The Lake House

Living on her family’s idyllic lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, Alice Edevane is a bright, inquisitive, innocent, and precociously talented sixteen-year-old who loves to write stories. But the mysteries she pens are no match for the one her family is about to endure…One midsummer’s eve, after a beautiful party drawing hundreds of guests to the estate has ended, the Edevanes discover that their youngest child, eleven-month-old Theo, has vanished without a trace. What follows is a tragedy that tears the family apart in ways they never imagined.

Decades later, Alice is living in London, having enjoyed a long successful career as an author. Theo’s case has never been solved, though Alice still harbors a suspicion as to the culprit. Miles away, Sadie Sparrow, a young detective in the London police force, is staying at her grandfather’s house in Cornwall. While out walking one day, she stumbles upon the old estate—now crumbling and covered with vines, clearly abandoned long ago. Her curiosity is sparked, setting off a series of events that will bring her and Alice together and reveal shocking truths about a past long gone...yet more present than ever.  

~*~

I'm not really much of a mystery fan, but I really enjoyed this one. I don't even know if it is officially classified as a mystery, but it definitely has some mystery novel elements to it. Even just the most basic one of there being something that is being worked towards being solved almost the entire book.

I feel that Morton did some amazing character development within this novel and I would even go as far as to say it is probably one of the greatest strengths of this book. I really did feel like I knew these characters, even to the point that when they suggested certain scenarios about what may have happened, and it picks so-and-so as responsible, I would know pretty accurately if the theory was correct or not.

I found I was a pretty good audience for this book as I didn't get ahead of the big reveals or see any of the plot twists coming until just before they happen. I feel I reacted when I was supposed to react, which I think makes it a pretty good novel for me. Although sometimes it makes me feel smarter than I am if I beat the author to the reveal, more often than not it just leads me to being disappointed in the book. 

I also felt pretty attracted to a theme (I may have created in my own mind) in the novel about the lengths that parents will go to to protect their children. There are plenty of kids in this book and we get to know them throughout different stages of their lives, all of them have very different relationships with their parents and grandparents. The lengths these parents go to protect their children (or not protect them) from a variety of potentially harmful situations is enlightening. I don't want to say too much about this, because it starts to get into spoiler territory, but I will say that it was a very prevalent and enticing element, and a theme I was very interested in from the beginning of the novel to the end. 

Solid recommend from me on this one!

I've Got A Bunch Coming!

 You may have noticed (or maybe not, I'm not that big of a deal) that I've been on a little bit of a hiatus again. But not to worry! I have not lost my mojo again!

I was fortunate enough this year to get a FULL MONTH of Lake time in July. The new teaching job I have guarantees me 4 consecutive weeks in the summer off if I want them. (Just to clarify this statement, we get a number of "unassigned days" for the school year, we work the same number of days during the school year as regular teachers, but we can take our holidays whenever we want. So whereas a teacher in the regular school system has very structured and predetermined days off, we can take ours whenever we want because our school doesn't have Easter break, Christmas break, etc. So if you don't want a big chunk of time off in the summer, you are welcome to take more time off in December, or March or you could take off a day every week... it's totally up to you) So I was very happy to get back into my reading groove. I haven't read three books in a month for YEARS because I wasn't authorized to do so by my two miniature, home made bosses. But now that the bosses are a little older, I can often squeak in a bit of reading time. This made me feel SO MUCH better about myself as a parent and the role modelling I'm doing for my kids. I am totally guilty of just sitting, staring at my phone for hours, playing games or being on social media or whatever. I feel like a better parent by just letting my kids see me reading instead... Anywhoo... I digress...

As I mentioned previously, I managed to finish THREE books this summer when I had limited internet access, and I have started blog posts for all of them, but with getting back into the groove of work, I have yet to complete them. But they are coming! Stay Tuned! I hope to have the first one up next week. It's almost done, but I need to tweak it a bit, and I'm not going to have time this weekend. 

Thanks for reading and getting back into reading my blog after I've been so unreliable! You [sir or lady], are the best!

Starlight Tour (and Racism in Saskatoon)

A teen's suspicious death, a shocking police cover-up and a mother's search for truth: this landmark investigation into justice and Canada's Indigenous people is re-issued and updated here for the first time in over a decade.

In 1990, on a brutally cold night, 17-year-old Neil Stonechild disappeared from downtown Saskatoon, last seen in police custody. His frozen body was found three days later in a field outside town. Though his mother pressed for answers, a cursory investigation pinned the blame on the teen himself, dead by alcohol and misadventure. Only in 2000, when two more men were found frozen to death, and a third survived his "starlight tour" at the hands of police, did the truth about Stonechild's fate begin to emerge. Soon one of the country's most prominent Indigenous lawyers was on the case, and an open secret was secret no more.

With exclusive co-operation from the Stonechild family, lawyer Donald Worme, and others, Starlight Tour is an engrossing portrait of rogue cops, racism, obstruction of justice and justice denied, not only to a boy and his family but to an entire nation.

~*~

I have so much to say about this book and the events that it depicts that I don't even know where to start. 

So let me try to start at the beginning (sorry, this may take a while. I expect this may be a very long blog entry with comments about the book intermingled with current events, important political situations at the moment, my current job, my history as a bookstore employee... so many things to talk about...)

This is probably the most important book I have read in a long time, and to be honest, I should have read it more than a decade ago, but at the same time I don't think I would have appreciated it as much then as I do now. 

So... the beginning. My first exposure to this book came WAY back when it was first published when I was working at Coles Bookstore in Market Mall. The publication date on the first edition of this book is November of 2005, so I would have been 22 at the time.  I remember seeing the book (with a different cover than the one above, a stark red, orange, and black with a picture of Neil's face) and that it was very popular at the time (more often than not, that happens with local interest topics) I have always been very clear that I am a book snob and I tend not to read books when they are trendy or popular. I like to discover my own books and then claim that I am why said book becomes popular later. Anywhoo, I digress. I didn't read Starlight Tour then. I had no interest. I was 7 at the time that Neil died, and because of the deaths that were more recent than his I vaguely knew the topic, but wasn't interested in True Crime much back then. I'd rather live in my safe little bubble. 

Fast forward to last week. I am at work and went to cover one of my coworkers while she went on her break. She left her book behind and I noticed it was Starlight Tour, but the cover had changed. I read the back refreshing myself on the book itself (Neil Stonechild's case is common knowledge in Saskatoon, but I couldn't remember the perspective the book took on it, whether it was written before or after the inquiry, etc.), and then I started reading. I got about 25 pages in before she came back from her break and I ordered the book from McNally later that day. I was so encaptured in that first chapter that I knew I would read it immediately once I got it. And that I did. 

I'm not sure if it was my coworker's intention to be reading this book while aftermath of George Floyd's murder and the Black Lives Matter protests were going on in the States, but this really hit me hard how appropriate it was to be reading this book while such overwhelming topics involving racism were going on in the media. I have heard SO MANY people say "thank goodness this doesn't go on in Canada" or "Canadians aren't nearly that bad" or other things of the like that really bring focus to how deluded and sheltered many of us are. The rascism towards First Nations people is HORRID in Canada. Racism IS a problem here. But somehow people aren't seeing it. Which seems to me to boil down to White Priviledge. I could get into that topic a bit more, and make this blog post a book instead, but I think I will just let the following cartoon do the talking for me...

Cartoon by one of my favourite Cartoonists - Nathan Pyle.

OK, back to the actual book itself not that I've gotten down from my soapbox. 

This book is really well written and well researched. There are several images of actual evidence within the book, extremely well documented interviews, and although some minimal aspects of it may be speculation, these speculations are heavily based around undisputed facts. 

That being said, reading this book I recognized that there was also a very evident bias on the part of the authors. Upon reading some of the short reviews on Goodreads, I noticed some people were turned off of this book because of it. But now, don't get me wrong. I don't see a problem with that bias especially given the topic of the book. It was meant to be expository and bring the issues and experiences of everyone involved to the general public; those who do not want to stick strictly to the media's portrayal of events (also, regularily biased) or inquiry transcripts and publications (dry, academic, a law degree may be useful to understand the full impact). Given the outcome of the inquiry, I don't think the bias is particularly unfair. This is a book about Neil Stonechild and the gross injustices that happened to him in his short 17 years. This is NOT a book about the Constables that "allegedly" left him in a field outside of the city to walk back and resulting in him freezing to death.* So, let them have that bias. Recognize that it is there. But also note that every. single. non-fiction. piece of writing in existance has a bias. It is impossible not to have one. Some authors are just better at hiding it than others.

One of the other reasons that I feel I enjoyed this book so much is how close this book hits home to my own life. This is a Saskatoon book through and through. I love how when referencing locations I can picture them easily in my brain. Not because of the descriptions in the book, but because I have BEEN there. If you say Confed. Drive and 33rd st. BOOM! I see it in my brain. I know it. Another reason this hits close to home is that not only that all of these events happened in Saskatoon, where I have lived my entire life, but also that Neil had been a resident of my current place of employment at Kilburn Hall Youth Centre. Many of the employees that worked with Neil have retired or moved on since then, but there are still a handful around that remember him and I actually asked one of my coworkers about him when I was midway through the book. Everything he said to me was consistent with what was said about him in Starlight Tour. When recognizing the bias, I wondered if they were making him seem better than he was, ya know, kinda how sometimes after people pass we only remember the good things about them, but my coworker confirmed that Neil wasn't one of the tough kids to deal with. It was important to me to ask people that knew him from the work environment that I'm in to get a clearer picture. Being at Kilburn Hall we often see kids on their worst days. And some of the kids we deal with are seriously bad kids. Neil was one of the good ones. And it was so important to me to hear this from someone I actually know.

As I said at the beginning of this post: This book is important. The Black Lives Matter movement in the States is at the forefront of our news. George Lloyd's unfortunate death at the hands of Police Officers is an interesting parallel (even though it's not completely the same) to Neil's death. Police brutality and racism is a huge problem in North America right now, and we can't forget people like Neil. We can't forget the victims. So do yourself a favour and if you are from Saskatchewan, and you don't think it happens here, read this book. If you are from anywhere around the world, and need a reminder about why these riots take place, read this book. 

Just read the book. You won't regret it.

*I struggled with how to write this sentence. The two Constables have never been charged, but the inquiry strongly suggests that they are responsible for Neil's death, so I felt I needed to add the word "allegedly", however, I did put the quotation marks around it because I feel it is a technicality. I don't want to get sued or something for defamation. But seriously, in my opinion after the evidence presented in this book... those two are guilty and should have gone to trial for murder of some degree, but evidence... and the burden of proof beyond a doubt... must be hard to find 10 years after the crime is committed. 

Katherine, Anne, and Jane

  

Bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir takes on what no fiction writer has done before: creating a dramatic six-book series in which each novel covers one of King Henry VIII's wives. 

~*~

OK, so... I'm just gunna kinda cheat here. 

First, I'm only posting the first sentence of the description of the first book in this series above, because there is not one description that can cover only these three books in the series, and these are the only ones I want to cover at the moment.

And then there's the fact that I'm reviewing three books at once... also kinda cheating. But there are reasons for this! So let me explain...

This is a series that has not been entirely released yet. The first 4 books (wives) are in softcover, the 5th is in Hardcover, and the 6th isn't out yet. 

As is mentioned in the very short description above, each book follows the life of one of Henry VIII's wives. These first three wives' lives overlap. (eg. both Anne and Jane, 2nd and 3rd wives, were ladies for Katherine, the 1st wife, at some point) this means that each of these books overlap chronologically. So yes, I COULD start reading Katherine's and finish it to completion, and then move on to Anne's and so forth, but... that's not how I like to do things. After starting reading Katherine's, I got far enough in that I realized that Anne would now be alive and I felt I should start reading hers, so that I know what each wife was doing at the same time (or close to the same time) as the others. The chapters were often organized by portions of years, so it wasn't too hard to do, and I really felt it enhanced my reading experience, and also my respect for Alison Weir. There were times that these wives interacted, and reading both perspectives on the same circumstance was really fun! Weir was extremely diligent with this throughout the books. 

Alison Weir is one of my favourite authors, and probably my all time favourite Historical Fiction author. She is a very well respected Historian of British Royalty and she has only relatively recently delved into her works of Fiction. Her first novel was Innocent Traitor (my favourite Historical Fiction of all time, read my post on it here), and these novels have really secured her position as my favourite. Another thing I love about Ms Weir, is that she is SO ingrained as a Historian that at the end of each novel, she then has an Author Note about each of the queens and why she went certain directions with their stories, and when there is some dispute amongst historians about certain aspects of these women's stories, she explains both sides and then defends her choices. I feel that gives her and her story that much more credibility. 

It is really hard for me to review these three books separately, hence, why they are all together in one post, because of how I decided to read them. The flipping back and forth between them really made these three books seem like one. They are all amazing, I recommend them all, you don't have to read them like I did, but if you like the history involving these Tudor Queens, I really suggest giving these a go. 

Note: My plan is to read the next three at the same time too. Anna of Kleve (or more commonly Anne of Cleves) had very little overlap with the first three queens and so I did not feel it was necessary to read her at the same time, however she outlives the following two. So I will likely do a post with all three of those ladies together once the last book is released... or in soft cover... if I can wait that long. 

Gone Girl

NOTE: I'm a bit out of practice for writing these reviews. So I apologize if this one isn't as well written or readable as my other ones. I will practice and get better in the future... hopefully.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.

~*~

I have realized after reviewing my blog entries from the other two Gillian Flynn novels that Flynn is exceptionally good at creating characters that I hate [If you wish to review what I thought of her other books, you can look at Sharp Objects's post here, and Dark Places' here]. It's funny, because at any given time I am rooting for a different character in this book, only to realize that actually I don't like this person, or to have something change to make me determine that I never should have been happy for them in the first place. I find that I often go back to rooting for one the ass kicking women, although ask me who I choose to favour by the end and I won't have an answer for you (maybe Go? or Boney? who knows)... 

It's an extremely interesting perspective to take, because I really did significantly like this book. Flynn is amazing at her craft. She weaves an incredibly complex story without confusing or losing her readers (that being said, I also read this book in 4 days, so perhaps reading it quickly helped). This is a deeply woven story of struggles in a marriage to an extreme. It's basically got everything that could possibly ruin a marriage in one story. So if that isn't a match made in disaster, then what is? 

Also, I kind of wonder if Flynn is actually a psychopath. How can anyone come up with this kind of stuff without having something wrong with them? I am sure there is a way to prove with criminal science that it's not possible to do a lot of the things that happen in this book, but I am not knowledgeable enough to figure it out. Many of the things that happen in this book are almost unbelievable, with enough viability in order to make it seem possible. I feel that coming up with a story with so cleverly created intrigues in order to hurt other people is a bit... immoral? Not that I don't respect Flynn. I just honestly wonder about her mental state.

Gone Girl, if nothing else is extremely captivating. It is a book that's hard to put down, not because you're rooting for anyone, but because you're not sure where the information you're being given is leading to, you must read further. This fantastic web of a story is easy to get entangled in. 

If you like mysteries or Flynn's other novels this is definitely a recommend. 

Now on to the movie! (which is no longer on Netflix, btw. Totally missed the boat on that one)

This time I'm not making any promises.

I fully recognize that the last 4 posts I have made have spanned over 3.5 years and have all promised that "I'm back!" and that I have great intentions of picking up this blog again. And every time I DO FEEL like I am going to make more of an effort to get back into blogging. But... I am horribly flaky on this matter apparently.

Part of the reason I keep doing this to myself is that I have loved blogging in the past. It was an amazing outlet at some pretty important times in my life, but now that those little important things have become school aged children, and the life changes that comes with all of that, I find myself very short on time. Parenting is hard, yo!

Another big change since the last time I blogged (Over a year ago, WHAT?) was that I have gone from being mostly a stay at home mom (work on the weekends) to being a full time teacher (get my momming in on the weekends and evenings). And that has been a big change. When the kids were little the naps gave me a bit of time to myself at home, but as they got bigger, the naps disappeared. So no blogging time. Then my kids grew and went to school, but then I was cramming in so many errands into the time that they were at school so I wouldn't have to bring them along with me later. No down time. Then I worked 12 hour shifts on the weekend. It wasn't even so much that I didn't have time to blog. I really didn't have time to READ! (I know, almost unfathomable, right?)

So what changed to make me want to pick up on the ol' blog again??

In only a word... Covid.

In slightly more words... This whole epidemic we're going through as a global community with social distancing and reduced contact and all that jazz, has given me a bit more time. Plus due to the changes at work has me working with fewer students and not always needed for help all the time, I found myself reading until I was needed. Initially this meant grabbing a book I had already read (a favourite that I hadn't read in forever) so that I wouldn't get too invested and could put it down easily when needed. But then after I finished that one (didn't take me as long as I expected), I couldn't bear to reread another book. I wanted NEW I wanted fun! I wanted something else! So I picked up a book that I bought years ago... and polished it off in 4 days. So... ya know... if y'all were worried about my bookishness... it's still there. It was just in hibernation.

SO I'm hoping this is the opportunity I need in order to usher in a new era of blogging. I'm writing the blog for the one I just finished as I'm posting this one. So wish me luck! I hope you hear from me soon!