Review: Snow Angels

Snow Angels by Stewart O'Nan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In 1974 Arthur is a young teen whose parents are going through a divorce. As if this wasn't enough to cope with, his big sister was away in another country for an extended period of time and he has a huge crush on Lila, a classmate.

A woman, Annie, who was Arthur and Astrid's babysitter when they were young, is separated and living with her young daughter. One day near Christmas the little girl goes missing. It is freezing cold and search parties are out in full force to find the little girl who seems to have wondered off.

What young Arthur finds will haunt him for the rest of his life.

A thought provoking story.





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Review: Any Known Blood

Any Known Blood by Lawrence Hill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Langston Cane the fifth is a mid thirties fellow who is divorced and has just been fired from his job as a speech writer for a politician. He comes from mixed race parents, his father being a doctor in Oakville Ontario. Some of his ancestors came from Baltimore and Langston has always been curious about his family history. He has an aunt living in Baltimore who he has never met. He embarks on a project to research and study the history of his family.

After giving up his apartment he buys a Jetta and starts on his journey to Baltimore. He discovers that his aunt never throws out anything and in her boxes she has a world of information and details of such interest to him that he immerses himself completely in the project.

This is the most wonderful book that I have read in a very long time. You find yourself completely absorbed in five generations of Canes. I dare anyone who starts this book to try to put it down for longer than it takes to walk the dog.

A fantastic read.

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Review: The Silent Land

The Silent Land by David Dunham
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a quiet book written of another time when the pace of life was slow and a clear division between the haves and the have not in England.

The story opens when a girl, Rebecca, has just lost her mother to cancer and her father is a doctor. He decides after a time to move to be close to his sister in the hopes that she will give some assistance with his daughter and also, possibly, help find a husband for her.

It was a predictable story that takes us through to WWI.

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Review: Any Known Blood

Any Known Blood by Lawrence Hill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Langston Cane the fifth is a mid thirties fellow who is divorced and has just been fired from his job as a speech writer for a politician. He comes from mixed race parents, his father being a doctor in Oakville Ontario. Some of his ancestors came from Baltimore and Langston has always been curious about his family history. He has an aunt living in Baltimore who he has never met. He embarks on a project to research and study the history of his family.

After giving up his apartment he buys a Jetta and starts on his journey to Baltimore. He discovers that his aunt never throws out anything and in her boxes she has a world of information and details of such interest to him that he immerses himself completely in the project.

This is the most wonderful book that I have read in a very long time. You find yourself completely absorbed in five generations of Canes. I dare anyone who starts this book to try to put it down for longer than it takes to walk the dog.

A fantastic read.



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Review: Where There's Smoke

Where There's Smoke by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is an entertaining and well thought out short story. It introduces Serenity Jones, an acclaimed psychic with her own TV show. Serenity "hears" and "sees" things that others can't from the afterlife.

Occasionally someone, a loved one generally, can kick up and cause some problems. Serenity discovers this when a young widow with a baby comes to her to try to contact her husband who was killed in Iraq.

A very interesting read that has left me wanting more.



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Review: Her Name Is Rose

Her Name Is Rose by Christine Breen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Iris is an Irish woman with an adopted daughter Rose. Her husband passed away a couple of years before and now Iris has had a breast cancer scare. She is very worried that if something happens to her that her daughter, Rose, will be left without any family.

Iris had promised her husband that she would try to find Rose's birth mother, whose name was Hilary, so that there would be someone for Rose. Iris begins her search and discovers that she has to make a trip to Boston in the US to find Hilary.

This was a heartfelt story with a few twists and surprises. I listened to the audio of this book and enjoyed the Irish brogues of the reader. All in all a very enjoyable story.

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Review: The Couple Next Door

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a real page turner. A couple's baby, Cora, six months old, was kidnapped from her bed while the parents are next door. The police are called right away and an investigation is launched.

It seems that Cora has disappeared without a trace, or has she.

This was a terrific story. Every time you think that you know who the culprit is, the whole scenario changes again.

There was nothing about any of the characters that made you care about them or even like them. Even the poor baby was considered very fussy and cried a lot. Had the characters been more likable it probably would be a five star book for me.

All in all a great read.





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