Category: From My Bookshelf – Lynn Willoughby

From My Bookshelf: Michael Crummey

By Lynn Willoughby The Wreckage ~ Michael Crummey In 1929 a tsunami struck Newfoundland and instantly wiped out several outport communities. Aloysius Fuery’s parents are gone and his life is forever changed. However, the novel actually opens during WWII in the South Pacific, seen through the eyes of Nishino, a Japanese soldier. So we have…

August 7, 2016
From My Bookshelf: Sarah Pelekanan

By Lynn Willoughby Things You Won’t Say ~ Sarah Pelekanan The perfect husband, the ideal family – Jamie thinks her life is wonderful. But her husband, Mike, is a cop and when his longtime partner is shot, Mike becomes an invisible casualty. Then things get worse. When we depend upon others for our security and…

July 31, 2016
From My Bookshelf: Kathryn Kruitenbrouwer

By Lynn Willoughby All the Broken Things ~ Kathryn Kruitenbrouwer In 1983, in Toronto, Bo lives with his mother and his sister. He is fourteen. The family are Vietnamese refugees. His sister is now four and so severely disfigured and grotesque from the effects of Agent Orange that her mother, Rose, will never allow her outside.…

July 24, 2016
From My Bookshelf: Linwood Barclay

By Lynn Willoughby Never Look Away ~ Linwood Barclay Every once in awhile, especially in summer or when one is not feeling great, an easy read is just what I need. This is one of those novels. David Harwood, his wife Jan and four year old son Ethan are at an amusement park one warm…

July 17, 2016
From My Bookshelf: Fiona Barton

By Lynn Willoughby The Widow ~ Fiona Barton This debut novel has been called “a delightfully trashy thriller.” I totally agree. There are several stories going on here – Jean, a quiet hairdresser who is wooed by Glen Taylor. Glen orders Jean’s food, is always critical of her choices, changes careers frequently, doesn’t want children. Soon…

July 10, 2016
From My Bookshelf: Featuring Richard B. Wright

By Lynn Willoughby A Life With Words ~ Richard B. Wright I have enjoyed every novel I have read by this author so was looking forward to his memoir. He didn’t disappoint. With his usual self-deprecating humour I was often laughing to myself, and like everyone’s life journey, there are many bumps in the road.…

June 26, 2016
From My Bookshelf: Featuring Linda McQuaig

By Lynn Willoughby All You Can Eat ~ Linda McQuaig This book of non-fiction was recommended by a friend. After reading it and learning more about “the new economy” and how globalization and corporate rights are inevitable I feel like pulling the covers over my head!! Throughout human history man has lusted after status and…

June 19, 2016
From My Bookshelf: Featuring Kelli Estes

By Lynn Willoughby The Girl Who Wrote in Silk ~ Kelli Estes History is full of brutality, most of it unrecorded. We in Canada have just heard the results of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, but we cannot pat ourselves on the back over how we handled Chinese citizens after the railway was completed, nor…

June 12, 2016
From My Bookshelf: Featuring Stephan P. Kiernan

By Lynn Willoughby The Curiosity ~ Stephan P. Kiernan This is a debut novel and it is powerful, and takes on a lot of big questions. “What is the true measure of a human life? Where does the line fall between legitimate science and playing God? If death could be undone, what would it mean…

June 5, 2016
From My Bookshelf: Featuring Andrew Morton and Sebastian Faulks

By Lynn Willoughby 17 Carnations ~ Andrew Morton The Royals, the Nazis and the Biggest Cover Up in History This book of non-fiction gives us one version of Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor, his wife, Wallis Simpson and the bizarre and truly scary plot to reinstate him as a puppet king once the…

May 22, 2016
From My Bookshelf: Featuring Alice Hoffman and Allen Eskers

By Lynn Willoughby The Marriage of Opposites ~ Alice Hoffman This novel had some interesting history, especially in regards to the setting. It is the early 1800s on the island of St Thomas which is governed by Denmark. The small Jewish community here has been allowed to run their businesses and live their lives in…

May 8, 2016
From My Bookshelf: Featuring Joan Clark and Padma Visiwanathan

By Lynn Willoughby The Birthday Lunch ~ Joan Clark The title of this novel caught my eye and and it was a nice little read. The story of the family takes place in one week, after a tragedy. In my head I had written a completely different conclusion. However, the real conclusion is also satisfying. The action…

April 17, 2016
From My Bookshelf: Featuring Jared Diamond; Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman

By Lynn Willoughby Germs, Guns and Steel ~ Jared Diamond The Fates of Human Societies This Pulitzer Prize winning book of non-fiction gives us a new perspective and understanding of human history. The author argues that geographical and environmental factors shaped the modern world. Advancement in food production in a society always leads to success,…

April 3, 2016
From My Bookshelf: Featuring Sharon Butala and Amy Stewart

By Lynn Willoughby Wild Rose ~ Sharon Butala I read Butala’s first book “Country of the Heart” published in 1984 and didn’t care for either the content nor the flowery style of writing. So I was prepared never to read another. Then this one was handed to me so I thought “Why not?” Having just…

March 20, 2016
From My Bookshelf: Featuring Sandra Dallas and Richard Wagamese

By Lynn Willoughby The Last Midwife ~ Sandra Dallas Historical fiction, well written, is my favourite read and Dallas never lets me down. Her books are easy but filled with information and always have a twist I don’t see coming. This novel is centered around Gracy Brookens, a midwife in the 19th century in a…

March 6, 2016