Toronto's 2024 Reading and some films

Hi
I am Cyrel from Toronto . I am a retired visual arts teacher and I love to read mysteries ( well, some) fiction, memoirs, history and some dystopian works. I read less during the pandemic for some reason.I used to read 100 books in a year and will make that goal my challenge for the coming year.

Welcome back, Cyrel.
Best wishes for a great year of books.

Hi Cyrel. I hope that this year we can all escape the effects of the pandemic and ease back to normal. Wishing you 100 good books!

I read less during the pandemic as well, even though it wasn't all that different from my usual life (I'm disabled and can't be out and about doing things and seeing people all that much). Even last year I was reading more but the comfort re-reads had stuck.

Hopefully we can both get a little closer to our previous habits. Looking forward to seeing your reads again.

>2 Eyejaybee:, >3 pamelad:, >4 mabith: Thank you! I did enjoy the books that I read ( including the 900 page one!) but I was slower to pick up an new one.

1. Away From The Dead by David Bergen. I always look forward to the newest work by David Bergen. This novel concentrates on the lives of a Mennonite brother and sister and a secular Jewish man in World War One Ukraine. There is fighting with many groups involved- Germans, Bolsheviks, Anarchists, and White Army. There are terrible things done to innocent villagers and every group makes a mark on the lives of Lehn-the bookseller, Inna-the peasant wronged by a wealthy family and her brother Sablin who manages to survive the worst of the injustices. The writing is clear and gives the reader a sense of the upheavals that took place in the Ukraine during and after the war. This novel is on the longest of the Giller Prize and I am surprised that it was not chosen for the shortlist. I highly recommend this excellent work.

2. House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng Oh, what a wonderful read! In this novel, writer Somerset Maugham visits his old friend, Robert and his wife Lesley in Penang in the year 1921. Maugham has been travelling for an extended time with Gerald his secretary and lover as he flees England and a situation with his wife Syrie. Lesley has her own issues to deal with and perhaps as a cathartic exercise, she confines in Maugham about events in 1910. The reader learns about the murder trial of Ethel Proudlock and Lesley's interaction with Sun Yat Sen as he raises money for revolution in China. And of course there is the love interest as Lesley makes the best of her own marriage situation and takes a chance on creating happiness. The reader learns about the attitudes of the ruling British empire in what is now Malaysia. There are interesting views of the roles of race, gender, and life in the early twentieth century.

>6 torontoc: That sounds wonderful. I really loved The Garden of Evening Mists, which i had picked up entirely fortuitously at a railway station bookshop finding myself unaccustomedly lacking in a book for my journey.

>6 torontoc: It sounds so good that I have located a library copy and started reading.

>6 torontoc: Enjoyed it. I appreciate that your review gave nothing away!

>9 pamelad: I try not to give away any sections that the reader should discover on their own!

>6 torontoc: I have just bought a copy (a lovely edition with gorgeous endpapers) and am looking forward to starting it.

>11 Eyejaybee: It is a great read!
3. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell I reread this book for my upcoming book club meeting. And it is still superbly written. Based on real historical characters, Lucrezia di Cosimo De' Medici Este did marry Alfonzo 11 of Ferrara and was dead after one year of marriage. This story depicts the way a very young unworldly teenager would respond to situations that she had no control over. In this novel, Lucrezia is a very talented artist and does take chances within the confines of her sheltered upbringing in the nursery of her ruling class parents in Florence. Sent to marry Alfonzo, her responses to her new surroundings and dangerous husband show innocence at first and later measured responses that protect her. O'Farrell comments in her end notes that Lucrezia's older sister and cousin met with mysterious deaths and could have been murdered by their husbands.

and now for something completely different

4. The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose This mystery features the return of Molly Gray, the now head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. ( If you haven't read the previous book featuring Molly,( The Maid) I advise you to read it. Molly probably has Aspergers and her thoughts on life are quite uplifting. In fact , her way of looking at situations helps everyone around her. Molly helps Detective Stark solve the mystery of who killed author J.D Grimthorpe. Grimthorpe drops dead just he is about the begin reading an important announcement at an event in the tea room at the Regency. The reader learns about Molly's past experiences working with her Grandmother at the Grimthorpe Mansion. Molly's positive attitude towards life in the face of adversity make this "who dun it" a very good read.

5. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff I haven't read this book in a while but it just popped up at me while I was looking through my bookshelves. The author is a writer in New York City who has moderate success in writing for TV in the 1950's and 60's. The book is composed with her letters to Marks & Co., a rare and secondhand bookstore in London. Hanff has very eclectic tastes and she relies on the staff at Marks & Co. to find volumes for her. Her correspondent is Frank Doel who does his best to find and send what Helene wants to read. The letters are dated from 1949 to 1969.Helene sends food parcels to the staff as Britain still has rationing of food. She becomes friends with the staff promises to visit but never does. eventually Helene does write this book that consists of the letters that cover 20 years. After it is published she does make a trip to England but that journey is covered in her next book.

6.The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff Really this book is a sequel to her book on her correspondence with Marks & Co. Her book is so popular that Helene is invited by her publishers to visit London and give interviews. Of course, the friends that she has made invite her to visit them-including Frank Doel's wife Nora and her daughters. ( Frank had died tragically) Friends of friends invite Helene to dinners, plays and more. The kindness shown by so many people show how Helene has touched them by her book and her own personality. Helene's delight at visiting London and seeing places that are important to her remind me of my first trip to London. The sense of history and literature seem to be infused in her writing. A very nice read for me.

>6 torontoc: I really enjoyed the plot, but the book was somewhat spoiled for me by very uneven writing, going from the mundane to excellent prose, and back again. Perhaps I should try The Garden of Evening Mists to redeem my opinion.

>14 torontoc: I loved 84 Charing Cross Road, such a warm little book. It was very easy to project yourself into the settings on both side of the Atlantic. I grew up in London immediately after WWII, and can remember the rapture as foods came very slowly off ration, sweets/candy not until 1951!
I imagine this aspect of the war must have been quite an eye-opener for our American friends.

>6 torontoc:, >9 pamelad: I see from the LibraryThing 'On This Day' update that today is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Somerset Maugham. I am about halfway through The House of Doors and am loving it so far.

>17 Eyejaybee: I really liked The House of Doors.

7. As A Burning Flame The Dream of Regina Jonas by Noa Mishkin. This slim book is an accounting of the life of Regina Jonas, a young woman living in Berlin who was Orthodox Jewish and had studied at a rabbinical seminary. Regina believed that she had all the qualifications needed to be ordained as a Rabbi. In 1930 she did explain why she should be declared a rabbi in her Master's thesis. In 1935 a Liberal Rabbi read her petitions and granted her the title of Rabbi. Regina Jonas spent her time in what is consider pastoral work, and did give sermons to various congregations throughout Germany. In 1942 she was deported to the Theresienstadt Ghetto. She lectured during her time in Theresienstadt and in 1944 was deported to Auschwitz and murdered. No one really knew about Regina Jonas until a scholar discovered information on her in an archive in the former East Germany. Noa Mishkin used this material and created not only an accounting of Regina Jonas life and work but did it with illustrations in this graphic novel. She also reflected on her own life and how she wanted more participation and recognition as an Orthodox woman. This is a very thoughtful account of one woman's life and it emphasized her writings and ideas.

8. The Jazz Club Spy by Roberta Rich This is a spy and mystery novel. It was fun to read. Giddy Brodsky is young woman living in New York in 1939. She still has nightmares about how she survived a pogrom in her small Russian Village. Giddy dreams of opening a cosmetics shop with her own brands. Now she is a cigarette girl in a jazz club. Giddy meets, Carter, a very slick man who tells her that he is a member of the US Secret Service. She is enlisted to find a Russian immigrant who is suspected of planning an assassination. Giddy also thinks that this man was the one who killed her brother and sister back in Russia. Giddy does find out information on the suspect but she also learns more about her own family background and some astonishing facts about some one she had trusted. This is a fast paced adventure if you are in the mood for one.

9. Divine Might Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes I so enjoyed reading this book. The author discuses Greek Goddesses and looks to original sources in plays and accounts from the past to examine the roles that these women played. Her approach is very different from more traditional histories as she looks at influence and lessons learned from a feminist point of view. I think that I have more of an appreciation of the roles that Hera, Aphrodite, Athene, Demeter and Hestia played as well as looking at commentary on the Muses and the Furies.

I'll definitely be looking for As a Burning Flame. I'm glad her story wasn't lost.

10. Denison Avenue by Christina Wong and illustrated by Daniel Innes This is a very interesting novel. The author writes about an elderly Canadian Chinese woman who lives in Denison Ave in Kensington Market in Toronto. The story follows Wong Cho Sum as she learns to live alone after the death of her husband. The story is sometimes narrated in Cantonese with translations that follow. Some of the story is written in a poetic format. For those readers who have knowledge of the Kensington Market and Chinatown area in Toronto, this work recalls the smells and sights of the restaurants, stores, parks and streets. A second part of the book is a series of linear drawings of the stores and streets of Kensington Market and Spadina Ave. This is a very evocative work of the past and present of this area

?? How do I 'Unpin"my thread?

>23 torontoc: I've unpinned it, but have no idea how it got pinned in the first place. In the top right of the screen there are three boxes: star this topic; ignore this topic; pin this topic. Is the pin button visible to you?

Thank you!
All I see are two boxes- "star this topic" and "ignore this topic". I have no idea how my thread got pinned.

11. One Hundred Saturdays Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World by Michael Frank This is a reread for my upcoming book club. The author was introduced to Stella Levi in New York City. Over a number of years , he learned of her life in the Jewish Community on Rhodes. During World War 11 , all the Jewish inhabitants were transported to Auschwitz. Stella was one who survived. The book is so interesting as Stella described the life that she led with her family in the Jewish quarter or Juderia. Customs, languages and life are all described as well the as interconnections among all the friends and relatives on Rhodes. An important read.

12. Miss Dior A Wartime Story of Courage and Couture by Justine Picardie. This history/biography tends to cover a number of topics. I think that the issue is that Christian Dior's sister, Catherine, didn't say much about her history. She seemed to be a very private person who lived with her father and then her brother. Catherine played an important role in the French Resistance, was betrayed, tortured by the Gestapo, and sent to the concentration camp of Ravensbruck. She did survive and later gave testimony at the trials of some of the camp officials. After the war she did live a quiet life. This book is about her brother's role in creating the "New Look" after the war and his creation of his own couture house. The book also details some of the history of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, how Princess Margaret became a Dior client and also the trials of some of the French collaborators. Although the narrative does tend to wander from person to person and event to event, I found the history quite interesting!

>27 torontoc: Several years ago, my family went to Paris and we wandered into a Dior exhibit at a museum. It was one of the most eye-opening experiences and marvelous museum excursions I've had the pleasure to take. The exhibit was assembled along the lines of artistic inspiration (vignettes set in gardens and paintings) and color (There is a cohesiveness to the colors across the collections so that, for instance, a yellow shoe from the fifties matches a yellow handbag in the seventies). I came to truly understand how haute couture was more than clothing. It truly is art. The most dazzling aspect of the show was the final room where the walls changed in appearance while showcasing some of the most elaborate gowns and creations. I'm unlikely to ever afford more than a CD nail polish or mascara, but when I do indulge, I feel the tie into the House. Silly perhaps, I know; but it's like a lovely dream :-)

>28 Tanya-dogearedcopy: what an interesting experience!

13. Picasso Ceramics by Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. This catalogue was published by the museum for their exhibition. I do have the wrong touchstones but couldn't find the right one. This book is devoted to the examination of Picasso's work in ceramics that he created with the help of the Madoura Pottery at Vallouris in the south of France. The photos of the works are very complete. There are essays on various aspects of the work. Picasso didn't actually create the forms in clay. He provided detailed drawings and the craftsmen at Madoura created the various pots and sculptures. Picasso then decorated and painted them. This is a lovely book that shows the viewer the creativity of Picasso's work in ceramics.

14. Meet Me At the Lake by Carley Fortune This novel was selected as one of the "Canada Reads" books. ( Canada Reads is a debate on the CBC Radio where five celebrities( ?) select a book and debate over one week in March, vote off a book a day and the last one becomes the "one that Canadians should read". Having said that, although I did like the novel, it is a romance and not one that I would find important enough to win Canada Reads. Fern is a young woman who is debating whether to take over the running of her late mother's summer resort in Muskoka( in Ontario). She had an encounter with Will, a young man who ten years ago, helped her make an important decision about her life after she graduated from university. He then disappeared only to show up ten years later when Fern was deciding what to do. Well, it was entertaining but not very deep. The book has become very popular

15. Cold Skies by Thomas King. I have been following this detective series that features retired detective and now photographer Thumps Dreadful Water. This is the third in the series. Thumps has to deal with a health issue that everyone in the small town of Chinook soon learns about. The sheriff in the town keeps on asking Thumps to work with him on murder cases. Just as an important conference on water begins, the two main speakers are murdered. Thumps deals with the head of a major organization, his unusual staff, a newspaper reporter , a puzzling PR person as well as the people in the town. Thumps is helped by the son of his girlfriend, the coroner who becomes his doctor, Indigenous members of the local band and more. I enjoy the style of King's writing and will continue this series.

16. The Slip The New York City Street that Changed American Art Forever by Prudence Peiffer This history is really interesting. The author traces not only the American artists who found a home in the warehouses on a little street ( Coenties Slip) on the southern part of Manhattan but also the history of the area. Coenties slip was home to sail makers when the New York Port was an important place for ships and merchandise that was brought in or sent out of the US. From 1956 to 1967 many artists found this area and not only turned the warehouses into studios but also lived there. Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Indiana, Agnes Martin, James Rosenquist, Lenore Tawney and Jack Youngerman were unknown and developed their styles of work here. Eventually after fame and recognition, these artists were known as members of the "Color Field School". They did know each other and worked to create unique visions. One interesting fact that I didn't know. The actress Delphine Seyrig was married to Tom Youngerman and lived in New York with her husband and child for many years. Eventually she starred in the film "Last Year in Marienbad" in Europe. The author also talks about the changing face of the city and the development power of Robert Moses. I found this history a great read not only for the work on the artists but also on the changes in the physical structure of the city.

17. The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz I reread this mystery for my RL book club. And again it was a really good read. I couldn't figure out the murderer until it was revealed at the end of the story but it did make sense. The author puts himself into the novel as the writer who is asked by the private detective, Daniel Hawthorne, to write about him. I enjoyed this mystery for the second time!

18. A Matter of Malice by Thomas King. I need mysteries at this time.
So I read the fourth book in the series about Thumps Dreadful Water. In this story, Thumps has to worry about his lost cat Freeway, his problematic relationship with his girlfriend Claire, the loss of his car to an accident while he was away in Seattle and his diabetes medication. The town of Chinook where Thumps lives is now the site for a reality show that is highlighting the suicide/ maybe murder of Trudy Samuels. One of the producers, Nina Maslow wants to prove it was murder. Of course there is a new murder and Thumps is again deputized to help solve this crime. I find these books very entertaining and again I did not see who the real culprit was until it was revealed at the end of the novel.

19 Obsidian by Thomas King I really am hooked on this series so I immediately read the next book. Thumps wants to solve the series of murders that included his love and her daughter in California years ago. He does travel to the town where he was a policeman, meets up with a fellow officer who has recently retired. Thumps does return to Chinook and is working on his relationship with his girlfriend , Claire and more intrigue. A group of movie producers have moved into town and want to film the story of what have been called the Obsidian murders. Thumps comes to believe that all the murders are the work of one serial killer. It is interesting to watch him untangle the many threads of this mystery.

20. All The Shining People by Kathy Friedman This book of short stories focuses on the children and the parents who moved from South Africa to Canada. I thought that the final stories were the best. Many of the stories just ended with no resolution. I was not happy about this format. The final two stories did use life in South Africa as a focus.

21. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline I had to read this alterrnate history novel. ( maybe distopian ). The Marrow Thieves takes place in a future Canada where climate change has distroyed cities, poisoned waters and made the population move to find a place without destruction. The people most affected are the Indigenous people-they can still dream. Scavengers hunt the Indigenous groups for their bone marrow. The marrow can help white populations recover dreaming. This story follow a young man named Frenchie who has lost his family and joins a group who are moving north. They are hunted, and eventually meet more Indigenous people and perhaps find a means of resistence that originates in their culture. The novel is well written and engrossing. Highly recommended.

22. Thunderclap A Memoir of Art and Life & Sudden Death by Laura Cumming. Laura Cumming is an art historian and she tries to solve the mysteries surrounding the life of Dutch painter Carol Fabritius. Fabritius died tragically in 1654 in Delft when a store house of gunpowder exploded and destroyed about half of the small city. He was a student of Rembrandt but developed his own unique style although Cumming points out that very few of his paintings have survived. As well as describing the work of Fabritius, Cumming tells the reader about the art of her own father and the works and styles of many Dutch artists. The descriptions are wonderful and give the reader a sense of the life and preoccupations of Dutch society during the 1600's. Cumming pays tribute to her father with her writing on his life . I really enjoyed reading this book. There are a number of reproductions of the art that Cumming describes

23. Deep House by Thomas King I am in the mood for reading mysteries and this novel in the series of Thumps Dreadful Water was a lot of fun to read. I like the characters who live in the small town of Chinook and ( spoiler) Freeway the cat comes back with kittens!. Thumps helps solve the mystery of two murders. This story involves a burned out van, a body in a canyon and a scientist on the run.

24. What We Buried by Robert Rotenberg Continuing my reading of mystery novels , this is the latest one by Robert Rotenberg who besides being a novelist , is a criminal lawyer practising in Toronto. The books that he writes have the same cast of characters who are policemen, lawyers and crown attorneys. All the books are set in Toronto and it is nice to see familiar landmarks, and places mentioned. This story references the murder of forty Italians of all ages and genders who were murdered by the Nazis in 1944 in the town of Gubbio. Daniel Kennicott is a police detective who is haunted by the killing of his parents while they were driving to their cottage twelve years ago and the murder of his brother, Michael ten years ago. Michael had been looking into the circumstances of his parent's death when he was gunned down outside a restaurant in Toronto. Every year, Daniel's boss, Ari Greene talked with Daniel about any updates. In this story, Greene puts two new detectives on the case. Daniel is asked to travel to Gubbio to follow the written notes in his mother's travel diary to find new clues. What follows is the unravelling of the murder plot, hidden Nazis who managed to immigrate to Canada after the war and the reason for the murders. This is a good thriller.

25. Around the World in 80 Pots The Story of Humanity told Through Beautiful Ceramics by Ashmolean Museum This book showcases eighty pots from the collection of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. The book is well designed and each photo of a ceramic piece is accompanied by a good description of the technique as well as the pot's history. There are examples from Japan, China, Iran and more recent British pottery. I was inspired by the work.

26. Georgia O'Keefe by Maria Herreros and translated by Lawrence Schimel This graphic novel uses the letters that O'Keefe wrote to Alfred Steiglitz and others to describe her life. The drawings do convey the sense of her art and her love of the landscape of New Mexico. This is a very good introduction to her art.

27. Gauguin The Other World by Fabrizio Dori and translated by Edward Gauvin This is a graphic novel that concentrates with Gauguin's relationship to Tahiti and the gods that created the island. The story is compelling although there are gaps in the narrative about Gauguin's time in Pont Aven and the painters who helped influence his work. ( Van Gogh, Bernard, Denis and more) I studied art history so I have a good idea of what was missing. I did like the very good illustrations. They are painted in the style of Gauguin.

I am still reading graphic novels about artists! ( I went to an art teachers conference last week)

28. The Women Who Changed Art Forever Feminist Art-The Graphic Novel by Valentina Grande and Eva Rossetti and translated by Edward Fortes. This account of four important women artists concentrates on their ideas and not any notoriety. The visual cues to their work are very good. Judy Chicago, Faith Ringgold, Ana Mendieta and the Guerrilla Girls are artists who should have an important place in the telling of art history.

I'm definitely putting some of these art focused graphic novels on my to read list (though skipping Gauguin, The Way to Paradise made me permanently annoyed with him).

29. Munch by Steffen Kverneland and translated by Francesca M. Nichols This graphic novel about the life of famed painter Edvard Munch took the author seven years to complete. He actually interrupts the narrative to draw in himself and a friend who makes comments on Munch and his life. The drawings and commentary are sometimes hilarious with lots of illustrations on Munch's relationships with Strindberg,( who comes across as a crazed genius and madman) his family and women. Ah, there is a lot fo sex depicted as well.Women were problematic to Munch and his friends- really madonnas or devils. Munch had issues with his father and was lucky that his aunt did support him. There are accounts of incidents with fellow artists in Berlin, Paris and Norway.The development of Munch's key paintings are docemented and illustrated. This was a very interesting read.

30. The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem by Sarit Yishai-Levi and translated by Anthony Berris I thoroughly enjoyed this novel about four generations of women who lived in Jerusalem in the 20th century. The Ermosa family had been in Jerusalem since the expulsion of Jews from Spain. They spoke Ladino and kept the traditions of a Sephardi household. There is much drama as the men must marry Sephardi women. Many of the men had been attracted to women of Ashkenazi background( Eastern European) but married brides that were selected by their mothers. There is much conflict with loveless marriages, and bad choices but still a desire to support their extended families. The stories within stories give the reader a background on the history of the women in the Ermosa family. A very good read

31. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin I know nothing about gaming but this novel is wonderful. Sadie Green meets Sam Masur when she is visiting her sister in the hospital. Sam is dealing with injuries from a car accident. Due to a misunderstanding they don't meet again until they are both in college in Boston. They both create games and they become very successful business partners moving from Cambridge to California as their work changes the structure of game playing. Helped by their close associate, Marx, Sadie and Sam have successes, tragedy and failures in work and relationships. The story traces their lives for over thirty years. The writing is so good and I was engaged in this work.Highly recommended.

>48 torontoc: I really enjoyed Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, too. I had encountered a lot of hype about it and started reading it almost with a slight trepidation, feeling that I am a long way from the primary demographic at which it was aimed. However, I found it fascinating, and felt that it was a very well constructed, and moving, story.

32. Kunstlers In Paradise by Cathleen Schine Mamie Kunstler is 93 and living on her own in California with her housekeeper/friend and a very big dog. Her son sends her grandson , Julian, to stay with her during the pandemic. Julian has done a lot of studying but doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. After his roommate leaves, Julian's parents refuse to subsidize his apartment and tell him to go and help his grandmother. And what a personality Mamie is! She was born in Vienna and left with her parents and grandfather just before World War 2. Mamie's family was saved by a group of concerned filmmakers who got visas for a number of artists and musicians. Mamie tells Julian stories about her early life and connection the Greta Garbo and the composer Schoenberg. The reader doesn't get the whole story , just tantalizing bits and pieces. The whole family is really eccentric and the story is very entertaining while giving some good truths about living and coping.

33. Colette Albert Maya Mile End Kids Stories by Isabelle Arsenault This book is a compilation of the three stories that the author wrote ( and illustrated) featuring Colette, Albert and Maya. Part of the charm in these accounts is the way both dialogue and illustrations are connected. Colette has moved into a new neighbourhood and meets all the children on the block by asking them to find her lost parrot.( hint-there is no pet parrot) Albert just wants some peace and quiet while he is reading. All of his friends invite him to take part in a variety of activities. Maya directs everyone in a play where she is the star. The costumes are quite something and Maya does learn about sharing. This is a beautiful book for young children.

34. Field Notes from An Unintentional Birder by Julia Zarankin This is a reread for my in person book club and.. I still love this memoir. The reader learns not only about the progress of the author's fascination and education in bird watching but also about her life. She relates what she has learned about herself. This story is also about how Zarankin becomes a dedicated bird watcher and what she does in order to view the many species of birds that she learns both from others and her own study. Highly recommended.

35. Pablo by Julie Birmant and Clement Oubrerie tranlated by Edward GauvinThis graphic novel relates the story of Picasso's early days and his relationship with Fernande Olivier. The authors show Fernande as a very sympathetic character. The artists, poets, art dealers, and clients are given distinct personalities. This is not a novel for children and the authors deal with very adult concerns.

36. My Father's House by Joseph O'ConnorThis novel is a real thriller. The author uses the life of Monsignor Hugh O' Flaherty, a priest who hid and saved many Jewish people and escaped Alllied Soldiers in Rome during the war in 1943 on. This book is a fictionalized version of the work that Monsignor O' Flaherty and his helpers did in order to keep many people safe with in the Vatican and other hiding places. Paul Hauptmann was the head of the Gestapo in Rome and he was aware of the work that O'Flaherty did but he was not able to stop him. This novel is narrated by different characters to describe the events of Christmas Eve in 1943. As a reader, I was carried away by the urgency of the mission although the use of all the different voices did " slow down" the story. This is the first in a planned series of three novels.

37. I Used to Live Here Once The Haunted Life of Jean Rhys by Miranda Seymour I have read Wide Sargasso Sea, Smile Please and a lot of Rhys's short stories. This biography takes into account the brilliance of this author's work and her chaotic personal life. This work shows that Rhys was a difficult person to deal with and she did have a very loyal group of " helpers" who tried to make her everyday life comfortable- especially in old age. Rhys had a habit of continually editing her work in order to make it better. This process slowed down publishing of many of her works. I enjoyed this very empathetic account that didn't shy away from details of Rhys's combative personality.

38. Victory City by Salman Rushdie Rushdie is an amazing storyteller. He has created a fictional empire somewhere in what is now India or maybe Pakistan in the fourteenth century. The reader learns about the life of a woman, Pampa Kampana, who was given powers by a goddess just after the death of her mother. Pampa will create the city Bisnaga and the people who will live there. She will give them their history out of nothing except her whispering in their ears. Pampa will make two brothers kings of this empire. Her own history will be both good and bad as she becomes a queen, an exile, and an outcast. She will write the story of the rise and downfall of the city that she created. The narrative is so compelling and Rushdie's voice is so readable. I really enjoyed this story of magic and myth.

39. Union Station by David Downing. I was looking forward to reading this latest saga in the lives of John Russell and his wife Effi, their daughter Rosa and friends still living in Germany. I really enjoyed the earlier books on Russell's life in wartime Germany as a double agent. This story is set in early 1950's when John lives in California during the McCarthy era. John and Effi go to Berlin for a film festival and do get involved in rescuing a friend's daughter from the East German police. There is a wrap up of John's knowledge of a film that incriminates the Soviet leader, Beria. John is also involved with an American conspiracy to hide wrongdoing by a possible political hopeful. I found that the stories were not as exciting as the earlier books set in the wartime. There is also a wrap-up at the end that seems to express the author's feelings about many political events.

40. The Adversary by Michael Crummey I think that this author is a master of prose. This novel is about the bitter rivalry between a brother and sister in the early 1800's in a small outpost in Newfoundland. Both own substantial mercantile firms that manage trade, ships and ports. Abe Strapp is a bully and brutal man who inherited his father's business and manager. The Widow Caines is smarter than her brother but had to marry into money and a thriving business that she now runs. Both Abe Strupp and the widow Caines manipulate the people of to get ahead in the outport of Mockbeggar. The details of a very hard life for those who live in isolation and the way illness and weather change lives are key in this story. There is a lot of grief in this novel but the prose is terrific.

41. A Death in Cornwall by Daniel Silva I heard the author speak a few years ago. He writes a new book that is published in the summer. I do like this new work. The main character, Gabriel Allon, has retired from the spy world and is now an art restorer based in Venice. Gabriel is in London attending an art exhibit at the Courtauld Gallery that features a Vincent Van Gogh painting that had been stolen. Allon responds to a request from an old friend who is now with the police in Devon. A professor of art has been murdered. Allon discovers her investigation of a painting by Picasso that belonged to a Jewish family who were killed in the Holocaust. Allon has the help of some old friends who help him track down the whereabouts of this art work and the companies that manipulate art and money.There is a link to the ruling political party in England. The story serves to explain how the very wealthy can protect their assets and how they use art to hide their wealth. A really interesting story.

42. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin Having read and really enjoyed this author's most recent book (Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow) I decided to read her first book that had great reviews. I was not disappointed. A.J. Fikry owns a book store on the island of Alice Island near Hyannis. His wife had died and the most valuable book in his possession had been stolen. He is very gruff with the new representative from Knightley Press, Amelia. An event that changes his life happens and the story shows how tragedy can be overcome with new challenges. I don't want to reveal the most important plot event as the reader should discover it on their own. Fikry's friends and relatives help him rediscover his humanity. A wonderful read.

43. The Postcard by Anne Berest and translated by Tina Kover. This novel begins with the story of a postcard to Leila, the mother of the narrator, Anne, 60 years after the end of World War Two. There are only four names listed in the message area- Ephraim, Emma, Noemie, and Jacques. All died during the Holocaust and were the grandparents and aunt and uncle of Leila. Anne and her mother resolve to find out who sent the postcard. The story then turns to the lives of Ephraim and Emma as they move from Moscow to Riga to Palestine and finally to Paris. Their children, Myriam, Noemie and Jacques thrive in France. Leila provides all the information that she has discovered to Anne as they trace the lives of the four as France falls to Germany. Myriam is the only one who survives as she had married , Vincente, the son of the artist Picabia. Leila and Anne travel to the village where Ephraim and Emma lived during the war and discover more information about those who helped and those who betrayed Jews. After telling the story of her relatives, the narrator Anne focuses on her own life and thoughts about her relationship to her Jewish heritage. Although this book is presented as a novel many of the details do seem to be part of Anne Berest's own life. In fact the front cover features a portrait of Noemie Rabinovitch from 1941- Anne Berest's great aunt. A very good and thoughtful read.

44. The Book of Goose by Yiyun LiThis is such a fascinating novel. The reader is introduced to Agnes, a 13 year old girl living in a very small town in France in the early 1950's. Her life is hard as the family deals with the illness of her brother who was in Germany during the war . He is dying. Agnes goes to school and spends as much time as she can with her friend Fabienne. Fabienne has a wild imagination while Agnes can write well. Fabienne is the leader who directs Agnes to write down some of the strangest stories about death, children and animals. Fabienne is the one with the plan from using the town postman to help the girls get their stories published to setting up Agnes as the sole author. The reader may not understand Fabienne's motives but circumstances lead Agnes to be offered a scholarship to a private school in England. Agnes always wants to go back to be with her friend Fabienne. The final meeting of the two reveals Fabienne's harsh opinion of the worth of their friendship and Agnes's discovery of betrayal. A great book of fiction.

45. Julia by Sandra Newman This novel tells the story of Julia, the lover of Winston Smith of author George Orwell's book 1984. The reader learns about Julia's background as the empire of "Big Brother" is formed. Julia works as a lower level mechanic in one of the big ministries. She dodges the rules and does have an active sex life. She sees when innocent girls in her hostel disappear when they are no longer needed. Julia is caught by one of the higher up officials and forced to entice several men to not only have sex with her but confess to crimes against Big Brother. Her own capture and torture are described with brutal precision.The lies of the Big Brother government are revealed but is the alternate government any better? The author leaves the reader with some uneasy decisions.

46. The Art Thief A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel This narrative is really interesting.A young man, Stephane Breitwieser and his girlfriend, Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus, steal artworks and sculptures from small museums in Switzerland, Belgium,Germany and France. Breitwieser has an obsession with possessing beautiful paintings and valuable objects that were on display in museums with little security. He lived in an attic room in Alsace and really had no intention( at first )about selling these objects. The author was able to interview Breitwieser and the detectives who caught him finally. Brietwiesser was supported by his mother and really had no job. The author did insert into the narrative interviews with psychologists and experts on the nature of Breitwieser's personality disorder. I personally thought that these digressions were not necessary. It was still an interesting story.

47. Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz This mystery is the latest in the series featuring former detective Daniel Hawthorne. The narrator is the author who assists Hawthorne and writes novels about their exploits. This novel is different. Horowitz is not part of the investigation. He is just given the notes and interviews of the case that actually took place five years before he met Hawthorne. The assistant in the case was a mysterious man named John Dudley. A man is shot with a crossbow in his home that is located in a gated community in Richmond. Every person who lives in Riverview Close has a motive to kill the victim, Giles Kenworthy. Hawthorne and Dudley are called to assist the police but the conclusion is not one that Hawthorne agrees with. The way the plot is revealed is complicated but works well. Highly recommended.

48. Alchemy by S.J. Parris I ordered the latest novel about Giordano Bruno-renegade priest, spy for Walsingham and scholar- from England. In this adventure, Bruno travels to Prague at the request of Walsingham in order to find noted alchemist John Dee.Dee had been working on his discoveries at the court of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph 11. However when Bruno reaches Prague, Dee has disappeared and is also accused of murdering a rival alchemist.Bruno contends with the threat of Spanish clergy and those who do not want him find out the truth. He meet famed Rabbi Loew and hears about the Golem who is also implicated in the murder. The plot is very complicated but I loved every twist and turn. By the way there was a very real Giordano Bruno.

49. Toronto International Film Festival Catalogue- I don't think that this catalogue has an ISBN number. It has over 270 pages of film descriptions. The commentary on the films is written by the festival programmers. The reader has a sense of the breadth of the countries and subjects covered by films from all over the world. I used this book to select the films that I wanted to see. ( I am seeing about 10 films and there are over 250 films to choose from)

50. The Life and Times of Andy Warhol by Typex This graphic novel covers the life of artist Andy Warhol.It is not for children and very adult in the depictions. Every person who was involved with Andy Warhol is described from his family to artists, film makers and musicians. I was surprised at the number of prominent musicians that he worked with at various points in his career. The descriptions and relations with women and men are not flattering. It was an interesting read but very raw in the interactions that Warhol had with many, many people.

51. Winter Light The Memoir of a Child of Holocaust Survivors by Grace Feuerverger Oh, my, this is a powerful book. The author was born and grew up in Montreal. Her parents survived the Holocaust concentration camps. They were lucky that Grace's aunt-the only living relative of her father -had immigrated to Canada and was able to sponsor her family. Grace's mother and father did not treat Grace very well as they themselves had been victims and suffered through so much trauma. Grace was lucky that she had terrific role models on what a good family should be. Her French-Canadian neighbours gave her the support and love that was missing in her own home. Later, teachers ,university professors, her very supportive husband and good doctors helped Grace achieve her potential in her career and life. Parts of the story are shocking. I can't imagine what her mother did to her daughter. Grace managed to rid herself of the demons that her mother and father tried to instill in her. The story of children of Holocaust survivors has been written about in non-fiction. This memoir is very important in describing how adversity can be overcome with the help of good people.

52. Traitors, Cannibals, Highlanders and Vikings by Carolyn Jean Nicholson This ER novel is really a combination of historical memoir and story. The main character, Caroline, lives in Halifax. She has been doing research on her ancestors for a book but is having difficulty in writing. Her sisters attribute this to the death of her husband a year ago and feel that she is still in mourning. The story takes a different turn when Caroline is transported by her ancestors to their time and she learns about their history. In turn Caroline visits 1760 Massachusetts, 1776 Truro, Nova Scotia, 1774 Scotland and Prince Edward Island, 1798 New Brunswick 1801 Pictou , Nova Scotia, and 1160 Scotland. I found that the history of the different areas interesting. I thought that the story read more as factual history than as a novel.

53. Black Ice by Thomas King (The touchstones don't work for this title) Another Dreadful Water Mystery. I was so happy to find the the author has written another book in the Dreadful Water mystery series. DreadfulWater is now the temporary Sheriff of Chinook as Duke has taken time off to mourn the passing of his wife. First, there is the death of a private investigator. Then there is the disappearance of a mystery woman. She left a very big dog , Howdy, who figures into the mystery. And the ninja assassin, Cisco Cruz returns. Cruz is very much part of the story of why and who is causing death in this town. Very funny and enjoyable read and very funny in parts.

54. Lenin on the Train by Catherine Merridale This history covered the time just before and after Lenin went by sealed train( and ferries) from Switzerland to Petrograd, Russia in 1917. Agents in Germany went responsible for arranging this journey. Merridale discusses how how the political situation in Petrograd was really chaotic. Germany thought that Lenin's presence in Russia might lead to the withdrawal of Russian troops from the World War The reader learns about the two main groups controlling the leadership of Russia after the resignation of the Tzar. Lenin's ideas were really extreme. How he took power and the fate of those who came with him on the train are discussed. As well, Merridale examines the evidence uncovered decades later about Germany's supposed payment to Lenin. I found this history really interesting and the book added to my knowledge about the Russian Revolution.

55. The Portland, Maine Chef's Table by Margaret Hathaway I decide to read through some of the cookbooks that I have been given over the years. This book lists many of the restaurants in Portland that have interesting menus. There is a description of the chef and their preferences and a recipe or two. Many of the recipes use important products that come from Maine-be it seafood or vegetables. I enjoyed reading this book and will try some of the recipes.

56. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. I always look out for James McBride's newest books. This novel tells the stories of the Jewish and Black inhabitants of Pottstown, Pennsylvania in about 1925 and later. Moshe owns a theatre where he has both Jewish and later Black musicians play. His wife, Chona, runs the Heaven & Earth Grocery store. Chona makes sure her her Black clients always have food. She is friends with everyone in the Chicken Hill neighbourhood where immigrants and Blacks live. When Chona helps hide Dodo, a young deaf boy who is wanted by the authorities( the plan was to put him in an institutional hospital) terrible chaos happens. Dodo is apprehended and the horrible Doc Roberts is implicated in an act of revenge. There is a great resolution due to the planning of Addie and her husband Nate, gangsters, railwaymen, theatre owners and more members of the Chicken Hill neighbourhood. A great read- highly recommended.

57. John Le Carre The Biography by Adam SismanThis 602 page doorstopper of a book describes the life and fiction writing of David Cornwell who uses the name of John Le Carre for his work. Cornwell's life certainly was traumatic. His father Ronnie was a con man who used his sons as much as he could in his schemes. David's mother, Olive, left her husband and sons as she could no longer be part of Ronnie's world. Critics and Cornwell himself described how a household without a positive female influence altered his view of the world and women. The first half of the book is very detailed in the description of Cornwell's schooling, his friends, loves, introduction to the world of spies and first books. In a subsequent book, Sisman writes how Cornwell did not want his biographer to write about his many affairs and how they influenced his work. ( Sisman did this after Cornwell's death)The reader learns about how the Cold War influenced the early stories of spies and double agents. Many of the characters in Cornwell's book were initially taken from people Cornwell knew as friends. Sisman describes not only the themes but also the reviews of the books in the US and England. This biography is very complete but I am also going to reread the book written after Cornwell's death.

58. The Secret Life of John Le Carre by Adam Sisman. O.K. I had to reread the book that Sisman wrote after the death of David Cornwell. This slim volume expands the life story of Cornwell. Sisman was asked not to name the women that Cornwell has affairs with while he and his wife were alive. The reader learns about the many affairs that Cornwell had while he was married to his second wife, Jane. Each woman gave Cornwell a personality that he used in his novels. In fact, Sisman believes that Cornwell needed the intrigue and anxiety that came with hiding his illicit relationships in order to write. This slim volume certainly adds to the work that Sisman did with his biography.

59. Rising by Sidura Ludwig and illustrated by Sophia Vincent This children's book won an award at a recent book event. It is a story of a young girl making challah ( great bread ) for the Sabbath with her mother. The illustrations are lovely and the recipe is included at the end of the story. This will be a great gift for a young reader.

60. The Pigeon Tunnel by John LeCarre This memoir consists of many articles written by the author for various publications. Le Carre wrote this book after the appearance of the biography written by Adam Sisman. In a way, this book almost upstages the biography. The stories are colourful and feature many people from Le Carre's past- directors, other writers, spies and more. I found that reading this book added to my knowledge of the writer. ( and I did read all of the George Smiley books.)

61. Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout This novel brings together a number of the people introduced in previous stories by Strout. Olive Kitteridge returns as a friend of Lucy Barton. Lucy visits Olive and tells her stories of her acquaintances. Lucy and Bob Burgess take walks together to talk about how life is so different and sometimes surprising for them and their families. Bob takes on the defence of a man accused of murdering his mother. The reader learns about the problems faced by Bob's brother Jim and his family. The writing is wonderful and the ideas about how we go about managing the events in our lives thought-provoking. I really enjoyed this book.(and started reading it after I saw an amazing play based on My Name is Lucy Barton)

62. Jennie's Boy: A Newfoundland Childhood. by Wayne Johnston I must admit that I was expecting more from this memoir of the six months that the author spent at the age of seven with his three brothers and parents in a house opposite his grandmother Lucy and grandfather Ned's home. Wayne was a very sickly child- he had ailments that prevented him from eating and he had a constant cough. He spent most of his days with his very religious grandmother Lucy. His mother, Jennie, was determined to give her family a good upbringing but she had very little resources as her husband spent all of the rent money on alcohol. Wayne relates the stories of how his brothers had to help him in almost every activity. The stories did repeat as Wayne stays sick even after been examined by many doctors. His father constantly berates himself for getting drunk but nothing improves. It is an interesting story but I know that I liked the author's earlier memoir, Baltimore's Mansion much better.

63. North Woods by Daniel Mason I loved this book. I appreciated the many slices of history described. The reader views an area in western Massachusetts and a house that has many different inhabitants over the years from the Puritan arrival to present day. I liked the ghosts and the description of the changes in nature in the area. The role of the many species of animals and birds played a role in the changing landscape. This novel was a pleasure to read.

64. Paint with Ploof by Ben Clanton and Andy Chou Musser This ER book is meant to be read to a toddler or a young child. There are some questions to be answered , actions to do and the young reader becomes part of the story. Ploof is a very cute cloud who is about to make a rainbow. There are a number of concepts about feelings as well as the colours and shapes being explored. I thought that a young child would loved the illustrations. I think that the book pages could have been laminated or printed on a much heavier paper. Little hands will want to touch everything!

65. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett I reread this book for my book club. It is still a wonderful read. I highly recommend it to everyone! And you also have to read Our Town by Thornton Wilder -the play that figures so importantly in this story.