BOOKS AND CHINOOKS

Rough is a book that completely captivated me! It is a fictional story told around a devastating flood of the Bow River that occurred in 2013. I live in the city where the flood took place so I well remember how it devastated so many communities and the city as a whole. Homeless people or people sleeping rough make their nightly homes along the riverbank that winds through the cosmopolitan downtown. Many of these people generally avoid shelters so they are an unknown number w

This was an interesting thriller! Two men are murdered on the same night and their wives are left to pick up the pieces of their lives. Unfortunately the reasons the men were killed come back to impact their wives. One of the women is a suburban housewife and the other is a bartender with street smarts. They ultimately wind up being targeted by the same people who killed their husbands. This is a fast paced book and although it is a thriller there are elements of humour as we

I was looking for a lighter read and this romcom was perfect. The story revolves around a group of people that have been spending Christmas together for many years. Whether divorced or with small children they have kept their tradition going. I loved the family aspect of the book and the fact that there was no judgement. These people had been getting together for many years and they were all respected and treated equally. From the little twins up to the adults everyone was lo

With all the stress and anxiety right now with Covid and the upcoming holiday season I am drawn to books that are a bit more lighthearted to read. The Extra was a perfect book for that. Thank you to the authors for sending their book my way for review. This is a first book in a series and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Mixed in with humorous situations for the lead character are some important issues too. If you would like a behind the scenes look at m

Thank you Kathleen Carter Communications and Amazon Publishing for my free review copy. This is an impressive debut novel. The story is based around a multi generational family of three women and we learn about their very different lives. Millicent is the eldest and is the mother and grandmother of the other two characters. She takes us back to what life was like in the early years of her marriage and her struggles to be an independent woman. Her daughter Jane meanwhile has n

This is another solid book from author Lisa Jewell. I have to admit I struggled a bit when we were first learning about Owen. I felt my attention ebb away a bit but once the book picked up the pace again I was engaged with the plot and characters. There are a few subplots here that all ultimately merge into a great story. There were definitely some surprises along the way and as with her other books this one is also very atmospheric which helps give it a creepy vibe. A perfec

Bad boy Alex Martinez has met Lola, the girl of his dreams. Unfortunately he believes she shouldn’t be dragged down into his life. What would she see in a high school dropout with no future? Alex was taking care of his grandmother, cousin, and brother at an early age and found the quickest way to make money and keep his family safe was to be a drug dealer. He has since left that lifestyle but it has now caught up to him again and pulled him back in. There is no way he wants h

I loved this book even though it broke my heart at times. The story is told by a 13 year old girl named Gia. Gia lives with her own family and extended family of aunts and uncles etc on the same street. Everything Gia knows and loves starts to unravel when her brother and cousins get involved with drugs. This book is beautifully written. It takes you back to a more peaceful time but there are some of the same problems we have today. Gia is a remarkable character and I rooted

This is an interesting mystery that takes place in a fictional remote area of British Columbia, Canada. Tessa returns to her hometown from Vancouver after she hears that her brother in law and nieces and nephew have been murdered. Her step sister Fran, the mother of the children, is missing and the residents of the area frantically begin to search for her. There are so many quirky and interesting characters that make the search for the killer or killers more intriguing. There

This was a page turner! This book had me intrigued to see which of these scheming women was going to outdo the other. Cat is married to a handsome, successful, obscenely rich man. Neena decides she wants him or find a way to blackmail him. Each of these women are very clever in their oneupmanship of the other. My favourite character was Neena’s loyal husband Matt. The pacing of this story was great and I really enjoyed this book.