Last of the recently read books. Another one from the Biblioasis Christmas Ghost Stories. This one is about the haunting of a small cottage that a woman lets for her aunt in a small village. Ghostly happenings ensue! The delightful thing about these books is the lack of gore or true horror… just a quick ghostly story suitable for almost anyone or age level. Terrific for family story time.

I think of myself as an adventurous reader, not put off by a more challenging book, but I have to admit i nearly gave up on this book. What is it about? No idea. The blurb says it is about a man revisiting memories, but there is so little structure or consistency it is hard to say. If you read it is poetry, I think it might work better. Aggressively defying categorization or narrative is the best I can say.

Another short story from the Christmas Ghost Story collection by Biblioasis. This one is about the strange happenings on a nearby island to Venice and what happens when two people are rowed to the island one day, encountering a stray kitten.

I am adoring this series of short, illustrated ghost stories that are put out by Biblioasis Press. It was a tradition during Victorian times that ghost stories were read at Christmas (although not necessarily about the holiday). This one was pretty good - about a bereaved father who suddenly finds enlightenment while walking home during a wild storm of thunder and lightning.

I am spending a lot of time lately with small press or non-North American writers. This book was fantastic - set in Angola during the revolution, it is the stories of a number of interconnected characters told in a manner similar to a short story. I enjoyed how we saw various sides of the conflict through different eyes, and the disillusionment of revolutionaries as time passes.

Not always an easy read, but a compelling story of two sisters. Ollie is the sun around which her family revolves. Ollie also has severe mental health issues and blows in and out of their lives, causing chaos. Amy is the diligent, fastidious younger sister who spends her life cleaning up and making herself small. The story is told from Amy‘s point of view of loving, and sometimes hating, her sister and her effect on her own life.

I wasn‘t sure with the first book in this series but I‘m so glad I continued because I‘ve grown incredibly fond of this gang. The mysteries are fun enough, but the real strength of this series lies in the humour and the genuine empathy Osman has for his characters and the beauty, and the losses, of aging. The characters are real - with all the same fears and longings that transcend age. I am very much looking forward to the next one.

It took me a long time to finish this series of short stories as they were often challenging or were somewhat bleak in their outlook. They deal with modern society including our impact on the earth, and sometimes wander into speculative fiction. Standouts were the title story - of an offshore ship providing abortions, and the story “2020” - a pandemic story told from the perspective of a family of Covid deniers. A thought provoking collection.

A rather bleak novella about a group of people working at a firm where they moderate online content for a significant, unnamed client. In only a handful of pages, it demonstrates the bureaucratic, corporate-speak nonsense the determines what remains online and what goes. It also shows, rather than tells, in incredibly detrimental nature of such work, and its impact and insidious effect on those who work in the industry. Depressing but important.

Another book that took me longer to finish than it should have. These are older stories as Csath was writing in the early 1900s. The stories themselves were quite oppressive. Csath was an opium addict who eventually murdered his wife before committing suicide and many of his stories reflect the noise in his head. CW for animal abuse, etc. One of the few Europa that wasn‘t really for me. #europacollective

For a short book, this felt remarkably long. It is a translation from French, about a middle aged woman, Anna, who has a wonderful relationship with Guillaume. One summer she becomes obsessed with another man, with whom she embarks on an unusual affair. She is torn between the two men and much of the time is spent in her head trying to justify. She‘s an incredibly selfish and self-centred character and I just didn‘t care about the outcome.

Just finished the 7th book in the Gamache series and I have to say I am finding these books better the further I go along. It absolutely required a suspension of belief that no one can find this village, that there are this many murders per person and that one man can be *this* good. And yet, I enjoyed the dive into the art world, the continued character development, and the examination of the many ways we hurt, and heal, others.

Terrific day at the used bookstore with lots of great finds from Europa and other small presses. Also was able to hit the amazing periodical store (which unfortunately is closing after many years due to a rent hike - hoping desperately they can find a new location) and snagged the two most recent Paris Reviews. #europacollective

Read this one for the Heliconian Lecture Series. Maya works for a NGO in an unnamed African country and is asked to rush in site when a young woman from the community accuses one of the staff of rape. It is an examination of what the meaning of charity is, the chasm between the community and the visitors to that community. It is also a story of bias and complicity. Parts of the book didn‘t work and there is some clunky language, so a low pick.

Another from the Massey Lecture series. Steiner‘s premise is that western civilization continues to look for certainties - in Marxism, in Freud, in astrology and the anthropology of Levi-Strauss - to fill the gap left behind by the decline of the Christian religion. He further posits that the search for ultimate scientific truth (for ex. that one day the earth will cease to exist) is something we cannot grasp which is why we turn elsewhere. Con‘t

The last update on recently finished books. I read this on a combination of audio and kindle. An Irish family in London faces the possibility that their 11 year old daughter/granddaughter/niece has been accused of murdering a young girl in their housing estate. The death of the young child is just the route that it takes to examining unwed parenthood in Ireland in the 1980s, alcoholism, generational trauma and unintended consequences. Con‘t >

“The cults of unreason, the organized hysterias, the obscurantism which have become so important a feature of Western sensibility and behaviour during these last decades, are comical and often trivial to a degree; but they represent a failure of maturity, a self-demeaning, which are, in essence, tragic.”

As relevant today as it was in 1974.

After seeing @BarbaraBB post about this book, I realized I had never reviewed it even though I continue to think about it months after I read it. A group of women has been imprisoned below ground by men. The youngest does not remember the before times and a sudden incident has the women released into a world where it seems everyone has perished. > more in comments.

This was an absolutely lovely fable about the power of grief. A father with two young boys faces the unexpected death of his wife. A crow - is it real? imagined? - comes to help heal the family through their grief. Despite the premise, it is never saccharine or sappy but instead raw and real in the ways people grapple with the death of a loved one. It reads in many parts like poetry and I feel it is a book I will return to. Highly recommended.

Another recently finished book. This one sits between a so-so and a pick for me. A difficult and challenging read, I suspect that I would glean more from it on a second read. Set in the present in a norther country, it is a story of historical injustices and the ways that communities avoid facing their past, and personal complicity in those injustices. Not a fun read, but I think there is something worth the difficulty here.

Catching up on some reviews of recent books. This is an older CBC Massey Lecture from 1985 that is just as relevant today. Lessing addresses our human tendency to fall prey to political rhetoric and unquestioning belief. She also examines our own personal responsibility for those “prisons” of unquestioning belief that we choose to live in. Thought provoking and timely.

This was a recent vacation novel and as with all Valerie Perrin novels I have read thus far, quite good. Perrin is an expert at telling the stories about the secrets we keep, their long term impact and how we hurt and are hurt by others and how we heal. Perrin also doesn‘t need to tie everything up with a bow at the end or find resolution where perhaps it cannot ever exist. Thoughtful and sad.

I recently read this for a book club that I was then unable to participate in, which was unfortunate as I would like to have heard others views. This is a book of short stories all centring on the indigenous Canadian experience. I felt some stories were stronger than others, and in cases some stories seemed repetitive. These stories were written before the author‘s first novel that was quite large and I think it shows.

This is my first Lane Winslow mystery and I really quite enjoyed it. Set in post-WW2 Canada, the characters are quite delightful, as was the mystery. Cozy but not twee. Will definitely be reading more from this series!

A quick read that was hand sold to me in the local bookstore. Generally uplifting in that slightly twee way that seems to be a hallmark of this genre of a Japanese fiction. Talking animals and life lessons and all that. The translation was better than others out there with dialogue that flowed a bit better. I think if you love this genre of book, you will enjoy this for sure.

Nothing better than a book stack haul after a vacation (this time in Palm Springs and Los Angeles where I visited The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs and Skylight Books, respectively. Tagged book is part of the Wildsam travel guides which I highly recommend. Where most travel guides just give you a list of things to see, this is more like a mini history of the location. Absolutely fabulous!

My first Inspector Banks book and I have to say I‘m a fan. While it was written many years ago now - leading to some outdated scenes (smoking in an office!) - it still contained some frank and interesting observations about changing views and gender roles, marriage, sexuality and policing - all while covering three interesting and entertaining mysteries. Definitely going to be back for more!

Another book that didn‘t quite work for me although I can see how and why it would be quite popular. A group of women have all been murdered by a serial killer and have been brought back to life by the “Replication Committee”. One woman works to investigate the mystery of her murder. An interesting conceit and covers some heavy issues like post-partum depression, but ultimately it just felt too far fetched for my liking.

I read this for an upcoming book club, and while I wanted to love it, it just didn‘t quite work for me. It attempts to grapple with the effects on women who lived through the era of the Scarborough Rapist/Paul Bernanrdo, told through a fictional lens. Unfortunately there was just too many other topics that covered and it didn‘t quite gel for me. There was also some horrendously bad dialogue. I appreciated the attempt but it didn‘t quite get there.

I‘ve been on a real small press/translation kick lately, and this slim volume did not disappoint. This is set in modern Russia on a train traversing the country. Two strangers meet - a French woman leaving a relationship and a young man recently conscripted into the army and travelling to his post with a group of conscripts. A stifling view of modern Russia where freedom is still incredibly limited.

In an unusual twist for me, I watched the series of this prior to reading the books as I hadn‘t realized it was a book series first. That said, I really enjoyed this take on the police procedural and that Det Roy Grace as more depth and compassion than many of the literary police detectives. The book hewed closely to the episode of the series but I‘ll definitely be reading more.

This was as good as the reviews had suggested it would be. A lovely story of two sisters told from both their viewpoints alternating between present day and the past, as they have a week vacation together in their recently-deceased grandmother‘s house. It deals with many difficult topics - abuse, mental health, infertility - but ultimately is about the beauty of a sibling relationship with all its ups and downs. Highly recommend. #europacollective

An intriguing hier novella that is part adventure story, part mystery.

A man ends up stranded on a deserted island for with another person. When he returns he does not tell his story for years until he is ill and dying at which point he finally tells his story to be published. Interesting, thought provoking and with a great twist. #europacollective

Lydia Davis is lauded as a US treasure and a master of short stories, but I think she is an author who inspires either adoration or rage - I can‘t see there is any middle ground. Her short stories are *short* - indeed sometimes they are only 2 lines. Can these still be called short stories? However she is a master at calling attention to the unnoticed moments in life. These don‘t seem to linger in the memory but were enjoyable nibbles of prose.

Not quite sure what to make of this book. It fits into a genre of Italian literature in which comedy, satire and in this case, murder mystery are used to illustrate deeper social issues. I liked the construction of the novel where we first hear from a character, then followed by the accused‘s journal entries of his interactions with that person. The mystery component was…meh, but the theme of racism in Italy was fascinating. #europacollective

This is sold as a novel, but is based on a true story, and the author‘s interviews with, a woman whose husband (while separated) did not return her twin daughters at the end of his parenting time, committed suicide and the children were never found. It is gut wrenching and harrowing yet absolutely gorgeous as it explores loss and memory and how one can still love and wish to live in the face of devastation. #europacollective

An interesting book of short vignettes where various characters meet and intersect and storylines converge over several nights in Tokyo. A quiet but fast and engaging read. #europacollective

Another Europa Editions, and I continue to be impressed by the titles they publish. This book offered no easy answers or resolution, but rather was a look at the impact of childhood secrets, trauma and disruption. Without offering excuses it examines the impact on children of responsibility and feeling beholden to others, and how that can result in undesirable behaviour and the accompanying guilt. Lots to think about here. #europacollective

Finished a little bit ago. This is an older book, but interesting to see it in context of how it was written, and set, after the Second World War and its impact on England. It was interesting exploration of the impact of the war in terms of rations/economy, disruption to class structure, and perceptions of those who “skipped” the war. At times the book dragged a bit but I enjoyed the ending with its lack of resolution despite the dramatic events.

A successful day as I finished two books I had on the go. I‘ve read both of Sophie Mackintosh‘s two previous books and can say that this most definitely is similar in tone and feel to those. It‘s part fable, part examination of the constricted lives of women - set in an undisclosed location and time period. Mackintosh‘s books can be occasionally uncomfortable reads - delving into secret desires - but they are thought provoking and memorable.

Found this in a discount store and snagged it as I enjoyed Beautiful Ruins many years ago. For whatever reason I really enjoy short stories even as I tend to retain little memory of them in the time that follows after I‘ve finished the book. Some of these were delightful though - including the first story in the book and the title story. Definitely will read his other collection of short stories.

I‘m a big fan of the Ann Cleeves Vera series (although I do like the Shetland series even more). I really like how unapologetically grumpy and terse and fixated Vera is. I‘m almost finished the tv series as well, which differs from the books while still retaining the heart of who Vera is.

A beautiful day for sitting with a stack of books while on outdoor supervision duty with my niece.

I am continuing to really enjoy this series and find it fascinating how well the series has done internationally and in the US considering how rooted it is in Canadian culture - particularly the unique intersection of French, English and Native culture and the many threads of history here. I particularly enjoyed how this wove together three distinct stories. Looking forward to the next instalment.

I‘ve been on a real mystery kick lately as I‘ve been having trouble concentrating on other types of stories. I really enjoyed this book of a group of women who have worked as paid assassins (killing bad guys only) who suddenly find their employers attempting to take them out. I did enjoy that even though the women were all seniors their interior monologues really showed that we don‘t really age that much in our heads. Fun book!

I‘ve been on a mystery kick lately, and while “cozy” mysteries aren‘t normally my thing, I really enjoy this series for its unique group of protagonists of seniors in a retirement community who may be older, but certainly are not doddering. The characters are all wonderfully drawn (particularly Elizabeth and Joyce) but all the characters, even the supporting ones, are unique and add to the fun. Can‘t wait to read more.

This book could come across as too sweet, but I found I really enjoyed it. I think it is useful to examine what the purpose of the justice system is - is it meant just to punish or do we really want people to become rehabilitated members of society. The themes of love and forgiveness are also explored in a gentle, lovely story.

I read this a few weeks ago as part of #camplitsy24 but then was unable to take part in the discussion. I found this book very thoughtful and a beautiful exploration on the themes of loneliness and connection, love and understanding. I‘ve seen a lot of people compare it to The Colony because the similar settings but feel that the two books are actually quite different. I really enjoyed this and will be purchasing a hard copy.

I saw this series on Netflix and when I realized it was a book first, I felt compelled to read the book first (as I always do). The very next day I found it in my local thrift shop! I really enjoyed the story through various viewpoints and the exploration of what a “normal” family is and how we work to preserve that appearance. I also really enjoyed the tension of looking at what you would do for your child. Now to watch the show!

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories, some of which are linked, or featuring a recurring character. In particular the first story really stood out. They were just slightly weird enough to keep you wondering. A definite pick!