A mystery-thriller set in Madrid features an odd investigative couple: a disgraced police detective and a brilliant female forensic analyst with an uncanny ability to reconstruct crimes. A secretive organization directs their investigation into a ritualistic murder and a kidnapping. This is a very entertaining story with many plot twists, and happily, this investigative team will return in a second book. Thanks Renee, for this recommendation.
Author: AJ
The Covenant of Water – Abraham Verghese
Be advised that this is a long book, more than 700 pages, but the writing is exquisite. The setting is South India from 1900-1977, with a focus on three generations in a single family. The story begins with a 12-year-old bride meeting her much older widowed husband. Being India, some tragedy is inevitable ranging from an inherited propensity for drowning to leprosy. Verghese’s writing is exceptional; some examples are describing Madras evening breezes to rail journeys, plus medical information. Family secrets abound, of course, and historical India provides an indelible backdrop to lives full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss. A must read book – highly recommended.
Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell
In this current era of ever-increasing mis-information and dis-information, a re-read of Orwell’s classic dystopian book is very worthwhile. His last book, published in 1949, describes totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and manipulations of truth and facts. A cautionary tale, to be sure.
The Mystery Guest – Nita Prose
In the four years since the events outlined brilliantly in the best-selling The Maid, Molly has been promoted to Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. Her dedication to superior cleanliness and etiquette has to be balanced with her atypical abilities, with both observed and hidden behavioural quirks. What will happen when a renowned author is murdered in the hotel? Will secrets be revealed? What is unique about this new novel is that a major element is Molly’s backstory when she was 10-years-old and living with her Gran. This mystery is a delight to read.
Dandelion Daughter – Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay
A heart-breaking story of a childhood in the remote Charlevoix region of Quebec that features isolation and alienation, resulting in profound gender dysphoria and eventually a trans-feminine transition. The story provides insight into the realization that one can be assigned the wrong gender at birth. As a consequence, a childhood and adolescence become particularly turbulent as the protagonist searches for a path of self-discovery.
Black River Orchard – Chuck Wendig
An effective horror trope is to assign malevolence to an inanimate object like a doll or car. Mr. Wendig’s story involves magical apples with obsessive consumption. Can an apple provide a parasite of the soul? Can an orchard be evil? And what’s not to love about a character named Edward Naberius, a restorer of lost dignities. A genuinely creepy and frightening story!
Denison Avenue – Christina Wong
A haunting portrayal of the gentrification of Toronto’s Chinatown-Kensington Market, told from the viewpoint of an elderly Chinese-Canadian woman, Wang Cho Sum. After the heartbreaking death of her husband in a hit-and-run accident, Cho Sum copes with grief by collecting recyclables. Loss is everywhere: shops closing, loss of the Toisan dialect. How can you build a new life when elders are dismissed and discarded? The moving prose is accompanied by beautifully-rendered black-and-white drawings by David Innes. This book should be a powerful contender for Canada Reads, championed by Naheed Nenshi.
Roaming – Jillian and Mariko Tamaki
The Tamaki cousins have created a brilliant graphic novel about 5 days in New York city in 2009, experienced by three 19-year-old Canadian women. Initial euphoria is tempered by reality as friendships are tested. Overall, an immersive slice-of-life, in part a love letter to a great city. This book was a chance discovery at the October Word Fest, a true find.
Superfan – How Pop Culture Broke My Heart – Jen Sookfong Lee
A non-linear memoir of Ms. Lee’s search for a Chinese-Canadian identity, where pop culture (Anne of Green Gables, Bob Ross, etc.) is used as an escape from her fractious family life and as a means of fitting in. She has provided a candid account of her struggles and failures; her insights are tender, often hilarious and always profound.
What David Read 