Author: Michael Crummey

It isn’t often that I read a book Pat recommends – our taste in books is very different. While Pat was reading this one I looked at the summary and thought I might like it so when he was done he passed it along to my pile of books.

The story mainly takes place during the Second World War, involves two main characters – Mercedes and Wish – and is set in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Mercedes is Protestant and Wish is Catholic so right from the start there are hurdles to overcome. When the war separates them you wonder if they will ever find each other again.

There were a couple of things that stood out for me in the book. Newfoundland had not yet joined Confederation so the narration talks about Canada and Newfoundland as separate countries. Also there is a Canadian-born Japanese interpreter in the POW camp where Wish is incarcerated; it was interesting to hear his backstory and see why he might have been fighting with the Japanese army.

Overall I liked the story but found the ending too long and drawn out. I don’t always need a happy ending but I like an ending – this ending was rather vague.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Hazel Gaynor

This was a recommendation from Regan and it was available from the library without much of a wait.

I enjoyed the story – part of which happens during and after WW1 and another part that is happening in current day Ireland. The place in Ireland, Howth, is one of the first spots Pat and I visited after arriving in Dublin. The story talks about the wind in the harbour and I remember that it was a very windy day when we were there.

Although the story is a novel it is based on true facts about the Cottingley Fairy photos. Be sure to look up Cottingley Fairies on Google to read all about the stir they created.

Two young girls in England make frequent visits to the beck (a stream or small river) at the bottom of the garden. The youngest, Francis, claims to see fairies; her older cousin, Elsie, decides they should take photos of the fairies to prove to their parents that the fairies exist. When the photographs they take come to the attention of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and several photography experts it sparks a number of investigations over the next 100 years. The story that unfolds in the present is quite predictable but an enjoyable read.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Sarah Langan

This was a recommendation from Tracie. It seems most of the adds to my To Read list come from Goodreads friends.

The novel takes place over a few time periods but the story itself is set in the future – 2027. The story is interspersed with retrospective essays written in 2036 and 2043 that look back on the incident.

The neighbors on Maple Street get along well, sharing parties, BBQs and friendships. But when a sinkhole opens in the park across the street things begin to go awry. The neighborhood turns on one family, the Wildes; the atmosphere on the street deteriorates quickly when a child falls through the sinkhole. You get a hint of what is coming from the retrospectives.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Beth Powning

Another book by this author was recommended to me by someone and I ordered it from the library. When it arrived I realized it was a continuation of some of the characters introduced in this book so I sent the sequel back and ordered this from the inter-library loan service (this copy came from Trail).

Azuba comes from a ship building town and family on the Bay of Fundy; the story is set during the 1800’s. After her marriage to a sea captain and a brief interlude in their new home her husband, Nathaniel, leaves on another sea voyage. Azuba had always dreamed of following her husband to sea but he leaves her behind and pregnant. During his absence a minor indiscretion (for the time) causes a scandal and when he returns and hears of it Nathaniel forces Azuba and their child to join him aboard ship. Although it is what she always wanted the circumstances have made the couple irritable and distrustful of each other. The rest of the book tells the story of their voyage, the hardships they endure and the ports of call they stop at.

I can hardly wait to get my hands on the next book.

Goodreads Rating: * * * *