Book ~ "The Last Hitman" (2025) Robin Yocum

From Goodreads ~ Once upon a time, being a “made man” meant something. Angelo Cipriani was a member of the inner circle of the Fortuna Crime Family, one of the biggest mafia families in the Ohio Valley. Not that Angelo would ever admit to such an organization even existing, let alone to all of the bodies he dropped for his boss. Angelo even stayed loyal after taking a bullet in the back and winding up in a coma for three months. 

But times have changed. Four decades have passed and the glory days of mob rule have waned. With FBI crackdowns and new rival gangs seizing territory, Angelo finds himself on the outs with the current administration, essentially “on the shelf.” Left with little excitement beyond a crush on the local diner waitress, he does the unthinkable and puts pen to paper, telling his story of coming up, a man of honor in a world that he barely recognizes. 

But Angelo’s reminiscences are rudely interrupted by a visit from the FBI, and the realization that the past is far from dead and buried. Faced with old secrets and fresh betrayals, Angelo finds himself The Last Hitman is ready to get back to work.

This is a story about Angelo, a hitman who is trying to survive a world that has moved on without him. He's is an aging mob enforcer who used to be one of the most trusted guys in the Fortunato crime family. He’s old-school loyal but times have changed. Little Tommy, the new boss, is into dealing drugs rather than hookers and gambling like his late father and late grandfather, and Angelo just doesn’t fit in anymore. He’s being pushed aside and spends his days drinking coffee at a diner, chatting with Carolyn, the waitress he has a crush on, and visiting Nickels, an old friend in a nursing home, who is out of it on meds most of the time. Not exactly the thrilling mob life he once had. Everything shifts when the FBI shows up and pressures him to talk. Suddenly Angelo has to choose ... stay loyal to a crime family that no longer respects him or work with the feds and risk becoming a target.

I enjoyed this book. I've read a few books by this author and have liked them. I liked the writing style of this one and it was surprisingly humorous at times. Angelo had done some really bad things in his day (and was looking forward to continuing to do so) but I found him likable. Being in the mob and loyal to "the boss" was all he knew and he was having a hard time staying loyal to Little Tommy, who was a scumbag. One thing I did have trouble believing is that Carolyn, knowing what he was, didn't have an issue with what he'd done in his past and would continue to do given the chance. The ending leaves things open that there could be a sequel. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "The Widow" (2025) John Grisham

From Goodreads ~ Simon Latch is a lawyer in rural Virginia, making just enough to pay his bills while his marriage slowly falls apart. Then into his office walks Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow in need of a new will. Apparently, her husband left her a small fortune and no one knows about it. 

Once he hooks the richest client of his career, Simon works quietly to keep her wealth under the radar. But soon her story begins to crack. When she is hospitalized after a car accident, Simon realizes that nothing is as it seems and he finds himself on trial for a crime he swears he didn’t commit: murder. 

Simon knows he’s innocent. But he also knows the circumstantial evidence is against him and he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. To save himself, he must find the real killer. 

Simon is a small-town lawyer in rural Virginia barely keeping his life together ... his marriage is over, his finances are a mess, he has a gambling problem and his career feels stuck. Then Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow, walks into his office and becomes the most interesting client he’s ever had. She wants to redo her will and hints that she has a huge secret fortune. Simon thinks he’s finally caught a break and befriends her. But the more he gets involved in her life, the stranger things get. Eleanor has secrets, her family is complicated, she won't reveal her true assets and nothing about her past adds up. She has no one else so Simon ends up doing everything for her.

Then Eleanor ends up in a serious car accident and dies of what they suspect is pneumonia but is determined to not be. Suddenly Simon is in the middle of a murder investigation. Everyone’s pointing fingers and most of the clues seem to point to him. To clear his name, Simon has to dig into Eleanor’s hidden life and figure out who actually had something to gain from her death. What starts as rewriting a will turns into a messy, twisty mystery full of money, lies and people who aren’t at all what they seem.

It's been almost 10 years since I've read a John Grisham novel and I thought this one was okay. It was a bit long and draggy. It's written in third person perspective, usually with Simon being the focus. I found Simon to be very unlikable so it was hard to cheer for him after Eleanor died and his life got even worse. I wasn't buying the ending ... it came out of nowhere and was a disappointment considering the time I'd put into reading the book.

Book ~ "Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice" (2025) Virginia Roberts Giuffre

From Goodreads ~ The world knows Virginia Roberts Giuffre as Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s most outspoken victim: the woman whose decision to speak out helped send both serial abusers to prison, whose photograph with Prince Andrew catalyzed his fall from grace. But her story has never been told in full, in her own words until now.

In April 2025, Giuffre took her own life. She left behind a memoir written in the years preceding her death and stated unequivocally that she wanted it published. "Nobody’s Girl" is the riveting and powerful story of an ordinary girl who would grow up to confront extraordinary adversity.

Here Giuffre offers an unsparing and definitive account of her time with Epstein and Maxwell, who trafficked her and others to numerous prominent men. She also details the molestation she suffered as a child, as well as her daring escape from Epstein and Maxwell’s grasp at nineteen. Giuffre remade her life from scratch and summoned the courage to not only hold her abusers to account but also advocate for other victims. The pages of Nobody’s Girl preserve her voice and her legacy forever.

This is a look at Giuffre's life, written in her voice from her troubled childhood to becoming one of the most well-known survivors connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking ring.  She opens up about being abused as a young girl, running away from home and later being recruited by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell when she was just a teenager. She describes how what started as a supposed “spa job” turned into years of manipulation, control and exploitation. The memoir tells of her escape and how she tried to rebuild her life in Australia. It's about how she decided to speak up, take legal action and fight for justice not just for herself but for other survivors too. 

I like reading bios/autobios and I knew this one would be a hard one. She went into a lot of detail at times about what what done to her. You can ask yourself why she stayed with Epstein and Maxwell as long as she did. She didn't have the best childhood which probably didn't help her decision making ability. She said she stayed because Epstein had threatened to harm her brother if she left. Eventually she did break away when she married her husband after knowing him for 10 days.

It's a tragic story but I did have some issues. The way she spoke about Robbie, her husband, sounded like he was the most loving and supportive husband ever. Yet there were incidents of domestic violence that had happened during their marriage where Robbie was arrested. You'd never know it by reading her story. After all she'd gone through, I would have thought she would never ever put up with any abuse at all. Shortly before she passed away, they were separated and there was an incident with Robbie and she ended up being prohibited from having contact with her children.

Not only did Giuffre's father sexually abuse her when she was young but he passed her over to his buddy who did the same. And her mother let it happen. When she had children, she had the need for them to get to know her parents and have a relationship with them. Huh?! After all she went through with her parents, if it was me, I would never had spoken to them again.

Book ~ "Secret Sauce: 200 Copycat Recipes to Re-Create Your Favorite Restaurant Sauces, Dips, and Dressings" (2025) Kelly Jaggers

From Goodreads ~ Skip the pricey restaurant bill and recreate your favorite restaurant sauces right at home with these 200 fast, easy and delicious copycat recipes for popular sauces, dips, dressings, and more!

Enjoy your favorite restaurant sauces ... without waiting in lines, paying inflated prices, or stocking up on sauce packets to save for later meals. With 200 quick and simple recipes, you can now recreate your favorite restaurant sauces, dressings, and dips right at home. You’ll find iconic recipes like:

• Chipotle’s Guacamole
• McDonald’s Tartar Sauce
• Applebee’s Oriental Vinaigrette
• Shake Shack’s Cheese Sauce
• Carrabba’s Dipping Oil
• Taco Bell’s Creamy Jalapeño Sauce
• And more!

With these classic tried and true recipes, Secret Sauce helps you recreate popular restaurant sauces as closely as possible - while still receiving the same rave reviews as the real thing - on a much smaller tab. 

This book is your guide to all the sauces you love from restaurants but wish you could make at home. The author collected 200 copycat recipes for everything from fast-food favourites to sit-down-restaurant classics. The book breaks each recipe down so it seems easy and uses everyday ingredients. 

The book is broken down into sections:

• Secret Sauces at Home - history, ingredients to have on hand, tools and appliances, preparation and serving, and storage and safety
• Turn Up the Heat
• From Tenders to Wings: Chicken Dipping Sauces
• Between Two Buns: Burger and Sandwich Sauces
• Into the Sea: Seafood Sauces
• Lighter Fare: Salad Dressings and Marinades
• On the Side: Side Dish Dipping Sauces
• The Finishing Touches: Cooking, Finishing and Topping Sauces
• Don't Fill Up on Dip: Hearty Dips

Before each recipe, there is a description of the restaurant and what the sauce is used for.

It's an American-based book so I hadn't heard of some of the sauces (or restaurants) but it will be fun to try to replicate the recipes.

Book ~ "Twice" (2025) Mitch Albom

From Goodreads ~ When he is eight years old, Alfie Logan discovers the magical ability to get a second chance at everything. He can undo any moment and live it again. The one catch: he must accept the consequences of his second try - for better or worse.

He grows up correcting his mistakes and saving himself from adolescent embarrassments. He even takes foolishly dangerous risks, just to see what it’s like to come close to death, before tapping back to safety.

Eventually, Alfie turns his gift to his love life, studying his crushes and going back to make himself more appealing. In time, he falls deeply in love with Gianna, the woman he believes is the one. He seems to find contentment.

But as the years pass, Alfie’s eye begins to wander. Which is when he learns a lone caveat to his power: once he undoes a love, that person can never fall in love with him again. Knowing if he gives into to temptation, he will risk losing what he has with Gianna, Alfie makes a choice that changes his life forever.

The book begins many years later, after an ailing Alfie is arrested for allegedly cheating and winning millions at a casino roulette wheel. As a curious detective interrogates him, he slowly uncovers Alfie’s incredible story, and its most unlikely conclusion.

Alfie has a secret ... ever since his missionary mother passed away when he was a kid in Kenya, he’s been able to relive any moment of his life twice. All he has to do is tap his body and say the word “twice” and he gets a do-over. The first time he lives something, the second time he knows what’s coming and can try to change it. At first, Alfie uses his ability for small stuff ... fixing mistakes, avoiding embarrassment, etc. Eventually he meets and falls in love with Gianna and tries to use his power to make their relationship perfect, which he finds isn't possible.

It's been a lot of years since I've read a Mitch Albom story and I thought this one was okay. It's written in third person perspective with an interesting twist ... it's also first person perspective in Alfie's voice when his composition book about his lives is being read. The story starts off in his present, where he’s been arrested for supposedly cheating in a casino in the Bahamas and then jumps back and forth from Alfie’s past to the present day (the chapters are labeled). I like time travel stories so it appealed to me as it has that aspect.

Book ~ "The Smiling Land: All Around the Circle in My Newfoundland and Labrador" (2025) Alan Doyle

From Goodreads ~ Few Canadian musicians or authors are as synonymous with their home province as Alan Doyle is with Newfoundland. And now Alan wants to introduce the rest of the world to his home, taking readers on a freewheeling, eclectic trip through the province. From Fogo Island to the Southwest Coast, Labrador to Ferryland and everywhere in-between, Alan's Newfoundland awaits.

There are plenty of stops along the way to admire the sites and take in the history and culture. Among the stops, a discussion of Newfoundland's eccentric place names, which include Horse Chops Island, Bread and Cheese Cove and, the (in)famous, Dildo. There are visits to wind-swept coastlines and towering crags, former Beothuk, Viking and Basque settlements, as well as more recent settlements, such as Foley's Shed, a jaunty live-music pub that, as its name suggests, happens to be located in some guy named Foley's shed. There are savvy insider tips, such as how to score fish and chips and a free ride by hopping into the delivery person's car as they deliver your food to your desired destination. And what tour of Alan's Newfoundland could be complete without a short history of what can best be described as "icebergs that look like things," an illustrious history that includes an exact replica of the Virgin Mary that once washed into St. John's harbour, and the more recent, and far less holy, "Dickie Berg," which made international headlines for looking like ... well, not the Virgin Mary.

I was a fan of Great Big Sea and had seen them many times in concert over the years. Alan Doyle was one of the members in Great Big Sea and this is his fourth book (I enjoyed his first three). 

This book is part travel guide/part homage to Doyle's home province of Newfoundland. He takes readers on a trip around Newfoundland and Labrador, sharing stories and history. He visits fishing towns, rugged coastlines and lively communities, mixing in local legends, music and humour. For example, he lets you know where to find the best fish and chips, how to spot puffins and tells tales about rumrunning and lighthouses.

It must have been fun for Doyle to embark on this project and to have his wife and son along with him on some of the adventures. I liked the writing style and found that his personality came through ... like we were sitting chatting and having a pint. I found the history of places for the most part interesting (it's obvious he did a ton of research) but I enjoyed his personal stories more of how they related to the places ... like one of his few experiences being in Port aux Basques years ago or his respect for Ron Hynes when visiting his house. 

His descriptions of buildings and places were vivid but it would have been nice to have pictures included (it sounded like he did stop and take pictures along the way) ... I would pause and Google so I could see what he was talking about. I've been to some of the places he wrote about (like St. John's and Saint Pierre) so it was fun to relive them through his eyes.

Book ~ "And to All a Good Bite" (2025) David Rosenfelt

From Goodreads ~ Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter can't wait for Christmas. He doesn't care much about the season, unless it's football season. Andy's excited to finally relax and watch the games. But when there's a murder related to an old case in Paterson, New Jersey, Andy puts the games on pause.

Two years ago, a gas leak in an office building led to a tragic explosion that killed seven people. Jeff Wheeler was there to pick up his girlfriend and ran into the building to help. All he heard was the barking of a dog, Rufus, and was able to save him. The pup was the sole survivor and Jeff was named a hero. Initially, Rufus went to the Tara Foundation since his owner had died in the accident. But Andy met Jeff and liked him, respecting his courage and allowed him to adopt Rufus. Since then, Jeff and Rufus have formed an unbreakable bond.

The accident never sat right with Jeff. He believed that one of the building owners was responsible for the tragedy. Now that owner has been murdered and Jeff is arrested for the crime, Rufus is left with Jeff's sister, who begs Andy to take the case. Andy remembered Jeff's tremendous bravery and with the lingering Christmas spirit, decides to help reunite the two.

Andy is a criminal defense lawyer who doesn't want any clients.  Because of the money his father left him and some lucrative cases, he is able to not work and spend his time with his friend, Willie, running the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue that he and Willie formed.  He is married to Laurie, they have a teenage son, Ricky, three dogs and he is enjoying his life.

Last year there was a horrible gas explosion in an office building that killed seven people. Jeff had arrived to meet his girlfriend and found the building in flames. She didn’t make it but he managed to rescue a puppy named Rufus. Jeff eventually adopted Rufus, with Andy’s help. But Jeff’s never stopped wondering if one of the building’s owners had something to do with the explosion. When that owner ends up murdered, the police arrest Jeff after he was witnessed confronting the owner the night before. Jeff's sister asks Andy to defend him. Because of his past with Jeff and Rufus, Andy takes on the case and he’s has to figure out who really killed the building owner, clear Jeff’s name and make sure Rufus and his human are reunited.

This is the 32nd in the Andy Carpenter series ... I've read them all and I'm still enjoying this series.  Even though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone (so you don't need to have read the ones before it to know what is going on). I like the writing style as it was funny, sarcastic and amusing. It was written mostly in first person perspective in Andy's voice.

I like Andy ... I think he would be a hoot to be around and he's quite generous with his time and money (he never charges for his services and he always picks up the tab for his friends at his favourite restaurant whether he is there or not). Andy admits he is a bit of a wimp so part of his team is the K-Team (Laurie, a former police officer and now an investigator, Marcus, who has a specific way of dealing with bad guys, and Cory, a former police officer). Sam is his accountant who is also a computer hack who wants to be part of the action.

Book ~ "The Hitchhikers" (2025) Chevy Stevens

From Goodreads ~ The open road beckons. A chance for them to reconnect. Then they make a fatal mistake.

It’s the summer of 1976 and Alice and Tom set out on the remote Canadian highways in their new RV, hoping to heal their broken hearts after a devastating tragedy.

They’ve planned the trip perfectly, taken care of every detail. Then they meet two young hitchhikers down on their luck and offer them a ride. But Simon and Jenny aren’t what they seem. They’ve left a trail of blood, destruction and madness behind them.

Now Alice and Tom are trapped, prisoners in a deadly game, with nowhere to turn. As the tension builds, the lines blur, and the question becomes, In whose heart does evil truly lie? What secrets are Jenny and Simon hiding? And who will live another day?

It’s the summer of 1976 and Alice and her husband, Tom, who are from Seattle, are taking a road trip through Canada in their RV, meandering their way from British Columbia to the Olympics in Montreal, hoping to heal after some heartbreaking losses. Along the way, they pick up two young hitchhikers who go by “Ocean” and “Blue.” At first, they just seem like free-spirited kids but Alice soon finds out they’re not who they say they are ... they are Jenny and Simon and are wanted for a horrific crime. 

From there, the trip takes a violent turn. Tom gets badly hurt and Alice is forced into a terrifying journey with these strangers who get more violent as time goes on. Alice has to figure out how to survive, protect Tom and hope more people don't get hurt along the way.

I thought this book was okay, though I found it long. There was so much going on and I found it dragged the story down. It got repetitious after a while with the violence. The details of a couple of the beatings could have been left out because I got right away that Simon wasn't a nice stable guy. Plus I didn't need every detail of when Alice cooked. The story was interesting enough and I was curious to see how it would end. 

The author is Canadian and didn't hide the fact that Alice, Tom, Simon and Jenny were traveling through British Columbia. It's written in third person perspective in Alice and Jenny's voices (the chapters are labeled) and sometimes goes back in time so we get Jenny and Simon's backstories. I didn't find Jenny to be a very believable character. Unbelievably after all the killing, robbing and kidnapping they'd done, she still thought she and Simon had a future. Because it's set in 1976, it was a time before cell phones and the Internet so there's no way Jenny and Simon could have stayed on the run as long as they did had it been set in present day. As a head's up, there is violence, swearing and sexual assault.

Book ~ "The Armchair Detectives" (2025) Matt Dunn

From Goodreads ~ They might be over the hill but they’re far from six feet under and now there’s a murder to solve!

Meet Martin Maxwell. As a former government operative, at eighty-four-years young he always pictured a retirement sipping shaken-not-stirred martinis on a far-flung island. But in need of some care after a new hip, he finds himself at Twilight Lodge on the decidedly cloudy English coast.

From the outside, it’s a picture-perfect place to recuperate. But when popular resident Elsie dies unexpectedly, Martin suspects foul play. She’s the third death in less than two weeks and always had a clean bill of health. Armed with a walking stick and his trusty notebook and pen, Martin decides to investigate.

While nobody believes him – death is an inevitable part of care home life after all – Martin is convinced something sinister is afoot. With his wheelchair-bound sidekick and former nemesis Albie in tow, they begin questioning the residents. Soon they learn that there are several suspects in the frame.

When they discover Albie’s love interest Barbara is in the killer’s sights, Martin knows time is running out. Will Albie’s heart be broken forever, or can they battle the effects of old age and each other, outwitting a murderer before it’s too late?

Martin is 84 and a widower, recovering from hip surgery and not wanting to burden his daughter to have to take care of him. Instead he checks into Twilight Lodge, a seaside care home where he plans on taking it easy and recuperate. But taking it easy doesn’t last long. When one of the residents dies unexpectedly (and then others start dying), Martin’s old instincts kick in. Martin isn’t your average retiree ... he used to work for “The Company” (something very spy-like). When he starts connecting the dots, he’s sure there’s foul play involved. Luckily his old partner, wheelchair-bound Albie, who claims to not remember Martin, is also at the home and the two end up sleuthing together along with Martin’s wild theories and his notebook full of half-remembered clues.

This was a fun story and it was interesting to have it written from the first person perspective of an 84-year-old man. It's surprisingly a cozy mystery as there is no swearing or violence. The interactions between Martin and Albie were cute. There are some red herrings and I was okay with the whodunnit. It seems like it's the first of a series and I look forward to reading the future books.

Book ~ "The Summers Between Us" (2025) Noreen Nanja

From Goodreads ~ A young ambitious lawyer returns to her family's rural property after 10 years and must confront her deepest fears and long-buried secrets for a second chance at love with the one that got away, despite her family's expectations.

Lia is a corporate lawyer who seems to have her life completely figured out ... she’s got the high-powered career, a potential boyfriend her mother will approve of and the perfect immigrant daughter image everyone expects from her. 

When her aunt, who has been staying at the family cottage needs surgery, Lia agrees to stay at the cottage to care of her teenage cousin. Next door to their cottage live Wes, Lia’s first love, and his mother. Lia and Wes' teenage romance happened over five summers but it didn’t last because of family expectations, cultural clashes and a secret (which we don't learn about until near the end) drove them apart. She runs into him again at the cottage after not seeing him for about ten years and she tries to resist the emotions that are coming back.

I thought this story was okay, though not original. It moves back and forth between the past (the five summers when Lia and Wes fell in love) and the present (the chapters are labeled). It's written in first person perspective in Lia's voice. I liked that it was set in Ontario and the author didn't try to hide that. I found it hard to believe that Lia and Wes, after not seeing each other for about ten years and nearing age thirty, still carried a torch for each other after all these years, considering it was a teenage romance. There is swearing and adult activity and it was icky reading about the teenage Lia and Wes partaking. I didn't find Lia and Wes overly believable as teenagers as they seemed too mature.

Book ~ "John Candy: A Life in Comedy" (2025) Paul Myers

From Goodreads ~ From his humble beginnings in sketch comedy with the Toronto branch of Second City, to his rise to fame in "SCTV" and Hollywood film classics like "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", "The Great Outdoors" and "Uncle Buck", John Candy captivated audiences with his self-deprecating humour, emotional warmth and gift for improvisation. Now for the first time since Candy’s tragic death, biographer Paul Myers tells the full story of the man behind the laughs.

Drawing on extensive research and exclusive interviews with many of Candy’s closest friends and colleagues including Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Steve Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short and many more, "John Candy: A Life in Comedy" celebrates the comedian’s unparalleled talent, infectious charm and generosity of spirit. Through ups and downs, successes and failures, and struggles with anxiety and self-doubt, Candy faced the world with a big smile and a warm demeanour that earned him the love and adoration of fans around the world.

This book is a behind-the-scenes look at the life and career of John Candy (1950 - 1994). It dives into Candy’s rise from local sketch comedy in Toronto to Hollywood fame, while also showing the kind, generous and sometimes troubled man behind all the laughs.

Candy grew up in Toronto and got his comedy start at Second City. Thanks to Dan Aykroyd, he landed a spot on SCTV and became a breakout star with his big heart and even bigger characters. From Stripes to The Blues Brothers to Uncle Buck, Planes, Trains and Automobiles to Cool Runnings, Candy built a career on playing lovable funny underdogs. This book takes you through those roles and others (there are whole chapters on most of his movies).

The author spoke with a lot of Candy’s friends and co-stars (including Steve Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Tom Hanks, Martin Short and Dan Aykroyd) to show the deep affection and admiration so many had for him. Off-camera Candy was generous and thoughtful ... for example, buying Thanksgiving dinner for entire film crews, comforting homesick extras and always making time for people. The book also looks at Candy’s struggles with anxiety, his weight and the pressure of being “the funny guy.”

I was (and still am) a fan of John Candy. He passed away just over 30 years ago and I'm surprised it's taken this long for someone to write such a book about him. I enjoyed it and it was interesting to learn more about Candy. It's obvious that it's well-researched and honest ... though he knew better (his father had passed away young of a heart attack), Candy liked his smokes, rum & Cokes and food. It would have been nice, though, to have some photographs included as it's just all text.

Book ~ "Living in the Present with John Prine" (2025) Tom Piazza

From Goodreads ~ In the spring of 2018, Tom Piazza climbed into a 1977 Coupe DeVille with the great singer-songwriter John Prine, taking a Florida road trip that soon evolved into a deep friendship, full of jokes and tall tales over epic meals, afternoons digging around antique malls and record stores, and long nights playing guitar and trading songs. 

Eventually they decided to write Prine’s memoir together and Prine shared intimate, often hilarious stories of his youth and family in Chicago and Kentucky, his breakthrough into the national spotlight, his riotous early years in the Nashville country scene, and much more. 

When Prine died suddenly of COVID in April 2020, that unfinished memoir evolved into an intimate narrative of the artist’s final years. Piazza offers fans an unforgettable portrait of the beloved musician in his late glory - as a boyish cut-up, an epic raconteur, a great American poet, and most importantly, the good friend his fans have always imagined.

John Prine was an American country/folk singer-songwriter who has been around since the early 1970s. I've been a fan of John Prine for over 40 years. I've seen him many times in concert and was happy I attended his last concert here in Toronto (The Tree of Forgiveness tour). I think his death during COVID probably hit me the hardest of all the celebs who had passed away during that time.

Tom Piazza spent time with Prine at home and on the road with the intent of writing an article about him before Prine asked him to work on a memoir about him. They ended up enjoying a two year friendship before he passed away. Piazza shared moments that showed Prine's sense of humor, his love for the simple things and the way he saw the world a little differently than most. Even after surviving cancer, Prine didn’t dwell on the past or future ... he was all about appreciating what was right in front of him (especially food and dessert!). Prine's songs were simple but packed with emotion, real life, heart and a touch of wry humor. 

I enjoyed this book. I like that there were actual interviews with Prine transcribed so we got to know Prine in his own words and his sense of humour. Prine sounds like a fun guy to hang out with. In addition to spending time with Prine, Piazza also spent time with his family including Prine's wife, Fiona, his sons and his late older brother, Dave. It was nice to see the intimate pictures of Prine as a regular guy. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "The Names" (2025) Florence Knapp

From Goodreads ~ Can a name change the course of a life?

In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son's birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she'd like to call the child, Cora hesitates.

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora's and her young son's lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, "The Names" explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.

In 1987, Cora has just had her second child and is heading to register her son's name. Gordon, her dominating and abusive husband, wants their son to be named "Gordon" after him and his father. Cora wants to name him "Julian". When she asks their nine-year-old daughter, Maia, what she would like him to be named, she suggests "Bear". What follows are the three different versions of the naming of their son over the 35 years. It's not the name itself that affects their lives but Gordon's reaction to the name and the repercussions.

I thought this was an interesting premise for a story ... kind of like the movie, Sliding Doors, which I've seen many times. The story is chopped up in seven year increments over the next 35 years, each covering the three name versions. I liked the writing style but I found I really had to focus because when the stories changed names and time periods, I'd have remember what was going on and who was involved. In hindsight, it might have been better to skip ahead and read all the same name sections at one time (so all the Bears, then Julians and then Gordons). As a head's up, it was hard to read the parts with the domestic violence.

Book ~ "She Didn't See It Coming" (2025) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ When a beloved wife and mother disappears, a luxurious condo building transforms into a potential crime scene, and the investigation begins: can the detectives find her before it's too late?

Bryden and Sam have it all: thriving careers, a smart apartment in a luxury condominium, supportive friends and a cherished daughter. The perfect life for the perfect couple.

Then Sam receives a call at his office. Bryden - working from home that day - has failed to collect their daughter from daycare. Arriving home with their little girl, he finds his wife’s car in the underground garage. Upstairs in their apartment her laptop is open on the table, her cell phone nearby, her keys in their usual place in the hall.

Except Bryden is nowhere to be seen. It’s as if she just walked out.

Bryden and Sam are a successful married couple with a young daughter named Clara. One day when Bryden fails to pick Clara up from daycare, Sam gets the call. But when he gets home, he finds Bryden’s car in their underground garage and her belongings including her purse, laptop and phone, inside their condo. The only thing missing is Bryden herself. Worried, Sam calls the police and soon the investigation begins with Sam quickly landing under suspicion, as is often the case with spouses. 

I’ve read a few books by this author and thought this one was okay. I did enjoy the writing style. It’s told in third person and shifts focus among several characters. As the story unfolds, there are quite a few people who might be involved in Bryden’s disappearance and they all have secrets ... Sam, her sister, her best friend, a neighbour with a disturbing past, a man she was in a car accident with recently and others. There’s a good twist when the truth comes out but I didn’t fully buy into the reveal. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "The Retirement Plan" (2025) Sue Hincenbergs

From Goodreads ~ Three wives wanting a new life, three husbands in their way ...

After thirty years of friendship, Pam dreams of her perfect retirement with Nancy, Shalisa, Marlene and their husbands - until their husbands pool their funds for an investment that goes terribly wrong and their dreams of beachfront condos and a sunny carefree retirement vanish. The golden years are looking as dreary as their marriages.

But when one husband dies in a freak accident, the other three women are shocked to see his widow rebound with a huge life insurance payout and a new life in Florida. In the aftermath, the women discover that their husbands have identical, seven-figure life insurance policies. A new dream forms and this time, it involves a hitman.

Meanwhile, their husbands have a secret retirement plan of their own. So when things begin to go awry, they fear their own scheme may have backfired ... with deadly consequences. The husbands scramble to stay alive but they may not be fast enough to outmaneuver their wives.

What follows is a high-stakes tale of cat and mouse, both laugh-out-loud funny and unbearably tense, while ultimately a bighearted look at marriage, friendship, and middle-age.

Couples Pam and Hank, Nancy and Larry, Andre and Shalisa and Marlene and Dave have been best friends forever. Things turned sour a couple years ago when Hank talked the guys into investing their retirement savings into a scheme that went bad. Now in their early 60s, instead of enjoying their relaxing retirement, they are all still working and the women feel bitter and unappreciated. 

When Dave suddenly dies in a freak accident and Marlene gets a huge insurance payout (and a fresh start in Florida), the other wives can’t help but wonder if the same thing can happen for them. Pam, Nancy and Shalisa start plotting their own "accidental" retirements and find a hit man to bump off Hank, Larry and Andre so they too can get a huge insurance payout and join Marlene. The husbands felt bad about ruining their retirement dreams and unbeknownst to the wives, have been illegally growing the assets back over the last four years as a surprise. Then things don't turn out as planned.

It is the debut novel by this author and I enjoyed it. The story itself was intriguing (and no, it didn't give me any ideas ... ha!). I liked the writing style ... it was humorous with lots of twists and turns. It's written in third person perspective with a focus on the various characters. I liked the characters ... the four couples were my age so I could relate to where they were in life. There were some other funny characters ... Padma, Hank's clueless boss at the casino whose mother in India keeps trying to marry her off via a matchmaker; Hector, the barber/hitman; Brenda, Hector's wife; and even Elmer, Pam's rescue dog. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "The Franchise: Toronto Blue Jays - A Curated History of the Jays" (2025) Keegan Matheson

From Goodreads ~ This thoughtful and engaging collection of essays captures the astute fans’ history of the franchise, going beyond well-worn narratives of yesteryear to uncover the less-discussed moments, decisions, people, and settings that fostered the Blue Jays' distinctive identity.

Through wheeling and dealing, mythmaking and community building, explore where the organization has been, how it came to prominence in the modern major league landscape, and how it will continue to evolve and stay in contention for generations to come.

Jays fans in the know will enjoy this personal, local, in-depth look at baseball history.

If you're a Blue Jays fan, you should check this book out. Instead of walking through every season, Matheson picks out the best, wildest and most emotional moments from nearly 50 years of Jays history. 

For example, such as the Jays' dramatic and super-secret attempt to sign Shohei Ohtani in 2023. They rolled out the red carpet with custom lockers, team gear and even a special dog jacket for his dog. But in the end, Ohtani signed with the Dodgers.

The chapters include:

1. Origin Stories
2. Only in Toronto
3. Faces of the Blue Jays (such as Dave Stieb, Cito Gaston, Joe Carter, Carlos Delgado John Gibbons, etc.)
4. Stories of the Seasons
5. The Glory Years
6. The Storytellers (such as Tom and Jerry, Dan Shulman and Buck Martinez)

The book isn’t just about blockbuster deals. Matheson also dives into quirky and heartfelt moments ... like players trying to stay warm at freezing Exhibition Stadium with soup and the emotional return to Rogers Centre after nearly two years away during the pandemic. 

I liked the writing style. It was as detailed as I needed it to be. Because Matheson covers the team for MLB.com, he brings a unique insider vibe so can share personal stories, player memories and little moments that most fans never hear about. What would have made the book even better is if there had been photographs. As a heads up, there is a swearing (some baseball people surprisingly have potty mouths ... ha!).

Book ~ "Women Who Woke up the Law: Inside the Cases that Changed Women's Rights in Canada" (2025) Karin Wells

From Goodreads ~ Behind every “landmark case” is a woman with a story.

Karin Wells pulls us into the lives and the legal trials of a group of women integral to the advancement of women’s rights in Canada. 

Eliza Campbell, Chantale Daigle, Jeannette Corbiere Lavell - these Women Who Woke Up the Law often had no idea what they were facing in the courts or the price they would have to pay. 

Some never saw justice themselves but they left a legal legacy. Their bold determination is something we need now more than ever to guard the hard-won gains in women’s rights.

This book is an exploration of 10 groundbreaking legal battles led by Canadian women that changed life for women and often, the law itself. It brings us behind the scenes of ten big legal battles led by everyday women who stood up to unfair systems and pushed for justice, even when the odds were totally against them:

1. Eliza Campbell (divorce law) - wrongly accused of adultery in the 1880s, she fought for her reputation and alimony and her struggles prompted early reforms in divorce rights
2. The Famous Five - in 1929, challenged the idea that only men were “persons” under the law and won
3. Florence Murdoch (property rights) - an Alberta ranch wife whose decades of labor went unrecognized until her fight brought attention to women's entitlement to shared property
4. Jane Doe (sexual assault ["No Means No"]) - in 1999, a consent ruling that defined clear boundaries around marital and extramarital sexual violence
5. Stella Bliss (maternity benefits) - her pursuit of unemployment insurance during maternity leave helped define equal treatment
6. Jeannette Corbiere Lavell and Indian Status Laws - she challenged the discrimination that stripped Indigenous women of their status when marrying non‑status men
7. Chantale Daigle (abortion rights) - in Quebec in the 1980s, she fought in court for her right to choose abortion
8. Jane Hurshman (domestic violence and homicide in self‑defense) - her killing of her abusive partner brought about legal protections for battered women
9. Viola Desmond and Rachael Baylis (racial justice) - these Black women’s legal battles brought attention to discrimination
10. NDAs and power - examines legal conflicts over non‑disclosure agreements and the right to one’s own narrative as it pertains to Jan Wong, Kaarina Pakka, Peter Nygård and others

I thought this topic would be interesting and it was. Some of these cases I'd heard of (like Jane Hurshman and Viola Desmond, for example) while others were new to me. I was expecting it to be dry and dull but it wasn't. There was just enough information and when/if I wanted more, I Googled. It's obvious the author did a great deal of research. It's an excellent book for women to read and thank those who came before us for all they did. As a head's up, there is swearing and descriptions of violence.

Book ~ "Dogged Pursuit" (2025) David Rosenfelt

From Goodreads ~ Andy Carpenter has spent the three years since graduating law school working as a prosecutor in Paterson. But having seen how the system never looks out for the little guy, he leaves to start his own practice as a defense attorney. His office might be a little bit of a dump but he's excited to make a change.

Andy goes to the shelter to adopt a dog, where he meets his beloved golden retriever, Tara, for the first time and feels an immediate connection. The shelter is crowded and Tara's been sharing space with a dog named Sunny. Andy hates to break them up and so asks to take Sunny too but since there's a pending criminal case involving the owner, he'll need to get written permission for temporary possession.

Andy discovers that Sunny's owner, Ryan Tierney, has been arrested for the murder of his ex-boss. But he takes an immediate liking to Ryan and his clear dedication to his dog and ends up with his first case along with the two dogs.

This was an interesting twist in the Andy Carpenter series ... it's the 31st book in the series but it happens 10 to 15 years before the first one. I've read them all and I'm still enjoying this series so it was fun to meet Andy and other characters that I've gotten to know so well.  Even though it is part of a series, it works really well as a stand alone since it takes you back to before the series started. It will be interesting to see if #32 picks up after this one or jumps back to present day after #30.

Andy is 30 and married to Nicole. They haven't been married long but there is trouble in the marriage. Her father has offered him a cushy job in his firm. Andy has spent a couple years working as a prosecutor and recently struck out on his own and has no interest in working for his father-in-law. 

Nicole has moved out yet again and Andy decides to fulfill a dream and adopt a dog. He goes to the shelter and as soon as he sees Tara, he knows she's the one. She's been sharing space with Sonny and seems to be attached to him so Andy wants him too. Andy is told that Ryan, Sonny's owner, has been arrested for murdering his boss and friend and is in jail. Sonny is there until Ryan's situation is determined. Andy meets Ryan to get permission to take Sonny for the time being and takes on Ryan's case.

I like the writing style of this series as it is funny, sarcastic and amusing. It's written in first person perspective in Andy's voice. In this book, we meet Laurie. She has just retired from the police force and is now looking to go out on her own as an investigator and Andy hires her. There are some sparks but nothing happens because Andy is still married to Nicole. We also meet Sam, Andy's accountant, who is a computer hack. There are mentions of Marcus but we don't get to meet him or find out anything about him. As a head's up, there is a bit of swearing.

Book ~ "A Christmas Story: Behind the Scenes of a Holiday Classic" (2013) Caseen Gaines

From Goodreads ~ The definitive guide to everything fans want to know about "A Christmas Story" shares the inside story behind the film’s production, release, and unlikely ascent to the top of popular culture. 

From Jean Shepherd’s original radio broadcasts to Bob Clark’s 1983 sleeper hit film and beyond, "A Christmas Story" has become a beloved Yuletide tradition over the last three decades. 

In conjunction with the 30th anniversary of its theatrical release, this is the untold story of the making of the film and what happened afterwards. Ralphie Parker’s quest for a Red Ryder air rifle didn’t end with the movie’s release; the tale inspired massive VHS sales, a Broadway production and a mountain of merchandise. Complete with rare and previously unreleased photographs, now fans of the movie and film buffs alike can learn all they didn’t know about the timeless classic.

"A Christmas Story: Behind the Scenes of a Holiday Classic" is about the making, legacy and impact of the 1983 film "A Christmas Story". The book explores the origins of the film, which was based on the semi-autobiographical stories of Jean Shepherd found in his book, "In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash". Gaines provides behind-the-scenes stories such as challenges during production (waiting/hoping for snow for the school yard scenes) and reveals little-known facts about the cast and crew (like hiding the fact that the actress playing the teacher was eight months pregnant in real life but they had to hide this because a pregnant teacher wasn't a thing in the time the movie takes place). 

The book also discusses how the film, which had modest success at the box office, gradually gained cult status through repeated television broadcasts, especially its 24-hour Christmas marathon. The book looks at fan devotion, memorabilia and even the restoration of the house used in the film, which has become a museum (the museum was recently sold and the website isn't working). 

We usually watch "A Christmas Story" around Christmastime every year so it was interesting to find out more about it. The book was published in 2013 and had insights from most of the actors (though nothing from the actors who played Ralphie, the mom and the dad, who had passed away by then). For the younger actors, this seems to be their peak of success and they are still riding it (the actor who played Randy quit his job at Starbucks to live in the museum for a while as a tour guide). I found the book got a bit uninteresting when the focus shifted to musicals that were made about it. There were lots of pictures, which was fun. Surprisingly there was some swearing when some of the actors were quoted.

Book ~ "From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home" (2019) Tembi Locke

From Goodreads ~ It was love at first sight when actress Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. There was just one problem: Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of his marrying a black American woman. However, the couple, heartbroken but undeterred, forged on. They built a happy life in Los Angeles, with fulfilling careers, deep friendships and the love of their lives: a baby girl they adopted at birth. Eventually, they reconciled with Saro’s family just as he faced a formidable cancer that would consume all their dreams.

"From Scratch chronicles" three summers Tembi spends in Sicily with her daughter, Zoela, as she begins to piece together a life without her husband in his tiny hometown hamlet of farmers. Where once Tembi was estranged from Saro’s family, now she finds solace and nourishment - literally and spiritually - at her mother-in-law’s table. In the Sicilian countryside, she discovers the healing gifts of simple fresh food, the embrace of a close knit community, and timeless traditions and wisdom that light a path forward. All along the way she reflects on her and Saro’s romance - an incredible love story that leaps off the pages.

While studying in Italy, Tembi, an African-American woman, meets Saro, a Sicilian chef. They fall in love, even though his traditional family isn't exactly thrilled at first. Eventually they build a life together in Los Angeles and adopt a daughter, Zoela. Their happy life takes a turn when Saro gets cancer and passes away. After his death, Tembi and Zoela head to Sicily to reconnect with his roots and spend time with his family. Happily his family had accepted her a few years before and welcome her into their homes.

I thought this book was okay. It bounced back and forth from the past to the present. It was interesting to read about their customs. For example, Saro's parents didn't approve of the relationship and marriage and his father, as the patriarch, forbid anyone in the family to have contact with Saro and Tembi ... and the members of his family went along with it. Eventually his second cousin visited them and then other members started to reach out until finally his parents did. From the author's descriptions, Sicily sounds like a nice place to visit. There are recipes at the back. It would have been nice to have some pictures included of Saro, Tembi and the rest of the families. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Tembi and I share a birthday (she's 8 years younger) and got married to Saro on our birthday, which is coincidentally what Gord and I did!