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miramichireader's reviews
676 reviews
Driftwood by Valerie Sherrard
4.0
I came across Valerie Sherrard’s name when I performed an Internet search for “Miramichi Authors”. Here, right in Miramichi was a well-published, short-listed author that had somehow flown under my radar. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Ms. Sherrard writes novels for middle graders and young adults. Being well out of that demographic, and having no children of that age likely didn’t help either. So I decided to look up some of her more recent novels in the NB library system.
I found Driftwood (2013, Fitzhenry & Whiteside) and its synopsis looked interesting: a boy Adam (‘I’m almost twelve’) is on a two month summer vacation at the Schooner Point cabins in Miramichi. His best friend Billy was to come along, but backs out at the last-minute with a seemingly poor excuse. However, Adam manages to make some new friends with children of the other campers and meets an old visually impaired man who can tell by touch where pieces of driftwood originate from along with a story to go along with it.
Read the rest of the review at my site, www.MiramichiReader.ca
I found Driftwood (2013, Fitzhenry & Whiteside) and its synopsis looked interesting: a boy Adam (‘I’m almost twelve’) is on a two month summer vacation at the Schooner Point cabins in Miramichi. His best friend Billy was to come along, but backs out at the last-minute with a seemingly poor excuse. However, Adam manages to make some new friends with children of the other campers and meets an old visually impaired man who can tell by touch where pieces of driftwood originate from along with a story to go along with it.
Read the rest of the review at my site, www.MiramichiReader.ca
Lunenberg by Keith Baker
3.0
Lunenburg (2015, Vagrant Press) is a Canadian reprint of a UK novel previously released in 2000. It is a detective/mystery novel which originally begins in 1970 outside Lunenburg, but ends in Halifax in the year 2000. Keith Baker is a UK novelist and has written three other thrillers published by Headline in the UK. I recently reviewed another thriller (I am not keen on that term, but that's what the publishers prefer to call them), What Kills Good Men by David Hood. It was a novel set in 1899 Halifax and concerned a police Inspector trying to solve a murder. Lunenburg is similar in that it involves a policewoman trying to solve two recent murders, both connected (as it turns out) to the 1970 murder. But no more spoilers now!
Synopsis
The main protagonist of the story is Annie Welles, an officer with the Halifax Regional Police's Robbery and Violent Crimes Unit. Annie is a single mother of two boys, the custody of which she lost in the divorce agreement. She loves Halifax and would not want to live anywhere else. She is not exactly 'tough' but she is resolute enough in her professional career and will often follow her hunches. Against the backdrop of these two murders is the planned Royal visit of Prince William to Lunenburg to launch the new Bluenose III (a totally fictitious ship and event). John Taggart, a UK journalist assigned to cover the event, but then the murders occur, and he is asked look into them and their possible impact on the Royal visit. Taggart's problems follow him across the ocean, as the paper he is working for is soon taken over, and his contract is then terminated whilst he is in Canada. He also has an ancestral connection to Nova Scotia, and soon finds himself in a foreign country without a job and embroiled in the investigation.
You can read the rest of the review at my site: www.MiramichiReader.ca
Synopsis
The main protagonist of the story is Annie Welles, an officer with the Halifax Regional Police's Robbery and Violent Crimes Unit. Annie is a single mother of two boys, the custody of which she lost in the divorce agreement. She loves Halifax and would not want to live anywhere else. She is not exactly 'tough' but she is resolute enough in her professional career and will often follow her hunches. Against the backdrop of these two murders is the planned Royal visit of Prince William to Lunenburg to launch the new Bluenose III (a totally fictitious ship and event). John Taggart, a UK journalist assigned to cover the event, but then the murders occur, and he is asked look into them and their possible impact on the Royal visit. Taggart's problems follow him across the ocean, as the paper he is working for is soon taken over, and his contract is then terminated whilst he is in Canada. He also has an ancestral connection to Nova Scotia, and soon finds himself in a foreign country without a job and embroiled in the investigation.
You can read the rest of the review at my site: www.MiramichiReader.ca
Random Acts by Valerie Sherrard
4.0
This story concerns three 'quintessential almost thirteen year olds' Zoey, Jenna and Bean who, after scarfing down a huge meal of pizza, garlic cheese fingers, Caesar salad, a dozen buffalo wings (which eventually get the blame), two litres of Pepsi and a tub of ice cream decide to do anonymous random acts of kindness to others after learning about a similar club being started by a rival schoolmate. They even sign a contract to make it all the more real and official. However, their simple, well-intentioned random acts result in a lot of unforeseen problems. One random act may caused the death of a well-liked History teacher!
This is really a comedy of errors, although at the time, none of this is funny to the three participants. The police are even called by a neighbour of Zoey's because she (along with Bean) decided to rake up their leaves under the cover of night (because these acts are to be anonymous, remember) to surprise them in the morning. However, these particular neighbours wanted their leaves to remain on the lawn until spring. So they accused Zoey (once she confessed) of stealing their leaves! So you get an idea of how things are going with their 'random acts'.
Please read the rest of my review at MiramichiReader.ca
This is really a comedy of errors, although at the time, none of this is funny to the three participants. The police are even called by a neighbour of Zoey's because she (along with Bean) decided to rake up their leaves under the cover of night (because these acts are to be anonymous, remember) to surprise them in the morning. However, these particular neighbours wanted their leaves to remain on the lawn until spring. So they accused Zoey (once she confessed) of stealing their leaves! So you get an idea of how things are going with their 'random acts'.
Please read the rest of my review at MiramichiReader.ca
Too Much on the Inside by Danila Botha
4.0
While Too Much on the Inside may not be a book I would have picked up for my own reading pleasure, I found myself being drawn into it for several reasons. Firstly, I lived in Toronto for about 20 years, some of those spent in the Queen Street West area of Parkdale close to where Dez' bar is located. I recognized the street names and could picture the scenes in my mind's eye. I also lived near the Bathurst and Lawrence area where the character Nicki stays when she first arrives in Canada. It is a very Jewish neighbourhood where her orthodox cousins live. Thirdly, Ms. Botha's writing style as well as the book's unique layout drew me in which is difficult to describe. Due to the narrative style, I at times felt like a psychiatrist and each of the characters were my patients, each using their scheduled appointment to relate their emotions and deepest thoughts to me. Indeed, many of the narratives conclude with comments like: "Sometimes he doesn't get me at all" "The times I spend living instead of thinking are the times that I convince myself that I'm the happiest" "I start to think that I might really be going out of my mind".
At other times, I felt like a priest hearing a confessional. It is a very engaging writing style, and not one I have come across before. The story of each character unfolds in a sort of backwards/forwards kind of way. As we learn about their past, the story actually moves forward and we eventually come to understand if not empathizing or even sympathizing with the character and his/her problems.
You can read the rest of my review at my site: www.MiriamichiReader.ca
At other times, I felt like a priest hearing a confessional. It is a very engaging writing style, and not one I have come across before. The story of each character unfolds in a sort of backwards/forwards kind of way. As we learn about their past, the story actually moves forward and we eventually come to understand if not empathizing or even sympathizing with the character and his/her problems.
You can read the rest of my review at my site: www.MiriamichiReader.ca
Three Million Acres of Flame by Valerie Sherrard
4.0
Three Million Acres of Flame (2007, Dundurn Press) is a historical novel by Miramichi author Valerie Sherrard. It tells the story of young Skye Haverill and her family and friends against the backdrop of the Great Miramichi Fire of 1825, one of the largest forest fires ever recorded in North American history.
Synopsis
Fourteen year old Skye Haverill and her family are living near Newcastle, on the north side of the Miramichi River when, on October 7th, a large forest fire advances on the community overtaking homes, livestock and humans as the extremely dry conditions that summer assist in the rapid spread of the fire. The only escape is to the Miramichi River itself, a natural fire barrier protecting Chatham (on the south side of the river) from being devastated as well. The survivors are taken across the river by the kind folks of Chatham who take them into their homes and supply them with clothing and other necessities, since most only escaped with their clothes on their back that day. The story follows the Haverill family and their friends as they are taken in by complete strangers in Chatham, try to rebuild their lives and find love ones that are still missing, and all the while dealing with losses, both material and physical.
An Educational and Enjoyable Read
Recently, in the Western provinces of Canada there have been many wildfires destroying not only forests, but displacing residents and damaging property. The difference between the threat of fire today and back in 1825 is one of communication. Today, fires can be tracked, fought by planes in the sky and trained firefighters on the ground. Back in 1825, the only way to spread news was by word of mouth, or a messenger on horseback travelling from one isolated community to the next over poor roads. There was no telephone, telegraph or radio available to warn others of an impending disaster. Hence, the fire was upon them almost before they realized it. Ms. Sherrard (who is primarily writes Young Adult novels) recreates in words what it must have been like to experience the fear of fire, the flight to the river and the horrible aftermath: the charred ruins of homes, bodies of animals and livestock, and sadly, loved ones and fellow townsfolk:
"Everywhere, hacking coughs and laboured breathing could be heard, together with the sizzling, snapping sounds of the dying fire. Skye choked as she breathed in the soot and acrid odour that was impossible to escape. The overpowering smells of burnt wood and flesh sickened her and, like many others, she found herself retching, although her stomach had nothing to yield."
While this book may be catalogued as a "young adult" novel, it is mature enough in voice to be enjoyed by an adult reader. Ms. Sherrard's vivid descriptions of the scenes of the aftermath are just graphic enough (and not merely included for shock value} so that we can understand what it must have been like to be there. However, balanced against the hardships is the seemingly unlimited generosity of the Chatham townspeople who took the survivors in and cared for their needs for as long as necessary until word was spread to other communities and the larger cities of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI who readily responded to the call for assistance.
Conclusion
Perhaps because of the early time period, there is not a lot of printed material on this event in Canadian history. Ms. Sherrard has performed a great service in writing this book, and she includes a very informative, fact-filled author's note at the end of the story. Overall, a book with a realistic story (like "Little House on the Prairie" with a little bit of "Anne of Green Gables") set against a tragic natural disaster in Canada's past.
Synopsis
Fourteen year old Skye Haverill and her family are living near Newcastle, on the north side of the Miramichi River when, on October 7th, a large forest fire advances on the community overtaking homes, livestock and humans as the extremely dry conditions that summer assist in the rapid spread of the fire. The only escape is to the Miramichi River itself, a natural fire barrier protecting Chatham (on the south side of the river) from being devastated as well. The survivors are taken across the river by the kind folks of Chatham who take them into their homes and supply them with clothing and other necessities, since most only escaped with their clothes on their back that day. The story follows the Haverill family and their friends as they are taken in by complete strangers in Chatham, try to rebuild their lives and find love ones that are still missing, and all the while dealing with losses, both material and physical.
An Educational and Enjoyable Read
Recently, in the Western provinces of Canada there have been many wildfires destroying not only forests, but displacing residents and damaging property. The difference between the threat of fire today and back in 1825 is one of communication. Today, fires can be tracked, fought by planes in the sky and trained firefighters on the ground. Back in 1825, the only way to spread news was by word of mouth, or a messenger on horseback travelling from one isolated community to the next over poor roads. There was no telephone, telegraph or radio available to warn others of an impending disaster. Hence, the fire was upon them almost before they realized it. Ms. Sherrard (who is primarily writes Young Adult novels) recreates in words what it must have been like to experience the fear of fire, the flight to the river and the horrible aftermath: the charred ruins of homes, bodies of animals and livestock, and sadly, loved ones and fellow townsfolk:
"Everywhere, hacking coughs and laboured breathing could be heard, together with the sizzling, snapping sounds of the dying fire. Skye choked as she breathed in the soot and acrid odour that was impossible to escape. The overpowering smells of burnt wood and flesh sickened her and, like many others, she found herself retching, although her stomach had nothing to yield."
While this book may be catalogued as a "young adult" novel, it is mature enough in voice to be enjoyed by an adult reader. Ms. Sherrard's vivid descriptions of the scenes of the aftermath are just graphic enough (and not merely included for shock value} so that we can understand what it must have been like to be there. However, balanced against the hardships is the seemingly unlimited generosity of the Chatham townspeople who took the survivors in and cared for their needs for as long as necessary until word was spread to other communities and the larger cities of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI who readily responded to the call for assistance.
Conclusion
Perhaps because of the early time period, there is not a lot of printed material on this event in Canadian history. Ms. Sherrard has performed a great service in writing this book, and she includes a very informative, fact-filled author's note at the end of the story. Overall, a book with a realistic story (like "Little House on the Prairie" with a little bit of "Anne of Green Gables") set against a tragic natural disaster in Canada's past.
A Certain Grace by Binnie Brennan
4.0
Every night before turning out the lights, I do a little reading. Last night I finished A Certain Grace (2012, Quattro) by Halifax author Binnie Brennan. I quickly came to the conclusion that I shouldn't read short stories before bed, especially the type that Ms. Brennan writes. Oh, not that they are scary in any way. I can sleep quite easily after reading H.P. Lovecraft! No, her short stories are of the type that keep the wheels turning in the mind long after you put the book down. Which is a good thing, demonstrating both the art of the short story and the genius of its author as well. There are many aspects of her stories to mull over: her characters, their emotions and actions, the imagery and the sense of a story well told, yet more is left untold, letting the reader do some of the work. Not recommended as a sleep aid!
You can read the rest of this review at my site: www.MiramichiReader.ca
You can read the rest of this review at my site: www.MiramichiReader.ca
The Dashiell Hammett Megapack by Dashiell Hammett
4.0
At the price, this is a good buy for Hammett fans as well as an intro for those not that familiar with his works. There are several Continental Op stories that make this eBook a must-have for Hammett fans.