Words Jackie LaPlante
Making the Best of What’s Left: When We’re Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered
Judith Viorst
Prolific poet, children’s author and humourist Judith Viorst knows of what she speaks. At 94, she has opted to spend her “Final Fifth” in a retirement community which provides ample fodder for musings on aging and optimizing one’s final years. From the frustration of becoming socially invisible to enjoying the undiminished intellect and perceptiveness of aging friends, this book is a delight for anyone who knows a “final fifth”-er, or is one.
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands
Kate Beaton
New in paperback, Kate Beaton’s award-winning memoir is an honest and balanced look at the Alberta oilsands work culture. Focusing on her own experience as a woman working in a male-dominated environment beginning in 2005, Beaton also considers the environmental and cultural danger of the business and economic benefits strong enough to draw employees from across Canada. The simple and evocative black-and-white illustrations are an excellent gateway book for readers new to the graphic novel format.
Beneath Dark Waters: The Legacy of the Empress of Ireland Shipwreck
Eve Lazarus
Soon after the passenger liner, Empress of Ireland, departed for Liverpool in 1914, it was rammed by a Norwegian cargo ship in the St. Lawrence River. The resulting death toll was higher than that of the Titanic disaster. Using small-town newspaper reports, the official inquiry and letters of family and survivors, investigative journalist Eve Lazarus brings history to light, proposing that many of the published accounts may not have been telling the full – and correct – story.
Curiosities
Anne Fleming
Victoria author Anne Fleming tells a rich and imaginative historical tale in multiple captivating voices. Joan and Thomasina find themselves the lone survivors in a plague-devastated English village. Mere children, they must go their separate ways in order to survive. They meet again when Thomasina has become Tom, and Joan is a companion to a wealthy woman. The varied voices that reflect the characters’ differing educations and experiences give a multi-faceted look at 17th century life.
The Paris Express
Emma Donoghue
In this fast-paced account of the hours before a real train crash in 19th century Montparnasse, Emma Donoghue creates a plausible cast of characters who are making their journey unaware of how their day will end. Passengers and crew are based on historical personages who might have ridden that train, from a female scientist working with Marie Curie to a noted banker. Fascinating cultural tidbits woven into the narrative add depth to this historical fiction.
The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise
Olivia Laing
Olivia Laing’s restoration of her 18th century Suffolk garden inspired this thoughtful look at the beauty and labour of gardens, and their age-old association with sanctuary. Laing is not shy to reach to her intellectual roots, moving from Paradise Lost to William Morris in an exploration of the equitability of gardens, and how these Edens should be shared. Above all, it is a wander through the joy of taming, encouraging and finding solace in a lush English garden.
The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus
Emma Knight
Stumbling away from her parents’ divorce in Ontario, Pen, a student at the University of Edinburgh, discovers that a niggling inconsistency in her family lore may connect her to the current Lord of an ancient Scottish estate. Witty dialogue and atmospheric descriptions of campus life and country weekends make Canadian author Emma Knight’s exploration of family secrets, friendship, and motherhood a compelling read. A note to animal lovers – this is not about an octopus!
