Two Dogs and a Book

Our House by Louise Candlish My rating: 5 of 5 stars What a spectacular opening!! Fiona comes home from a short holiday to find out that she is no longer the owner of her beautiful home and that a new family has moved in. This must be a mistake!!! In a panic, she tries to reach her estranged husband to sort this out, but Bram is nowhere to be found and no one knows where he is. Fiona will soon discover that Bram has lied to her and is not innocent of this outrageous crime, but she also has her secrets. The book is written in Fi's perspective in a form of a podcast called "The Victim" and Bram's perspective in a form of a Word document. Both deliver their view and details of the events. The end of the book is equally as spectacular as the beginning. It really makes you think that as hard you plan to hide your crime... someone will find out eventually. This is one of my favourite books this year. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for...

The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman My rating: 4 of 5 stars This brilliant story follows the life of Pinch, son of a famous American painter, Bear Bavinsky, and an unknown Canadian pottery artist, Natalie. Pinch's parents met in Italy while Natalie was modeling for Bear. Bear is bigger than life, quite loud and makes promises that he does not keep. He is also a cheat and eventually, Natalie asks him to leave. This leaves Pinch without a father. Pinch worships his father and finds himself desperately needing to get his approval. With Natalie’s encouragements, Pinch starts painting using his father's studio. While visiting his father and new family in the US, Pinch shows one of his paintings to Bear. His hopes and dreams are shattered when Bear declares that Pinch's painting is terrible and that he will never be an artist. Years after years, Pinch struggles through mediocre jobs and relationships. He constantly tries to get closer to his father, but only fi...

An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim My rating: 2 of 5 stars I won this ARC of An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim in a FirstRead contest. The description of the book sounded interesting and intriguing. The plot was good, but the delivery was just not refined enough for me to enjoy it. It took me a long time to get into the story and once I was in it, it fell short. The relationship between Polly and Frank was disturbing. Personally, I would have ended such a needy relationship, but this is not me... It is fiction and anything can happen in a book. It just makes it hard for the reader when he or she cannot relate to the story. I read it all none-the-less and I hope that this will not be the last book from this new author. She has potential and can only improve as she continues writing. View all my reviews

The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is based on the Duplessis Orphans, a truly dark period in the province of Québec, Canada. Approximately 20,000 orphaned children were falsely certified as mentally ill by the government of the province of Québec and confined to psychiatric institutions in the 50's and early 60's. Maurice Duplessis, premier of Québec at the time, signed an order-in-council, changing orphanages into hospitals in order to provide them with federal subsidies. The federal government contributions were only $1.25 a day for orphans, but $2.75 a day for psychiatric patients, offering a strong financial incentive for reclassification. Doctors falsely diagnosed the children with various mental illnesses while ignoring their actual mental state. Children in Québec orphanages were therefore declared "mentally deficient". Schooling stopped, and the orphans became inmates in a mental ...

Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding My rating: 4 of 5 stars What if you find out your best friend is not who she says she is? This is what Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding is all about. Frances has a past she wants no one to know about, but so does her best friend Kate. A young teenager is kidnapped, tortured, raped, and murdered. A plea bargain is made and one woman gets off with murder. Those of you who are familiar with the serial killers, Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, will find a lot of similarities in this story. Although the similitude is there in the back of your mind; this book is not pervaded with gruesome details of the murder and focuses on the themes of deception and revenge. I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this thrilling ARC of Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding. This contemporary suspense book will be at your favourite bookstore on July 10, 2018. View all my reviews

The Literary Handyman by Danielle Ackley-McPhail My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Literary Handyman by Danielle Ackely-McPhail is filled with great advises for aspiring writers. The book is structured in small articles and very easy to read. Danielle is a fantasy and science fiction author and shares her experience freely (if you do not count the price of the book itself) and offers substantial insights on how to select your book storyline and characters and the different avenues where you can submit your work. She also provides perspicacious warnings on what not to do. View all my reviews

Magical Healing: Folk Healing Techniques from the Old World by Hexe Claire My rating: 3 of 5 stars I was told that my grandmother was a midwife/country doctor before medical doctors were readily available. I did know her very well as she was a very quiet woman and died when I was a teenager. Her medicinal art was not passed on to my mother and/or my aunts, so there are no records of her tools and remedies. I have been very curious to know more about folk remedies and was interested in reading Magical Healing: Folk Healing Techniques from the Old World by Hexe Claire to see if I could learn more about my grandmother's art. The book was not exactly what I expected. I was hoping for recipes using herbs, roots and other elements. This book deals with healing deities, spells, plants (no recipes), and magical stones. The information was very interesting and worth reading about. I thank NetGalley and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for this intriguing ARC. M...