Val’s Book Reviews Trees of Victoria: A Wanderer’s Guide by Collin Varner Victoria: Heritage House, 2025 $26.95 / 9781772035339 Although Victoria, British Columbia, is always thought of as the “city of gardens,” author Collin Varner believes it should also be known as the “city of trees.” After having read his delightful guide to more than […]
Ambling appreciation of the arborist Read More »
Val’s Book Reviews Fake Out: A Long Beach Mystery by Faye Bayko Victoria: Tellwell Publishing, 2025$26.99 / 9781779624789 Faye Bayko’s debut novel Fake Out plunges her readers into the world of hippies, drugs, and a place where young people are deeply committed to the slogan “Make love, not war.” She sets her story in May
Draft dodgers, flower children, murder Read More »
Val’s Book Reviews 300 Mason Jars: Preserving History by Joanne Thomson Victoria: Heritage House, 2024 $34.95 / 9781772935162 Author, artist, and poet Joanne Thomson, has found a delightfully different way of preserving her family history in her book 300 Mason Jars. In six separate sections Thomson has created her family’s story in prose, poetry, and
Containing and releasing family history Read More »
Val’s Book Reviews Scrappy Jack: 100 Years of Hardship, Laughter, and Recycling by Joan Steacy Vancouver: Midtown Press, 2023 $24.95 / 9781988242521 Scrappy Jack by Joan Steacy is a delightful mix of memoir and illustrations aimed at both adult and juvenile readers. It is the story of the author’s father Jack who was born in
Mix of memoir and illustrations Read More »
Val’s Book Reviews Letters from Gerald by R.W. Butler Altona: Friesen Press, 2024$22.49 / 9781038305459 I was pleasantly surprised to find that fiction about ornithology could hold my attention to the very last page. West coast author R.W. Butler’s debut novel on this specialized topic has much to commend it. The book concerns young Eleanor
Eleanor, on the ascent Read More »
Val’s Book Reviews Dear Arlo: letters to my grandson by Olga CampbellVancouver: Jubaji Press, 2024 This memoir by Olga Campbell is a mixture of prose, art, poetry, and recipes interspersed with letters to the author’s grandson, Arlo. It tells the tragic story of a legacy of trauma. Campbell herself is a second-generation holocaust survivor born
A tragedy of generational trauma Read More »
Val’s Book Reviews My Turquoise Years: A Memoir (Twentieth Anniversary Edition) by M.A.C. Farrant Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2024$21.95 / 9781772016369 My Turquoise Years is the 20th Anniversary reprint edition of M.A.C. Farrant’s original memoir with five additional stories added, plus an introduction by Lynne Van Luven and a new preface. This is not a typical memoir
Non-typical memoir, non-typical family Read More »
Val’s Book Reviews Celebrities Who Have Met Me: A Child of the Lost Empire by John D’EatheVancouver: Adagio Media, 2024$21.99 9781999433925 John D’Eathe’s memoir is a whimsical look at the fall of the British Empire, told through anecdotes of his life as D’Eathe travelled through many countries and observed how the once-great British Empire has
What lasts (and what doesn’t) Read More »
Val’s Book Reviews The Champagne Letters by Kate MacIntosh Toronto: Gallery Books, 2024 $36.99 / 9781668061886 In The Champagne Letters, Kate MacIntosh has successfully managed to create two parallel stories set in two different eras: one in nineteenth-century France and the other in the present day. Her narrative flows seamlessly between discrete eras
A Grand Dame and a divorcée Read More »
Val’s Book Reviews A Traveller’s Guide to Historic British Columbia (revised) by Rosemary Neering Vancouver: Whitecap Books, 2023 $34.95 / 9781770503700 Now revised and updated, Rosemary Neering’s A Traveller’s Guide to Historic British Columbia is a fascinating historical journey through the province. She begins the book with some powerful words: “More than 30 years ago,
Our journey from past to present Read More »
