It’s May and it’s time for a little spring cleaning of some titles I’ve read, but haven’t reviewed as yet. There’s a mixed bag here; something for every reader’s taste.
Gord Hunter’s memoirs of his life in the Canadian Navy during the Cold War years makes for some good reading, particularly if you are interested in ships, or are an old Navy salt yourself. Mr. Hunter served on both surface ships and submarines and he has lots of stories from both arms of the service. Complete with black and white photos. He currently lives in Saskatchewan, as far away from the ocean as possible. You can order the book directly from Mr. Hunter, via his website, https://nobadgekillick.blogspot.com/
Award-winning author Brenda J. Thompson has curated a number of stories (true, but fictionalized by the author) from her neck of the woods in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. Today, it’s called the West Dalhousie Road, but old-timers still refer it as the Old Military Road. From before recorded time to hippies to the present, Ms. Thompson puts her reknowned research skills to work to make this an enjoyable collection of regional interest. You can order a copy from the Moose House Press website: https://www.moosehousepress.com/
The title may leave you to believe there’s a kept woman in the attic of an old house on a windswept coast of rural Newfoundland, but’s there’s not. However, there is evidence that there once was a person or persons living in the attic. This, Hannah discovers when visiting her mother who is stricken with early-onset dementia, making it even harder to find out the truth of who once lived up there. A novel that is captivating and suspenseful from the start, but will fail to hold the reader’s attention up to the end. Published by Flanker Press.
How does one begin to describe this novella by Steven McCabe? I’ll let others do it! Pierre L’Abbé author of Ten Days in Rio, says: “Meme-Noir is a journey of addictive linguistic charm. It travels to the strange places that the associations of McCabe’s memory takes us.” That nicely summarizes the fragments of prose that fill the pages of this slim volume. Some are from his past, some are in the present, but with no set timeline, Meme-Noir is a book you can pick up and start reading at any point. Fascinating in its ability to capture the stream of consciousness thinking of the human brain. Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3dXFKJW
I like dreaming and so will your children after reading them this wonderful bedtime story from Breakwater Books. “When the magical Moon King tips over the night, it spills across the land and sea, and he seeks the help of animals big and small to collect the stars and return them to the sky. In this beautifully illustrated bedtime story, Cara Kansala weaves an enchanting fable destined to become a children’s classic—the perfect way to welcome the night and celebrate the wonder of dreams.” Amazon.ca link: https://amzn.to/368uYh4
James M. Fisher is the Founding Editor of The Miramichi Reader. He began TMR in 2015, realizing that there was a genuine need for more book reviews of Canadian literature. It has since become Canada’s best-regarded source for the finest in new literary releases. James has been interviewed about TMR on CBC Radio and other media sites. He works as a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technologist and lives in Miramichi, New Brunswick with his wife Diane, their tabby cat Eddie, and Buster the Red Merle Border Collie.