Happy New Year? Hopefully this is the fresh start we – and by “we,” I mean the entire freakin’ world – so desperately need. So far for me at least the reading is good.
The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty – This novel marks the first book I’ve read by Ms. Moriarty, but I’m familiar with her plots. Two TV (maybe Netflix?) series, Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, are based on her books, and I really enjoyed them. She seems to specialize in dimensional characters whose motivations are not entirely clear - to each other or the reader. Consistent with the two series I’ve watched, this story is told from multiple perspectives. In this case, a hypnotist named Ellen and the women who stalks Ellen’s boyfriend. It’s actually the stalker who labels the plot as “the hypnotist’s love story.” Intrigued? The ending may be a trifle too neat for my tastes but I enjoyed the journey.
Find You First by Linwood Barclay – Another banger by this always-dependable author. Seriously, he never lets me down. So without giving any of the plot away, this page-turner includes a wealthy and honourable dying man, an RV inside of an apartment building (oh yeah, it ends up going for quite a ride!), a fertility clinic, an AMC Pacer, and some truly heinous villains, including a duo no doubt inspired by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. It kept me riveted until the very satisfying ending.
A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris. I read this one while I was decidedly under the weather, and it was a perfect speed for me. Number three in the Aurora Teagarden series and written in the early 90s, it’s somewhat dated but still well-written and enjoyable to read. Oh, there are cliches - small town librarian, ex-boyfriend who’s a cop - but it’s not overburdened with eye rollers.
Murder Wears Mittens by Sally Goldenbaum. Based on the cover art, the title, and that it’s part of a series called the “A Seaside Knitters Mystery,” I was expecting a standard cozy genre mystery, which, by the way, would have been fine. As you know, I have lots of heart for those especially when they promise to include a pattern. But this novel surprised me. Its cast of characters is vast and well-detailed. While the story-on-the-page centres on a few people, I got the impression the author would be able to tell me just what each and every character is doing, thinking, and saying at every moment they are “off-screen.” It made me reflect about how secondary characters in books and shows often seem to exist only when they’re interacting with the main characters. I’m surprised I haven’t read any of this series before, but I certainly will in the future.
The President is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton. So those are two highly recognizable names, eh? As you might hope, Mr Patterson’s ability to to tell a fast-paced and entertaining story pairs quite effectively with President Clinton’s insider knowledge of the White House. Naturally, the president within the story is the protagonist, and the safety of the nation is in peril. Terrorists have hacked into America’s digital infrastructure and planted a virus. The clock is ticking before everything - everything: hospitals, water treatment plants, telecommunications, you name it – goes offline. The main character is more than a smidge too brave and noble to be really believable (or maybe that’s just my cynical side), but happily I was able to suspend my disbelief and very much enjoyed the novel.
For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing. A thriller that focuses mostly on the adults – teachers and parents – of a richy-rich private school. With different points of view and plenty of twists, this book was an enjoyable rip. I will happily dig into other books by this new-to-me author.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. Given the number of “political” issues this book touches on, it could be read as an allegory of current race relations, or the challenges of parenting as a woman who works full-time, or an indictment of the class system in the US or or or…. And it does take on all of those issues, but it is also a heck of a good story.
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James. Okay, so this novel took me a couple of chapters to sink into but, once I did, what a ride! I guess I’d describe it as a paranormal thriller and an old-fashioned mystery novel in one. It follows two young women in parallel storylines 35 years apart as they try to uncover the perpetrator of a series of murders in the same eerie nothing-ever-changes-here small town of Fell, New York. No surprise to me that it’s been optioned for.a potential TV series. It definitely has the makings for a new Twin Peaks or Fargo.
Unreconciled by Jesse Wente. I’ve “known” Jesse Wente for years as a frequent contributor to CBC morning radio, but beyond his voice and his on-air persona of movie and video game expert-slash-geek, I don’t think I could have articulated one other thing about him. So when I read the blurb for this book on my library app, I immediately placed a hold. A regular columnist on the CBC is de facto a voice of the Canadian establishment.
To learn that this person is at the same time navigating his identity not only as a First Nations man but also as an increasingly vocal advocate for Indigenous rights and culture - well, I needed to read what he had to tell me. He seamlessly weaves back and forth between his personal experience and the larger historic + current context, and I truly felt like I was spending time with a dear, no-BS get-a-grip friend. (Get-a-grip friend = someone who loves you enough to tell you the truth and respects you enough to expect you to deal with it.) It’s well-written and flows easily, but it wasn’t always an easy read.
As a person whose roots in Canada stretch back literally to its colonial beginnings in New France, I found some truths hard to hear. In a few places I had to force myself to go back and reread because I could feel my brain protectively disengaging with the material. So it very much hit home when Mr Wente pointed out that it’s not First Nations people who need to achieve reconciliation, it’s the settlers who need to be reconciled to the truths of Canada’s colonial history and present. He’s definitely given me much to reflect on – and act on – as I continue my learning journey.
