Review: To The River: Losing My Brother, by Don Gillmor

To The River: Losing My Brother,  by Don Gillmor

Random House Canada - 2018
Non-Fiction
Audiobook
Narrated by Michael Riley

5 hours, 17 minutes

Winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction 2019 this book is my choice for #19 - The Winner is...Read a book shortlisted for a major literary award on my 20 For 2020 Reading Challenge. You can see the whole challenge HERE.

A moving tribute to a man lost to suicide and the family he left behind. 

There are three main aspects to this book. The first is a memorial of sorts and a look at what caused David Gillmor to leave behind his family and take his own life. The second part is a heartfelt look at the effects of suicide on the family and loved ones left behind, and the third is a presentation and well researched  examination of why baby boomers - particularly the men, have come to have the fastest rising suicide rates. 

One would think that a book about the writer's loss of a sibling to suicide would have a dark, oppressive feel to it.  That is not the case. While Gillmor's book is heartbreaking, it is not without beauty and hope, and even - at times, humor. Perhaps that is due to this book being published 10 years after David Gillmor's death. Don Gillmor seems to be writing from a place where the wounds while still there, are not quite so raw.  

Don Gillmor's brother David disappeared one day, leaving behind his truck and his hat, and some footprints on the half-frozen Yukon River near the town of Whitehorse. In doing so he left behind more questions than answers, and the family was left in a sort of limbo as nobody could even confirm his death. They were forced to wait as the river's secrets remained locked in ice until the spring thaw six months later. When the waters did thaw, Don embarked on what was to be a canoe trip to look for any trace of his missing brother, but David's body was recovered before Don could dip his paddle into the water, and he received the news shortly after arriving in Whitehorse. The remainder of the trip was Don's exercise in mourning and an attempt to understand. 

With the warmth of nostalgia, Don Gillmor takes us back to the beginning; the early days of their childhood in Winnipeg. What set David apart from Don and the other neighborhood kids?  From there examines their lives through growing up, from moves to Calgary and beyond, and the growing challenges and responsibilities of adulthood. 

Gillmor then calls on his gift of prose to explain what was like for him and his surviving family after David's body was recovered. His ability to express the complicated emotions and impact on the remaining family resonated powerfully with me as a reader. 

Finally, Gillmor expands past his family's own heartbreak and discusses in more general terms the personal, professional and socio-economic pressures and triggers that are contributing to a higher than ever suicide rate among middle aged men. 

Narration was by Michael Riley and was well suited to the subject matter of the book, and was delivered with a clear voice and pleasant tone and cadence.

To The River is a beautiful and meaningful tribute to one man, and a thoughtful look at a growing social issue. It is touching, it is informative, and it is powerful. 

Happy Reading,

Christine

Review: The Invited, by Jennifer McMahon

The Invited, by Jennifer McMahon

Random House Audio - 2019
Horror 
Audiobook
Narrated by Amanda Carlin, and Justine Eyre

11 Hours, 50 Minutes

A ghost story, this book fulfills item #14 - Books That Go Bump In The Night - Read a Horror or Ghost story, on my 20 for 2020 Reading Challenge. Click HERE for the full challenge

Can you build a haunted house?

When Helen and Nate decide to give up city life for a simpler country life, they spend some time shopping for their new country home. Not finding the right one, they strap on tool belts, grab their hammers, and build their own. They find a plot of land in rural Vermont with a motivated seller and set to work. Their vision is to blend simple historic design and appearance with modern efficiency.  

Helen, a former history teacher, becomes enamored with the local lore and learns the plot of land they bought once belonged to Hattie Breckenridge, a woman hung for witchcraft a hundred years earlier but long after the end of the famous witch hunts, after being blamed for a fire that killed several local children. Helen becomes obsessed with the story of Hattie and other local tragedies. 

While shopping for recycled building materials to aid in the historic look and feel of the house, Helen finds items attached to these events and buys them to incorporate into their home - the stunning hand-hewn main beam, a mantle, old bricks. There is a common thread running through each of the horrible tragedies - Hattie and her descendants. After a series strange events, it becomes clear to Nate and Helen that they are building a haunted house.

Most ghost stories require the reader to suspend reality to a certain degree, and that is to be expected, but the story should still have a realistic "feel" to it. On the whole, this story's concept was very good and I definitely enjoyed it, but it was in the close quarters of the "here and now-real world" part of the story where I felt that the fine line between suspending reality and keeping a realistic feel was really being tested, and kept it from being the really great story I thought it had the potential to be. For me,  it was easier to suspend reality for the otherworldly aspects of the story and they had a more realistic feel to them than the parts that were actually supposed to be more realistic. I had issues with two school teachers with limited construction experience building a house from the ground up by themselves, and also with with Olive's lack of school attendance and failure by every single adult to address it, but the basic plot was good enough to support the story for me, so overall I still see this as a good book.

Narration was provided by Amanda Carlin, and Justine Eyre who both performed well. Clear, with pleasant tones and cadence, and good character differentiation and range of emotion. 

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon is a ghost story with a unique and well thought out concept, but a story that may have fallen slightly shy of its potential. 

Happy Reading,

Christine

Review: Master Of Sorrows, by Justin T. Call

Master Of Sorrows, by Justin T. Call

Blackstone Publishing - February 25, 2020
Series: Silent Gods - Book 1 
E-book
592 Pages

* I received this digital ARC courtesy of Blackstone Publishing, via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. This does not influence the following opinions which are my own.

As the first book in an exciting new Fantasy series, Master of Sorrows is my choice to fulfill item #15 - New Beginnings - Start a new (to you) series or trilogy on my 20 for 2020 Reading Challenge.  You can see the whole challenge HERE. 


Before we go any further can we talk about this cover?! It is gorgeous! Okay, now I'm ready to move on to the heart of it - the story!

A rich and epic tale for young and old, Master Of Sorrows is one of the most exciting new fantasy series I have had the pleasure of reading in some time. 

The tiny village of Chaenbalu is hidden to others, nestled amidst the forests.  In this village is a young man is dreaming of a future he was never meant to have. Born with only one arm, the baby - Annev, was was meant to be executed because he was seen as the child of an evil one armed deity. Instead, he was secretly returned to the village and raised by the local priest and taught forbidden magic. Thanks to a magical prosthetic, he attends the local academy with the other boys his age, and trains as a fighter and warrior. Nobody in the village, save for the priest who raised him, knows about his deformity. 

When the dark forces hunting him start to close in, the opposing forces of his upbringing, training and destiny collide, and he is forced to make difficult decisions the results of which have enormous impact. Everything he ever thought he knew about anybody - including himself, is called into question.

The book does not open with a bang, but it did keep my interest as it laid a foundation worthy of all that was yet to come - and there was so much more to come in this book alone, let alone the remaining books planned for the series. Once the foundation was laid for this story, the rising action kept me white knuckling my Kindle the rest of the way. 

The story contained all the classic elements of an epic fantasy - Good vs. Evil, moral dilemma, internal struggle, a battle against all odds, loyalty, rivalry, and self discovery, but somehow Call has breathed new life into the standard tropes and formulas. 

This book felt fresh, new, and exciting. The magic system was original and well structured. While magic is usually revered in books, in this story while it is not an unknown element, it is not well received by the people of the village, with most magic considered sinister. The world building is on point, giving the reader a carefully crafted and consistent framework with which to view the events of the story. The characters were well developed and ranged from those I loved, to those I loved to hate, and some that were harder to define fell in-between. I loved that Call chose to write the story not without a love interest for the main character, but without clouding the story with an overbearing romance plot. 

The year is young, yet I feel safe in saying that this book will make my list of favorite books of 2020. I am looking forward to the next book in the series - Master Artificer (first draft complete) due to release in the UK in February 2021 according to Call's website, and North American markets some time (hopefully soon) after that.  

Happy Reading,

Christine

Woman On The Edge, by Samantha M. Bailey

Woman On The Edge, by Samantha M. Bailey

Simon & Schuster Audio - 2019
Thriller
Audiobook 
Narrated by Katherine Fenton

8 Hours, 25 Minutes

What drives a woman to do the unthinkable? To give her baby to a stranger and leap to her death?

Nicole Markham was a woman who had it all. Founder and CEO of a major athletic brand, she had a successful career, financial security and then a beautiful baby. One day, looking haggard and disheveled, she speaks to a stranger, calling them by name and asking them to take her baby before thrusting the child into the stranger's arms and jumping in front of a subway train. Morgan Kincaid is left stunned, speechless, and holding the woman's baby. 



With no corroborating witnesses she is soon the main suspect in the police investigation into Nicole's death.  When it becomes clear that that the police are not looking any further than Morgan, she is determined to clear her own name. Was Nicole being stalked and in danger, or was she just paranoid? After mysterious events and close calls, Morgan realizes she may now be the one in danger. And just how did Nicole Markham know her name?

There is no beating around the bush here, the story forcibly grabbed my attention in the first few paragraphs, and a steady level of suspense saw the story to its conclusion. 

Narration was performed by Kathrine Fenton who has a clear and pleasant voice with good tone and cadence, as well as a good range of character and emotion for the story. 

Woman On The Edge, by Samantha Bailey is a solid debut thriller and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Happy Reading,

Christine

Review: Someone We Know, by Shari Lapena

Someone We Know, by Shari Lapena

Penguin Audio - 2019
Fiction - Thriller
Audiobook
Narrated by Kirsten Potter

7 Hours, 50 Minutes

Someone We Know, by Shari Lapena has a strong story line, but what could have been a great book, fell short of its potential for me, still good - but not great. 

In a happy middle-class neighborhood, a teen is breaking into homes to hack computers, snoop and send prank e-mails. When anonymous letters surface from a mystery parent telling people that their homes and computers have been compromised, people in the neighborhood start to worry. When a missing woman turns up murdered, nerves fray, tensions, rise and everyone is both a suspect and suspicious. Everyone in this neighborhood seems to be up to something they don't want anyone else knowing about and desperate to keep their secrets, and one of them is even a murderer.  

The plot certainly had me intrigued, so many secrets, so many possibilities! My mind was constantly turning over the possibilities of who the murderer was. The husband? The moody teen with a criminal hobby? A scorned spouse or lover?So many possibilities swirling in my mind! 

Unfortunately, I didn't feel like it mattered to me who it was. I didn't really like any of the characters, but for that matter I didn't really hate any single character either. I am one of those readers that is happiest when I have a character that I love, or a character that I love to hate.  None of the characters in this story stood out to me in either a particularly good or bad way compared to the others. I never once thought to myself "I hope it's not 'x', he seems like a decent guy caught in bad circumstances"; Or,  "I just know it must be 'x', she is so nasty and devious!". In the end, while I was interested from a rational perspective as to who the killer was, I was not at all emotionally invested enough in any of the characters for it to really matter other than addressing my idle curiosity. 

Narration was performed by Kirsten Potter who read with a clear and pleasant voice, good cadence and tone, and provided an appropriate range of emotion and character. 

Someone We Know is a thriller that is strong on plot but fell short of its true potential. 

Review: The Antidote For Everything, by Kimmery Martin

The Antidote for Everything, by Kimmery Martin

Penguin Random House Canada - Available February 18, 2020
Literary Fiction
Print
352 Pages

* I received this ARC courtesy of Penguin Random House Canada. This does not influence the following opinions which are my own.

A rich, complex, and timely story, The Antidote for Everything is not only a good story, but a good conversation starter.

Dr. Georgia Brown is a urologist working at a hospital in Charleston South Carolina. She has no relatives to speak of, and her love life has gone from bad to non-existent in the most spectacularly embarrassing way. Her best friend, Dr. Jonah Tsukada is a family medicine practitioner in the same hospital complex.  He has been estranged from his family since he came out to them and he and Georgia have become family to each other. 

An important part of Jonah's practice is the care and treatment of transgender individuals. When the hospital bans the treatment of transgender patients, terminates their care without discussion, and threatens to fire any doctor providing care to them, Jonah's refusal to quit on his patients puts him in the line of fire so to speak. With no law protecting the rights of these patients or Jonah, Georgina and Jonah come up with a plan to force the hospital to reverse their decision, but when the plan goes awry, they stand to lose far more than just their jobs.

Let's start by saying that the first line of this story is probably worth buying the book for! Seriously, I almost sprayed the pages of my book with tea as the unexpected laugh caught me off guard! 

Martin tells this story of persecution and discrimination with sensitivity, enough suspense to keep the story moving, and just a touch of humor - "a spoonful of sugar...", so to speak, because in spite of Martin's humor, this book touches on some serious and timely issues. While transgender discrimination is the main issue at the heart of this story, she also touches on other issues such sexual discrimination & harassment and drug & alcohol abuse/addiction. 

I found Georgia an especially likable character. I think the word that comes to my mind when thinking about her is "feisty".  Not one to just "go with the flow", she is determined, fiercely loyal, and not willing to stand by as people she cares about are bullied and mistreated. She is willing to fight clean or fight dirty to see justice prevail. Her relationship with Jonah is the definition of friendship.  

The Antidote For Everything is a timely piece of fiction infused with wit and warmth. 

Happy Reading,

Christine

Review: Smile, by Roddy Doyle

Smile, by Roddy Doyle

Penguin Random Audio - 2017
Literary Fiction
Audiobook
Narrated by the author, Roddy Doyle

5 Hours, 3 Minutes

This book in its print edition is 224 pages, so short enough to be my choice for #5 - The Quick and Easy, on my 20 for 2020 Reading Challenge.  You can see the whole challenge HERE - its not too late to join - you can retroactively add any books you read in 2020!

This was a good story, but for me it fell short of its potential. I feel like I should have liked it more than I did. 

As the story starts, we meet Victor Forde, a middle aged man looking for a pub to call his local after just having returned to his old neighborhood on the heels of a divorce. From here the story is told in multiple time lines. His traumatic childhood, where he attracts the attention of one of the teaching brothers at his high school, his adult life where he forges a successful career and has a beautiful, somewhat famous wife, and the present as he struggles to settle in to his new life dynamic.

It is in the present that Victor runs into Ed Fitzpatrick. He doesn't really remember Fitzpatrick at first, nor does he really like him, but he does sort of remember the mans sister - the one all the boys liked. But Fitzpatrick's sudden presence is stirring memories and emotions that Victor would rather not have, and in the final twist, Victor is forced to confront his past.

I could not say that I found listening particularly enjoyable. The copious F-bombs (and even worse language) seemed overwhelming in volume and became very tiresome. Had it not been such a short book, I might have bailed and DNF'd it. I have no objection the use of most of these words in moderation, but I found the use of them rather excessive in this book. I have always found that these words easily lose their impact when thrown around too easily; Less is more and all that. 

With that said though, Doyle was very effective in creating a mood for this story - and isn't that what good writing is about; to make us feel something? It felt dark, it felt oppressive and it felt a bit...Grimy? Gritty? Disturbing?

This story was narrated by the author Roddy Doyle who did a good job of bringing voice to his characters. 

Smile by Roddy Doyle is a good story, and he does a superb job of setting the mood, and yet for me, though I enjoyed it, I couldn't say that I loved it. 

Happy Reading,

Christine

Sunday Summary: January 5 to January 31, 2020

January has flown by, as it often seems to do.  I think often the early part of January gets associated with December activities in my mind, as there are still the odd get-togethers, gift exchanges, time away from work & School, Christmas clean-up, etc.  

I am happy to see January gone. I live in a region where winters are bitterly cold, and January is traditionally the worst of it. From here on, the temperatures will warm gradually until the arrival of our brilliant and hot summer months, where I can sit outside with a cold drink and good book. 

Click on images to be taken to the posted review. 

 

I would like to take a moment here to note the passing of one of the most famous and prolific mystery writers, the Queen of Suspense - Mary Higgins Clark, who died January 31, 2020 at the age of 92.

I am currently reading The Antidote For Everything, by Kimmery  Martin, and currently listing to the audiobook of The Invited, by Jennifer MacMahon.

Click on the images to be taken to the posted review.

Released January 28, 2020

Released January 6, 2020

I have crossed 4 of the categories off my list in January.  As I catch up with my reviews pending for books I have already read, I am sure I can cross off several more!

1. The Backlist - Read a book that is at least 2 years old.- Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
2. The Frontlist - Read a book that is a new release (less than 6 months old) - Dear Edward, by Ann Napolitano
3. The Truth - Read a Non-Fiction title that is not a biography/memoir (True Crime, Documentary, etc.)
4. People Person Books - Read a Biography or memoir
5. The Quick and Easy - Read a novella or short book - 250 pages or less (or the audiobook equivalent) OR read a collection of short stories.
6. The Long Haul - Read a long book - 450 pages or more (or the audiobook equivalent)
7. Indie Inclined - Read an Indie or small press published title – West Of Sin, by Wesley S. Lewis
8. Listen Up! - Listen to an audiobook
9. Long Ago - Read a book that takes place more than 25 years ago
10. Different Worlds - Read a Science Fiction or Fantasy Book
11. Reading on the Edge of Your Seat - Read a Thriller/Suspense/Mystery book
12. Traveler Through Books - Read a book that has been translated from another language
13. Young at Heart - Read a YA novel Children of Virtue and Vengeance - by Tomi Adeyemi
14. Books That Go Bump In The Night - Read a Horror or Ghost story
15. New Beginnings - Start a new (to you) series or trilogy
16. Meet a New Author - Read a debut novel
17. Relationship Goals ...Or Not - Read a book that centers around the beginning or the end of a relationship/marriage. (Romance, Domestic Noir, etc)
18. Read a Movie - Read a book that is also a movie
19. The Winner is... - Read a book Short-listed for a major literary award
20. One World - Read a book written by, and that has a main character that is someone of a different color, culture, sexual orientation, or religion than you.

I hope everyone's year has started on a positive note! 

Happy Reading, 
Christine

Children of Virtue and Vengeance, by Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Virtue and Vengeance, by Tomi Adeyemi

MacMillan Audio - 2019
Fantasy
Legacy of Orisha Series
Audiobook
Narrated by Bahni Turpin

13 Hours, 27 Minutes

This book is a part of a YA series and will satisfy prompt #13 in my 20 For 2020 Reading Challenge. You can see the whole challenge HERE.


The battle for Orisha continues. 

Unpopular opinion time. As much as was looking forward to this book, I ended up feeling somewhat disappointed by it. Don't get me wrong, the book was still enjoyable, but for me it just was not as well written as Children of Blood and Bone (you can read my review of that book HERE).

Magic has been restored to Orisha thanks to the efforts of Zelie and Amari. The magic that has been re-awakened in Orisha is not only in the diviners who had been oppressed by the Kosidan for so long, but also within the nobility whose ancestry included maji. Now both sides use magic against each other as they fight for control of the throne.

With magic on both sides of the battle now, the fight is somewhat more balanced - though the royal family does still have the military at their command. For me though, that may actually be part of the reason I did not enjoy it as much.  Gone is that against-all-odds feel that was so very powerful in Children of Blood and Bone. Sure, with the military power factored in, Zelie and her crew are still underdogs, but the the difference of power between the two sides did narrow considerably. 

Then there was the change in how I connected - or failed to connect with the characters in this book as compared to the first. I was fully invested in Zelie and Amari's stories and struggles in the first book, but found my interest in them waning during this one. Pride, stubbornness, and of course vengeance seem to take over each of these characters, overshadowing some of the better qualities that endeared them to me in the last book.

The final reason I felt a little disappointed with this book though, was that despite the fact that there was plenty of action, overall nothing has changed significantly in the story of Orisha due to the events in contained in this book and the plot does not seem to move forward significantly at all over the course of it. There is a surprising twist at the very end to segue into the third book in the series, but there is no apparent connection to anything that happened in the previous chapters to lend a cohesive feel to it. 

As of this writing, there has been no official announcement of a release date or title for the next book in the Legacy of Orisha series. 

Narration of this audiobook was performed by the ever brilliant Bahni Turpin who has an amazing range, providing for a variety of easily identifiable characters and full spectrum of emotions for each. 

Happy Reading,

Christine