is what they call an epistolary book where it is all letters/emails. I didn’t know that when I picked it up and at first I was a little put off as I have read books like this before and they don’t always work.  This one did however and I was very quickly engaged with Sybil, the main character, and her writing companions. Sybil is a retired lawyer, divorced, with grown children, living alone.  She likes to read and she writes a lot of letters, and some emails, to her friends, family, authors whose books she has enjoyed, and others. The book does a wonderful job of giving us all of the details of Sybil’s life, past and present, and introduces the supporting cast of characters in a seamless way. It was a very interesting way to read a novel and kudos to the author to keep it moving along the way she does. I loved the way that Sybil expressed herself in her letters, very candid but thoughtful, and I was just smiling most of the time admiring the loveliness of her writing. But oh my, I found it to be so sad at the end, I was glad I was reading it alone in my house instead of on the subway, several Kleenex were required! It does make one appreciate the art of letter writing that has gone away for the most part. 

2025 Books

I love reading but didn't actually read as much this year.  I worked from home from June to early December so my subway reading time was significantly reduced.  But here are the books I read this year:

What I Ate in a Year

Small Things Like These

The Summer Pact

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

Real Ones

The Heart's Invisible Furies

One Perfect Couple

The Secret Keeper

Long Island

One Golden Summer

Sankofa

Like Mother, Like Mother

The Hotel Nantucket

On Isabella Street

Come From Away

The God of the Woods

How to Read a Book

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware (just started today, but will finish in 2025)

I liked most of the books I read but my favourites are:

#3

One Golden Summer

#2 

The Wedding People

#1

On Isabella Street

In all instances the characters are well developed and they have such good conversations with each other. And two of them are Canadian!  

Meanwhile…

I just finished a lovely book called How To Read a Book by Monica Wood.  This isn’t a review of the book but there was one concept that I have been mulling over since I finished it.  In books there is always the main story and then a “meanwhile”. When you apply it to your life we can get caught up in what we think is the “story” but “meanwhile” something else is happening.  Like yesterday I could give you a narrative of what I did - went to church, got groceries, put up the Christmas decorations, Dave and the kids put up the lights outside, etc.  and meanwhile memories were being made, love and beauty were being shared and appreciated.  Maybe instead the focus should shift to what is in the “meanwhile”.  We loved each other and made memories, and meanwhile we prepared food, we got upset with each other for different things, and moved stuff around the house.  

I think during the Christmas season when we get caught up in the tasks that must be accomplished, we should think about what is happened in the meanwhile.

I sort of wrote about this before here, and I don’t need to continue to be so philosophical, but I didn’t have another topic today so I thought I would share this with you.

It’s December!! Let’s Go! :)

July and August Books

I read four books over the summer and they were all pretty good.  Three of them by authors I have read before, and a new one.

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger

This book was a gift from Dave and the boys for Mother’s Day.  The story is about a series of women - the mother, the daughter, and the grandmother.  The mother is a well known newspaper woman in Washington who came from difficult circumstances when her mother was sent to an asylum and then died.  The daughter grows up and wants to learn more about the family history in a way to understand why her mother was so distant during her childhood. 

This was the first novel I’d read by this author and may not have picked it up had it not been a gift.  I really enjoyed it though, the story was fast paced and detailed.  But detailed in a way that made sense and you got to read full conversations between people that provided so much great background.  I felt like I knew exactly who the characters were and why they did what they did. A surprisingly good read.

Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand

I’ve read a few Elin Hilderbrand books and she always provides the perfect summer read.  This one is set at none other than the Hotel Nantucket, being reopened after a massive renovation following years of disrepair.  We get the story from the points of view of various people like the hotel manager, the front desk clerk, and interestingly a ghost that lives at the hotel (a bit of an eye roll here but the device lets us to get some information that would otherwise be secret so I’ll allow it).

The story was enjoyable with different twists that kept me entertained.  You can’t really go wrong with an Elin book for summertime :)

On Isabella Street by Genevieve Graham

This story is set in Toronto in the 1960s - we get the perspective of two young ladies, one is a doctor at a psychiatric hospital and one is more a free spirit, typical of the era, and they live in the same apartment building (small spoiler there, but you get that pretty quickly). The Vietnam War is going on and although Canada was not actively fighting, there were still many connections, which this book tells us about.  Another aspect is the decision of the Ontario government to shut down the psychiatric hospitals and turn patients out on the street.  

I’ve now read several of this author’s books and I think this was the best one yet!  I love that she tells us about somewhat obscure parts of Canadian history, and I always love a novel set in my hometown.  I think my mom (ahem!) would like this because she was growing up in Ontario at this time and may connect to the story too.  Homelessness is a frequent topic of conversation around here, there is always a tent somewhere that people are concerned about, and it was interesting to hear how the shut down of the psychiatric wards contributed to this issue that we are still dealing with today.

Again, without giving too much away, something I love about this author is that lets her characters sort things out right away.  Someone makes a mistake, they apologize at the next opportunity and it gets worked out right away.  It’s a relief that you don’t get in other books where that turmoil is always in the background.  Here we hash it out and move on to something new. 

Even if you’re not Canadian, this is still worth a read, particularly given the Vietnam War angle. 

Come From Away by Genevieve Graham

Another Genevieve Graham book, which incidentally has a very small connection to the book above.  This is not the story of Gander on 9/11 by the way, a “Come From Away” is a term that is common on the East Coast. This book is set in Nova Scotia during World War II. I grew up in Shelburne so I grew up knowing the history that German U-Boats came right up to our shores.  This story starts with a real life rumor from those times that perhaps some German submarine sailors came ashore one night and attended a local dance.  The author wonders what happened if that was true. 

History is never straightforward and I like that this author captures the nuances of it and describes it so well.  And of course I like that it took place in Nova Scotia. The parents in this book are the subject of an earlier book, so now I need to find that one!

May and June Books

The Secret Keeper by Genevieve Graham

The book is about twin sisters during World War II from Ontario, just east of Toronto.  They have different strengths - one wants to be a pilot and the other one is radio operator and code breaker.  The books goes back and forth between sisters and we hear how they come to be in their different positions and locations.  

I have read a few books by this author and she always delivers.  I love the Canadian content and learning about some bit of history that I previously hadn't heard about. 

Long Island by Colm Toibin

This book is the sequel to Brooklyn.  I never read that book but I did see the movie starting Saoirse Ronan and Domhnall Gleeson.  I won't reveal too much of the plot but I'll tell you that the main character, Ellis, finds herself back in Ireland after being away for twenty years. 

Since I have seen the movie, I pictured those actors as the characters in the book.  I love Saoirse and she played that role so perfectly then I could imagine her a few years older.  I also love the way she speaks and how the Irish characters turn a phrase. 

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

This is the author's fourth novel and this one revisits a character from her first book.  We meet a young Toronto woman who has recently broken up with her long term boyfriend and is unsatisfied with her career. Her grandmother is recovering from a surgery so she decides to take her grandmother to a cottage for the summer.  And guess who has the house next door?  Someone we know from the first novel. 

I knew what the plot was before I started the book and at first I was disappointed that the story wasn't being told from Charlie's point of view, but the author does write better with the female voice, so it makes sense she starts with this new character.  

I love these fun summer reads, it always makes me want to head out of town and sit by a lake for a few days. 

Sankofa by Chibundi Onuzo

This book is about a woman in England who is half black and half white.  Her mother has just died and as she goes through her things, she finds a diary written by her father.  Her mother had never said anything about who her father was.  The woman decides to try and find out if her father is still alive and if she can track him down.  

I thought this book did a great job of creating a main character who was multi-faceted.  I liked how she related to the other people in the book. 

All of these books were great and all very different. I would recommend all of them. 

March and April Books

If you are in Canada and didn't vote in the advance polls (like me), get out there today to vote in our Federal Election.  This is the most important election of our time and wouldn't it be amazing to see record number of voters this time!

I read a couple of books in March and April to tell you about today: 

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

This book is the fictionalized story of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald (the author), how they met, married, and spent their years together.  

I got this book for Christmas and when I started reading it, I realized I had read it before.  I seem to remember that the first time I read it, I really enjoyed reading about the parties and clothes and the time spent away in Europe, but this time I was mostly just annoyed with Scott and Zelda. Perhaps I am more mature now and could not relate to their irresponsibility. 

Real Ones by Katherena Vermette

This book is told from the perspective of two sisters.  They are Metis through their father's side and their mother is French, but has been pretending to be Indigenous artist.  A journalist has uncovered this scam and it's become a public story. The sisters, and other side characters, have to deal with the aftermath and consider how their own identities are impacted by this.  

This book is fine, it's always good to read about stories different than your own and the Indigenous voice is important for us to hear, but honestly I found this book a little boring.  I wasn't invested in most of the sisters' personal stories and the few things I was interested didn't feature in a central way. I read another book by this author, about the same family, but different members of it, the Strangers.  I liked that other one enough, but this one wasn't as good.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne

This book is about a man, who we meet at the beginning of his life, and then meet up with him at various stages of his life.  From his childhood in Ireland and then other places.  I don't want to give too much away.

I really liked this book, it is a "chewy book" meaning there is a lot of dialogue between the characters, difficult scenarios, misunderstandings abound, and tragedy.  It did take me about a fifth of the book to really like the main character and become invested in his story, but then I couldn't really put it down.    

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

Nico is an aspiring actor with the opportunity to appear on a reality show. But it's a couples show and he needs to bring his girlfriend, Lyla, who is not an actor, but a scientist who has no interest in being on TV.  But she agrees to do it to help Nico's career and they set off for a remote island in Indonesia to begin filming with the other couples.  Things do not go as planned and there is a whole new "reality' that the contestants need to deal with. 

I like a Ruth Ware book, she does a good job of teasing the story, but not giving too much away so readers are keen to keep turning the pages.  I enjoyed this book and found real depth to the characters and the plot. This would be a good book to adapt to a movie or mini-series, as I understand they are doing with another of Ware's books "The Woman in Cabin 10".

January and February Books

It's time for my book recap for January and February - only three books.  

What I Ate in a Year by Stanley Tucci

I am a fan of Stanley's and read one his previous books, Taste, and enjoy his Italy show and Instagram posts.  He enjoys food and drink, like me.  This is sort of like a diary where he writes about different food he has prepared and enjoyed throughout the year, but also talks about his work, travel, and family.  I liked reading about these little anecdotes since I love celebrities so any mention of Harry Styles or Woody Harrelson coming for dinner is thrilling to me.  I also liked hearing about the day to day of a working actor, it is so much draining travel, but despite that, the life is still somewhat glamorous, note the dinner guests above, and the visit to Guy Richie's estate at the end of the book had me salivating. Stanley does a good job of being humble but enjoying the perks of his life. This was a fun little read for me. 

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.

This is a Christmas book and I had put a hold on it in November with hopes of reading it by the Christmas tree, but it took awhile to come through and I read it in February instead.  I would barely call this book a novel, it felt more like a short story, like the kind you read in university.  It is Christmastime in Ireland in the 1980s. We get the story of a local man preparing for the holidays, a bit of his back story, and some current events.  It really just takes place over a couple of days, which is why it feels like a short story, and nothing really major happens.  That said, it is very well written and the Irish flavour with the way they can turn a phrase stuck out and I enjoyed reading it. It was a bit dreary, as Ireland in winter in the 1980s likely was, and I think I was glad I didn't read it at Christmastime itself.  The existential questions being asked by the main character fit better with our current world this winter. 

The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin

Emily Giffin always provides a reliable book.  I have always appreciated her storytelling.  In this book we meet four friends who met in university, all from different backgrounds. After tragedy strikes in their final year, the friends make a pact to get together whenever they need each other. Years later, that time comes and they find themselves together again.  It is one of those books that skips around between narrators, which is common now, but effective.  I loved all of the characters, and the themes discussed.  I felt like I already knew the characters and wanted more.  

2024 Books

I love looking back at the books I read over the year, and it helps me remember from year to year!! At the beginning of this year the Toronto Public Library was hacked so the online system was offline for a number of weeks and that really impacted my reading.

The Maidens

The Lying Game

Letter Across the Sea 

The Palace Papers

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

The Jetsetter's

Unreconciled

Expiration Dates

Tom Lake 

Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty 

The Guest 

Every Summer After 

Meet me at the Lake

This Summer Will Be Different 

None of This is True

We Meant Well 

The Weekend Retreat

The Forgotten Home Child 

Denison Avenue

Lies and Weddings 

The Last Mrs. Parrish 

What Have Your Done?

Game of Lies 

And I'm currently reading The Fury by Alex Michaelides and will probably finish it and How Canada Works by Peter Mansbridge by the end of the year. 

And my favourite books of the year are:

#3 (and Canadian!) - Denison Avenue

#2 We Meant Well

and #1 (which I called as soon as I read it) Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Reading really is the best way to travel around the world (like in We Meant Well), see your own city in a different light (like Denison Avenue), and learn about a world that I know nothing about (video game design in Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow).  Sometimes you just need a quick beach read or a British murder mystery, and sometimes books can be duds - all of these appear in the list above - but I will never regret picking up a book. 

November Books

I had to push this a bit so I could finish up one of the books, I just have two books to write about this month.

The first was What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena (Canadian!).

In this book, a teenage girl is found murdered and left in a farmer's field.  Then we get the perspective of various people connected to her - friends, boyfriend, teachers, parents, local creepy guy - and we try to figure out who is the murderer. 

This author writes a pretty good murder mystery, I have read a couple of her books before.  In this one I think she does a good job of giving out clues and red herrings.  

And then a book by Clare Mackintosh, A Game of Lies. 

This book takes place in Wales. A reality show is being filmed that will be broadcast as it is being filmed.  The premise for the reality starts out as survival of the fittest but the contestants quickly learn there is more to it.  The local police are called to the set of the fairly early on to investigate a small crime but eventually end up trying to solve a murder.   

Apparently this book was a sequel to another book which I had not read.  I actually liked that there was a hint of a past relationship between two of the characters without elaborating, but now if I really want to I can read the first novel.  I like books set in the United Kingdom.  There are so many UK police shows and books that one could get bored of it, but I don't. I've read a lot by this author and she continues to write good stories. 

In a few weeks I will round up all of the books I read this year and pick my favourite. I'll also be looking for recommendations for 2025.

October Books

 I read a bunch of books this month, so let's dive in:

The Weekend Retreat by Tara Laskowski

This book takes place over one weekend where a wealthy family is gathering for a birthday party.  Twin brother and sister, younger brother, and their spouses.  Their mother has recently died so this is the first time they are back in the family home, a winery in upstate New York, to celebrate the twins' birthday. There are secrets, threats of violence, deception, misunderstandings, and the like, and the reader is given clues to try and figure it out.   

This book was pretty meh. I felt like it was trying to be like the Roys in Succession, but was a pale comparison.  I also felt like it should have been set in some manor in England but wasn't.  I sort of had some things figured out but I didn't feel very challenged by the twists and turns.  I'm not even sure why I picked this one up, perhaps as a library last resort.  Anyway, I'd say don't bother.

The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham

In the late 1800s and into the 1900s, England began a practice of sending poor children and teenagers over to Canada (and Australia) to not be adopted, but to become hired help for Canadian families until they reached the age of 18.  They would then receive money that had been set aside, and could go out and start their life.  Although they weren't slaves, many of the children were not treated very well.  They were worked very hard, had scant lodgings and food, were straight up abused, and may not have actually received the funds promised to them at the end of their tenure.  Although I knew people had come over to work on the farms, including my own great grandparents, I didn't realize it was a structured program stemming from orphanages and other poor houses in the UK.

This book tells the story of one such girl and her friends that she had met on the streets of London before they were picked up to live at one of these children's homes. She came over in the 1930s so we hear about that time and then her as an older lady telling her story to her granddaughter and great-grandson.

I've read couple of books by this author and although they seem a bit like reading for a Canadian history high school student, I do really enjoy them. As part of it is set in Toronto and other parts of Southern Ontario, there is even mention a gravestone at the cemetery by our house, however when we were there the other day on our bikes, I couldn't really find it so I need to go back another day.   Good reading, would recommend. 

Denison Avenue by Christina Wong, with illustrations by Daniel Innes

I love books that are set in Toronto, not only do I like being familiar with the references, they always open my eyes to different parts of the city and consider how life is different for others. This book is about a Chinese woman who lives on Denison Avenue, in the Kensington Market/Chinatown area. It's mostly just like a regular novel, but there are poetic elements to the books where the type is all over the page, or in columns where we get contrasting views.  Then if you flip the book over there are beautiful ink sketches of Kensington Market, Chinatown, and the Annex, present and past.  

I actually do not like going to Kensington Market and Chinatown, and this book didn't really change my mind about that, I'm still not attracted to those areas, but I did stop to consider the residents of those areas, particularly like the main character of this book, someone who had been there for many years, saw the neighbourhood grow, change, deteriorate in some respects.

The woman in the book ends up collecting bottles and cans, and I've seen her before (not really her since she is fictional, but you know what I mean), the Chinese woman with her cart going from recycling bin to recycling bin. I'll admit that I haven't had the most charitable of thoughts towards her, but this story reminded me that there is a life behind that person, hopes, dreams, a past, family, friends, traditions, etc.  Like when I read Scarborough and From the Ashes and started looking at people on the street and on the subway differently, I will look at those bottle collectors and other people from that part of town differently.  I hope this doesn't make me sound like I'm a terrible person, but rather show that everyone can always be learning and growing as a person. We all only have one perspective, and it's difficult to expand that perspective unless you look around, and that reading does that for me. 

Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan

And now for something completely different, a book by the author of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy.  We meet the family of  Augusta, Rufus, and Beatrice, the young adult children of a British Earl and his Chinese wife. They of course run in the most prestigious of circles and we meet people with so much privilege and wealth, just like in Crazy Rich Asians.  They all flit around the world to various weddings and events in their private jets, each more ostentatious than the last.  

This book is so much fun to read.  You know these people are out there and it's mindboggling, even the rich people aren't as rich as the people in this book.

And I squeezed in one last book before the month was over, The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine.

This tells the story of a young woman with a goal of seducing her friend's husband as a way to get ahead and be the rich wife she wants to be. Of course things are not as they seem.  

This was a pretty good story, I thought it started out as similar to something I had read before, but I stayed with it and was into it by the end. Not bad, entertaining enough.

September Book

I only got through one full book this month, We Meant Well by Erum Shazia Hasan.

The book starts with Maya, a woman living in Los Angeles, packing to go on a work trip. She tells her somewhat disinterested husband that she isn't sure how long she will be gone, she is being called in to deal with an issue.  We find out she used to be posted in Africa working for a charity, but has been mostly remote for a few years.  There is now a situation involving one of her colleagues and a local woman, and she is being tasked with addressing it.  As she travels closer to the village, we get more details, and then we find out what happened upon her arrival. 

What I liked about this book is that I didn't know anything about it, and we are fed details slowly, so that it's hard to have a preconceived notion of the story.  As I was reading it I was reminded of The Poisonwood Bible, one of my favourite books, which addresses the issue of ministering to Africa.  In that story, with the backdrop of 1960s Congo, the Price family is seen as doing more harm than good, and perhaps they would say "We Meant Well" too, and it is only with our view of history that we can judge them otherwise.  

In this book, it is during modern times, and many of the charities operating in Africa now are doing so with attention being paid to being thoughtful and respectful of local customs and traditions, without forcing Western values on anyone, while still trying to provide health care, education, clean water, etc., "meaning well". There are many great passages in this book where the main character reflects on work she has done, what other people are doing, and how they all fit into the African landscape, if at all.  Is it enough for them to say "we meant well" even as things remain desperate for so many people? 

When I finished the book the word that came to mind was "incredible". I really enjoyed the story and the writing and perhaps because of The Poisonwood Bible being one of my favourite books, felt more of an affinity to the subject matter.  This is one of those books that challenges you and I would recommend it.

August Books

Two great books this month to finish up my summer reads:

First was This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune.

I think this was the book of the summer, it seemed like everyone was talking about, which prompted me to read her first two books last month.  This time we meet Lucy who lives in Toronto. Five years ago she went to Prince Edward Island to meet up with her best friend, Bridget, who is from there.  But Bridget's flight is delayed and Lucy has to go to the house by herself, she stops in at a restaurant and ends up hooking up with a guy she meets there.  We follow the story back and forth between present day and each of her visits to the Island. 

I have been to PEI several times but it has been a few years, this book really made me want to visit again soon and luckily I have a friend that lives there. (Cindy, pencil me in for next summer!) It really is a charming island and the author really captures it, the lobster, the oysters, the red sands, the Anne of Green Gables references.  She even mentions Hurricane Fiona, which was a pretty devastating event for the Island a couple of years ago.  Her references to Toronto landmarks is also something that I enjoy. 

This trio of books, along with the one coming out next year, should be part of your summer reads!

The second book I read was None of This is True by Lisa Jewell.

This had a different tone from the other book I read this month.  Here we meet Josie, a 45 year old woman in London.  She is out for dinner with her husband and at the same restaurant is Alix, also celebrating her 45th birthday.  Josie is fascinated by Alix and introduces herself as her "birthday twin". They run into each other again and although Alix feels like Josie is a little weird, they strike up an acquaintance and Alix gets the idea to make a podcast about Josie's life. (Alix is already a podcaster but looking for her next project.) Interspersed with the story we get excerpts from a Netflix doc indicating there is more to this story than we think.

This was a book that definitely caught my attention and I wanted to keep reading.  It was also very creepy and reminded me of Baby Reindeer, which we did stop watching because it was so creepy.  Because of the Netflix doc transcript throughout, we knew that there was something "off" but were never quite sure what.  It was definitely a different type of thriller mystery book, and I would recommend it.  

July Books

I read three books this month, all perfectly suited to summer reading.

Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty by Lauren Weisberger.

This book is about a famous newscaster whose husband is arrested for bribing Harvard to admit their daughter.  There is obvious fall out for the newscaster’s job, their marriage, and their daughter’s future. Even though we have heard about this news story, it was interesting to hear about how the family within the scandal deals with it. 

This is the author that wrote The Devil Wears Prada and other similar “chick lit” books.  I like a Lauren Weisberger because everyone has the best clothes and homes, and they flit around New York with glamorous jobs. It’s always fun to slip away into that world for a little while.  It’s certainly not a great literary piece, but good for a summer read. 

The Guest by B.A. Paris

A husband and wife return home from a little trip and find one of their old friends staying at their house.  She has let herself in after getting into an argument with her husband.  The couple whose house it is are okay with her being there, but then it gets to be a little bit much.  Meanwhile they’re dealing with a tragedy of their own, and there is also a new couple that has moved in down the road.

I like a B.A. Parker suspense book, she never disappoints.  Lots of twists and turns and trying to figure out what everyone is up to and you think you know, but you don’t.  I also love a book set in England, it always feels so lovely so be in that environment. 

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

A woman revisits her past after receiving news of the death of an old friend’s mother.  She goes back to the town where she spent her teenage summers at a cottage.  

This author is from Canada and released a new book this summer set in Prince Edward Island and I know people were talking about, I didn’t realize she had written two other books so I wanted to make sure I read them first.  This is her first novel.  It’s set in Toronto and the town of Barry’s Bay, a real town south of Algonquin Provincial Park.  I really liked this book and of course love some Canadian content.  I never grew up with a cottage but I can tell she well-captured it. The plot is slightly predictable but lovely and I would recommend it.  I can’t wait to dive into her other books.