I should have known what to expect, when I looked at the author information at the back of the book and noticed that Frank McKinney looks an awful lot like the figure depicted on the cover of The Other Thief, A Collision of Love, Flesh, and Faith. Next clue: the main character, and narrator, is called […]
Jack Woodville London has written an engaging book about family and how our personal and familial histories impact who we ultimately become. It is an interesting exploration of how secrets and different interpretations of events based on incomplete knowledge can influence lives, creating domino effects that can ripple through generations. The story centres on two […]
Crude Blessings: The Amazing Life Story of Glenn Patterson, American Oilman is written by Patterson’s Roe. Glenn isn’t famous, though he was successful. He didn’t accomplish great feats of endurance, work towards world peace or discover a groundbreaking scientific phenomenon. What he did do was achieve success as a businessman in the oil sector, moving beyond a […]
The Spirit of the Trail by Carrie Morgridge with Ross Sellers is an account of the 46 day bicycle journey undertaken by Morgridge and her husband John in the summer of 2016. The couple rode their bicycles the length of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) from Banff, Alberta to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, […]
This book is a love letter to Mitzi Libsohn, the author’s mother. It is ostensibly about the love story of her parents and the poetry that sprang from that relationship, but make no mistake, this is about the adoration of Mitzi. Pauli Rose Libsohn writes about her mother’s early life, chronicling challenging family relationships and […]
Kimberly Adams’ Beginning Color Mixing: Tips and Techniques for Mixing Vibrant Colors and Cohesive Palettes is a fantastic book for new artists wanting to learn more about color in a way that inspires the newbie to dive into vibrant colors with confidence. Adams begins with a discussion of basic materials, then moves on to techniques in a […]
George Thomson’ s Practical Calligraphy is a small book full of big ideas. It introduces the history and uses of calligraphy in straightforward and inspiring ways, from ancient Mesopotamia, through medieval monks to modern wedding invitations. The examples and step-by-step instructions for projects look very accessible, and they are clear. The big problem for me […]
Perhaps young adult fiction is not my thing. Perhaps I am a little too old, a little too far removed from high school. Whatever the reason, this book, full of clichés about high school groups never resonated with me. Is my memory fading? Or is it that, in the halls of my school, I missed […]
The Book Club met to discuss The Lake House by Kate Morton. Our feelings as a group can be summed up by Patty’s comment, “I wanted to stay home from work to keep reading”. Now, you may think that this isn’t saying much, but Patty actually likes her job. It’s high praise. The Lake House […]
Five women with a shared love of reading fiction came together just over a year ago. Our purpose: to enjoy the camaraderie of discussing books, to encourage the exploration of works we otherwise might not have read, and to have an excuse to get together once every one to two months. This is our story […]
In live theatre, you know that anything can happen – props don’t work, actors skip a couple of lines, or segue into ad libs. It is what makes it exciting and fresh. When the live theatre is outdoors, the elements of chance are higher, from planes overhead drowning out lines to picnicking (drunken) audience members […]
Let me just put it out there – I love American Idol. I love watching the kids come in, hearts on sleeves, nervous, hoping against hope they will get their “golden ticket to Hollywood”. I love watching their families and friends so anxious to see them do well. I don’t, however, enjoy the delusional truly […]
In her young adult novel, Haunting Violet, Alyxandra Harvey takes us on a journey to Britain in the latter half of the nineteenth century. It is a world full of rules and rigid roles, but one where a fascination with the supernatural is common. Young Violet Willoughby’s mother is a “Spiritualist Medium”, and enlists her […]
For fans of Jane Austen, like me, the publication of Death Comes to Pemberley was cause for a little celebration. The author, P.D. James, was born in Oxford in 1920, and is an accomplished and well respected writer. In her 92-year-old hands, I felt that this sequel to the classic Pride and Prejudice would be […]
When I picked up this wonderfully researched and evocative novel, my knowledge of Ethiopia was woefully limited. Within a few pages, Abraham Verghese drew me in to a world of struggle and fear, love and compassion. Largely set in a mission hospital in Addis Ababa, the book tells the story of Marion and Shiva Price […]
The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC. Legend says that a soldier named Pheidippiedes ran from the site of the battle to Athens to relay news of the victory of the Greeks over the invading Persians. This legendary run has since inspired millions all over the world to lace up their running shoes […]