“Who shoots someone six times then stops to reload and shoots a seventh?”
The answer: someone with a 9-shot pistol instead of the usual 6-shooter. This unique gun would prove to be a vital clue in tracking down the murderer (and rapist) of two women in May 1970 in the Gormley, Ontario area.
Ann Burke has worn many hats over the years, but her favourite one is her writer’s cap.…
[Editor’s note: the following is an excerpt from the Crossfield Publishing book, Old Broad Road by Phyllis L. Humby. It is reproduced here with her permission. – James]
Sylvia Kramer flees two thousand miles from home and switches out her Jimmy Choos for rubber boots. She stubbornly adapts to the unique culture and dialect of Newfoundland embracing diverse friends and east coast delicacies.…
[Editor’s note: this review by Patty Musgrave-Quinn appeared in the #92 Fall 2020 print edition of Atlantic Books Today as well as on their website here. It is reproduced with the kind permission of the author and Atlantic Books.– James]
Michelle Porter is likely one of the most magnificent writers I have ever had the pleasure of reviewing; her mighty and metaphorical work compares the dignity and heartbreak of generations of Metis in the core of her identity, to the wildfires in her homelands and inside herself.…
From the Globe & Mail Books section. While there are many books on this list that we at TMR are unlikely to get to in 2021, however, one that we are anticipating reviewing is Michelle Butler-Hallett’s novel Constant Nobody from Goose Lane Editions in March.
You can read the rest of the Globe & Mail article here. (You may be asked to create a free account, or use a Facebook log in.)…
Recently, the CBC Books’ Canada Reads event released their 2021 longlist, and three of the titles that TMR has reviewed over the past year were on it. They are, in no particular order:
To celebrate, The Miramichi Reader is giving away one (1) three-book bundle of the above books!…
Sometimes I am such a laggard when it comes to either reading a book I’ve had for some time, or writing it’s review. In the case of Rough and Plenty from WLU Press, it is the former. I originally requested this book back in July of 2019 and I soon had it in my mailbox. However, it has sat on my TBR table until a week ago, when I picked it up and decided to take a further look into it.…
“My tag line is ‘Philosophy with attitude. Because the unexamined life is dangerous.’”
Those are author Peg Tittle’s own words, describing her writing style in a recent TMR interview. One of her latest books is It Wasn’t Enough and it certainly bears out her statement above. The premise of the book is (from a philosophical/social science standpoint) what would happen if all women suddenly disappeared from the planet?…
Of Canada’s thirteen provinces and territories, New Brunswick’s population sits near the middle at #8, just behind Nova Scotia and ahead of PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador. Yet, despite its small population (well under 800,000), there is a wealth of good books either being written by authors based in New Brunswick or books about the “picture province” some even are published here.…
Gone are the days of extolling Canada as the northern terminus of the “Underground Railroad” that served to funnel Black slaves to so-called freedom north of the 49th parallel. Now, thankfully, we are seeing books that put Canada’s treatment of such Blacks under a microscope and the findings are anything but something to be proud of. Another way many Blacks arrived in Canada were on ships that carried them to what is present-day New Brunswick.…
2020 was a year like no other. As we start 2021 and look forward to the 20th edition of Canada Reads, we are reminded that books can be a safe place to go when times are tough. Whether you’re reading to escape your daily cares, to explore new perspectives or simply to lift your spirits, these stories of perseverance, discovery and resilience will transport you across Canada, around the world and to worlds beyond. …
CBC Books is counting down the top 10 bestselling Canadian titles of 2020, using data from close to 300 independent Canadian bookstores, courtesy of Bookmanager. Interestingly, the #9 and #8 books were reviewed right here at TMR, both by Ian Colford:
Read the rest of the CBC article here: http://bit.ly/38Rfu2N…
In a year dominated by a global pandemic and American politics, some might find it fitting that the library book most likely to be checked out across Ontario was a hopeful memoir written by the former first lady of the United States.
Michelle Obama’s Becoming appeared on the top 10 list of most-borrowed books for eight of the 10 library systems CBC News surveyed from across the province.…
Is it possible to do any kind of review of 2020 without mentioning Covid-19? Pretty much impossible it would seem. Nevertheless, the purchasing and reading of books rated high on the list of things to do while isolated. People had more time on their hands and hence turned to activities they could do at home, such as reading, home improvements, hobbies and pets.…
This French to English translation is a tale of adventure that shares the traditional skill of ice fishing with a generation that may not be so familiar with it anymore.
The Ice Shack’s comedic tale follows Alphonse, who owns the most beautiful ice-fishing shack on the whole coast, but can’t seem to catch a thing—not even an old tire, a sock, or a worn-out pair of underpants!…
Toronto author Lisa de Nikotis writes some very good and very imaginative novels. Her latest, The Rage Room is a dystopian novel set in 2055 in a world that is controlled by a woman named Minnie. Capitalism reigns. Consumerism is rampant, for everything including the weather is controlled, so people have little to do but work and shop. The natural world has been all but eradicated and replaced by imitation pants and trees.…
