Stories sustain us. They allow us to encounter times and worlds we will never see for ourselves and experience the lives of other people. They can provide information and solace. They can take us away from our own lives and widen our perspectives. Stories can make us cry and laugh. They can provide relief from […]

Oh, this is a goody. Pamela Hart (who also writes as Pamela Freeman) has branched out into mysteries. This is the first in her Poppy McGowan series and the sentence on the front cover sums it up: “Renovations are hell – and that’s before you find the body beneath the floorboards”. I read this book […]

Reading a new book in a series is like catching up with an old friend. You discover what has happened in their life since you last communicated and whether circumstances have changed. The main character in Hemlock seems like one of those friends. I’ve been reading about China Bayles’ life through 28 books so I […]

Reading keeps me informed and entertained while our lives are still restricted by the plague. I read articles from many, many magazines each month, thanks to my public libraries. They subscribe to hundreds of titles through PressReader and Libby so members can read them for free. Does your library offer these services? It’s especially handy […]

I’m a fan of Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels (this is the 17th in the series). I rate every book in this series highly. So when I say I consider The Madness of Crowds her best yet, you can tell it had a strong impact on me. I usually can’t wait to get […]

The cold winds have kept me out of the garden over the past few weeks. I enjoy a cold day but not howling, freezing gales. The winds are predominantly from the west here and, at this time of the year, that means it’s best to stay indoors. It’s difficult to focus some days because of […]

Ooh, I do love a good thriller. Louise Candlish has outdone herself with this one. It has twists and turns and had me hungry to know the story from the perspectives of the other characters. When a young man is killed in a car accident, his mother’s grief leads her to plot revenge on the […]

Wow, this is such a powerful story. It’s a riveting read about Martha, who knows her mental health is not right but she doesn’t know what’s wrong. By the time she finds out, her illness has influenced her life in so many ways that it doesn’t matter anymore. This story absorbed me and I kept […]

I love that we can experience the changing seasons in our area. We’ve had two frosts this week and another one is forecast for tomorrow. Most deciduous trees have discarded their leaves although many are just hanging on, at least until the next winds blow. I’ve lost track of how many piles of leaves I’ve […]

When people are taken out of their usual environment they often re-examine aspects of their lives. The characters in Vanessa McCausland’s novel soon discover this when they visit Capertree Valley. The four friends and their children visit a restored Art Deco hotel in a remote former mining town. Soon everything starts to unravel as secrets […]