The Kitchen House - Kathleen Grissom

Every so often a book just reaches out and grabs you. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom was one of those books for me.

It's 1791. Lavinia is 7 yrs old and her entire family has perished on the boat from Ireland to America. The captain takes her to his own plantation as an indentured servant. She is sent to live with the slaves who run the kitchen house. Abinia, as she comes to be known, is welcomed into the hearts and homes of Mama Mae, her daughter Belle (who is the captain's illegitimate daughter) and their extended families. They love her as one of their own, despite the fact that she is white.

As Lavinia grows, she is taken to the big house to help with the captain's wife, who is battling an addiction to opium. It is here that Lavinia finally has to acknowledge the chasm between black and white, master and slave. And where her place is. As she grows older, circumstances conspire and she is forced to make difficult choices that have grievous repercussions. This is s a very bare bones synopsis as there is so much more to this book.

Grissom forced me to break one of my cardinal rules. I never, ever, read ahead in a book. I got so caught up in the story, the characters and the hurtling plot that I was reading way too fast to take it all in. I had to find out what happened, then go back and slowly take the journey to the event.

Grissom's descriptions of the settings, social life, characters and dialogue truly had them jumping off the page. Indeed, Grissom herself says that "For the most part, Lavinia and Belle dictated the story to me. From the beginning it became quite clear that if I tried to embellish or change their story, their narration would stop." I became invested in each and every character, loving some and hating others, but each evoking emotion is this reader.

The Kitchen House is told in alternating chapters from Lavinia and Belle's viewpoints The same event takes on a very different hue when seen through another set of eyes.

Slavery is a main theme of the book. But slavery in many different forms - addictions, societal expectations and mores as well as racial. But so is strength, again in many forms.

I literally could not put The Kitchen House down. It's destined to be a keeper in my library. Read an excerpt.

Kathleen and her husband restored an old Virginia plantation tavern. In researching it's past, she found an old map with a notation - Negro Hill. This was the impetus for The Kitchen House. She is currently working on a novel called Crow Mary - about a young Saskatchewan Crow woman traded to in marriage to a fur trader. Noted on my 'ones to watch for' list.

The Penguin Book of Crime Stories Vol.2 Selected by Peter Robinson

Well, if Peter Robinson's name is on the cover, then I'm reading it! He is one of my favourite authors. His Inspector Banks series is well written, intelligent and addicting.

The Penguin Book of Crime Stories Volume II is unique in that Robinson approached each of the contributors and asked them to submit a story for consideration that they were proud of, but 'felt it had been neglected.' The result is a compilation of 15 stories from well known authors and a few who were new to me. (Short story collections are a great way to sample and discover new authors.)

I tucked this one into my purse last week when I had to attend a series of workshops. Short stories are perfect for sneaking in a read during a break. It's also a lot easier to tear yourself away from reading when you can finish a story!

Reginald Hill contributes a story featuring Inspector Pascoe. He's enjoying leisure time in the pub, enjoying a pint with other dog lovers and playing an idle verbal game of 'what would you rescue in a fire?' Has the game become reality when a fire does break out in one of the player's home? An excellent ending!

Lee Child also contributes, but it's not a Reacher story. Wolfe, born and bred in the city, is forced to take a job in the suburbs. He finds he quite likes it and tries to figure out a way to stay.... Not Reacher, but an interesting character from an author I enjoy.

Kinsey Milhone makes an appearance, agreeing to give up two hours to pacify a woman who comes to her office. What seems to be nothing is something. Again, another excellent ending I didn't see coming.

There are several historical stories included as well that I enjoyed from Canadian Maureen Jennings and new to me Canadian author Barbara Fradkin. She's captured the early days of Ottawa and I think Dr. Browne would make an excellent recurring character.

What a treat to have a story by Richard Dennis Murphy included. He passed away before he saw his book Darkness Before Noon published.

I was somewhat disappointed by Catamount, Ruth Rendell's entry. Nora, from England, visits her friend Carrie in Colorado regularly over the years. She hopes to see a cougar. For me there really was no crime involved, just a tragic inevitability. Well written, but I didn't think it fit.

I'm always fascinated with how an author can take a few pages, construct a beginning, middle and end and leave the reader feeling satisfied. And I was happy with Volume II (I also enjoyed volume 1) My only complaint - it ended too soon.....

Cool Water - Dianne Warren

Often I will sit and peruse the cover of a book before opening it and starting to read, wondering what connection the cover has to the story inside. I love the feel of diners and those postcards promised a good story....

Cool Water takes place in tiny Juliet, Saskatchewan over the course of two days. In rotating chapters we follow the lives of a few of the inhabitants.

Lee was a foundling, taken in by the Torgesons. They've passed on and he's now alone on the farm they've left him, unsure of himself and his place in life. Blaine and Vicki Dolson have six children - and a truckload of debt. Local banker Norval Birch has always followed the rules, but begins to question what he's really accomplished in life. Willard and his brother's widow Marian have shared the same house for nine years. They are unable to identify and act on the fact that they love one another. Lynn questions her husband's faithfullness when she finds a woman's phone number in his pocket.

None of these scenarios are earth shattering, but that is the genius behind Cool Water. There's nothing special about the characters - they're just everyday people trying to do the best they can. We become privy to the happenings behind closed doors, the feelings, emotions and memories of the characters.

Dianne Warren's prose are simple, yet eloquent and aching. The inhabitants and the town of Juliet are so clearly drawn, I had very defined mental images of both. Warren has captured the feel of small town perfectly. Living near a town of the same size, I found myself walking down Main Street the other day, looking at those I met on the sidewalk just a little bit differently.

Tying many of these stories together was a horse, both present and from the past. The horse is prominent in Lee's journey as he unwittingly recreates a hundred mile ride from the past. Lee's story touched me the most of all the characters. I was surprised by the redemption of Norval's wife Lila. At first she came across as distinctly unlikeable, but as events unfolded I was caught off guard by her reaction. But Vicki was another character who I related to - the thought of cutting and blanching bushels of beans is daunting, yet I too do it year after year.

Warren was a Canadian author new to me, but one I encourage you to discover. An absolute five star read.

Read an excerpt of Cool Water. This would be a great choice for a book club - there is a reading group guide.

The Taken - Inger Ash Wolfe

Well you may remember me raving about Inger Ash Wolfe's first book - The Calling. (If not - here's my review) Trust me - I raved and I've been waiting for the sequel.

The Taken again features OPS (Ontario Police Services) Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef. When the novel opens we find her recovering from surgery for the back injury that plagued her in the last book. Hazel is recuperating in her ex-husband Andrew's basement, likes her pain medication a little too much and has Andrew's new wife looking after her.

Second in command Detective Constable James Wingate comes to visit her and to try to entice her back to work. The local paper is running it's annual serialized summer novel. This year the story starts off with a body literally fished out of the lake. But the local detachment gets an actual call - local fisherman have reported a body snagged on their lines. When the body is recovered, a cryptic clue leads to yet another puzzle. And the next part of the serialized novel isn't so fictional any longer.

Micallef is pulled back into heading up the Port Dundas detachment. Is she really solving the case or is she being led along the path a killer wants her to take?

The plotting is intricate and devious. Just when I thought I had things figured out, the story takes yet another unexpected twist and changes yet again. I love it when I can't solve the crime!

What I love just as much is the character of Micallef. She is an utterly original protagonist. Sixty two years old, irascible, still in love with her ex, battling addiction, dedicated and a heck of a cop. She follows her intuition, not always the rules. Sometimes that's not the best decision.

"She realized she had accepted this, no matter the danger it posed her, or the rules it broke. Her hunger to know the rest of the story was greater than her sense of self-preservation."

Just a fantastic read - even better that it's set in Canada. How fun to read and relate to Timmy's double doubles, Loblaws and G2 licences!

Another page turner, one that I devoured in two days.....I'll be waiting for number three.......
Highly recommended and a five star read for me.

*** Shortcovers is offering a free download of The Calling until November 17th!***

Green Books Campaign: Trauma Farm - A Rebel History of Rural Life - Brian Brett

"This review is part of the Green Books campaign. Today 100 bloggers are reviewing 100 great books printed in an environmentally friendly way. Our goal is to encourage publishers to get greener and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books. This campaign is organized by Eco-Libris, a a green company working to green up the book industry by promoting the adoption of green practices, balancing out books by planting trees, and supporting green books. A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on Eco-Libris website."

I'm thrilled to be taking part in this Green Books Campaign. Even more thrilled that I was able to get my first book choice to review - Trauma Farm.

Brett is an noted Canadian poet and author. His latest book is both a memoir and a treatise on small mixed farming operations. Brett has lived for 18 years on a small farm on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, that he and his wife Sharon rescued from disrepair. Trauma Farm the book, is those eighteen years presented as a day's journey in the life of the farm and it's residents. The official name of the farm is Willow Pond Farm, but "we came to refer to this land as Trauma Farm, because we soon realized beauty also demands a little terror and laughter and that this story would have to follow the form of the farm and not the romantic or scientific myths we inflict upon it."

One of the few statistics used caught me short. In 1790, 90% of America lived rural lifestyles. At the end of 2000, it was estimated that only 2-4% of the population were on working farms." Farming is a profession of hope."

Brett's day begins with a middle of the night walk on his land. His words convey the peace of the dark, the uncertainty of what might be out there, and the joy of simply being there. The day progresses through to breakfast, with a marvellous discourse on the simple egg. The rest of the day includes gardens, livestock, natural habitats, creatures, climate and so much more. The trials, tribulations and gratification. Brett has chosen to embrace the small mixed farm and it's lifestyle. He questions the large agribusiness and the effect they have on our earth and ourselves. It's not preachy in any sense, but a riveting argument for the return to self sufficient farming. I live a rural lifestyle to a degree, but would happily transport myself to Brett's farm. I understand the feeling that comes from going to your garden and picking what you're going to eat in the next hour. The joy that comes with watching a seedling break through the soil. His love of his animals made me smile. We too have a lab cross 'with three brain cells - none turned on at the same time' who guards her property from raccoons. And a border collie who is more human than not most days. What struck me as well was the sense of community he has found on Salt Spring.

His ruminations are beautiful, a calm yet funny discourse on life and farming from a man who appreciates the subtleties that escape many of us. This is not a book to be consumed rapidly, rather it should be slowly savoured and each chapter enjoyed before proceeding.

Trauma Farm is a touching, humourous, candid, inspiring memoir of a man who has found symbiosis with his environment. You can read an excerpt of Trauma Farm.

What better book to read for The Green Books Campaign? Trauma Farm is published by Greystone Books, a division of D&M Publishers. It is printed on acid-free paper that is forest friendly (100% post-consumer recycled paper) and has been processed chlorine free.

Here's a great resource list for more information on green printing.

#greenbooks

The Price of Love and Other Stories - Peter Robinson

Peter Robinson is one of my favourite mystery authors. His Inspector Banks series now numbers 19!

The Price of Love is a collection of short stories released by McClelland and Stewart. When I started to read, I planned to read one or two, put the book down and come back to it -that's the beauty of a short story collection. Unfortunately, this book was like a bag of chips for me - I couldn't read just one or two, but had to finish it off . And it was done too quickly and I wanted more!

There are two Banks stories and a novella included. One is a great Christmas tale originally published in a small run of 350 as a gift to a publisher's friends. The novella fills in the Bank's jump from London to Eastvale. As always, the crimes are interesting and well plotted. But it is the character development that makes this series such an addicting read. Banks is human, fallible and it has been fascinating over the years to watch his life unfold.

It was intriguing to read stories told in a different voice than Banks. Many were originally published in anthologies Robinson has participated in . There are afternotes at the end explaining the origins of each tale. They range from a WWII soldier falsely accused of murder and the investigator powerless to stop the wheels of justice. Shadows on the Water has a WWII soldiers telling childhood stories while hiding in their trenches. The ending caught me completely unawares. Robinson always includes many references to music in his writing. (Check out the playlists he has compiled for the Banks books) The Magic of Your Touch is a chilling little tale dealing with the songwriting process. One of my favourites was Walking the Dog - a wronged spouse and the revenge they take. All in all, there wasn't one I didn't enjoy!

Robinson currently lives in Toronto, Canada and it's always a thrill to read of locales you've visited yourself. College Ave, Danforth and The Beaches provide some of the settings for stories.

Robinson is a consummate storyteller. Fans new and old will want to add this one to their collection.

The Canadian Book Challenge 3

Well, although it's the third time, it's a first for me. I've decided to participate in the Canadian Book Challenge hosted by John of The Book Mine Set.

The rules are pretty simple:

Starting July 1st, 2009 and ending July 1st, 2010,from Canada Day to Canada Day, read and review at least 13 Canadian books.

Now you don't have to be a Canadian to participate. As John says " I challenge Canadians and non-Canadians to read 13 or more Canadian books. Pick fiction, pick nonfiction, pick poetry, graphic novels, picture books, plays, etc-- if it's Canadian and if it's a book, it's in."

John is looking to read a book from every provice (hence the 13). Others are theming their reads. I think I'll just read whatever grabs my attention. Although I am waiting for that new Lori Lansens...

1. The Price of Love and Other Stories - Peter Robinson
2. Fear the Worst - Linwood Barclay
3. The Wife's Tale - Lori Lansens
4. Galore - Michael Crummey
5. It Can Happen to You - Lynn Crymble
6. Waiting for Columbus - Thomas Trofimuk
7. Trauma Farm - Brian Brett
8. The Taken - Inger Ash Wolfe
9. Red Snow - Michael Slade
10. 24 Hours - London - Marsha Moore
11. Yellowknife - Steve Zipp
12. Spin - Catherine McKenzie
13. Deloume Road - Matthew Hooten
14. The Sea Captain's Wife - Beth Powning
15. Motorcycles & Sweetgrass - Drew Hayden Taylor
16.The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag
17. The Last River Child - Lori Ann Bloomfield
18. Never Look Away - Linwood Barclay
19. The One-Week Job Project - Sean Aiken
20. Bitten - Kelley Armstrong
21. Cool Water - Dianne Warren
22. Doing Dangerously Well - Carol Enahoro
23. The Penguin Book of Crime Stories - Peter Robinson
24. The Kitchen House - Kathleen Grissom
25.