Author: Nancy Richler

While we were in Courtenay/Comox I had a chance to visit one of my favourite thrift stores – they always have a good selection of books. I don’t believe I’d heard of this book but it was a finalist for the 2012 Giller Prize so already a winner in my mind.

Lily arrives in Montreal via Palestine only to be rejected by the man she intended to marry; stepping up to fill the gap is Sol’s brother Nathan. Ruth is the daughter of this marriage but her mother deserts her and her family when Ruth is only a few months old. The book tells not only the story of Ruth as she grows up, but also the back story of her mother.

I was afraid the book would leave me hanging for the details of why Lily abandoned her new-found family but all the loose ends were tied up nicely.

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Author: Patricia Cornwell

I was looking for a magazine or two while waiting to board my flight at the Calgary airport. Nothing appealed but I knew I couldn’t go wrong with a book by one of my favourite authors. Kay Scarpetta is back investigating a mysterious death that brings back a villain of earlier novels. I vaguely remembered that character but I didn’t need to know much of the history to enjoy this book.

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Author: Jane Fonda

I’m glad this book was given to me by a fellow Guild member; I would have felt it was a bad deal had I paid any of my own money for it. I was hoping for a continuation of her memoir but this is a ‘how to’ book on getting old. There’s no new information but a lot of research into things I already knew. The good news is that her workout exercises are adapted to be done while sitting on a chair!

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Author: Jane Fonda

I’ve been a Jane Fonda fan for a long time. I’m not sure why because of her over 40 movies I’ve seen very few – and I certainly wasn’t part of any of her workout series!

The book is full of pictures, is well written and easy to read. She talks about the high points (and explains the low points) in her life – so far.

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