When adults experience a loss they can often pull from past experiences to help with the grieving process. This is not always the case when a child experiences a loss, especially when they are very young or it is the first time. What Happens When A Loved One Dies uses bright, simple and familiar illustrations... Continue Reading →
Wartime Reads with the Thunder Bay Public Library
On November 11 we marked another Remembrance Day. This year was a particularly tough one because we couldn’t stand together in solidarity with veterans at one of our community ceremonies. We couldn’t thank veterans for their sacrifice in person. As with so many things this year, we marked the occasion of Remembrance Day in a... Continue Reading →
Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper
This quirky book focusses on Etta, a retired prairie school teacher who decides to fulfill a lifelong dream to see the Atlantic Ocean. And, she decides to walk there. She leaves a note for her husband Otto asking him not to follow her, and sets off one morning. As with many literary journeys, hers is... Continue Reading →
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, by Natasha Pulley
In Natasha Pulley’s debut novel, magical realism meets Victorian England in a tangled and strangely mesmerizing story of theoretical physics, watchmaking, Japanese history, and the Fenian Brotherhood. Three central characters rein in the kite strings on these eclectic topics, providing a solid and unified tale of mystery and friendship, whilst investigating the concept of how... Continue Reading →
All the Birds, Singing, by Evie Wyld
Evie Wyld is an author to watch. At the age of 34, she has two novels under her belt, and a string of awards (including the Miles Franklin) trailing along behind her. Born in England, she also spent part of her childhood on her grandparents’ sugar farm in New South Wales. It is the familiarity... Continue Reading →
The Interestings, by Meg Wolitzer
We’re all sticky beaks, at least to a certain extent. I love walking in the evening and being able to see inside other peoples’ houses: not in a creepy, stand under the sill and gawk in kind of way, but just in a glancing, see how people decorate their homes and what they’re up to... Continue Reading →
The 100-year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson
This book was recommended to me by a patron but I think I would have grabbed it off the shelf regardless. Everything about it says, happy, happy, happy: the title, the bright orange colour of the cover, and the whacky story itself. All the way through reading it I thought “this would make the perfect... Continue Reading →
Me and my sisters, by Sinéad Moriarty
I read this book on the recommendation of a patron whose two-word justification: “She’s Irish!” apparently explained everything – meaning that because the author is Irish, this is a really good story, obviously very humorous, as well as heart-rending. I couldn’t not read it. When I first started out I was highly skeptical, as it... Continue Reading →
Annie Freeman’s Fabulous Traveling Funeral
I read this title by Kris Radish several years ago. It came to mind yesterday, talk about life imitating art. This past weekend an old and very dear friend of mine passed away. I had the honour of being an honorary pall bearer. Prior to the service I met one of her friends who said... Continue Reading →
John the Revelator, by Peter Murphy
It’s rare these days to come across a story that actually makes me laugh out loud. Peter Murphy’s book was funny enough to entice a giggle more than once and had me with a ridiculous Mona Lisa smirk on my face for at least the first half. The novel is, however, as tragic as it... Continue Reading →
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