Reviews

Quadra Island chronicles

Val’s Book Reviews Definitely Not James Herriot: A Memoir, of Sorts by Jocelyn Reekie Campbell River: Peregrin Publishing, 2022$21.95 / 9781896402208 Jocelyn Reekie’s small book is a delightful treasure for anyone who loves animals. This short memoir covers Reekie’s life from the time she discovered a passion for animals as a child in Saskatchewan. Her […]

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South to British Columbia

Val’s Book Reviews Following the Telegraph Trail: A Trek of a Lifetime by Irene J. Huntley Victoria: FriesenPress, 2021 $14.99 / 9781039110441 Irene J. Huntley has written a worthy little book — Following the Telegraph Trail — which documents the adventurous trek taken by her father, Don Huntley, and his friend, Gunnar Nillson, in 1956,

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A family divided

Val’s Book Reviews Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A Dutch Policeman Fighting the Nazi Occupation by Johanna Van Zanten Las Vegas: Histria Books (Addison & Highsmith Publishers), 2021 $29.99 / 9781592111022 I always enjoy books set in World War Two, especially those that tell stories of lesser known aspects of the war. Such

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Fraser River Waterways

Val’s Book Reviews The Call of the Red-Winged Blackbird: Essays on the Common and Extraordinary by Tim Bowling Hamilton, ON: Wolsak & Wynn, 2022 $22.00 / 9781989496428 It is always a delightful surprise to discover a book you would not normally read, only to find it extremely enjoyable. Such was the case for me with

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Beware of Ketopram

Val’s Book Reviews The Darkness in the Light by Daniel Kalla Toronto: Simon & Schuster Canada, 2022 $24.99 / 9781982191399 If you enjoy gripping, psychological thrillers, Daniel Kalla’s book The Darkness in The Light will hold your attention to the very end. The story takes place in Anchorage, Alaska, and in the remote world of

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Guns N’ Poses

Val’s Book Reviews They Don’t Pay Me To Say No: my life in film and television props by Dean Goodine Victoria: FriesenPress Publishing, 2022$24.99 / 9781039144316 If you were asked what a “property master” does for a living, you would most likely assume the job was connected to real estate in some way. Such is

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Loss, wisdom, bereavement

Val’s Book Reviews Loss, wisdom, bereavement Minerva’s Owl: The Bereavement Phase of My Marriage by Carol Matthews Calgary: Freehand Books, 2021 (first published by Oolichan Books, 2017) $17.95 / 9780889823259 Carol Matthews’ memoir Minerva’s Owl is not a happy book, but it is one full of hope and tenderness told with the author’s beautiful prose

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