Category Archives: Books

A Star Called Henry

Author: Roddy Doyle

I needed a new book to read on Texada so I pulled one from the cabinet. The one I pulled (and started reading) was the last in a trilogy; by the time I realized that and did some research I realized we had all three.

It took me some time to get into the story but by the end I was hooked. Henry’s mother lost a child named Henry; she would point to the sky and tell everyone that he was one of the stars. This book is about another son, also called Henry, who takes an active part in the Irish rebellion. For most of his life he is a wanted criminal – both by the English and his Irish comrades.

Although not the light read of The Barrytown trilogy I still enjoyed it and have made my way into the second book of this series.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Firewall

Author: Mankell, Henning

I’ve read a lot of books by this author and I have enjoyed every one of the Wallender mysteries. In this book he refers to things that happened in the past ; all the references were familiar so I must have read about them in previous books in the series.

This one is a computer thriller. Within a few hours two people are found dead. In one case the guilty parties have confessed and in the other case it appears the death was from natural causes. But as the story unflolds we find that the two cases are linked and it takes Wallender the whole book to see how.

Goodreads Rating: * * * *

The Measure

Author: Nikki Erlick

I think this was one of the books that came from a Facebook group I belong to. I have trouble finding any of their recommendations through Libby and while we were traveling I went a long way down my list before finding one that was available.

On a certain date, all over the world, every person receives a small box containing a string that measures the length of time they have left before death. Some choose to open their box and live with the consequences of a short string or breathe a sigh of relief if their string is long. Others choose not to look at their string at all.

There were a lot of characters in the book and I worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep them all straight but there was no problem; each character and their circumstances were well described.

Goodreads Rating: * * * *

Spellbound

Author: Jeanette Baker

This is one of the books included in Kathryn’s 2025 birthday bag. I saw the idea on Facebook and decided to pass it along. On her birthday Kathryn received a bag of books (second hand that I’ve pre-read) each wrapped in brown paper. The idea is that once a month (on her birthdate) she can pick a book to read. Each book includes a bookmark of some sort.

I found this book in one of the little neighbourhood book shelves. It was an easy read; although the ending was never in doubt the journey to the end was entertaining.

Mollie has returned to Inishmore after living most of her life in California. When her parents divorced she and her mother moved from the island leaving her father and brother behind. Mollie has arranged a one-year teaching position in Inishmore hoping to reconnect to her family. The sudden death of her brother and his wife turns all of her plans upside down.

Goodreads Rating: * * *