Category: From My Bookshelf – Lynn Willoughby

By Lynn Willoughby Born a Crime ~ Trevor Noah This autobiography was recommended by two different people.  And while I am glad that I read it, I often found it tedious.  For me, the best parts were the basis and history of apartheid in South Africa. As the title says, Trevor was born to a white,…

By Lynn Willoughby Into the Abyss ~  Carol Shaben In this book of non-fiction, Erik Vogel  is a young, eager, fatigued, overworked bush pilot.  He flies for Wapiti Air out of Grande Prairie, trying to get in his flying hours so he can apply for his commercial pilot’s license, like so many others.  He is…

By Lynn Willoughby A Man Called Smith ~ Tanya E. Williams After surviving his years in WWII, John Smith returns home and marries Violet, the love of his life.  Nightmares of what he has seen, done, smelled, felt and survived during the war haunt him constantly.  But Violet asks the tough questions and listens to the…

 By Lynn Willoughby Eddie’s Bastard ~  William Kowalsky Eddie’s bastard is William Amos Mann IV, who is discovered as a small baby at the door of his grandfather’s home.  Billy grows up on “a diet of love and fried baloney sandwiches”.  His drunken grandfather doesn’t believe in school – so Billy is largely self taught,…

By Lynn Willoughby Albatross ~ Terry Fallis I like reading Canadian fiction and when it comes with a very Canadian brand of humour – that is an added bonus.  As usual, Fallis does not disappoint. Fallis is a two time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour.  I find his writing extremely funny and even…

By Lynn Willoughby The High Road  ~ Terry Fallis “The Best Laid Plans” was my introduction to this author.  Now he has become a favourite, and in fact, did a reading at the Sheep River library on October 17th.  His writing is funny and timely and makes a very dry subject come alive.  This novel is…

By Lynn Willoughby The Lying Game ~ Ruth Ware This summer read is the story of four girls who were at boarding school together when they were fifteen.  They are from diverse backgrounds but bond immediately.  There were the usual school girl pranks, cliques, crankiness about the teachers, stories from home.  Then something terrible happens. It…

By Lynn Willoughby Cyclops Road  ~ Jeff Strean If you are looking for a fun, satirical, offbeat novel -this is the book for you.  While this is my introduction to this author, his style of writing reminds me of Robert McCammon, whose every character is memorable and quirky. Harriet is on a quest.  She has…

By Lynn Willoughby Kingdom of the Blind ~ Louise Penny The Inspector Gamache series by this author has been hugely popular.  In fact, this is the fourteenth in the series.  Although they are mystery novels set in the seemingly tranquil village of Three Pines,  there are dark and disturbing crimes, with despicable characters.  And although I…

By Lynn Willoughby The Salt House ~ Lisa Duffy This debut novel is told in four voices –  Hope, Jack and their daughters Jess and Kat.  There is an underlying tension in the family that had me hooked. Jack is a lobster fisherman in Maine.  He and his partner Boon have a successful and growing business. …

By Lynn Willoughby The 57 Bus ~ Dashka Slater This is the true story of two teenagers “…and the crime that changed their lives.”  It is a non-fiction narrative with lots of statistics on juvenile crime, populations, detention centres  and rate of recidivism. On January 31, 2015 Sasha Fleischman was riding the 57 bus home…

By Lynn Willoughby Final Report ~ Rick Mercer This book is a winner!  I always watched the Rick Mercer Report on CBC and enjoyed his take on politics, fashions, elections, how fortunate we are as Canadians and whatever else was in the news of the week.  Not only does this book have many of his well…

By Lynn Willoughby The Tattooist of Auschwitz ~ Heather Morris This novel is based on the lives and memories of the two main characters – Lale and Gita.  They meet shortly after arriving in Auschwitz in 1942.  Lale’s work is tattooing identification numbers on each new inmate. He is horrified and doesn’t think he can do…

By Lynn Willoughby The Eye of the Elephant: An Epic Adventure in the African Wilderness ~   Delia and Mark Owens This is a very readable true adventure. The Owens’s story is dramatic, candid, funny and heart breaking, but full of the kind of information that brings true enlightenment  I loved it. After the Owens’s had been expelled…