East by Edith Pattou is a delightful re-imagining of the fairytale ‘East of the Sun, West of the Moon’. Rose is born into a large, poor family, to a superstitious ma. The family is starving, the farm failing, when a mysterious visitor approaches them and says he will give the family an improvement of their […]
Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood is a kid’s historical fiction novel about the sinking of the SS City of Benares by a German U-Boat. Among the passengers were children being sent from London to Canada to keep them safe from the bombings. We see the story through the eyes of a survivor, 13yr old Ken […]
Tracing Ochre is a collection of essays delving into the history, culture and supposed disappearance of the Beothuk, a people indigenous to Newfoundland. Driven to relative cultural extinction thanks to colonialism, new perspectives are breathing life back into stagnant ways of thinking regarding this supposedly ‘lost’ tribe. The interconnection between the Beothuk, neighboring tribes, and […]
Fingerprints and Phantoms by Paul Rimmasch is a fascinating look behind the scenes of criminal investigations, and the weirdness that may ensue. There are stories here of the clearly paranormal, stories of mistaken identity, and stories of the just plain weird and unusual. Each chapter is its own story, relayed in true storyteller fashion. While […]
Last of Crichton’s books, published nigh on a decade after his passing, Dragon Teeth follows William Johnson as he travels into the American West in the late 1800s. At first he was to accompany Othniel Marsh, but the paranoid paleontologist left Johnson behind, deciding he must be a spy of Marsh’s rival. Unable to return […]
Discover Ancient Egypt by Amanda Trane Discover Ancient Egypt by Amanda Trane is a delightful early readers book. With simple language, and big glossy pictures, ancient Egypt comes to life for young readers. It discusses the pyramids, statuary and sculptures, and some deities, like Anubis and Bast. While it doesn’t go into detail, this book doesn’t […]
The Day is Ready for You by Alison Malee is a poetry collection divded into three parts: unmoveable things, a restless pause, and prayers like exhales. The entire collection is free-verse, and written in all lowercase text. Part one seems very anger filled, with themes of a wanting for love, the inculcated beliefs of being […]
Island of the Mad is the latest of Mary Russell’s memoirs, lovingly curated by Laurie R King. This adventure finds the intrepid sleuthing duo headed to Holmes’ least favourite place- Venice. Russell’s friend Veronica has asked her help in finding her aunt Vivian, who has gone suddenly missing, along with jewels and money that, to […]
The Murder of Mary Russell is a fascinating glimpse into the life of a person oft in the background, yet of a very essential nature in the life of Sherlock, and later of Mary. This story, despite the title, is about Mrs Hudson. From her earliest years, to current day, we learn all about the […]
****Trigger warning: themes of domestic abuse, and rape, albeit tastefully done. Cudney’s Father Figure was an intense, psychological read weaving past with present in one young woman’s search for a missing piece in the puzzle of her life- the identity of her father. Brianna Porter is on the cusp of adulthood, ready to go off […]