Torontoc reads a lot of books in 2017

This year I will continue to read and enjoy the books that I have selected!

Good luck :)

Best wishes for a happy and fulfilling year of reading.

Best of luck with the completions (ha) of your desired readings in this new year.

Looking forward to following your thread in 2017!

Happy 2017 torontoc !

Thank you! and my first read in 2017 is

1.The Singapore Grip by J.G. Farrell I sometimes look at reviews of books that I have finished reading-especially ones that have had a strong effect on me. One reviewer of this book called the style and plot a cross between Monty Python and Tolstoy. I have to agree. This very long ( 568 pages) novel describes the state of life in Singapore just before the fall of the city to the Japanese during the Second World War. Sometimes the changing narrators describe the intricacies of the rubber trade and the role of the prominent British trading companies or the hour by hour bad decisions made by the British in confronting the Japanese army. Other times the reader learns about the trivial concerns of the Blackett family as the head of the family and trading company , Walter, tries to marry off his daughter Joan to the just arrived son of his late company partner, Matthew Webb. Walter's son Monty is a person of loose morals and opportunistic plans. Matthew is an idealist who used to work at the League of Nations and seems to pick the wrong time to declaim about what the world's nations should have done. Meanwhile the reader is confronted by comic relief in the wrong headed actions of the Blackett family, Matthew's blundering in matter of love and then the very serious problems and suffering of Singapore's population as the Japanese bomb the city and almost everyone is in flight from the fighting. There are a number of memorable characters. The information about harvesting rubber, monopolies and defence tactics is very intense. Overall I had a not too easy time at the beginning of the novel but eventually I was hooked. A good read.-and I have read two out of three in Farrell's trilogy.

I think I have this one on my shelves and if I knew that it was a cross between Monty Python and Tolstoy, I probably would have gotten to it sooner.

It did take me a while to get into the story- there are so many facts about rubber production!

Happy 2017 and good reading.

2. Nonstop Metropolis A New York City Atlas by Rebecca Solnit and Joshua Jelly-Schapiro Actually this really interesting collection of maps and essays was written and designed by a number of writers and artists. The collection is one of three on cities in the United States-the others are San Francisco and New Orleans. The maps are not your run of the mill geographical surveys-these maps show where people lived, centres of important events in the life of the city from parks, water resources, garbage centres, whaling and publishing, important women, the life of Harlem, languages in Queens and more. I enjoyed reading the essays that combined history and personal memoirs. A great find thanks to my sister-in-law and brother!

3. A Guinea Pig Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen -but adapted by Alex Goodwin I usually read P & P after I finish a really bad book but not this year. I heard about P &P adapted for Guinea Pigs and had to see it. So here it is- all the way from the U.K. to Canada in three weeks or so. The guinea pigs wear great hats. There are different coloured guinea pigs costumed to assume the roles of all the characters in the book. Elizabeth guinea pig is very cute. The story is told with photos and the plot hits all the high points. However, I had forgotten ( I had a guinea pig many years ago - he ate cherries and grapes and tried to escape all the time- although he would not get all that good food out in the yard or carpet) that guinea pigs really have no expressions-they just stare blankly and eat. So while the reader learns the basic plot,the beautifully costumed guinea pigs just look at the camera with their big eyes and expressionless faces. Must reread the real P&P soon.

4. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. When I first started reading this novel I thought that the main character, Lancelot or Lotto, was immature and did I really want to read about his early life and later his exploits with women? When Lotto's wife ,Mathilde, was introduced, she seemed like a cipher who supported Lotto throughout his struggles with acting and later success at playwriting. Slowly, the plot of this novel became more complicated. In the second half of the story, the reader learns about the early life of Mathilde and how she influenced Lotto's successes. There is a balance in the story about the truth of evil and good and how a bad decision can change lives. There are some surprises and some forewarning of events to come. This is a rather complex story and I became more interested in the work as the book progressed!

5. Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the painting of The Water Lilies by Ross King. I really enjoyed this very intense reporting of Monet's later life when he was painting his series on the Water Lilies at his home in Giverny. King also tells the story of the friendship between Monet and Georges Clemenceau. King also introduces the reader to the small circle of friends, politicians and family that Monet interacted with during the time of the "Great War" and after. The history is also about the creation of the paintings and the political wrangling to obtain a proper home for the " Grande Decoration" in France and the history of the selection of the Orangerie in Paris. Monet's standing in history changes just after his death in 1926. It was interesting to read that many of the American Expressionist painters of the 1950's looked to Monet and his work as a source of inspiration.

>13 torontoc: That sounds good. Monet's paintings are some of my favorite ever and I love the colors and light in his water lilies paintings.

>14 ronincats:- the book takes a " slice" of Monet's life and gives the reader a sense of the politics of the time in France as well.

6. Woman in the Shadows by Jane Thynne. There are a few series that I like to keep up with and this is one of them. Clara Vine is living in Berlin in 1937 in this novel. She is half English and half German and works as an actress. Clara is also a spy for the English, keeping an eye on several Nazi leaders and their wives. The story of this novel includes appearances by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and two of the Mitford sisters-Diana and Unity. Clara is involved with the mystery of a murder of a former friend who was in a Nazi Bride training institute and as well, is looking for information on a newly developed camera and spy plane. Her life is very complicated as she solves one mystery and nearly gets " outed" as a spy in the process. I look forward to the next book in the series.

My library has the Monet book, so I've put it on hold.

7. Lovers at the Chameleon Club Paris 1932 by Francine Prose I had mixed feelings about this novel.One of the main characters is indeed based on a real person. Lou Villars is an unusual French girl trained to be an athlete and later she works at the cross dressing Chameleon club in Paris in the 1920s and 1930's.In fact the author was inspired to write this book when she saw the photo by Brassai of two lesbian women at a Paris club in 1932. The story is told in a number of voices- the Hungarian photographer Gabor, the American writer Lionel,Yvonne the Chameleon club owner, the baroness Lily, Suzanne-Gabor's girlfriend and later wife and finally Nathalie-Lou's biographer. Lou is a very complex person who becomes a racing car driver, a mechanic, a spy for the Germans and lastly a torturer.The story traces the fortunes of all the narrators through Paris as the Germans take over Paris in the second world war. I found that the novel was easy to read and I saw the who thinly disguised characters represented. I found that the character of Lou was hard to understand as she became , really, the embodiment of evil in the story. An interesting read.

8. Princess Pistachio by Marie-Louise Gay So I am reading a couple of books that I hope to send to my about- to- read great niece. ( she likes to be read to) I am also looking at the " new " brand of literature for young readers. This book takes the " princess" theme( what is it about princesses that young girls love?) and provides a more modern look for the reader. This book is beautifully illustrated with great colour and good pen and ink like drawings. This princess is a bit of a brat- being annoying to her parents, her best friend, her dog and her sister. She is under the delusion that she is a real princess after she gets a crown as a gift. Pistachio realizes her bad behaviour affects others and the reader sees how she changes as a result. A good book for the under 7 set.

9. Their Promised Land My Grandparents in Love and War by Ian Buruma. The author has written a history of his grandparents and their lives during the two world wars.Ian Buruma has used their letters to reconstruct their story of love, courtship marriage and separations during the wars. Bernard and Winnifred were the children of German Jews who settled in England. Their families were born and educated in England. However although they didn't practice the Jewish religion they still felt the difference in treatment. Both Bernard and Winnifred were conscious of behaviour towards them although they really assimilated into what they considered English culture. Ian Buruma tells the story of their lives with love and respect for their actions. Bernard was a doctor who before he was a medical student, was an orderly in the trenches of France. During World War Two, he was a doctor stationed in India. Win brought up their five children and also saw to the welfare of twelve German Jewish children sent just before the war to England. The story is about one family without much drama. But the narration illustrates the personalities of a loving couple and their children ( the eldest was John Schlesinger who became a noted film director) during times of stress and worry about the future.

10. Other-Wordly words both strange and lovely from around the world by Yee-Lum Mak and illustrated by Kelsey Garrity-Riley This is a wonderfully illustrated book of unusual words from many different cultures-but I have used some of them! The definitions are interesting and the illustrations match the word. The book also has list of the countries and words defined. Some of the words that I have used- Scintilla, Inglenook, Soigné.One word that I would like to use-tartle:to hesitate while introducing or meeting someone because you have forgotten their name!

11. The Vanishing Velazquez : A 19th Century Bookseller's Obsession with a Lost Masterpiece by Laura Cumming. The author takes the reader through an investigation of the connection between a lost painting of Charles I of England by the Spanish painter Velazquez and a modest British bookseller from Reading. John Snare bought what he thought was a portrait of Charles I at an auction in the mid nineteenth century. He researched this work carefully and stood by his belief that Velazquez was the artist who painted the portrait. Laura Cumming does more than give the reader this man's story. She also outlines the life of Velazquez and his works of art and more importantly-what makes them unique. In fact I found her descriptions of of the paintings to be probably the best interpretation of artworks that I have read. There is mystery in the story of John Snare and the painting. There are many gaps in his story as well as that of the painting and its fate. I found myself reading anxiously to the end to find out what happened. This was a great book to read and it gave me a much better understanding of the genius of Velazquez.

>6 torontoc: Which one do you have left? The Siege of Krishnapur is one of my favourite books.

>22 pamelad: that is the one book that I have to read!

12. In Montmartre Picasso, Matisse and the Birth of Modernist Art by Sue Roe. The author has chosen a specific time period in Paris -about 1900-1911- to examine thoroughly. The reader is introduced to the early work of Matisse, Picasso, Braque, Vlaminck, Derain and a little of Modigliani and their early struggles to create a new aesthetic in painting. Roe not only expertly describes their artworks and how they defined the new art, she also gives the reader a description of the lives led in Montmartre.The friendships and rivalries of the artists, models,and patrons as well as the influence of the circus, early cinema and cafes helped shape the great modernist movements of Fauvism, Cubism, and Futurism.The lives and relationships of early patrons-the Steins:Michael, Sarah, Leo and Gertrude and Sergei Shchukin of Russia and the influence of dealers-Vollard, Uhde, and Kahnweiler add to the story of this intense time of discovery. I must admit that the book ends where I would like it to continue, Maybe the writer will look at artists and " The Great War" in the future.

13. Little Blue Chair by Cary Fagan and illustrated by Madeline Kloepper This ER book for children was charming. The story is about how a little blue chair, suitable for a child, passes from one person or family to another and does travel throughout the world. The chair is used differently by each owner. The illustrations are colourful and would appeal to a young child. I liked the simplicity of the storyline- each family or person who owns the chair is described briefly and the story of the use of the chair is emphasized. A very nice book that would appeal to a child who likes to be read to!

14. Chagall Colour and Music by Ambre Gauthier. This is the " mini" version of the catalogue on the exhibition of the work of Marc Chagall in Montreal. I saw the exhibit and it was amazing!. The organizers made extremely good use of modern display techniques-the panels from the Moscow Yiddish theatre were supposed to be part of this exhibition but the Tretyakov Gallery backed out at the last minute( so I am told). Instead there were giant reproductions of the murals that gave the viewer a sense of the story and style that incorporated elements of Cubism, Fauvism and Orphism. The theme of music and art was used skillfully as each room had different music that matched the subject matter of the paintings, preliminary sketches and costumes. The book has fold out reproductions of the major projects that Chagall designed over the years as well as biographical information on the artist and his use of themes. In many of the illustrations in the book, the author points out the themes of Russian and Jewish culture, the circus and music or " musicality in paint". The book has so many examples of the works from the exhibition that it serves as a good reminder of the power of the show.

15. Mayflower A Story of Courage, Community and War by Nathaniel Philbrick This is a blow by blow account of not only the voyage of the Pilgrims from England ( and Holland) to the New World but also a very detailed telling of the wars between the Natives and English settlers. The author relates the story of the different groups that made up the passengers of the ship, the Mayflower. The landing was supposed to be at a different place than off the coast of Cape Cod. In fact the ship tried a few different landing spots before the ship anchored in Cape Cod Bay. There was tremendous loss of life as the survivors started to contract settlements in the new world. The relationships with the natives of Cape Cod are told from the first encounters to the ruinous King Philip's War. Philbrick shows that both Natives and English made mistakes that resulted in death and destruction on all sides. This book is a very good history of the time.

16. Yiddish for Pirates by Gary Barwin. This very entertaining story was shortlisted for the Giller Prize last year. The story is an adventure that really keep the reader glued to the book until the very end of the novel. It is a primer in Yiddish ( with a lot of the bad words), a comedy told by a Yiddish speaking parrot, a tragedy and a history of Jews in Spain and the New World. Columbus is a player in the story. Barwin does not skirt around the inhumanity of the Spanish treatment of not only the Jewish people during the Inquisition but the savage killing and torture of the aboriginal peoples of the Caribbean islands as well. The hero or anti-hero is Moshe- a young boy from Poland who runs away to sea and does become a Pirate, his lost love Sarah and Aaron the parrot. I really enjoyed this adventure as it told a story of conquest from a different point of view!

17. and 18. I am Half-Sick of Shadows and Speaking From Among the Bones by Alan Bradley I am reviewing both of these books starring the chemist and detective extraordinaire Flavia de Luce. These mysteries are a treat to read. Flavia is always getting into trouble( as a twelve year old in the early 1950's could) .She helps solve mysteries of murder in her small town. There is always the issue of her father about to lose the family estate as there is no money. Her sisters torment Flavia( although she gives her own back). There is the continuing mystery of her mother Harriet's death. A fun set of read s but the last book also begins a theme that continues into the next book-I have to get it.

19. The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman This historical fiction novel is about the life of the Impressionist Camille Pissaro's mother. The author relates the story of Rachel Pomie, a Jewish woman born in St. Thomas in the Caribbean. Rachel is married to a much older man in order to save her family's company. After her first husband dies, his nephew is sent out to St. Thomas from Paris to take over the family businesses. This young man is only seven years younger than Rachel. They fall in love but are ostracized by the St. Thomas Jewish community when they try to get married. After many years, Rachel and Frederick's union and their children are recognized by the community. This part of the story is true. The author embellishes the novel with fictional characters who add to the plot. The chapters of the book then alternate with the story of Camille and that of his mother Rachel. The real story is very interesting. The characters are believable. However I found that the style of writing is dry and somewhat detached for my taste. An interesting book.

20. Wolfie & Fly by Cary Fagan. This is a very charming book for young readers.Renata Wolfman or Wolfie is a young girl who has no friends. She is very happy to spend her time alone reading. She also decides to build a submarine in her living room using a big box that previously held a new refrigerator. Fly is a boy who lives next door and one day pleads with Wolfie to let him into her house as he is hiding from his older brother. Fly lost his brother's new baseball. Fly makes up songs and is very talkative. Wolfie and Fly have an adventure in the submarine and escape from a pirate. The story is very sweet and the author will write more about these two friends in the future. The illustrations by Zoe Si are very descriptive. I enjoyed the story and think that my young relatives will like the story and the design of this book

21. Judas by Amos Oz This is a very powerful story by one of my favourite authors. The novel is set in Jerusalem of 1959. A young man, Shmuel Ash drops out of his post-graduate study after his girlfriend leaves him and marries a former boyfriend. Shmuel is described as a very quirky individual. Beset by health problems,( an enlarged heart and asthma ) his father is not able to support Shmuel in his studies. So the young man finds himself a job that is also very unusual as well. Shmuel is hired to have a conversation for about 5 hours every night with an old man named Gershom Wald. He is to live in the house- an old building that belongs to Wald's daughter-in-law and widow, the beautiful and mysterious Atalia Abravanel. Shmuel slowly learns about the tragedies that are part of this family. Gershon's son died in a terrible way in the fight for Jerusalem in 1948. Atalia is the daughter of a deceased and disgraced former leader in the Israeli government. Atalia is both seductive and calculating in her behaviour. The theme of traitor is explored in the elder Abravanel's actions and the research that Shmuel still explores in his abandoned thesis on Jewish responses to Jesus and Judas. Through the ideas of the disgraced elder Abravenal and Shmuel's thoughts on the role of Judas. the author looks at larger issues that continue to haunt Israeli society, I believe. A really interesting book!

22. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. What a book! I can understand why this novel won the Pulitzer Prize. The un-named narrator is a young man who works for a General in Vietnam as the Americans are leaving. The narrator is really a communist agent or mole. He organizes the General's leaving on one of the last American planes as Saigon falls. His instruction from his superior, Man, is to go to the US and report on the actions of those Vietnamese who might be planning to fight again. The novel takes the reader through the terrible actions of both sides. At some points the story is brutal and tragic and at others somewhat comical. The narrator himself is the product of a liaison between his mother when she was a young teen and a French priest. His action as he navigates the role of a Vietnamese refugee trying to make a living in the US while spying and working for the general is horrifying at some points. The writing is really brilliant in the descriptions of the feeling of a Vietnamese man who is working for both sides. In a way the writer is saying " a plague on both your houses" to quote a speech from Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet. The end section is horrifying and brutal. But I am glad that I read this book.

>32 torontoc: The Sympathizer sounds really interesting - great review.

Thank you- it was a great book to read!

23.Willem De Kooning's Paintbrush by Kerry Lee Powell This book of "tough" short stories was long listed for last year's Giller Prize. The stories are not easy reads. Each situation has a narrator caught in a lost situation. They are escaping from a terrible background or consciously living a life of bad choices. Scarred by bad parenting or lives the narrators in each story have a gripping and sad story. The endings leave the reader with no resolution in most cases. However the writing is really good.

24. The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt This memoir tells the life story of mother and son although Gloria Vanderbilt's life is really the one discussed. The book takes the form of a discussion between the two authors as they try to understand why Gloria make some really bad decisions.. The story of the very rich girl and the battle for custody between the wealthy aunt and the very young and immature mother was in the American newspaper headlines in the 1930's. What is clear in the dialogue is the very loving relationship between mother and son. They can talk now about almost anything. That is the redeeming theme of this book.

25. The Other Side of Silence by Philip Kerr Spy stories are still my guilty pleasure and this is the latest edition of the adventures of Bernie Gunther- former policeman and more. Bernie is living in Nice in 1956, working under a pseudonym as a concierge in a luxury hotel. He plays bridge and is invited to dinner with W. Somerset Maugham. Maugham is being blackmailed and asks Bernie to help him with the ransom. The blackmail turns out to be part of a larger operation conducted by the East German Stasi. Bernie finds himself in a struggle with the British secret service , the East Germans and and the story of English spies for the Soviet Union-Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean and the possibility of other hidden spies- Kim Philby and Roger Hollis and Anthony Blunt. A really intriguing storyline!

26. Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler. This novel comes across as a very hallucinatory experience as the reader follows the life of Tess-a young woman who comes to live in New York City and her job in a very high end restaurant. The author takes the reader through the gruelling experiences that Tess has as a back waiter. She becomes entranced by two co-workers, Simone, the senior server and Jake, a very attractive and elusive bar tender. Tess does learn about wine and food but she also want relationships, friends with Simone and lover to Jake, without understanding their ties to each other. This is an exhausting book to read. The singleminded life that the staff have with the restaurant and the power plays that underscore the lives of those who work there are really the main themes. This is a very powerful first novel for the author.

27. The Black Widow by Daniel Silva. I like the writing but the plot has a lot of violence and the character development is limited. I must admit reading Silva's works about once every two years after I finish a more taxing novel. I liked the stories better when there was an art theme to them.

28. Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann The author has written a novella and three briefer short stories in this collection. The novella looks at the life and death of an elderly man after he has lunch with his problematic son in a restaurant in New York. The detectives look at the cameras outside the restaurant to try and figure out who has murdered Mr. Mendelssohn. The reader learns about Mendelssohn's life, his son's issues and the people who work in the restaurant. The reader figures out the motive as the drama of the last few months is revealed. The remaining stories take place in Ireland, London and Afghanistan. The theme in each one is moving from the nun recognizing her torturer years later as a leader in a peace movement, a woman looking for her lost son and the issue of what will happen when a young soldier phones her family from a lookout post. Wonderful writing

29. A Northern Alphabet by Ted Harrison. The author wrote and illustrated this alphabet book with a focus on Canada's north- specifically the Yukon. Each alphabet letter references an aspect of life in the north and features indigenous peoples. I like the fact that the words used to describe each letter introduce the young reader to a way of life that they either know or learn about. The drawings are all clear, and colourful. Harrison has produced a very handsome book for children that expands their knowledge about a part of Canada that perhaps they have not thought about before. This alphabet book reinforces the culture of the North for those who live there. I think that this is a resource that will be an important part of a child's education about the northern lives in the Yukon.

30. Treasures of a People The Synagogues of Canada by Sheldon Levitt, Lynn Milstone and Sidney Tenenbaum I reread this book for this month's non-fiction challenge. The authors were architecture students who travelled across Canada and photographed synagogues both used and abandoned. They did this over three years in the late 1970's. This book illustrates a number of the photos ( all donated to archives collections in Canada) in a thematic way. We are able to see the differences and similarities in architecture and details of windows and more. The synagogues were very diverse from big cities to small towns on the Prairies. I was interested in that some of the synagogues I know from leading tours to them over the years. The authors help record a part of Canada's Jewish history- some of the buildings have been torn down or used for entirely different purposes. This is an essential document for readers interested in history and architecture.

31. New American Haggadah edited by Jonathan Safran Foer and newly translated by Nathan Englanderwith commentary by Nathaniel Deutsch, Jeffrey Goldberg, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein and Lemony Snicket, designed by Oded Ezer. After last night's seder at a relative's house, my nephew told me that he thought that the Haggadah used ( very old) was really not appropriate for the guests who were at the dinner. I thought about this and went to my collection of Haggadahs. I went through them and found newer ones that had gender neutral references to God and used more recent political and social events as a spring board for discussions. The one book that I hadn't gone through was this one-the " New American Haggadah" I read it last night and this morning. What makes this haggadah more timely is the commentary, great design and time line about references to Passover at the top of each page. I have mixed feelings about the translations by Nathan Englander. I understand from his comments that he was looking at the text in a traditional way-so the language is more updated, more poetic about belief but still using masculine references to God. The commentaries were the most important part of this book for me. The questions and references linked contemporary concerns with age old dilemmas. Each section of the book had commentaries written by the four authors. I liked the sometimes irreverent ideas of Lemony Snicket as well as the thoughtful questions posed by all the authors of this section. This book might not satisfy some of the concerns posed by my nephew but it does serve to provide a more timely look at an age old ritual.

32. An Empire of Their Own How the Jews Invented Hollywood by Neil Gabler. The author gives the reader the biographies of the heads of the original Hollywood movie studios. Gabler traces the stories of the men who started out on the east coast in New York City as very poor immigrants barely making a living. These men all had the good fortune to become involved in the development of the early motion picture theatres where for five or ten cents you could view a living picture. Eventually these men moved from developing theatres to producing the films. They fought with the trust set up by Thomas Edison to control film production. The move out to Hollywood and the setting up of studios is detailed down to the fight for power between boards in New York City and the actual production facilities in California. Gabler writes about the kinds of films produced that mirrored the dreams of these early executives to fit in and be accepted into American society. Each studio had a different style of production. Gabler does not mince words about the bad behaviour of many of these producers. He also writes about the beginnings of the House Committee on Un-American Activities and the impact on the film industry. This history is also useful as a reference to the beginnings of film production in the United States.

33.The Stalin Epigram by Robert Littell This well constructed novel examines the life and trials of the Russian poet Osip Mandelstam Each chapter is narrated by a different person who had a relationship with Mandelstam. The story begins in 1934 when Mandelstam writes a brief poem that attacks Stalin- it is not meant to become public but it does and the poet is arrested and interrogated in Lubyanka prison. The narration is carried by his wife Nadezhda, his mistress, his great friend and poet Anna Akhmatova, the poet Boris Pasternak, and two others who will fit into the poet's story. The reader learns about Mandelstam's torture and his exile. The life that people led in 1930's Russia is marked by secret trials, mass deportations to Siberia and the Gulag and the seemingly absurd accusations of secret plots against Stalin. Certainly , Stalin plays a key role in this novel with Mandelstam's real or hallucinatory accounts of meeting him. The story seems very real and the structure gives the reader a sense of the lives led under Stalin's rule. A really good read for me.

34. Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-eight Nights by Salman Rushdie. I usually like Rushdie's works but not this one. I felt as if I was reading for two years eight months and twenty-eight days! The story combines fantasy, storytelling and myth but too many times I felt like saying " get on with the narrative". There were too many digressions, interruptions and endless descriptions that interfered with my reading of the plot. ( a confession- I liked good plots)A female jinn at the centre of the action, Dunia, sleeps with a mortal and has many children. She goes back to her world until there is a catastrophe caused by other jinns who are out to destroy the world-there are many( too many graphic descriptions on how this is done. The cast of assorted descendants of Dunia- a gardener, a woman seeking revenge and more helps Dunia save the world. The language is really interesting but too much! That is all I have to say- I am going back to the books by the author that I really liked-Shame and Haroun and the Sea of Stories.

35. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I actually heard the author speak in Toronto last night- she was eloquent and so interesting! Although the lecture and interview ( conducted by Garvia Bailey) focused on her last book about A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions the author acknowledged the controversy about her answer to an interview question on gender in March. This book-We Should All Be Feminists began as a talk given at a TEDx conference. The volume covers the author's past experiences in Nigeria and her reaction to the different ways that men and women are treated. She does offer answers in the book and in her talk last night covered thoughts on feminism and difference in life in Nigeria and the US. A wonderful book and -for me- evening talk.

36. Fairy Tale Comics Classic Tales Told by Extraordinary Cartoonists edited by Chris Duffy. I went to a conference and picked up this book for my niece's children. The various cartoonists each took a familiar fairy tale and updated it in the style of presentation as well as story. There were more savvy princesses and poor peasants, and clever animals. The stories had some modern endings. I liked the various styles of drawing as well. Nice update to the Brothers Grimm and more.

37. The Return: Fathers Sons and the Land in Between by Hisham Matar. This memoir just won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. It is a really well-crafted work. The author was born in New York to Libyan parents. Hisham's father, Jaballa became a well known opponent to Muammar Qaddafi. After living in Libya, the family escaped to Egypt. Hisham's father was kidnapped by the Egyptians and turned over to the Libyans. He was held in an infamous prison and was probably killed. The family never found out what happened and this book is Hisham's search for the truth. Hisham, his wife Diana and his mother made a trip to Libya after the fall of Qaddafi. They met with relatives- a number of them had been imprisoned for years- and tried to find out what happened to Jaballa. The book is about memory and the structure is really interesting, The author does not tell the story in a "linear" manner. He circles around his experiences of growing up with his father and mother in Cairo and his despair at the loss of his father when he himself is in exile. Hisham Mattar had to live under an assumed name when he went to boarding school. The idea of hiding and exile are main themes in his own life story. The search for his father, and the retelling of stories from his uncle's experiences, his own sense of grief and loss make this memoir so very compelling. The search also leads Matar to Qaddafi's son and political figures in England when Tony Blair was Prime Minister. That part of the story is slightly bizarre as Libyan political figures try to control Matar's very public search for the truth although Matar's books were banned in Libya. This memoir certainly deserved the Pulitzer Prize.

38. The Vale of Tears by Rabbi Pinchas Hirschprung Wrong touchstones and the real one not offered. Translated from the Yiddish by Vivian Felsen.This memoir is about the Rabbi's experiences in a small town, Dukla in Poland at the start of World War Two and how he travels to find refuge to Vilna.The Rabbi wrote about his experiences evading the Nazis and the Soviet army as he traveled to find a safe place to stay. His experiences in his home town and the hardships that he faced with many other Jewish refugees document two years in his life.Each incident with Nazis soldiers, small town merchants and senior Rabbis is illustrated with a reference to a learned work in the Talmud or Torah. He eventually is able to leave Vilna via a visa issued by the Dutch consul for Curacao, a transit visa via Japan and then Shanghai before Pearl Harbour and believe it or not - get permission to enter Canada in 1941! -along with 40 other Jewish students! Actually that part of the story is the briefest and for me the most interesting as Jews were turned away from Canada in the 1930's and 40's.( See the book None is Too Many). The story is about the Nazis in Poland, the Soviets in Ukraine and Lithuania. The Rabbi wrote these memoirs in 1944 when he was living in Montreal. In fact this book was recently translated from the Yiddish into English this year. A very interesting account of the life of an outcast in the war and how he survived.

39. The Jewish Hour The Golden Age of a Toronto Yiddish Radio Show and Newspaper by Michael Mandel This history really covers the work of a Yiddish newspaper, the Kanader Nayes that published from 1935 to 1954. The author was trying to follow the work of his late father, Max who starred in Jewish radio shows that were sponsored by the newspaper. This history really looks at the nature of the newspaper's interests. The various radio shows are listed with the names of the performers and illustrations of the newspaper ads. There is no description of the radio shows beyond the listing of performers and the examination of the various rivalries between competing shows and directors. The back of the book has a listing of various Yiddish songs and translations from the Radio Hour days. The reader can see that this work was a labour of love as the author was looking for information on his father ( who died when his son, Michael, was four years old),. In a way the book is a nostalgic look at the time when the Yiddish language was the mainstay of culture and politics in 1930's and 40's Jewish Toronto. Unfortunately the documentation of photos could be better.

40. Henna House by Nomi Eve. O.K. I read this book because someone chose it for my book club. I liked the details of the lives of Jews who lived in Yemen during the 20th century. I also liked the explanation and descriptions of henna and the application among women. However, I found the actual storyline a little melodramatic despite elements of the story that probably happened in the history of the Yemeni Jewish community. The author would foretell a few of the later details of plot in the beginning of the story-so the reader would have a hint of some later events. I will see what the book members thought about this novel- I was happy to finish and get back to books that I am eager to read.

41. A Country Road, A Tree by Jo Baker I am so glad that I read this book now- it is really refreshing to read great prose and a great story. Baker imagines the life of Samuel Beckett when he is living in Paris just before World War Two. Living with his girlfriend, Suzanne, Beckett is writing but not happy with his work. He joins the Resistance when the Germans conquer Paris. The novel traces his life as he goes into hiding and leaves Paris when his group is compromised. The story of the journey has a description that seems to mirror some of the dialogue and scenes of Waiting for Godot ( in my opinion) Suzanne and Beckett settle in a small French town where he joins the Maquis before the Allied forces are poised to advance on D-Day. The author describes the adversity and poverty of the French under German rule. Beckett eventually returns to Ireland for a while, has an important revelation about his life and work while he is at his mother's house and then takes a job organizing a hospital donated by the Irish to France. These events really happened but the author has used the facts of Beckett's life to create a very evocative and poetic view of this writer's development.

42. The Gustav Sonata by Rose TremainThis is a very sad book about carrying on in spite of adversity and resilience. The reader is introduced to Gustav Perle, a small boy living in a town in Switzerland after World War Two. His father is dead and his mother Emilie struggles to feed them, working at low paying jobs. Gustav meets a wealthy boy, Anton, in his school and Anton's family provide Gustav with some of the support that he does not get from his mother. The reader also learns about the early life of Emilie and Erich. Erich is a policeman who does help a number of Jewish people who have entered the country illegally during the war. For this action he is fired and threatened with charges. As a result of Erich's death at an early age, Gustav and his mother barely survive. Emilie is seen as a very unfeeling mother who does not credit her son with his later accomplishments. Anton used Gustav to handle difficult decisions that he makes. We see the development of Gustav's life- as a hotel owner he takes care of many people in his circle of friends.The author seems to ask the reader to consider what Gustav and his father's actions have done to their lives. This is a very well written book with questions about doing the right things and the results that change one's life.

43. Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld I don't usually read any of Pride and Prejudice knock off books( which usually focus on what happened after ) but this was really fun. The author has updated the story and turned the Bennet sisters into thoroughly modern women. Jane is a yoga instructor living in New York City and Liz ( Elizabeth ) is a magazine writer also in NYC. The sisters return home to Cincinnati when their father had a heart attack. The eligible men , Chip Bingley and Fitzwilliam Darcy are doctors. Liz finds herself attracted to Darcy although she has other problems to face- solving her family's financial woes, figuring out her off and on again relationship with Jasper Wick and fighting off step cousin Willie's advances. The original story is followed fairly closely and I enjoyed the modern updating.

44. The Big Book of Canada Exploring the Provinces and Territories by Christopher Moore. I used to love reading through encyclopedias when I was in elementary school. Before Google and Wikipedia, these big books of geography, history and more were the only way to discover interesting facts and learn about the world. Today, most people just use their computer to look for information. However, computer searching can be narrow or present incorrect material. I liked the big books that I could leaf through the pages and perhaps discover something that I wasn't looking for initially. The Big Book of Canada is an updated version of the 2002 book. There are maps and photos that cover every aspect of life in Canada's provinces and territories. The history sections do address problems and injustices in Canadian history. Each section provides information on geography, history, biography, significant dates and some interesting facts, recipes or poems. I enjoyed this book because it reminds me of the very pleasant hours I spent looking through books like this in when I was a child. I welcome this edition as an opportunity for today's young readers to have the experience of discovery by exploring a good book.

45. Bachelor Brothers Bed and Breakfast Pillow Book by Bill Richardson. This book is one I have had for ages but I am glad to get around to reading it. Twins Hector and Virgil run a bed and breakfast on an island off British Columbia. The novel introduces the reader to a number of eccentric characters- Mrs. Rochester the parrot who quotes scripture, Altona, Hector's editor ( of The Occasional Rumour newspaper )girlfriend, handy man Caedmon who has a mute rooster and the poetry of Solomon Solomon whose books include Hygiene for Boys: Good Clean Verse for Growing Minds and the newly discovered Tight Jeans for Boys : Probing Poems for Pubescent Punks. The story is composed of letters to the bed and breakfast, recipes and stories and chapters narrated by one of the characters. The reader learns of Solomon's construction of an enormous ball of cigarette foil papers, the ambush of the bed and breakfast by the editor of the magazine Interference, the folly of the Solomon Solomon Commemoration Day and more. The gentle humour made the book a really good read.

46. Leonardo's Nephew Essays on Art and Artists by James Fenton I have read James Fenton's writings on other topics- his travel writing- especially his piece on "The Fall of Saigon" -and his adventures with fellow writer and traveller, Redmond O' Hanlon. I enjoyed these essays on artists and art. Fenton talks about Picasso, Degas, Seurat, Jasper Johns, Egyptian mummy portraits and indeed ,Leonardo's nephew, Pierino, who was an artist. He has insights and opinions on the work described and other critics as well. There are references to specific art shows that I wish I had visited. The essays were informative and raised questions about intent and some commonly held assertions on style and history. This was a really good read for me.

47.The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill. This is a very quirky story -sort of a fable with lots of sex and violence. The story follows two orphans in Montreal-Rose and Pierrot- and is a love story with comments on relationships, poverty and wealth, and magic moments. The cruelty of the treatment of the orphans contrasts with the wonderful make -believe world that both Rose and Pierrot conjure up to cope with the beatings and sexual abuse. Rose and Pierrot spend time entertaining wealthy Montrealers and do make money for the orphanage. When they are in their teens they do go separate ways, Rose as a governess to two unmanageable children and Pierrot as an adopted son to a wealthy invalid. Lied to by the orphanage sisters, Rose and Pierrot always remember each other as they live separate lives. Rose eventually becomes the mistress of her former employer and Pierrot succumbs to drugs and spirals downward. The two do find each other and unite in spite of many difficulties. In her search for Pierrot, Rose finds many clowns working in Montreal- the descriptions are about love and loss.The story takes the two and a company of clowns and chorus girls to New York. There is tragedy, revenge and at the end, hope for the future. This is not my favourite book by the author. But the descriptions of the magic of imagination and the sordid reality of life in the depression of the 1930's do combine to make an engrossing read.

48. A Hero of France by Alan FurstI really look forward to reading the latest book by Furst. Each story in his series takes place during or before World War Two. Some of the characters make appearances in a few books- then I have to trace back through the series to figure out their roles. And in every book there is a mention of the Brasserie Heininger in Paris as there was a shooting that took place there in 1937. This story follows the exploits of Mathieu ,who with his Resistance group, guided British air pilots-who had been shot down in France-to safety. The story has tension as the reader learns of the plans of the Germans to track down this group. The plot shows the reader a number of the situations where a small group of Frenchmen and women undertook dangerous missions. A very satisfying read.

49. Colette's Pet by Isabelle Arsenault. Taking time off from the 700 page historical fiction novel that I have almost finished,I read this wonderful Early Reviewers children's story. I had previously read another book by the author that also had a theme of how children can cope with loneliness. Colette is a young girl who has just moved into a new neighbourhood. Her parents won't let her have a pet. The reader sees Colette wandering around her new street. She meets two boys. They ask her what she is doing and Colette replies that she is looking for her lost pet. After the boys question her about this pet. Colette describes a very big parakeet with the name of Marie-Antoinette. The boys take Colette to meet a number of other children in the area as they try to figure out where the parakeet could be. Each child has a different idea for the hunt and Colette meets everyone who lives in her neighbourhood. The illustrations by the author are sketches in black, white and grey. Colette wears a bright yellow coat and when she describes the parakeet -it is drawn in blue and yellow. How Colette resolves the story is actually very charming. The story shows how imagination and compassion can help children create new friendships.

50.By Gaslight by Steven Price I really enjoyed this novel. William Pinkerton has travelled from the United States to London England in 1885 in pursuit of Edward Shade- a thief who had been a spy for his father during the American Civil War. He had disappeared and in a way, William was following the wishes of his late father, who had established the famous Pinkerton Detective Agency. The reader meets another traveller to London, Adam Foole, who is looking for a past love and accomplice, Charlotte Reckitt. Adam had received a message from Charlotte , asking him to help her. When parts of a body turn up in various locations in London, Pinkerton and his friends at Scotland Yard believe it to be Charlotte's body. Foole asks Pinkerton to help find the killer. Many stories are revealed including the identity of Edward Shade and his story from the Civil War, Pinkerton's past and his relationship with his father . The novel pays tribute to Charles Dickens in many ways. The image of gaslight- revealing and hiding- is a theme that reoccurs in the story as lies and deceptions are uncovered.

51. The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay I liked the first book that I read by the author and this one is also really good. Moth is a young girl living in poverty with her mother in a tenement in Lower Manhattan in 1871. Her mother is a fortuneteller who barely makes a living as Moth's father had abandoned them. Moth does get a surprise when her mother sells her to a wealthy woman as a maid when she is twelve. Her treatment at the hands of this deranged woman leads Moth to run away. She lives on the street until she is rescued or found by a young girl who takes Moth to Miss Everett's house. Miss Everett runs a " training" brothel for young women- they are valued for their virginity. Miss Everett treats the girls very well as she teaches them how to be ladies and eventually sells their innocence to men. In the narrative, Moth seems to understand and be willing to become a prostitute as a way to live a better life. The story is also told by a woman doctor. Dr. Sadie, who treats the very poor and the girls in Miss Everett's house. Dr. Sadie tries to persuade Moth to leave Miss Everett's. Throughout the book there are inserts that tell the story of life in the 1870's as well. The title of the book refers to the belief that sleeping with a virgin is a way to cure a man who has syphilis. ( interesting that the same belief is prevalent today in part of Africa with AIDS). The novel is interesting for the epilogue as well- McKay learned that her great-great grandmother was a doctor in New York. She researched her history and the times as background for this book. Moth is lucky that she has friends in the side show business and Dr. Sadie who do provide her with a way to escape. The story is about choices in a world where there are few opportunities for the very poor.

52. The Aleppo Codex by Matti Friedman The author decided to follow the travels and ultimate destination of a famed book that is considered the most perfect copy of the Hebrew bible-the Aleppo Codex. The book was written in Tiberias in 930 AD by a scribe named Shlomo Ben-Buya'a and directed by the scholar Aaron Ben-Asher. Eventually the book was sent to the Jewish community of Aleppo and housed in a secret compartment in the main synagogue. The book was used as a talisman and very few people could see it. Just after the United nations vote on the creation of the state of Israel in 1947, the Jewish community in Aleppo experienced the destruction of their homes and synagogues. According to stories, the main synagogue was burned along with the Aleppo Codex. The real story that Friedman tracked , was the hiding of the book for a few years before one man left Syria with the book and gifted it to the institute in Israel started by the President of Israel, Ben-Zvi. However, that was not the true story. Friedman writes about the many people who were involved with the codex, including the Israeli secret service, mysterious book collectors and protected thieves. The book did leave Syria intact but by the time it reached Israel , major parts of the manuscript were missing. Friedman traces pages that ended up as talismans owned by Syrian families living in New York and he names suspects who may have stolen parts of the book. Friedman's evidence is well researched and he doesn't make claims that can't be proven. So the mystery concerning the loss of major sections is not solved-there is only information on the possibilities. The story of the inquiries into the journey of the Aleppo Codex was really interesting for me to read.

53. Mysterious Fragrance of the Yellow Mountains by Yasuko Thanh. This novel won the Writers' Trust 2016 Fiction Award. The story is set in Vietnam in 1908. The French are ruling the country but there is trouble from the various groups of rebels. Dr. Nguyen Georges-Minh is wealthy and able to treat the very poor in his clinic. However, he hates his position of privilege and plots with some of his friends to poison French troops. Georges-Minh's friends have their own issues- they either unfaithful to their wives or make bad decisions. These individual stories are about lack of trust, addiction, and just plain bad luck. Georges-Minh finds himself in trouble as one of his friends takes action without any plan and fails in the poison attempt. The stories of the journeys that the various characters take are more about the descriptions of the countryside and the suffering of the Vietnam people than the direction of the plot. The language is amazing and this deserves the attention of the Writers' Trust Prize.

54. The Private Lives of the Impressionists by Sue Roe. After many years of studying and enjoying the paintings of the Impressionist painters, I found this history to be not only well- written but it also provided me with many insights and knowledge. I never knew about the leading role that Pissarro played in this group of friends and painters. The ridicule that these artists were subjected to is a lot more than I thought. Many of the artists were poor but who knew that the painter Caillebotte supported many of them. The role of the dealer Durand-Ruel was key to the survival of many of the artists. And.. I wasn't aware of the participation of Cezanne in the early exhibitions. I guess that I knew about the development of art technique more than the actually living arrangements, quarrels and relationships that Roe documents. This history was a pleasure to read and led me to look more deeply into the development of this key group of artists.

55. The Tiny Hero of Ferny Creek Library by Linda Bailey and illustrated by Victoria Jamieson. This Early Reviewer novel is for young readers and I think , young children who like to be read to. The story is about a young green bug who lives with his family in a crack in the wall of a classroom at the Ferny Creek school. Eddie was taught to read by his Aunt Min. When Min goes missing in the school library, Eddie sets out to find her. After travelling through the halls and avoiding the feet of the children or " Squishers", Eddie finds his Aunt Min in a desk tray in the library. Eddie loves the books and the story time. Min retells him stories that she loves. However when the nice librarian leaves to have a baby( or rather triplets), she is replaced by a fearsome woman who has plans to destroy the library and set up a sterile testing centre. How Eddie informs the children of this plan and how the library is saved is the main theme of the book. However, another very important feature is the love of books and beloved stories that have held the interest of children for many years. There is adventure, and a reminder of important ideas that books hold for everyone. ( I liked the fact that there is a "Bugliography" at the back that lists children's books that are mentioned in the story). This is a great book to give to new readers who love reading and discovering new stories.

56. What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt I had trouble getting into this story( in fact I put it down for a few months) but once I got through the first 50 pages, I was hooked. The story of art historian Leo, his wife college professor and writer Erica, their son Matt, and artist Bill, his son Mark and Lucille-Bill's first wife and then Violet-Bill's second wife and sometime model became so engrossing to me. I don't want to give away any spoilers as major events in the novel should be discovered by the reader. Leo narrates twenty five years in the lives of his family and that of Bill Wechsler. The author has written a very credible story of the life and art created by Bill. The descriptions of Bill's art are very realistic and capture the style of the 1970's and 80's in New York City. Even the excesses of the 1980's art scene are woven into the novel. I found the narration of Leo- who undergoes some very traumatic situations- very touching. A very good read for me and I will try to read more by Hustvedt.

57. The New Spice Box Canadian Jewish Writing-Volume 1 edited by Ruth Panofsky The author has edited a new volume written by Canadian Jewish writers- the last " Spice Box" anthology was published in 1981.There are selections by poets, short stories written from the point of view of the children of Holocaust survivors and some essays. Canada's " heavyweight" Jewish writers- Mordecai Richler, Irving Layton, Miriam Waddington and more of an earlier generation are not represented here. Still, the selections have themes that are for the most part influenced by the stories of parents who suffered during the Holocaust. My favourite story is by the late Matt Cohen, about two graduate students in the 1970's.

58. The Moor's Account by Laila Lalami. The author has written an account of the ill fated expedition led by Spanish Captain Narvaez to Florida in 1527. Originally there had been five ships but there were only four survivors after 1 year. There were accounts written by three of the survivors. Lalami imagines the account written by the fourth man- a Muslim slave originally from Morocco- Mustafa or Estanbanico renamed by the Spaniards. The story of bad decisions, terrible treatment of the indigenous natives of Florida and the quest for gold are major themes in the stories told by Mustafa. Many of the survivors lived because they worked with the Indians and lived in their villages. The hardships of life in the wilderness defeat the Spanish leaders. At crucial pints the leader separated the big group, and made assumptions that were totally wrong. Lalani gives her character Mustafa the space to describe his life as a merchant before he is compelled to sell himself into slavery in order to save his family from starving. I found the book to be a very good read and illuminating about life in the early days of the Spanish rule in the Americas.

59. Rhapsody in Schmaltz Yiddish Food and Why We Can't Stop Eating It. by Michael Wex I must admit that I have read other books by this author and I was expecting something entirely different- Wex has written some very funny books. This book is really a very scholarly history of Jewish food. Wex links certain foods to their origins and some passages in the Torah as well as commentaries. So challa, cholent, bagels, chicken soup and more are traced back through history. The author shows the changes from Eastern Europe to the United States and Canada. In a way this book is also a social history of Eastern European Jews and their food.

60. Let Me Be Frank with You by Richard Ford. I had read Canada by this author but hadn't heard of the other books that he wrote featuring the character Frank Buscombe. After a slow start , I really appreciated the writing style and the personality of the narrator, Frank. The book is made of four episodes in the life of Frank- aged 68. The reader learns of some of Frank's past history as a real estate agent as he agrees to meet the man who had bought his sea-side beach house years ago. However, it is now just after Hurricane Sandy and the house has been upended and destroyed. The next episode has Frank inviting a woman ,who used to live in his present house, to look around and of course relate the history of her family's life many years ago. In another chapter Frank visits his first wife in her senior's complex although they had been divorced for a very long time. And the last chapter has Frank visiting someone-Eddie- who he hasn't seen in many years.Eddie is dying and for some reason wants to see Frank. Each story has Frank giving the reader some clues about his own past history, and opinions. This book makes me want to track down the first three that Ford wrote about Frank Buscombe.

61.Absolutely on Music Conversations with Seiji Ozawa by Haruki Murakami. I really enjoyed this dialogue between Ozawa and Murakami. The discussions ranged from close listening to different versions of music conducted by Ozawa and other musicians ( there were prompts for the readers to follow along with their own recordings and a reference to finding the music on Murakami's website) to memoirs of Ozawa's time as an assistant conductor to Leonard Bernstein and Herbert von Karajan. There was an examination of the work and influences of the composer Mahler. The discussions covered Ozawa's opinions of the various orchestras that he conducted. I was looking at his comments on the Toronto Symphony ( my hometown) as he was the principal conductor for three years in the 1960's. ( not that complimentary although he was very popular during his tenure in Toronto). Murakami also visited and observed the Seiji Ozawa International Academy in Switzerland for young musicians. This book was very satisfying to read- part memoir and part discussion on a number of composers and musicians.

62. The Mark and The Void by Paul Murray. This a funny and tragic novel about financial messes that bank institutions get into. Claude is an analyst at the Bank of Torabundo in Ireland. He is a Frenchman with no family connections who moved to take the job and seems happy with his all encompassing work. A writer named Paul asks to follow Claude at his workplace -Paul wants to write a novel about a banking everyman and he says that Claude fits the bill. Of course Claude discovers that Paul is lying. At the same time the bank gets a new chairman whose business practices soon put Claude and his co-workers into a perilous situation. In addition Claude deals with his unrequited love for a waitress, his concern for Paul's family and the morality of the new regime at the Bank of Torabundo!
A Great satire.

63. Madame Sadayakko The Geisha who Seduced the West by Lesley Downer I read this biography because it was in my book pile and I hadn't got to it in a while. The story was interesting for the descriptions of the life of a geisha. A girl who became a Geisha might have a glamorous life but she was restricted in many ways. Sada Yakko was different. She travelled with her husband to the US and Europe and performed as an actress. She also brought back Western ideas of theatre to Japan and seemed to inaugurate many new theatre practices at a time when it was unusual for a woman to act on the stage. The story of Sada Yakko's life was one that could be performed in a film- return to first love, adulation in Europe and sacrifice to established tradition in Japan. I enjoyed the read but the overall writing style was not as good as other biographies that I have read.

64. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. I like to read a "who dunnit" murder mystery -especially in the summer. There is something about heat and trying to figure out who is the murderer. The author has created a tribute to the works of Agatha Christie with this novel within a novel. Susan is an editor who works on the novels of famed crime writer Alan Conway. Conway created the detective Atticus Pund and is the mainstay of the firm that Susan works for. She is given the latest manuscript to read and the reader follows through the novel of murder in a small English town. However the last chapters are missing and the reader then learns of Susan's attempts to find those final chapters. The problem is that Alan Conway has died by either suicide or murder. So there are two mysteries to solve- the book and the real life of the writer. The clues are duplicated in both the novel and Alan's real life. I really enjoyed the book but found the solution -dare I say- a bit of a letdown. But it is the summer and I like most of the plot.

65. Dog Night at the Story Zoo by Dan Bar-El and illustrated by Vicki Nerino. I must admit that the only books that seem to be offered to Canadian ER readers are books for children lately. I liked this graphic novel about stories that dogs told about their lives at a Story Zoo ( really a comedy club for dogs at the zoo at night)The reader is introduced to the meeting as animals flock ( yes, I know) to the zoo for an evening of entertainment. Three stories are told by different dogs. Boomer tells about his life as a dog who fetches everything and how it takes him to different owners. Emma the poodle relates her life as a performer in a travelling circus and how she found a new home. And finally Wilmette the hound gets help from the English Surelick in order to solve a crime involving a robbery. The stories all have a happy ending. The illustrations match the stories. And in-between the main stories there are cute vignettes about the audience.
My question is - what is the target age for this book? At times it seems very sophisticated so I might try it out on my great nieces aged 7 to 9 to see who responds the best.

66. Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien This is one terrific book. I can see why it won the Governor General's Literary Award, the Giller Prize and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Thien has written a wonderful layered story that takes in momentous events in China- from the Red Guards to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest and later massacre. Kai is a pianist who seems to work the system for his survival and later emigrates to Vancouver. His daughter, Marie later looks for the clues to find out about her family's history and that of her friend Ai-Ming- a young woman who flees to Canada after Tiananmen and later leaves to disappear into the United States and back to China. The reader learns about Ai-Ming's father Sparrow- a gifted composer whose life is changed by the Cultural Revolution- his niece Zhuli, a violin prodigy and their relationship to the escaped Wen the Dreamer and his wife Swirl. The story of survival of all the key people in this novel relates to their love and talent in music and literature. In fact the love of western composers is key to the destroyed livelihoods of Sparrow, and Zhuli. The story weaves past and present into a saga of life in China, past and a little present.Read this book.

67. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry I loved this book. The characters and their individual problems and aspirations made for really good reading. There is no happy ending- just people who have come to terms with their lives. In 1893 , Cora Seaborne becomes a widow. She is really freed of the terrible abuse that she suffered from her husband. Her son,Francis, is somewhat eccentric although today we would think that he might suffer from mild autism. Martha, Cora's companion is a socialist at heart and does influence some of Cora's friends with her views on the plight of the poor and their housing. Cora is friendly with Luke Garrett, a doctor and surgeon who likes to try new techniques. But the main story takes place in the small towns of Essex where there seems to be a threat from the mysterious Essex serpent. Cora, who is interested in nature, goes to stay in the town of Colchester and then Aldwinter. She and her friends meet the family of the pastor William Ransome and his family. Together, William and Cora try to investigate the sightings of the serpent although from different points of view. The relationships of Cora and William, and the other people of the village, and Cora's friends connect and change as the year goes by. The events that change their lives create a bit of resolution. I enjoyed the writing and the complex plot.

68. The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild This was a fun book to read- I liked the different characters and the narration by the painting at the centre of the plot- a small personal work by Watteau. Annie is a young woman who has just moved to London after a traumatic separation from her boyfriend of many years. She cooks for a living and doesn't have much money. She spots a small painting in an antique shop and buys it as a present for a new love interest ( that really ends before it starts). This acquisition leads her into the world of art dealers who have really bad backgrounds, an auctioneer who is desperately looking for the next big deal, a Russian who is learning to become a very rich patron, and her unruly and drunk mother who disturbs her life. And a very nice man who helps Annie and wants to become her boyfriend. The story mixes satire on those who acquire very historic artworks and the underground of underhanded dealings in art.

69. Heart Of The City by Robert Rotenberg Finally this author has written another episode in the series on detectives set in Toronto. In the last book Detective Ari Greene was found innocent off murder- he was set up by the true killer- and he left Toronto to travel. In this story Greene has come back to Toronto with his newly found 20 year old daughter, Alison. He doesn't go back to the police but instead works in construction for a friend of his. However the murder of a controversial developer leads Ari back into some investigation and co-operation with Detective Daniel Kennicott- his former partner in the police force. The settings in this series are always interesting to me as they take place in places and areas that I am very familiar with. This time Rotenberg uses the area of Kensington Market as the focus for the murder. The story moves at a quick pace- in fact I am sorry to see the end of the novel. This author makes the reader want more of the continuing stories of the characters. A great summer read!

70. Pumpkin Flowers An Israeli Soldier's Story by Matti Friedman. This was a difficult but good book to read. The author , born and raised in Canada. moved with his family to Israel in his teens. He writes about the experiences of young Israeli soldiers who were stationed on a hill called the Pumpkin, in Lebanon in the late 1990's. The writing is very " dispassionate" as Friedman recalled the injuries and deaths of soldiers and fighters on both sides as well as his own experiences on the Pumpkin during his army service. Friedman writes about the opposition -from mothers of soldiers killed- to the occupation of southern Lebanon as they questioned the futility of being there.Friedman describes the day to day duties on the Pumpkin and the constant threats to life. The research and interviews that the author did was meticulous and his connections with the poetry written by soldiers involved in earlier conflicts during the 20th century provide some thinking on the effects of war and fighting.The word "Flowers" was used to report the deaths.

71. Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool
Directed by Paul McGuigan
United Kingdom

A film based on the memoir by Peter Turner

I read the book first and saw the film this week. Both depict the romance between the author( a young struggling English actor from Liverpool) and the actress, Gloria Grahame. They met when they were both living in the same rooming house in London. In the late 1970's, Gloria Grahame was acting in classic plays in England. The movie roles of the 1950's were history. There was a big age discrepancy between the lovers but they got along well. In fact Gloria met Peter's family in Liverpool. The book and film alternates between the time of the romance and the present ( being 1981) when Gloria calls Peter from Manchester and asks if she can recuperated from illness at his parents' house in Liverpool. She was taken to hospital after collapsing in the theatre where she was starring in a play. Peter has mixed emotions as Gloria broke up with him abruptly in New York after they had been in a relationship for a year. As well, Peter"s parents were about to go to Australia to see his brother. His mother would not leave Gloria and implores Peter to call her family in the US. Throughout the film and book the viewer learns about Gloria's eccentric past and Peter's confusion about the breakup. In the film we learn why this happened. The film shows past and present in a more fluid way that the book. Annette Bening is so good as Gloria Grahame. A lovely film and a little more awkward but heartfelt book

72. Victoria & Abdul by Shrabani Basu I read this book because I saw the film and was curious to know the rest of the story. The author was at the film Q & A and talked about finding Abdul Karim's journals 100 years after they were written and protected by his family. The book describes the meeting between the Queen and the Indian servant and how he became Victoria's friend and teacher or Munshi. The Royal Household was not happy about this relationship and tried for many years to discourage the Queen from giving Abdul power and high position. Now Abdul Karim did not help matters by publicizing his influence in public. But the Queen had lost her husband and then her loyal servant John Brown and was not close to her children. The book details all the plots by the members of the household, including her doctor, Sir James Reid. Victoria learned Urdu and wrote a number of journals in that language. She loved her Indian servants and took particular interest in the political events happening in India. The author shows how influential Abdul Karim was but also how he provided the Queen with companionship. I found that reading the book helped my understanding of the politics in Victorian England just at the end of the Queen's reign.

I am still reading the Viking novel but got this ER book today. I wish that there was more choice for Canadian ER readers. For the past two years I have only been able to find children's books. At least my great nieces and nephew benefit!

73. Under-The Bed Fred by Linda Bailey and illustrated by Colin Jack- touchstones don't work on this book today. This is a chapter book for young readers and those who like to be read to. Leo knows that there is a monster under his bed. He meets him and helps the monster by naming him Fred. He becomes friends with Fred. Fred helps Leo out when a really nasty visitor-Sam-the son of friends of his parents comes to visit. Fred scares Sam when he behaves badly to Leo. Leo brings Fred to school but that doesn't end well. I like this book because it helps young readers who have been having nightmares about monsters. ( and many do) This story makes the monster likeable and perhaps helps lessen the fear of the unknown for children, The illustrations are clear and very likeable. I think that young readers will enjoy this story about conquering fears and making the unknown less frightening.

74. The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson I read this book for two reasons- good recommendations by LT members and in memory of my father. He had a habit of re-reading his favourite books every couple of year. One of them was this book. ( He also reread The Black Rose) I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure story about the travels and battle of Red Orm and his fellow Vikings. Orm fought across the Europe of 980-1010 AD. He was master of his own ship, was a bodyguard of a famed Arab leader Almansur and became a follower of Christianity. The stories of victory and loss were really interesting and I really liked the connections between the many civilizations of the time.

Reached 75!
75. Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple. I really liked Semple's style and plot- messy life, uncomfortable but sincere relationships, and quirky actions. Eleanor lives in Seattle with her surgeon husband, Joe, and young son Timby. The story follows Eleanor through one calamitous day where there are many revelations about her background revealed. She is not working although she has had a book deal that she ignored for either years. The reader learns about her life through flashbacks that explain some of her impulsive behaviour. The reader meets her poetry teacher Alonzo, her former assistant turned famous artist Spencer and her estranged sister Ivy. We learn quite early in the story about Eleanor's past life as an important animation director in New York for a cult favourite show, Looper Wash. One revelation follows another as Eleanor makes unfortunate decisions that impact her life not only on this one day but for the future. A very good read!

76. Rough Crossings: Britain, The Slaves and The American Revolution by Simon Schama. This was a history that I knew nothing about. Schama, a historian who I admire for his work, traces the history of black involvement in the American Revolution, exile to Nova Scotia and immigration to Sierra Leone. Black slaves did take sides during the American Revolution. Many fought for the British as they were promised land and freedom. The British used black volunteers and abandoned them just as quickly when there were too many escaped slaves to house. So there were abuses on both sides. When the British lost the war, they did make sure that Blacks were taken to Nova Scotia. However they were not treated very well in terms of land allotment and promises were broken. Schama describes the actions of many Englishmen who fought for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. The book traces how John Clarkson was charged with finding Black families living in Nova Scotia and convincing them to sail to Sierra Leone where they would be given land and would create a new colony. The descriptions of the rough journey, the challenges of settling in Africa and the town of Freetown, the admirable work done by Clarkson and the change that took place with a new governor added to my understanding of a complex history of Black settlement. Schama describes how the political structure of Freetown contributed to the creation of a prosperous society. A very good read.

77.The Underground RailRoad by Colson Whitehead This is an excellent story. The author takes the facts of slaves and what happens to them after they run away from the plantations in the south and imagines a real underground railway. Cora runs away after she defended a fellow slave from a beating. She doesn't want to stay and endure more punishment. She also wants to find out what happened to her mother, Mabel. Cora escapes but kills one of the slave catchers. She travels from Georgia to South Carolina on a real underground train. Whitehead also imagines a seemingly safe haven where Blacks have work and are treated in a more humane manner. Cora discovers a disturbing fact about this society that she has taken refuge in. While she travels and escapes from the slave catcher who is tracking her, Cora learns about the sacrifice that ordinary people make in order to safeguard runaway slaves. Part fact and part fantasy, the author writes about the desire for respect and the injustice and horror of punishment to those who break the law and hide fugitives. Colson Whitehead is a great storyteller

78. Mr. Norris Changes Trains and 79. Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood Both novels were published together in 1999 by Vintage Books as The Berlin Novels In both books Isherwood tells the story of a young Englishman who moves to Berlin to tutor and also immerse himself in contemporary Berlin society in the early 1930's. In the first novel, the narrator- called William- meets a rather mysterious man named Arthur Norris. They become friends although the drama of Norris and his association with the German Communists and other groups lead William to some threatening situations. The portraits of poor Berlin inhabitants and their opinions on the mess of German politics in the 1930's are a recurrent theme. The second novel is a collection of linked stories about a young man now named Christopher Isherwood and his acquaintances-some who appeared in the first novel. The reader is introduced to Sally Bowles, the wealthy Landauer family, and the very poor Otto and his Nowak family. In both novels the narrators trace the rise of the Nazis and the treatment of the Jews. The night clubs for the poor and the lifestyles of the rich are described and the young narrator -because of his status as an outsider- is able to navigate through both worlds.

80. The Swallow: A Ghost Story by Charis Cotter This Early reviewers book is supposed to be for middle school readers. I really enjoyed the narrative. The reader hears about two girls who next to each other in Toronto. Polly and Rose are very unhappy with their family situations.Polly feels that she is being ignored by her very large family-the only two who bother her are her younger twin brothers. Rose thinks that she is a ghost-her mother and father seem too distracted with their work and have no time to talk to her. Rose also sees ghosts and is particularly bothered by a ghost who has her same name and died a mysterious death. Both Rose and Polly find each other as the attics of their houses are joined. They set out to find out about the mysterious ghost- Winnie- and find her story. The story is very suspenseful as both girls try to work out the mystery of Rose's family. The end is harrowing and perhaps an easy solution to the mystery? I did like the story but wonder if impressionable young readers will be too scared by the story. I will have to ask my great niece!

81.The World of Suzie Wong byRichard Mason Well,I went through my TBR pile and found this very easy to read novel. It is interesting to read and look at the time when it was published-1957. Attitudes were very different in terms of class, race and sexual freedom. Mason writes about a man living in a hotel that catered to prostitutes and the sailors that were their clients in Hong Kong. Robert was an Englishman who had worked in Malay plantations but was determined to use his saving to paint and improve his art. He met all the Chinese girls and women who hung out (what a 21st century term) at the the Nam Kok Hotel. He meet Suzie Wong and becomes her friend. The reader learns about the different societies that exist in the then British colony and we follow Suzie and her friends. Robert and Suzie soon fall in love and weather some tragedies and eventually find happiness. I feel that if this story was updated to today the story would not end as well. But it was a good but dated read.

Catching up on a lot of reading since I tripped yesterday and badly bruised my nose ( the doctor at emergency didn't think that it was broken)
82. Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carre This is the kind of cynical work that I associate with the 21st century. The author takes the reader through the tangled web of Russian Mafia consorting with the Russian government, English Secret Service, corrupt members of parliament and assorted hangers on. Perry and Gail are two very innocent tourists vacationing in Antigua where Perry is asked to play tennis with Dima- a very rich Russian and important launderer of money for the mafia. Dina has his own reasons to befriend Perry and Gail- he wants them to help him escape with his family and live in England. Hector and Luke are members of the English service who work towards helping Dima and fighting the various factions within the government. The reader is taken through the planned escape and the problems that happen. A very well written novel that makes me want to read more of John le Carre.

83. I reread The Aleppo Codex by Matti Friedman for my book club this week. I really liked the structure of the investigation that Friedman conducted in order to find out what happened to the codex in the transfer from Syria to Jerusalem and the unsolved mystery of what happened to 40% of the book.

84. A Horse Walks Into a Bar by David Grossman and translated by Jessica Cohen. I can see why this novel won the Man Booker International Prize. The writing is brilliant and the story does hold the reader's attention. However this is one of those books where I can understand what the writer is doing but it is difficult to read. The tension builds as the narrator- an aging stand up- comedian- tells his life story and the trauma of one particular incident to an audience of unwilling spectators in a small club in Netanya, Israel. The comedian, Dov, has also invited a man who he knew briefly in his youth, a retired judge named Avishai. Avishai has his own problems to consider as well as trying to figure out how he is involved in Don's life. Dov is a project of a challenging family- his mother is a Holocaust survivor and his father is a pioneer who works hard but barely makes a living. Both the audience in the small club and the reader are led by Dov through his life with the story punctuated by bad jokes and asides that delay the ending. The readers are as exhausted as the audience as we wait for the climax of the story. A terrific book but I would not recommend it to anyone who likes " easy reading" books.

85. An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore I read this book because it was in my TBR pile and I was curious to see how it stands up today. Although published in 2006, this work is frightening in that the predictions that Al Gore wrote about have all come true -from the increase force of hurricanes to the warming of the ice caps. The photos, charts and graphs all contribute to the fact of global warming changing our planet for the worse. I think that this book really should be read as a primer in schools as it shows how our civilization's actions have changed our geography. A very compelling read.

>91 torontoc: I agree with you entirely about A Horse Walks Into A Bar. I am glad that i read it, but i can't say in really enjoyed it. Excellent observations, but very uncomfortable to read.

>92 Eyejaybee: thank you- It is one of those books that I like to read but not at a steady diet!

86. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. I believe that many LT members have read this book. I got my recommendation from some of the threads here. This is a remarkable story and told well. The author uses the history of the last person to be publicly beheaded in Iceland in 1820's. Agnes is a young woman who has lived and worked as a servant in the northern part of Iceland after being. abandoned by her mother a child. She has been convicted of killing ,along with two other servants, her former master and burning the house . At the beginning of this story, Agnes is sent to live with a family for a year until the official documentation of her execution is sent from Denmark. The family is horrified by the thought of sharing their home with a convicted murderer. Throughout the novel the reader learns about Agnes's history and the events that led up to the killing. We see her as a victim and as someone caught by circumstances. Agnes has a young priest visit her but his influence is not noticeable until the days before the execution. The story is told with attention to the lifestyle of the very poor people trying to make a living and with sympathy for the very hard life that Agnes has endured. A really interesting story.

87. Vera ( Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov) by Stacy Schiff. The author has written a biography about a woman who tried to erase her presence many times. This is an unusual story about Vera Nabokov and her novelist husband , Vladimir. Her life is filled with handling the business of managing her husband's affairs from aiding in his lectures when he taught, translating and correcting the many publications of his novels, to writing many letters in his name to publishers, family and friends when he was a famous writer. In a way Schiff used the theme of dislocation to view her subjects- Vera and her husband. The author makes the point that one cannot write about one without the other. Both Vera and Vladimir had lived in Berlin as a part of the Russian community who fled Russia after the 1917 revolution. Always in a state of flux, the Nabokovs never put down roots, living in rented houses or hotels in France, United States and finally in Switzerland. The success of the novel Lolita allowed the couple to live comfortably and give up lecturing at American colleges. The intensity of their lives devoted to Vladimir's writing was the focus of the novel as well as their very strong opinions on politics and literature. A very interesting read although I think that the biography could have been a little briefer as the themes were repeated many times throughout the book.

88. Tell by Frances ItaniThis is a beautifully written novel about a number of people living in the very small Ontario town of Deseronto right after World War 1. Kenan is a young man who was terribly disfigured during his time as a soldier in the battlefields in France. He does not speak of his experiences or anything else to his wife Tress. Tress's uncle, Am, manages the town clocktower and has his own secrets that keep him from communicating to his wife Maggie. The reader learns of the stories that keep both couples from complete relationships during the course of the novel. Kenan does form a bond with Am as does Maggie with her friend Zel and the newly arrived musical director of the town choir. This is a gentle story of coping with tragedy and learning how to move on with lives that have been shattered.

89. The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa I read this book for my book club and I was not entirely happy about this work. The subject- the ship , The St. Louis, took passengers from Germany to Cuba in 1939. The people were Jews who were desperate to leave Germany and had paid officials a substantial amount of money for visas to enter Cuba. Unfortunately, Cuban leaders reversed the decision to allow Jews to land and only a few were able to leave the ship. Both the US and Canada refused to take these refugees and the ship went back to Europe where a number of countries did accept these people- only those who went to England were saved. The rest were killed in concentration camps. This story really doesn't do the real theme justice. The author tells the story of the St. Louis through the eyes of 12 year old Hannah. The reader follows her life in Berlin, on the ship and finally in Cuba. Hannah is curiously violent and makes bad decisions for a young person in the threatening atmosphere of prewar Berlin. As the reader hears about her later life. we find that Hannah is so passive about the events that shape her later life. The story is also narrated by Hannah's great niece, Anna, a 13 year old from New York who discovers the stories about her late father and his family in 2014.The two main narrators meet when Anna and her mother take a trip to Cuba. Does this story use the real events in such a way to help the reader understand what happened?In some cases, yes, with the minor characters aboard the ship. I have some problems with major characters' motivations.

90. Counting On Snow by Maxwell Newhouse This is an Early Reviewers book that is suitable for very young children. The illustrations are beautiful. The story is quit simple. The illustrations show wildlife in the snow and the beginning shows 10 caribou. The numbers " count" down to one. The illustrations show many types of wild life that are found in the Arctic. We see muskox, ravens, seals, swans, wolves and more. The colour palette is restrained with white, black and shades of grey being dominant. Each illustration uses shades that mix with white and modify the black. It is a sturdy board book that can be read and shown to children. This is a welcome addition to contemporary works for the very young.

91. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan I had read Jennifer Egan's previous novel A Visit from the Goon Squad and I am glad that she has written a new book.There are three narrators in this story. Ed Kerrigan works for both the union and a powerful man who might have mob ties. His daughter Anna grows up during World War Two and becomes a diver in the Brooklyn Naval Yard. Her father has disappeared and Anna has to fend for herself. The powerful man who might be involved in Ed's disappearance, Dexter Styles, has his own conflicts and problems with his family and business. The novel has descriptions of diving, merchant marine ships, and the world of crime.As well, Egan creates the tragedy of Anna's sister, Lydia. The prose is clear and leads the reader through the intricate plots that reveal the character's secrets. I enjoyed reading this novel.

92. Christmas at The Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean. I always used to listen to the monologues written and performed by the late Stuart McLean on CBC Radio. The fictional adventures of Dave and his family-wife Morley and children Sam and Stephanie were always funny and insightful. McLean passed away just under a year ago and Canadian readers and radio listeners were saddened by the loss of such a wonderful writer and performer. McLean had published his monologues in book form and recently his editor and radio producer published a selection of stories that related to Christmas. Some of the stories are so funny I laughed and cackled out loud. If anyone has not heard or read the story" Dave Cooks the Turkey"- google it right now and hopefully you can hear McLean's narration. Some of the stories were like old friends- I had heard them on the radio and was happy to read about the adventures of Dave, his family and neighbours. Another story that is laugh out loud is"The Christmas Ferret". I will return to this book when I need some humour and to remember the very talented man who wrote these stories.

93. Bellevue Square by Michael Redhill. Redhill's latest novel just won the 2017 Giller Prize and I can see why. The narration by Jean- the most unreliable narrator ever, keeps the reader guessing about what is real and what is not. Jean tells the reader that she has a book store near Kensington Market ( in Toronto) and she is married to Ian and has two children. One day a man tells her that he has seen someone looking just like Jean in Kensington Market. Jean investigates and tries to find the woman who looks just like her, Ingrid Fox. Jean meets Katerina who works in the market and later hangs out in Bellevue Square ( an open air space close to the market streets) and befriends the various people who come to the square. In a way the reader becomes a little suspicious of Jean's obsessive behaviour. We learn more about Jean's past. Jean's reality changes abruptly and the steps that she takes seem more unreal. Indeed the reader is locked into the changing stories, not knowing , like Jean, what is true. A very intriguing novel !

94. Not A One Horse Town 125 Years of Toronto and Its Streetcars by Mike Filey This is a history of the street car and the routes in Toronto from the mid 1880's to 1990. My friend who is downsizing her library thought that I would like it. The photos of the horse drawn buses and then early street cars are interesting as well as the photos of the routes that the cars took as Toronto developed. There were a number of " Belt line" routes that circled the city-as it was in the 1920's. The commentary also showed the wages and responsibilities of the drivers in the early days- thank goodness that unions started to protect the drivers. I enjoyed seeing the photos of the city in the early 20th century and the change in streetcar routes.

95. The Provincials A Personal History of Jews in the South by Eli N. Evans A friend was finding new homes for her books and she thought that I would like this one. The book was written in 1973 and updated in 1997. Some of the words and phrases that were used in descriptions are not ones we use today. The author wrote not only a history of the Jews who settled in the southern states from 1800 on but also told the story of his own family. I hadn't realized that the early Rabbis and synagogues were for the most part Reform and reflected the views of the early German Jewish population. Evan's own family owned department stores and also became involved in city politics of Durham, North Carolina. Evans writes about attitudes towards Eastern European Jews, the majority White Christian population and Blacks. In a way the Jewish communities were trying to walk a middle ground except when something terrible happened and they had to take a stand. ( synagogue bombings and the lynching of Leo Frank. )The discussion about class is interesting although the statistics are now out of date. I am glad that I read this book as it gave me an understanding of the Jewish community from the 19th to the middle of the twentieth century. Evans writing on his own family was the most interesting part of the book.

96. First Snow, Last Light by Wayne Johnston I have always found that the Newfoundland authors are great storytellers. Wayne Johnston is one of my favourites( although he now lives in Toronto). His latest novel includes one of my favourite characters from previous works- Sheilagh Fielding. The narrators alternate so the reader hears the voice of the people who live this story. Ned Vatcher is a young boy of fourteen when his parents, Edgar and Megan, vanish one afternoon. Ned grows up determined to find out what happened to his parents. Edgar was the right hand man to Sir Richard Squires, the corrupt prime minister of the colony. Ned is helped by the priest from his school, Father Duggan and the columnist, Sheilagh Fielding who was befriended by Edgar. There is Edgar's dysfunctional family- his mother Nan, father, Reg who is incapacitated after the death of his other son, Phonse and Uncle Cyril, who lives on handouts from Edgar. Ned becomes a wealthy media owner and in turn adapts a boy who has been nicknamed " The last Newfoundlander" as he was born just before Newfoundland joined Canada. Each character has their own secrets that impact the lives of others. The reader does find out what happened to Edgar and Megan and that is actually not the most interesting part of the novel . The stories of Sheilagh and Ned are the most compelling to me.

98. Granta 141 Canada edited by Catherine Leroux and Madeleine Thien I looked forward to this issue. I wanted to see what writers and themes the editors chose to represent Canadian writing and in a way, culture. There was a funny satire by Margaret Atwood, great stories by Alexander Macleod, Anosh Irani and Lisa Moore and works on Residential schools, new immigrants and Acadian history.The editors certainly chose a broad range of authors. Indigenous work was well represented in the authors and photo essays. So after I finished what was I missing. As a city person, I wanted more on the urban experience. But is that representative of Canadian writing? I will have to return to this volume later.

99. The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life by John Le Carre I really like memoirs and this series of short chapters written by John Le Carre- novelist and retired spy was very enjoyable. Le Carre recounts events from his time working at the British embassy in Bonn and later his encounters with colourful personalities as he does research for his novels in various dangerous part of the world. I thought that his insights on his father and family, former colleagues and assorted celebrities were insightful. A very good read.

100. !!! Koba the Dread: Laughter and The Twenty Million by Martin Amis. This is a very odd memoir/history/ book. Novelist Amis recounts his own history with English friends and foes who were sympathetic to communism in Britain ( including his father's views) as well as those who understood what Stalin was doing to the Russian people and others. The book was written in 2002 and the author uses a number of Russian and Western sources for his information. I found that a lot of the material on the Ukrainian massacres ( Holodomor) I had read about in the more recent history by Timothy Snyder. Still Amis writes very passionately about the excesses and villainy of Stalin. A very interesting book.

Well, that is 100 books read this year!

It is that time of year again, between Solstice and Christmas, just after Hanukkah, when our thoughts turn to wishing each other well in whatever language or image is meaningful to the recipient. So, whether I wish you Happy Solstice or Merry Christmas, know that what I really wish you, and for you, is this:

Thank you so much1

101. Munich by Robert Harris This novel covers the time of intense negotiations between Hitler and Chamberlain over the fate of Czechoslovakia in 1938. The story of the intrigues is narrated by two men close to the British and German governments. Hugh Legat is one of the British Prime Minister's private secretaries. Fluent in German, he went to Oxford years before with Paul Hartmann, now a German diplomat and involved in one of the secret resistance movements. The two men have not communicated in many years. The novel follows the pivotal meeting in Munich where an agreement is signed. Hartmann and Legat meet and try to show Chamberlain a damaging memorandum from the German leadership. What happens and the fate of both men are somewhat resolved but the reader ( me) sees that this might be the start of a continuing series.

102. Caught in the Revolution Petrograd, Russia 1917- A World on the Edge by Helen Rappaport. This history concentrates on the pivotal time in Petrograd in 1917. The focus is on foreign diplomats and journalists and two bank employees who live in Russia just as the Tsar loses control, abdicates and then the fight for power by the various revolutionary forces. The story is also about the terrible losses of the Russian people as there is no food or jobs but much suffering and eventually killing. Anarchy takes over society. The events are covered step by step as foreign individuals wrestle with leaving a place an society that they have loved. However, the life of luxury of St. Petersburg is gone as the Soviets take over. A very interesting history. I would like to followup with a book on the lives of Russian in the same time period.