I owe you an apology for the length of this post. It seems I procrastinated on the November post right up until it was time for December, and presto! I have 10 books to cover in order to finish off the year. Whaaat?? How could I read 10 books when I was so busy in November that I couldn’t make time to write one little post? No idea. I will say that at least 3 of the books were very short, always helpful!
It’s now January and I am not busy for real, so expect a year-end wrap up coming soon as well. No plans for a reading challenge in 2026 other than once again to stay off my phone.
A Deceit of Lapwings, by Steve Burrows (A birder murder mystery, book #9)
Hmmm, not his best TBH. Interesting concept, but a certain amount of laziness is creeping in, as evidenced by some major writing/editing errors (in one case a key character is referred to by the wrong name, and one paragraph later is referred to correctly). I also disliked immensely the way Dom (the DCI) and Lindy’s (his GF) relationship is starting to swirl the drain. I know he’s looking for additional drama but jeepers, can he not look somewhere else? There are some les likeable characters who could maybe get into some kind of scrap. At any rate, this book was just published so there will be a break before there’s another potential disappointment for me to read. Which I will, because I’m invested now, for better or for worse. 5/10
The Sentence is Death, by Anthony Horowitz (Hawthorne and Horowitz, book #2)
It takes some guts to write yourself into your fictional detective story as a half-wit writer who faffs around and bungles key aspects of the case in an attempt to out-detective a seasoned (albeit annoying) detective. That said, doing this once was fun and different, but twice starts to be a little trying. My hope is that he dials this down a bit in book #3, but then again, I don’t see myself reading any further so maybe I don’t actually care. 7/10 for being at least a decent murder mystery.
A Life Worth Living, by Nicole Flynn
Nicole is in my Toastmasters club, she is a young woman with Down Syndrome who has become, among perhaps a dozen other things, an outspoken advocate for accessibility, inclusion, equity, and diversity. And by “outspoken” I mean she has spoken at the UN, she had an audience with PM Justin Trudeau, and she has presented at a number of educational and community organizations. Just to really cement your feelings of inferiority, she is also a multiple gold-medalist in competitive synchronized swimming, a published photographer, author, and poet, and workshop designer/facilitator. Her book is worth reading, as it will raise your awareness of things we take for granted that are, in fact, barriers for people with disabilities. Read more about her here, and if you have $20 to spare, buy a copy of her compelling book.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery (a re-read)
I first read this book in 2013 and would have likely rated it 8 or 9 out of 10. I definitely remember really liking it! Then a new friend here in PEC told me it was her favourite book, a surprise since I doubt very many people have heard of it, let alone read it and loved it! So I re-read it and still liked it (except for the ending which I very much disliked). However, another new friend here in PEC also read it on my recommendation and she hated it. HATED it. Interesting!! She did pick up on something, though. One of the main characters is a very intelligent and well-read woman who pretends to be not smart because her job is concierge and she feels the being smart is not consistent with her job, and would cause people to question her. This friend predicted that the book resonated for me because I “probably hid my intelligence to deflect bullying and unwanted attention in high school”. Insightful! And true. Anyway … giving it some rethinking, I’d probably now rate it 7, and if you hate reading about self-indulgent philosophy then maybe a 5.6 or 6.
Death at the Sign of the Rook, by Kate Atkinson (Jackson Brodie, book #6)
Jackson Brodie is back. It’s been 20 years since the first JB book was publish, and Jackson is now 20 years older, a feature of this series that I find extremely endearing. Describing all the ins and outs of this mystery could never do justice to the enjoyment of reading it, but think Downton Abbey meets Clue (the 1985 movie) meets Agatha Christie. Lots of LOL moments for me. 8/10 for entertainment value.
real ones, by Katherena Vermette
A story about two Michif sisters who must deal with the revelation that their mother has been masquerading as Indigenous, seemingly in order to advance her art career. Lots of love out there for this book, but not from me. Apart from the confusing way the chapters switch the first person narrative back and forth between the sisters (and don’t get me wrong, I have no issue with this kind of structure, it’s just that the writing here made it challenging for me to tell whose chapter I was reading), it felt like it could have dug a little deeper into the impact on the sisters (who are still legitimately Metis on their father’s side). 5/10 for how 50% of the time I had to go back and look at whose chapter I was reading.
The Briar Club, by Kate Quinn
One of my friends recommended this book, if only I could remember who! It qualifies as historical fiction, one of my new fave genres, because it takes place between 1950-1054 during the anti-communist McCarthy era. The story revolves around the lives of women who live at Briarwood boarding house who, as the name would suggest, form a weekly club known as the Briar club where they meet in one room to share food, drinks, and stories. The book also charmingly shares the recipes of the food and drinks that are consumed, for the reader to made and also enjoy. It’s a lovely book, very women-centric, and has a nice little murder mystery thrown in for good measure. 8/10
Murder on the Inside: The True Story of the Deadly Riot at Kingston Penitentiary, by Catherine Fogarty
In April of 1971 the inmates at the notorious Kingston Penitentiary (“The Pen”) staged a riot to protest the inhumane conditions present at the prison, and the prison system in Canada generally. Although details are apparently hard to come by, Catherine has managed to compile a fairly thorough story. I wasn’t overly impressed with the writing, from a technical perspective. The structure is promising – the day of the riot unfolds hour by hour interwoven with a historical timeline outlining the key events that led to the volatile state of mind of the inmates. Except the characters are introduced clumsily, and often re-introduced with no reference to or acknowledgement of their prior appearance. I spent a lot of time flipping back and forth when “new” names seemed familiar and I would find that they had, in fact, already made an appearance. It did get better as the book progressed, and it’s a story worth reading to understand the debate between punitive versus rehabilitative systems of incarceration. Or, you could read the much shorter Wikipedia entry that references extensively from Fogarty’s book. Maybe 6.5/10 for its local historical interest.
August Into Winter, by Guy Vanderhaeghe
Many stories are sewn together in this highly stressful thriller. I was put off at first by the jacket which described a criminal on the run with a 12 year old girl in tow (ask! lolita vibes!) but have no fear, there is no sexual assault against this child, although they do have an unusual bond. It also qualifies as historical fiction, as the hunt for said criminal and child takes place in 1939, with WWII looming. I did find it hard to stay connected to this book, it felt like too much. There was a very suspenseful chase, then relief from the chase, then another chase, a break and yet another chase! Once a chase was over, I just wanted the book to be over as well. 6/10
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
Someone please tell me why so many people love this book!? The writing was weirdly simplistic, lessons were weirdly easily learned, the idea that everyone is capable of going on a quest to find their “Personal Legend” (whatever that is!) is weirdly unrealistic. Oh, and FYI women get a bum rap here, where it seems the personal legend of the most significant female character in the book is to “wait and stare at the desert while her lover seeks his treasure and then returns to her – maybe”. Barf! I am especially disappointed because I’ve read Coelho’s “Eleven Minutes” and loved it, loved the writing, loved the story. So I was surprised to find this such a disappointment. Perhaps Paulo was on a personal quest to write the most pointless self-help book, in which case, well done! 2/10. The only reason it’s not a 1 is because that honour has been reserved for 50 Shades of Grey.