Book ~ "28 Summers" (2020) Elin Hilderbrand

From Goodreads ~ When Mallory Blessing's son, Link, receives deathbed instructions from his mother to call a number on a slip of paper in her desk drawer, he's not sure what to expect. But he certainly does not expect Jake McCloud to answer. It's the late spring of 2020 and Jake's wife, Ursula DeGournsey, is the frontrunner in the upcoming Presidential election.

There must be a mistake, Link thinks. How do Mallory and Jake know each other?

Flash back to the sweet summer of 1993: Mallory has just inherited a beachfront cottage on Nantucket from her aunt and she agrees to host her brother's bachelor party. Cooper's friend from college, Jake McCloud, attends, and Jake and Mallory form a bond that will persevere - through marriage, children, and Ursula's stratospheric political rise - until Mallory learns she's dying.

Based on the classic film "Same Time Next Year" (which Mallory and Jake watch every summer), "28 Summers" explores the agony and romance of a one-weekend-per-year affair and the dramatic ways this relationship complicates and enriches their lives, and the lives of the people they love.

It's 1993 and 24-year-old Mallory inherits a cottage she loves on Nantucket Island and some money from an aunt and moves there from New York City where she was going nowhere.  Her brother, Cooper is getting married that fall so he invites himself and Jake and Fray, two buddies, to the cottage for Labour Day weekend for a bachelor to celebrate.  Mallory knows Jake and Fray and is okay with that.  In fact, she's always had a crush on Jake.  Cooper and Fray end up bailing during the weekend so that leaves Jake and Mallory alone.  Jake has been on-again-off-again with Ursula since high school and this is during one of their off-agains.  Mallory doesn't want to have a long distance relationship so doesn't want to commit to Jake but they do promise that they'll get together at the cottage every Labour Day weekend ... and there will be no contact during the year.  When he gets back home, he and Ursula get back together and eventually marry and have a child.  Mallory and Jake continue to have their secret long weekend every year ... and this goes on until the summer of 2019.

I didn't like this story.  I found it hard to believe that Mallory and Jake were apparently so in love yet neither loved each other enough to compromise so they could be together.  Mallory wouldn't tolerate a long distance relationship or leave her beloved cottage.  Jake stayed with Ursula because of some weird loyalty to her because she was nice to his twin sister who passed away when they were 13.  It was unrealistic that he would stay with her when she was always so nasty and focused on her career.  Mallory did date over the years and even got pregnant and had a son.  She had some great prospects but she always kicked them to the curb because they couldn't measure up to her love of Jake.  At one point, a good friend and co-worker is getting married over Labour Day weekend and Mallory pathetically tries to get out of it because it's cutting into her weekend with Jake.  Really?

Cooper wasn't that much of a prize.  He got married four (or maybe five?) times to poor choices and the first weddings were an excuse for the author to bring Mallory and Jake together when they couldn't be together (Ursula was always there).  Leland was Mallory's best friend since school but treated Mallory like crap ... and Mallory put up with it.

I was okay with the writing style.  It seemed to be in a conversational manner, like we were being told the story.  The book is over 400 pages, though, and a lot of the useless information and asides could have been cut out as it seemed to drag at times.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on the different characters including Mallory, Jake, Cooper, Leland and others.

No happy ending, either.  The book starts in present day with Mallory on her death bed with cancer.

Book ~ "Dogtripping: 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, And 3 RVs On Our Canine Cross-Country Adventure" (2013) David Rosenfelt

From Goodreads ~ When mystery writer David Rosenfelt and his family moved from California to Maine, he thought he had prepared for everything. 

They had mapped the route, brought three GPSs for backup, refrigerators full of food and volunteers for help. But traveling in three RVs with twenty-five dogs turned out to be a bigger ordeal than he anticipated. 

Rosenfelt recounts the adventure with humor and warmth and tells how he and his wife became passionate foster parents for rescue dogs, culminating in the creation of the Tara Foundation.

I discovered David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series about four years ago.  I've read and enjoyed them all ... the first one was published in 2002 and I'm looking forward to #19 coming out next month.  Andy is a lawyer who is married to Laurie and they have a young son named Rich.  He also has a golden retriever named Tara, who he thinks she's the best dog in the world..  I've also read his Doug Brock series ... the first was published in 2012 and the third/last one was published this past March.  Doug is a police officer who was shot in the line of duty and has lost the last ten years of his memory.

I enjoy reading books about animals.  I knew David and his wife, Debbie, are involved with rescue dogs so have been wanting to read this book and Lessons from Tara: Life Advice from the World’s Most Brilliant Dog for a while (I volunteer with a cat rescue).  I read and enjoyed Lessons from Tara: Life Advice from the World’s Most Brilliant Dog earlier this week so was looking forward to reading this one right afterwards as it is referenced in Lessons from Tara.

When David and Debbie started dating in the early 1990s, she had a golden retriever named Tara who he soon grew to love.  Tara passed away within a year and they eventually started getting involved in dog rescue.  Their mission was to take, place and/or adopt older dogs that would be euthanized because most people want younger dogs.  They started the Tara Foundation, named in honour of Tara.  In Tara's memory, they have never not taken in a golden retriever, regardless of how many dogs they had.

According to his website, David and Debbie currently have 27 dogs.  David and Debbie are both from the east coast, missed the different changing seasons and, after a scare with wildfires getting too close to their home in California, they decided to move to Maine.  This book is about their move from California to Maine.

At that time, they had 25 dogs.  How do they transport 25 mostly senior dogs across the country!?  Flying would have been expensive.  Plus the dogs would have to travel in cargo and most needed medicine on a regular basis.  And there's no way they would be able to fly all the dogs there at the same time.  Once they realized John Travolta or Oprah weren't going to volunteer their private jets, they eventually decided to transport the dogs in rented RVs.  But they needed people to drive the RVs plus help out.  They were surprised but grateful when friends, friends of friends and strangers stepped up to help them during their journey.

David and Debbie have rescued almost 4,000 dogs and found them homes.  Their own home has became a sanctuary for those dogs they rescued that are too old or sickly to be wanted by others.  In alternating chapters, David describes some of the dogs they have rescued and/or adopted over the years.  Some of these dogs made the trek to Maine (and all made it!).

I like the writing style of this book ... like his Andy Carpenter series, it was funny, sarcastic and amusing.  I like that he gave props to everyone who has helped them along the way (vets, rescues, the volunteers who traveled with him, etc.) and named names to acknowledge them.

Book ~ "Lessons from Tara: Life Advice from the World’s Most Brilliant Dog" (2015) David Rosenfelt

From Goodreads ~ David Rosenfelt's loyal readers of the Andy Carpenter series are familiar with Tara, the golden retriever sidekick. Many also got to know Tara from "Dogtripping", David's nonfiction book about becoming a slightly nutty dog rescuer and the dog that started it all. Here, finally, is a book all about the inspirational canine who taught David everything he knows. Well, he did know how to tie his shoes before he met and came to love Tara but that's about it. 

Through Tara, David learned about dating, about being able to share his emotions and also about everyday stuff like who gets to use the pillow if several dogs are sleeping in your bed (clue: It's not the human) and why random barking will never be something that can be eliminated. 

I discovered David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series about four years ago.  I've read and enjoyed them all ... the first one was published in 2002 and I'm looking forward to #19 coming out next month.  Andy is a lawyer who is married to Laurie and they have a young son named Rich.  He also has a golden retriever named Tara, who he thinks she's the best dog in the world..  I've also read his Doug Brock series ... the first was published in 2012 and the third/last one was published this past March.  Doug is a police officer who was shot in the line of duty and has lost the last ten years of his memory.

I enjoy reading books about animals.  I knew David and his wife, Debbie, are involved with rescue dogs so have been wanting to read this book for a while (I volunteer with a cat rescue).  When David and Debbie started dating, she had a golden retriever named Tara who he soon grew to love.  Tara passed away and they eventually started getting involved in dog rescue.  Their mission was to take, place and/or adopt older dogs that would be euthanized because most people want younger dogs.  They started the Tara Foundation, named in honour of Tara.  In Tara's memory, they have never not taken in a golden retriever, regardless of how many dogs they had.

According to his website, David and Debbie currently have 27 dogs (they live on a property in Maine so there is lot of room for the dogs).  This book is about the rescue process, finding homes for the dogs and what it's like living with that many dogs ... who sleeps where, who is friends with who, the barking, the vet appointments, making the final days of a senior dog's life the best it can be, etc.  They have rescued almost 4,000 dogs and found them homes.  Their own home has became a sanctuary for those dogs they rescued that are too old or sickly to be wanted by others.

I like the writing style of this book ... like his Andy Carpenter series, it was funny, sarcastic and amusing.  It was interesting to read about life as an author, what it's like rescuing dogs and the lessons he has learned along the way.  I like that he gave props to everyone who has helped them along the way (vets, rescues, etc.) and named names to acknowledge them.  Very cool!

Book ~ "The Long Paw of the Law" (2018) Diane Kelly

From Goodreads ~ One night, while on duty with her four-legged crime-fighting companion, Megan gets an urgent call from her boyfriend, Seth, who works for the Fort Worth fire department. A baby girl has turned up at the station with only two clues to her identity: One is a peace-sign symbol stitched into her blanket. The other is a word, written in string: help.

Megan follows every loose thread and, along with Brigit, ends up on a twisted path that leads to the People of Peace compound, the site of a religious sect on the outskirts of the city. Its leader, Father Emmanuel, keeps his followers on a short leash - and his enemies even closer. Could this be the abandoned baby’s original home? And if so, why was she cast out? Now that Megan and Brigit are on the case, the secrets of this reclusive cult are bound to be dug up.

Megan is a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas.  Her partner is Brigit, a German Shepherd.  One night Megan gets a call from Seth, her boyfriend who is a fireman.  A baby was just left at the fire station where he works.  Because of Texas laws, people are allowed to abandon their children at places like this.  As the baby is being taken away to a foster home, Megan notices the word "help" stitched into the baby's blanket.  Assuming this is the mother's cry for help, Megan is determined to find the mother.  This leads her to a cult called People of Peace, run by the controlling Father Emmanuel.  Convinced she is on the right track, Megan does all she can to see if the mother is indeed in the compound and needs her help.

In the meantime, someone is stealing garage remote controls from cars with the intent of going back later to rob houses now that they have access and Megan and Brigit are on the case.

I've read many books by this author and I liked this one.  Though it's the seventh in the Paw Enforcement series, it can work as a stand alone and you don't have to read the others to know what's going on (there is enough background provided).

I liked the writing style ... it was amusing at times.  It is written in first person perspective from Megan's point of view and third person perspective from Brigit's point of view (which is funny) and Father Emmanuel's perspective.

I like Megan.  She's gotten more confident as time goes on.  Brigit's funny and likeable and it's fun to get into her head.  Though she is a trained police dog, she can be naughty when she wants to be (especially if there are treats or squirrels involved).

Book ~ "Call of the Cats: What I Learned about Life and Love from a Feral Colony" (2016) Andrew Bloomfield

From Goodreads ~ When aspiring screenwriter Andrew Bloomfield moved into a bungalow in Southern California, he soon discovered that he shared the property with a large colony of feral cats - untamed, uninterested in human touch, not purring pets in waiting. 

But after a midnight attack by predators that decimated yet another litter of kittens, Bloomfield decided to intervene. He began to name and nurse, feed and house, rescue and neuter. 

Drawing on his time living in Asia among spiritual teachers, he takes us on the contemplative, humorous, and poignant journey of saving these cats, only to find it was they who saved him by revealing a world of meaning beyond his unrealized Hollywood dreams.

I volunteer with a couple cat organizations here in Toronto and did a TNR (trap-neuter-return) workshop earlier this year.  Though I have no experience taking care of a cat colony, my friend, Trish, has for years and I tagged along with her last year as she replenished the food in a couple colonies here in Toronto.  So that's why this book caught my eye.

The author was sharing a house with a couple friends in an area where there was an abundance of raccoons, coyotes and other wildlife.  They also discovered that there was a large colony of feral cats living in their and the neighbours' yards.  Eventually after hearing and seeing many kittens and cats being killed, the author decided to help them.  He would sit in his back yard and scare away predators, feed the feral cats and took in a couple of the kittens as pets.  He also realized that by having the cats neutered, there would eventually be no more kittens and the colony would eventually decrease as nature saw fit.  Despite having not a lot of money or job prospects, he took it upon himself to have the cats neutered and continued to feed and take care of them.  He had gotten attached to them, both the inside and outside cats, and gave them names.

The author is spiritual and had spent time travelling around Nepal seeking enlightenment and life lessons.  While I liked the stories about his experiences taking care of the cats, I found it odd when he would go off on a tangent about his travels, give us history lessons about religion and what it all meant to him.  I have no issue with him being spiritual but it felt like I was reading two different books that had been meshed into one.

As a head's up, the author does get graphic in his descriptions of kittens being dragged off and killed.

Book ~ "Relative Happiness" (2008) Lesley Crewe

From Goodreads ~ Lexie Ivy loves her little house in Cape Breton, her big family and the endless sea that surrounds her. She wouldn't trade her life for anything but at thirty she's starting to feel like something's missing. 

Enter Adrian, a charming backpacker who takes a wrong turn at the U.S. border and ends up on Lexie's doorstep, and Joss, an irresistible man who disappears just as quickly as he arrives. Lexie s peaceful life has suddenly become more complicated than she ever imagined. 

Lexie is a librarian living in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, with her cat, Sophie.  At 30, she is the oldest daughter of four and is always there for her family and friends.  It seems like everyone is living the lives they want except for her and she's ready for her turn.

Adrian has been traveling and ends up in Glace Bay.  He has no place to stay so Lexie invites him to be her roommate ... she can use the money and the company.  She starts to have feelings for him and then he disappears.  But she carries on like always.  When Lexie goes on a camping trip with a friend, she meets Joss there.  He works in Alaska and is visiting a friend in Cape Breton.  Lexie and Joss are drawn to each other right away and spend most of the week together.  He is going back to Alaska and makes this clear so they enjoy the time they have.

I liked this story and the characters.  I liked the writing style ... it's written in third person perspective in various voices including Lexie's, Adrian's and Joss', depending on where the focus was.  I lived in Glace Bay for grade eight in the mid 1970s, right around the corner from where Lexie does community theatre.  The story happens in the 1990s and I had a good sense of the people and characteristics.  It was nice to read a book about people from "back home".

Book ~ "No Stone Unturned" (2019) Julie Moffett

From Goodreads ~ Getting engaged is supposed to be a fun, exciting time in a girl's life. But things are never that easy for Slash and me. Instead, someone is threatening to expose Slash's past - a past so secret, even I know very little about it.

Before I can get used the weight of Nonna's antique ring on my finger, he's on his way to Rome ... and we're farther apart than we've ever been. Still, I have no intention of sitting at home and letting him take on the Vatican by himself.

With a little expert-level hacking, I learn Slash is keeping secrets from me. Big ones. Dangerous ones. In fact, the more I dig into Slash's past, the more I discover things about him I never knew - things that eventually pit us against each other.

From Rome to the Amalfi coast to the highest levels of the Vatican, we both race to discover the truth. No matter what I find, we're officially a team now, so I won't let him face this alone. Even if I don't know if our relationship can survive it.

Lexi is a master hacker and director for X-Corp, an intelligence and security company. She recently got engaged to Slash, who is a government agent and fellow hacker.  Slash is lured to Italy because of something he did in his past.  He can't tell Lexi what it is as it's top secret.  Of course, she can't stay out of it so after hacking a bit, she heads to Italy to help him deal with whatever it is.  As Lexi and Slash travel across the country, they become involved with members in the Catholic church and discover that one of the priests may be Slash's father (he was found abandoned as a baby in a church).

Though this is the eleventh (and latest) in the Lexi Carmichael series, it works as a stand alone.  If you want to know the background, though, you should read the others.  I've like the series and have read them all.

It is written in first person perspective from Lexi's point of view and third person perspective from Slash and other's points of view.  I liked the writing style and there was humour.  In addition to the usual hacking, there was lots of adventure around Italy.  I missed the interaction she's had in the past with her best friends Basia, Elvis and Xavier (they were barely in the story).  It's been interesting to watch Lexi grow from being a geek with just one friend, no life and no social skills to not only having close friends, a fiancé with whom she is now living with, but also confidence.

Book ~ "Cross Her Heart" (2018) Sarah Pinborough

From Goodreads ~ Lisa lives for her daughter Ava, her job, and her best friend Marilyn, but when a handsome client shows an interest in her, Lisa starts daydreaming about sharing her life with him too. Maybe she’s ready now. Maybe she can trust again. Maybe it's time to let her terrifying secret past go. 

Then her daughter rescues a boy from drowning and their pictures are all over the news for everyone to see. Lisa's world explodes, and she finds everything she has built threatened. Not knowing whom she can trust, it's up to her to face her past to save what she holds dear. 

Lisa is a single mom raising teenage daughter, Ava.  She's got a good job but she keeps a low profile.  Her best friend is Marilyn, who she works with.  Lisa is attracted to one of her clients and it seems like the feeling is mutual.

In the meantime Ava is turning 16.  Though she has a boyfriend, she has been messaging on Facebook with a fella who she loves and apparently loves her.  They haven't met yet (!!) but have arranged for that to happen next week ... and Ava is going to do anything she has to make sure it happens.  In today's world, with all the warnings, I found it hard to believe that a savvy 16-year-old would fall for something like this.

When Ava saves a boy from drowning, Ava and Lisa's pictures are plastered all over the news and Lisa's secret finally catches up with her.

This story was really convoluted.  I was buying into the potential "whodunits" but when the real "whodunit" was revealed it was ridiculous.  Seriously?  No way could this possibly happen!  The ending was a disappointment.

I thought the writing style was okay.  The book jumps back and forth in time and it took me a bit to get the rhythm but I was fine with it once I did.  I found the book a bit confusing at first, though.  The author was telling us about Lisa's life today but seemed to be trying to be coy when she jumped to the past to give us the background on her secret past.  I was happy when the secret past was finally revealed as I didn't have to keep wondering what the heck did Lisa do that was so terrible. I didn't find the characters likable.  As a head's up, there is swearing, child abuse and violence.

This is the first book I've read by this author.  Though I wasn't crazy about it and thought the ending was absurd, I'll give this author another chance and read another of her books.

Book ~ "Swallow" (2012) Theanna Bischoff

From Goodreads ~ With an absent father and their mother constantly ill, sisters Darcy and Carly Nolan were forced to rely on each other growing up. While unpredictable Carly bounced around, her life's direction uncertain, Darcy fell in love, went to university, and moved to another province. 

When nineteen-year-old Carly unexpectedly kills herself, Darcy is left to carry the burden of their childhood memories forward alone. The pain of these memories overwhelms Darcy as she struggles to unravel her own feelings of guilt, and to make sense of her sister's death - as an act of destruction, of misery, but also of love. 

Darcy and Carly are being raised by a single mother in Toronto (their father abandoned the family when Carly was still a baby).  Their mother's income as a waitress doesn't bring in a lot of money so the family doesn't have a lot.  When their mother isn't working, she is snappy and hard on her daughters.  Darcy, as the older sister, has to take care of her sister often but they are so different ... Darcy is more down-to-earth and responsible whereas Carly is more of a free spirit.  They have an older cat-rescuing neighbour they call Papi (they adopt him as their grandfather) who looks after them when their mother isn't around and he provides some normalcy in their lives.

When Darcy moves out of the house to go to university locally, she feels bad about leaving Carly behind but she does what she has to do for herself.  She and Carly talk and/or visit every day.  This continues when Darcy follows her boyfriend, Patrick, to Calgary where they both go to school and eventually find work (Darcy as a teacher).  Then Darcy gets the call that her sister has committed suicide.  That destroys her world and she has a hard time coping.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective from Darcy's point of view.  It jumps around back and forth in time but I found it fairly easy to figure out what the time period was given the content.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

It's a depressing story and while I can't say I liked the storylines (none were happy), it did keep me interested.  There aren't really any likable happy characters (except perhaps Papi but he was still mourning the death of his wife who had died many years before).  Darcy had no support and was trying to do the best she could with what she was given.

I'm assuming the title refers to the reference in the book that sailors, who often had to go away for long journeys, had tattoos of swallows.  Swallows apparently symbolized hope for their safe return home, back to those they loved.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.

Book ~ "Calm the F*ck Down: How to Control What You Can and Accept What You Can't So You Can Stop Freaking Out and Get On With Your Life" (2018) Sarah Knight

From Goodreads ~ Do you spend more time worrying about problems than solving them? Do you let unexpected difficulties ruin your day and do "what ifs" keep you up at night?

Sounds like you need to CALM THE F*CK DOWN.

Just because things are falling apart doesn't mean YOU can't pull it together. Whether you're stressed about sh*t that hasn't happened yet or freaked out about sh*t that already has, the NoWorries method from "anti-guru" Sarah Knight helps you curb the anxiety and overthinking that's making everything worse. Calm the F*ck Down explains:

The Four Faces of Freaking Out--and their Flipsides How to accept what you can't control Productive Helpful Effective Worrying (PHEW) The Three Principles of Dealing With It And much more!

I have read a couple books by this author.  She gives good advice in an unconventional manner.

The chapters include:

• So you're freaking out:  acknowledge the real problem and rein in your reaction
• Calm the f*ck down:  identify what you can control, accept what you can't and let that sh*t go
• Deal with it:  address what you can control
• Choose your adventure:  when sh*t happens, how will you calm the f*ck down and deal with it?

There are lots of examples ranging from what should/could be considered minor to extreme and suggestions on how to deal with them.

I liked the writing style. It is amusing and sarcastic. Yes, there is a lot of swearing but you figured that out by the title, right?

Book ~ "Left" (2018) Theanna Bischoff

From Goodreads ~ Twenty-nine-year-old Natasha Bell went for an evening jog, just like any other night – except now no one knows where she is. 

Not her sister, Abby – eighteen, eight months pregnant, and without a game plan. Not her childhood sweetheart, now ex-boyfriend, Greg, an introverted academic who could never bring himself to commit. Not her best friend, Josie, a newlywed, born-again Christian, with whom Natasha recently had a falling out. And not detective Reuben Blake, who thought this case would be open ’n shut – a quick way to prove himself and move up the ranks. 

Missing persons statistics suggest Natasha’s ex is the primary suspect but what about the possibility of a stranger abduction? Or the possibility that Natasha left voluntarily or took her own life? What about Natasha’s mother, who took off eighteen years before her daughter’s disappearance? 

As days stretch into months and months stretch into years, the evidence that emerges seems only to complicate the picture more. "Left" explores the ways tragedy and secrecy erode and warp people’s psyches and their bonds to one other. What secrets might Natasha have been keeping – and, for that matter, her friends and family?

Natasha is a 29-year-old nurse in Calgary, AB.  Since high school she had been dating Greg.  She's ready to get married and start a family but he isn't so she has broken up with him.  Her 18-year-old half-sister, Abby, is pregnant and will be having her baby anytime.  Abby's parents have kicked her out of the house so Natasha takes her in.  Natasha's best friend is Josie, who became a born-again Christian when she married Solomon, a born-again Christian preacher, last year and they are trying to get pregnant.  Natasha seemed to have a full life ... why did she disappear one night when she was out jogging?

This book is about all those who were "left" behind when Natasha disappeared and how they dealt with it as the years went by with no word from her.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  It is written from many different viewpoints over different time periods.  It is first person perspective when it is Abby speaking ... it's like she's talking to Natasha and keeping her up-to-date on what's been going on.  It is third person perspective from the point of view of the other characters including Josie, Greg, Jason (Josie's twin brother), Rueben (the police officer investigating Natasha's disappearance) and Cam (the father of Abby's baby).

I like the writing style and it kept me interested to find out what happened to Natasha.  I was okay with the continually shifting perspectives and bouncing around in time.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.

Book ~ "Hello, Friends!: Stories from My Life and Blue Jays Baseball" (2019) Jerry Howarth

From Goodreads ~ For 36 years, Jerry Howarth ushered in eternal hope each spring and thrived in the drive of each fall as the voice of the Toronto Blue Jays. In 1982, the lifelong avid sports fan joined Tom Cheek as full-time play-by-play radio announcer for the Blue Jays, and for the next 23 years, "Tom and Jerry" were the voices of the franchise. 

Jerry became part of the fabric of a nation and a team, covering historic moments like the rise of the Blue Jays through the 1980s that culminated in back-to-back World Series Championships in 1992 and 1993. His Hall of Fame-worthy broadcasting career has been nothing short of legendary. When Jerry retired in February 2018, the tributes poured in and made one thing perfectly clear: Toronto baseball would never be the same. 

Jerry Howarth is a former sportscaster.  He was born in the U.S. and became a Canadian citizen in 1994.  He is best known as the radio play-by-play voice of the Toronto Blue Jays from 1981 through the 2017 season.

Howarth started his career in Toronto where he worked part of the 1981 Blue Jays season as a commentator.  In 1982, he joined Tom Cheek as his full-time play-by-play partner.  For the next 23 years, "Tom and Jerry" would be the radio voices of the Blue Jays (Cheek passed away in 2005).

Howarth had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016 and had surgery to remove a small tumor.  He retired from broadcasting in February 2018 due to health reasons.

This book is Howarth's story of his life.  He starts off by telling us about his childhood and education.  It was interesting to learn that he had gone to university to study law but his love of sports was so great that he quit school to give broadcasting a try.  Obviously it has worked out for him!

He shares stories of the Toronto Blue Jays and managers who have been on the team over the years right up to today's line-up including Dave Stieb, Jack Morris, Duane Ward, Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, John Gibbons, Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson and the late Roy Halladay.  He also shares stories about players and managers from other teams.

If you are a baseball fan, you'll like this book.  If you are a big-time Blue Jays fan, you'll probably love it.  I liked it as it was interesting and nice to hear about the various players from Howarth's personal experience and friendships.

Book ~ "Dramatic Life of a Country Doctor: Fifty Years of Disasters and Diagnoses" (2011) Arnold Burden

From Goodreads ~ Dr. Arnold Burden's career began unintentionally when he performed his first surgery in the woods following a hunting accident at age fourteen. 

As a twenty-year-old hospital clerk, he handled battle casualties after D-Day in France and Germany. His early years as a doctor began in rural Prince Edward Island, where he served in the combined role of doctor and coroner. 

Back home in Springhill, Nova Scotia, Dr. Burden was the first medic to enter the mines after the deadly No. 4 mine explosion in 1956 and the No. 2 mine bump, the most severe bump ever recorded in North America, in 1958. In both cases he risked his life alongside the underground rescue teams to bring the gassed and trapped miners to the surface. 

Dr. Burden gives his account of an active life and of a man dedicated to his patients; a man full of common-sense and interesting stories, who writes candidly of his dealings with patients, unusual cases and brave efforts made under difficult conditions. As the author states: The real satisfaction in life has come from helping people. 

Dr. Arnold Burden (1922 – 2018) was a Canadian doctor born in Springhill, NS.  He enrolled in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps during World War II and would be part of the No. 7 Canadian General Hospital when they landed on Juno Beach during D-Day.  He graduated from Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, receiving his medical degree, and would work as a doctor for the next 50 years in Prince Edward Island and Springhill.  He had worked in the mines in Springhill when he was a university student and would take part in the rescue operations of both the 1956 and 1958 mining disasters.

This book starts with his childhood in Springhill.  Then he details being in the army doing accounting and then heading home to go to school to become a doctor.  He spent time in Prince Edward Island before moving back home to Springhill.  Anne Murray was the babysitter for his kids!

I liked this book and found it interesting.  It caught my eye because it took place in Nova Scotia.  It could have been edited better, though, as there were many typos.

Book ~ "Peggy's Cove: The Amazing History of a Coastal Village" (2008) Lesley Choyce

From Goodreads ~ Here is the complete history of the famous cove and the unique village that hosts thousands of visitors each year. The story begins with the formation of the rocks along these shores and the impact of the glaciers. The Mi'kmaq were the first to live here in the summers, harvesting the riches of the sea. A land grant in 1811 brought the first hardy settlers, who built homes and wharves and discovered that the sea could provide bounty but was also a source of great danger.

The story includes the origin of the name, Peggy's Cove, and details about the everyday life of nineteenth-century families living here. A history of the famous lighthouse is included and there are excerpts from many of the famous and not-so-famous visitors who have written about the Cove through two centuries.

The author explores the most damaging storms and the shipwrecks, the reports of sea monsters and other strange phenomena. Fishing was always a source of income, but it changed over the years. At times the fish prices were so low it was not worth the effort and, in recent years, dramatic changes to the ocean have seen the collapse of several important species of fish.

In the twentieth century, Peggy's Cove attracted artists, writers and ultimately thousands of tourists. Sculptor William de Garthe made his home here and created his monument to the coastal fishermen out of the sheer granite outcropping in his backyard. In 1998, Swissair Flight 111 crashed off the shores of Peggy's Cove and the community opened its doors to the world in an effort to provide support for the rescue workers and the families of the victims. From the earliest days to the present, the story of Peggy's Cove has been a tale of natural wonder and human endurance. 

I'm originally from Nova Scotia and have been to Peggy's Cove many times over the years.  This book caught my eye because I thought it would be interesting to learn more about it.

The first chapter in the book is called "A Gift from Africa".  Huh?  Well, that caught my attention right away.  Nearly 500 million years ago, in the other side of the Atlantic, deposits of sand and mud became compacted beneath the ocean and eventually helped form the coastline of the ancient continent of Gondwana.  The sand and mud became compressed, forming shale and sandstone.  Then 100 million year later, a collision occurred and 50 million years later, Peggy's Cove was then near the equator and still recovering from the collision.  After another 50 million years, Gondwana moved east and south and rock was dragged and dropped along the way, creating Nova Scotia.  So what was left that jammed into North America was originally part of Africa.  Interesting, eh?

The author then continues to tell about the first families who lived and settled in Peggy's Cove, how it got its name, how it has grown and thrived throughout the years, the ups and downs of fishing industry, rum running, the lighthouse, deaths of people getting too close to the edge of the rocks, the SwissAir Flight 111 crash, how it has developed into the tourist destination it is today, and more.

I liked the writing style.  There was a lot of history and information provided but I didn't find it boring or too detailed.

I read the digital version of this book and was surprised that the illustrations and pictures were removed.  So if you are going to read this book, I recommend that you read a printed version as there are apparently pictures, etc. in it.

Here are some pictures I took when I was there a couple years ago:

Book ~ "Cat Champions: Caring for Our Feline Friends" (2013) Rob Laidlaw

From Goodreads ~ Around the world, young people are making a difference in the lives of cats. 

In "Cat Champions: Caring for our Feline Friends", meet kids who are helping at shelters, fostering kittens, volunteering with sterilization programs, and caring for abandoned cats. 

Animal advocate Rob Laidlaw brings readers a hopeful, inspiring look at the issues facing domesticated and feral cats, and the "Cat Champions" who are working to help them. 

Informational sidebars throughout the book describe issues facing cats ("The Cat's Out of the Bag") as well as good-news feline facts ("The Cat's Meow"). Filled with colour photographs and real-life stories, "Cat Champions" will inspire and empower readers of all ages. 

At the Toronto Street Cats shelter building workshop on Saturday, volunteers were given this book.

The chapters include:

• The world of cats
• It's an alley cat world
• Shelters, people who care 
• Becoming a foster parent
• Adopting a cat
• Raising funds and telling the world
• The cat lover's pledge

In the back of the book there are a list of resources and links so you can get involved in cat welfare (Toronto Street Cats got a mention in the book and is listed as a resource) and a glossary.

Though written for children, I found this book to be fun and interesting.  The information is in bite-sized chunks and there are lots of colourful pictures.  There are stories about children making a difference in Canada, the U.S. and around the world.  I would think (and hope) they would be inspiring to other children.  There are also stories about cats like Tuxedo Stan (who ran for mayor in Halifax, NS), Scarlett (who saved her kittens from a fire in New York City and was burned in the process) and Simon the War Cat (back in the late 1940s, he lived on a British naval warship).

Book ~ "You're You" (2017) Mette Bach

From Goodreads ~ 17-year-old Freyja is outspokenly lesbian and politically active about LGBTQ issues at her school's Gay-Straight Alliance. When her girlfriend Rachel breaks up with her, she suspends her work on the online video blog they created together to celebrate their pride. Instead she starts volunteering at the local food bank. 

But she can't figure out why the team leader at the food bank, a guy named Sanjay, doesn't seem to approve of her.  Freyja learns about food justice and becomes attracted to Sanjay's passion for the cause. As her friendship with Sanjay grows, she realizes that they connect in a way she never did with Rachel. 

But can Freyja be in love with Sanjay if she identifies as a lesbian? 

When members of her school's GSA assume that Freyja has "gone straight" and oppose her leadership of the group, Freyja has to choose between sticking with her old idea of herself - and taking a chance on love. 

Freyja and Rachel are in their last year of high school and in love ... in fact, they have an online video blog celebrating it and encouraging others to be open about their preferences.  When Rachel abruptly breaks up with her, Freyja is heartbroken.  Looking for another cause to lend her support to as she heals, she starts volunteering at a local food bank.  She is attracted to Sanjay, the team lead, and the feeling is mutual.  Freyja, though, fights her feelings because as a lesbian, how can she be falling in love with a guy?!

This is the third book I've read by this author.  It is written in third person perspective from Freyja's point of view.  Though I'm assuming it is written for the young adult market (so I'm not its demographic), I liked the story and the writing style.  As a head's up, there is "adult" activity so perhaps the book is for a more mature young adult.

Book ~ "Turning Secrets" (2019) Brenda Chapman

From Goodreads ~ Former teenage runaway and new single mother, Nadia Armstrong, moves to Kingston to turn her life around. But six months after she rents a low-end apartment, her body is found on a concrete slab at an isolated construction site.

Major Crimes begins piecing together her last days, uncertain if this is a case of suicide or murder. To make matters more difficult, a member of the team is leaking information to reporter Marci Stokes, putting Staff Sergeant Rouleau in a precarious position.

Meanwhile, Officer Kala Stonechild’s niece, Dawn, is secretly corresponding with her father, who’s out on early parole. Dawn’s friend, Vanessa, is also keeping a dangerous secret - her relationship with an older man named Leo, who preys on young girls. And it’s not long before he has Dawn in his sights.

Nadia, a young single mother, is found dead at a construction site and at first everyone assumes it's suicide.  But as the Kingston police start to investigate, they suspect she's been murdered.  As they dig into her background, they discover she has a past doing drugs and prostitution.

Police officer Kala Stonechild is taking care of her teenage niece, Dawn, while Dawn's mother is in prison.  Dawn's father has recently been released from prison and heads to Kingston to connect with her before he heads east to get away from some guys he owes money too.

Kala is attracted to a fellow officer (and the feeling seems to be mutual) but things are complicated because his ex-wife has returned to town and is living with him.

Dawn's sorta friend, Vanessa, has been acting funny since she started dating an older guy named Leo.  Leo has a friend who would like to date Dawn but she's creeped out and not interested.

This is the sixth (and latest) in the Stonechild and Rouleau series and I enjoyed it.  Though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone and you don't need to have read the previous ones to read this one (there is enough background given).   It's always nice to read a book that is happening in Ontario (these characters live in Kingston and the author doesn't hide this fact).  I liked the writing style and found the storyline interesting.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on the various characters wherever the action was happening.

I look forward to reading future books in this series and by this author.

Book ~ "Terry" (2005) Douglas Coupland

From Goodreads ~ In 1980, Terry Fox was just a young man with a dream. Three years earlier, he had lost a leg to cancer. Some combination of passion, idealism and sheer guts led to the impossible notion that he would run across Canada on one good leg and a prosthesis. His goal was to raise $1 from every Canadian to help find a cure for cancer. Twenty-five years later, the dream remains alive, and Terry's legacy has raised more than $360 million for cancer research.

"Terry" has been written with the support of the Fox family and the design reflects the style of Douglas Coupland's Souvenir projects, mixing more than 145 superb photographs of a previously unknown collection of family memorabilia with a very moving text about Terry's life and the Marathon of Hope. Printed in full colour, the book brings a profound moment in Canadian history, and the young man who inspired it, freshly to life.

Terry Fox was an ordinary young man living in Port Coquitlam, BC.  He was athletic and enjoyed running and basketball.  When he was 19, they discovered he had a cancerous tumour and his right leg was amputated at the knee.  With an artificial leg, he began running again and played wheelchair basketball.

On April 12, 1980, Terry began the Marathon of Hope, a cross-country run to raise money for cancer research.  He hoped to raise one dollar from each of Canada's 24 million people.  He began in St. John's, NF, and ran the equivalent of a full marathon every day.  On September 1, 1980, he was forced to end his run outside Thunder Bay, ON, because the cancer had spread to his lungs.  He headed home to BC immediately to begin treatment and passed away in June 1981.

This book chronicles the Marathon of Hope.  I like the way it was written with bite-sized chunks of information.  Children and adults can read this book.  It is laid out with many full-colour pictures showing Terry's clothing during the marathon, people he met along the way, gifts and letters he received and more.

One of Terry's earliest supporters was Isadore Sharp, founder of the Four Seasons Hotels, who proposed an annual fundraising run in Terry's name. Terry agreed but insisted that the runs be non-competitive.  The first Terry Fox Run was on on September 13, 1981 ... over 300,000 people took part and raised $3.5 million. The Run has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research ... over $750 million has been raised (as of January 2018). I walked 5km in this Run in my 'hood the last two years and this past year became a volunteer.

The author is donating all of his royalties from this book to the Terry Fox Foundation.  The publisher, Douglas & McIntyre, is making a contribution to the Foundation by paying royalties at double the rate for every copy of this book that is sold.

Book ~ "The Loyal Wife" (2018) Natalie Barelli

From Goodreads ~ She thought they had the perfect marriage ... 

Tamra never dreamed she would marry someone like Mike Mitchell: handsome, rich, a wonderful husband ... until she finds out that Mike is having an affair.

But Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and Mike Mitchell should have remembered that before he made a fool of her. Because Tamra knows something about Mike. Something he did. Something evil. And she was prepared to carry the secret to her grave.

Not anymore.

To make matters worse, Mike’s daughter, Madison, has come to visit for a few days and Madison doesn’t like Tamra. Well, that's too bad, because Tamra doesn’t have time to argue. She’s too busy ruining Mike’s life while remaining, on the surface at least, the perfect, loyal wife.

But when Tamra's plan spirals out of control, she finds that things are not what they seem. And now, it's too late.

Tamra is in her early thirties and has been married to successful older businessman, Mike, for about six years.  Tamra thinks all is well in their marriage until she discovers he is having an affair.  He had cheated on her four years ago but they had moved on ... or so she'd thought.  Because he is secretively in the process of leaving her (and if he does, she will be left with nothing), she decides to strike first and get her revenge.  She knows something about Mike that is going to bring him down and she sets on a course of action to make that happen.  The author doesn't reveal all the details of this event right away and the reader keeps learning more and more as the book goes on.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it.  The story is told in first person perspective from Tamra's point of view so we are able to get inside her head.  I like the writing style ... I found it amusing and a bit quirky.  The editing could have been better as there were a couple typos.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Tamra had started out with nothing.  Her mother had left the family when she was twelve, her father drank himself to death and they lost their house, her brother left when he was 18 and she has no idea where he is, and she had lied to her husband when they met about her job and education.  So she is now always conscious about how she looks and acts (though she does still err sometimes on the trashy side) and is grateful and appreciative for what she has today ... hence her need for revenge since it's being taken away from her.

Book ~ "Tales from Under the Rim: The Marketing of Tim Hortons" (2011) Ron Buist

From Goodreads ~ "Tales from Under the Rim" is a behind-the-scenes look at a simple business that became a Canadian icon. "Tales from Under the Rim" chronicles the rise of Tim Hortons, from its humble beginnings to a national institution. The recipe was simple: it took "one hockey player, one favourite barber shop, one former drummer, and one police officer" plus "the luck hard work brings" to transform a once unknown donut shop into one of Canada's leading franchise operations.

In this bestselling business memoir, Ron Buist shows how Tim Hortons became a second home to millions of Canadians. It includes the grass-roots marketing strategy that defined the early years, the Tim Hortons habit of listening to customers, and the whole story of Roll Up the Rim to Win, the no-frills contest that has become a defining feature of Canadian life.

Ron Buist spent over 24 years as Director of Marketing at Tim Hortons (he retired in 2001).

Tim Hortons was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade (who owned the donut shop next to Horton's barber).  Initially the restaurants sold hamburgers and chicken and weren't successful.  Ron Joyce bought out Charade's shares in 1966 and assumed control over operations after Horton died in a car crash in 1974.  He expanded the chain into a multimillion-dollar franchise, eventually selling it to Burger King's parent company in 2014 for $11.4 billion.

I found this book to be interesting for the most part.  It provided details on how it came to be and how it's grown to almost 5,000 locations around the world.  It also covered how marketing campaigns such as "Roll Up the Rim" and "True Stories" were developed.  According to the author, there was very little money and he had to do things creatively.  There was carpooling, catching red-eyes to avoid hotel costs, etc.  There was also a chapter on how Tim Hortons has given back to the community.

The book was originally published 2001 and republished ten years later.  There were typos in the version I read (the 2011 version) so I would have thought they would have been picked up and fixed from the original version.  I didn't read anything that indicated it had been updated to 2010 ... it stopped in 2001.