Author: Byrne, Anna

I was honoured that, after complimenting Anna on her book, she asked me to write a review for Amazon and Goodreads. Here’s what I wrote:

When I was living through a health issue Anna hosted a workshop based on her first book – Seven Year Summer. It shifted my perspective on the end of life and specifically my own demise. 

In none of my imagining could I come up with a lovelier way to leave this world than that described in this book. Mary was unique in the way she lived her life so it shouldn’t be a surprise that her death was also very unique. The commitment of her “dying team” is a powerful testament to community. That Anna was talented and brave enough to tell Mary’s story is a gift to everyone who reads it.

Goodreads Rating: * * * * *

Author: Clinton, Hillary Rodham & Penny, Louise

Pat picked up this book on our recent Saskatchewan trip. I’d heard of the novel but until we had it in hand I wasn’t terribly interested.

It was slow to get going and there was no escaping the parallels between the fiction and the reality of today’s world. I managed to get over that and into the book but lost it again at the end when Three Pines and Inspector Armand Gamache were added to the plot. I understand why they were added but felt it was unnecessary.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Follett, Ken

On our Saskatchewan trip the book I planned to continue reading was finished before we left and I didn’t want to take a “real” book with me so I downloaded the last book of the Kingsbridge series.

Two centuries have passed since the end of the previous story and the links to the characters from the first two novels are mentioned but not obvious. I wasn’t very familiar with the history of this time period – the tensions between the Protestants and the Catholics in England, France and Spain.

This was my least favourite book of the series but there were still plenty of characters to like and dislike.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Follett, Ken

After reading a couple of tomes from this author I thought I was done but on our last trip to Texada I needed a book to read and this one was on the shelf. The technicality of reading the book was unique. I had the paperback edition but I didn’t want to carry such a large book with me on my trip so I downloaded it onto my iPad. Then I loaded Libby onto my phone so I could read while I waited on appointments. I always tried to finish reading at the end of a chapter so that I could synch the electronics with the paper. As it turned out I finished the book before we left.

I was into the story in the first couple of pages. It takes place 200 years after the first book in the Kingsbridge series so I didn’t need to remember much about the first book. Many of the names were familiar and one of the main characters Merthin is a builder; the love of his life seems unreachable after being accused of witchcraft and forced to become a nun. There are several despicable characters and I was so mad at them until they met their ends.

Goodreads Rating: * * * *