Val’s Book Reviews The Italian Secret by Tara Moss Toronto: HarperCollins Canada, 2025$25.99 / 9781443461290 The Italian Secret is a lighthearted, rollicking novel set in three time periods–1907, 1943, 1948–and travels from the Indian Ocean to Italy and Australia. The author’s protagonist, Billie Walker, is a wartime investigative journalist who by 1948 has taken over […]
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Christmas Day! I have frequently written about the significance of a special date in history and readers seem to enjoy hearing about the events that took place on a specific date. As we approach the Holiest of days, I thought it would be interesting to report some of the facts I have uncovered concerning Christmas
A Little History About November 14th Welcome to November, the month of dreary rain, gunpowder plots, beheadings, doom, and gloom! Or so it would seem, according to history. However, I also recently discovered that one date in November—the 14th—also has an accumulation of interesting births, deaths and events connected to it and many of these
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Val’s Book Reviews The Rebel’s Wife by Gerald Richardson Brown Vancouver: Granville Island Publishing, 2025 $24.95 / 9781989467794 Based on a true story, Gerald Richardson Brown’s book The Rebel’s Wife is set in the young colony of Upper Canada during the Rebellions of 1837-38. This was a turbulent period in Canadian history. The protagonist, Maria
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The Power of Friendship I wanted to share a personal story with my readers today about an authors’ group I belong to that started many decades ago. Originally there were about ten people in the group. I won’t mention names, but they will know who they are. Then life happened. One in the group moved
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The Tragic Story of a Girl Called Blanche Her name is largely unknown today, but during her short sixteen years on earth, she experienced more trauma and sadness than is impossible to imagine. Eliza Blanche Baker (always known as Blanche) was born in 1860 in Surrey, England, but eventually came to Canada with her father,
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Val’s Book Reviews Hired Gun: Uncovering Buried Secrets by Bill Koch Altona: Friesen Press, 2025$30.49 / 97810368329448 Bill Koch’s book Hired Gun has a gripping plot with an interesting story that holds your attention until the very last page. As an experienced psychologist himself, Koch is easily able to draw his readers into the life of his protagonist, psychologist David
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The Strange Thing That Happened One September While investigating the things that have happened throughout time in September, I discovered an alarming thing! In 1752, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the American colonies all officially implemented the Gregorian Calendar which had first been developed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. It would replace and correct
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How Was Your Summer? As we head towards the end of August and into September, we will arrive at what I always think of as a “new year”. This feeling goes back to my school or college days when everything new started in September. It continued with my children’s school days and now my grandchildren.
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Val’s Book Reviews Make No Mistake by Julie Wise Penticton: Wise Publications, 2025 $20.99 / 9781069525505 This debut novel by Penticton author Julie Wise is a fast-paced and exciting feminist thriller about a heroine, Maggie Carpenter, who fights for justice for women everywhere. Maggie has spent a lifetime working for women’s rights, during which time
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