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The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff | Book Review

June 17, 2023 / Monique

The Thursday Night Murder Club and No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency would meet their match with The Bandit Queens. Where the former titles involve affable do-gooders with the common sense needed to solve their community’s problems, here we have gossipy housewives who watch too many crime dramas and are keen to off their husbands. That said, these women are charming.

Five years ago, Geeta’s good-for-nothing drunk of a husband ran off. The village believes she killed him, and the rumour persists, to the point where Geeta is ostracized from friends and others in the small community. She’s a member of a micro-loan club and when one of the members doesn’t show up with her weekly repayment, it’s left to Geeta—widowed and childless—to foot the bill so the whole loan group doesn’t go under. Instead of that endearing her amongst the women, one of whom is her former best friend, Geeta finds herself being blackmailed by the woman she help.

Turns out that Geeta’s reputation for getting rid of a n’er-do-well husband has the attention of the other wives who would also like to be widows. Geeta has some tricky cards to play, and she does not have a good poker face.

Parini Shroff’s debut novel is a wonderfully funny, a macabre, look at life in an Indian village. There’s witty women, sneaky husbands, minor criminals, unwitting accomplices, terrible dark crimes, caste hierarchies, sexism, and all manor of distractions and disruptions in this small village. This is one hell of a debut.

Published by Penguin Random House Canada

Watch the Barnes & Noble BookClub YouTube channel: Parini Shroff discusses The Bandit Queens

Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius by Nick Hornby | Book Review

June 7, 2023 / Monique

April 21, 2023 marked seven years since Prince’s death and June 7 would have been his 65th birthday. Oh, Prince. Talk about Great Expectations.

Nick Hornby has crafted a wonderful extended essay that looks at two prolific geniuses. I listened to the audiobook hoping for some musical accompaniment, alas no. Thankfully the narrator provides all the quirks and liveliness of Hornby’s turns of phrase. An enjoyable listen.

Hornby draws connections between the two artists. He delves into their trying childhoods, their business acumen, and the excessive amount of content they both created (before age 25 and after).

Give it a listen: https://www.audible.ca/pd/Dickens-and-Prince-Audiobook/B09V1ZYXR7

The Widow, The Priest and The Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island by Amy Chavez

May 16, 2023 / Monique

My friend DaveO gifted me this amazing book about an island that is near to where he lives in Japan. In celebration of Asian Heritage month, I have been eagerly reading about septuagenarian and octogenarians (even nonagenarians) on the tiny island of Shiraishi (population 500 — and dwindling) .

Shiraishi Island is in the Inland Sea of Japan and part of Okayama Prefecture. Author Amy Chavez moved there in 1997 and is charmed by the seclusion and way that the aging population is holding on to its traditions and ways of life. The books offers vignettes of the island’s many charming characters, who each share with Amy their stories of growing up on Shiraishi, the island’s culture, their fishing practices and sacred rituals.

I love being introduced to different people in each chapter. Memorable stories include that of Eiko, the elderly woman whose house Amy rents, Hiro, one of the last two octopus hunters on the island, the four Chinese brides who come to Shiraishi to marry, and Mimiko who runs a little beach shack.

The stories are interspersed with Amy’s observations from her window looking out on the port, her participation in island rituals, and her American perspective as an outsider looking to fit into the community.

Give it a read: Published by Tuttle.

Available in fine bookstores (and Amazon)

Check out Amy Chavez’s website for photos of Shiraishi.

The Price of Salt, or Carol by Patricia Highsmith | Book Review

May 6, 2023 / Monique

Patricia Highsmith is the author of more than 20 books, including well-known classics. Her first novel Strangers on a Train (1950) became a major commercial success and was filmed by Alfred Hitchcock. Her most popular literary creation was Tom Ripley, the dapper sociopath who debuted in her 1955 novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley. There were four other Ripley novels, and a film. Yet she decided to publish The Price of Salt (or Carol) in1952 under a pseudonym. The novel tells the story of a young woman Therese Belivet, who serves a glamorous older woman (Carol Aird) in a department store at Christmas. That casual encounter sparks in a romance between the two women, and a Thelma and Louise style cross-country road trip. They are chased by a private detective hired by Carol’s husband, but their crime is exploring a romance that is not accepted socially at the time.

Many publishers turned down this incredible book because it was about a lesbian relationship. The 50s in America were not open days for homosexuals. Most American novels at the time depicted gay or lesbian relationships as deviations and the characters met untimely ends. But Highsmith found a publisher, and the book found a loving audience.

I’d say this novel is about discovering a strength you didn’t know you had.

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner | Book Review

March 31, 2023 / Monique

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner is an absolutely stunning memoir. The cover is 100% perfect because this is the story of how Michelle and her mother connect through Korea cuisine, the way food acts as a bridge, how Michelle’s Korean and American cultures get tangled together, and the importance of sharing of a meal.

Michelle Zauner, more familiar to music fans as Japanese Breakfast, has been published in The New Yorker, Harper’s, Bazaar, and Glamour. This memoir definitely has a New Yorker vibe with the 20 chapters working almost as standalone chapters.

At a basic level, Crying in H Mart is the story of 20-something Michelle losing her mom to cancer. But the story is rich with food imagery and how Michelle’s Korean mom loves her to no end. I think most readers will recognize Michelle’s struggles to grow up, and to escape the critical eye of her mother, only to find herself as an adult desperately wanting to catch her mother’s eye. The memoir is about forging your own path, while still being true to your roots. It’s a full sensory experience.

The Lady’s Guide to Death and Deception by Katherine Cowley | Book Review

March 12, 2023 / Monique

My venn diagram of reading is spy novel meets literature. So I’m glad that ages ago at a marketing conference Scott Cowley mentioned his wife Katherine Cowley was writing Jane Austen spinoffs. I have read and loved all 3 books in the series (review #1, review #2).

In Jane Austen novels, Mary is the underestimated, often overlooked character, which makes her the perfect inspiration. In Katherine Cowley’s series, Mary Bennet is living a secret life as a spy for Britain.

The Lady’s Guide to Death and Deception is set in Brussels. Napoleon Bonaparte has escaped from the Isle of Elba, and England with the Allied forces are preparing for war. Mary’s spy work has her in multiple disguises, befriending strangers, kissing men (oh the impropriety, it’s 1815), and learning the French waltz. It’s a fun and witty historical novel, influenced by Austen.

In Memory of Darren Barefoot

February 24, 2023 / Monique

db and Julie in Bonn when he worked for the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat

My dear friend Darren Barefoot passed away on Feb 20, 2023. He was young.

There are so many things I learned from him, without knowing I was learning.

To unapologetically embrace your quirks
To know when to engage and when to disengage
To appreciate getting down to business
To practice self care
To get on with it
To show up
To be the adult in the room (or designate one)

He was smart, funny, caring, inquisitive, kind. He once described himself as “sort of geeky, but with a lot of friends.” So true.

I have been introduced to the tech community, the nonprofit circles, the Irish friends, the DND guys, the theatre crew, the family … there are so many Venn diagrams of awesome.

He always made me chuckle. From presentations on profundity to taxidermy to more serious campaigns on climate action, Darren enjoyed himself. He made time to be amused. He found joy, he created joy in the world. I will miss him.

A friend reminded me of something he once said in response to a question about what was next in his life, “above all else, I want to live an interesting life.”

He did just that. You can see it clearly in his words, images, videos of him speaking. That’s not all he left us.

Darren did remarkable work in the nonprofit space and was especially committed to environmental sustainability.

Darren was a firm believer in mentorship, education, advocacy and environmental protection. There is a fund set up in his honour: Darren Barefoot Legacy Fund (Vancouver Foundation). The fund will offer support to the next generation of marketing professionals dedicated to climate action.

Goodbye, for now, my friend.

Elizabeth Finch by Julian Barnes

February 23, 2023 / Monique

Elizabeth Finch is about a platonic teacher-student relationship and how we come to idolize people who create poignant moments in our lives.

In this novel Neil is an adult learner in Elizabeth Finch’s class. She is an enigma. Although her teaching style is not to everyone’s liking, she has an affect on Neil that leads to a lifelong friendship (maybe friendship is too strong, mentorship).

The novel is broken into three parts. The first is the most charming, and where we are introduced to Elizabeth Finch. The second part is Neil’s look at EF’s research into early Christian history. It’s an academic essay parading as part of the novel. And, it is fascinating if you want to think about moments in history where we could have made different choices. In the third part, Neil tries to offers a more objective perspective of EF and her research.

I really like Julian Barnes’ work and this was a good read. Like EF, it’s not for everyone. The Guardian suggests that each new section is forced to compensate for the shortcomings of the last. Fair comment, I’d say. But I still liked it.

Available everywhere. Published in Canada by Penguin Random House.

Agatha by Anne Cathrine Bomann | Book Review

February 20, 2023 / Monique

Set in 1940s Paris, this is a charming debut novel about a psychiatrist who is counting down his days until retirement. He has a client list that is quite a collection of characters but he is bored and ready to be done with them. That is until his secretary, against his wishes, accepts a new client, Agatha.

Agatha becomes his muse. He can’t stop thinking of her. He is excited when it is her appointment day. But he’s also running out of time, and realizing that he hasn’t made much of his life.

This novel captures the lonely spirit of a 1940s Parisian bachelor and presents the timeless lesson of living in the present.

If you like the tv series Shrinking on Apple TV then this is a similar story with a literary bend. Fans of A Man Called Ove will enjoy this book as well.

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

January 10, 2023 / Monique

Louise Penny is one of those authors that gets me hook, line and sinker, every time. I find her Chief Inspector Gamache so charming that it’s hard to not read each instalment in a single day. Yes, I binge read Louise Penny.

In this book (18th in the series), Gamache spends most of his time in Three Pines. Drama and murder has come to his door step. This book is a psychological thriller. It has some Silence of the Lambs characteristics. No cannibalism, but it’s steeped in psychological horror.

Without giving too much away: the story is told through a series of flashbacks to one of Inspector Beauvoir’s first cases with Gamache. Two children have been abused and their mother is murdered. The older child is convicted of the murder but Gamache suspects the younger was as involved, if not more. Memories of that tragedy are brought to the forefront in a present-day discovery of a mysterious painting locked away in a hidden room above the village bookstore. The children, now grown, are involved in the discovery but the danger to Gamache is unclear. There’s some psychological warfare happening right under his nose but it’s a puzzle within a puzzle that Gamache just can’t solve. It’s about revenge, but who is seeking the revenge? Gamache has enemies.

Louise Penny is a fabulous writer. The Gamache books have always woven in art and music, along with politics and suspense. There’s less politics in this one and more psychological thriller. The series has steered that way since an absolute page-turner two books ago, The Devils Are Here, which was set in Paris, France. If you’re new to Louise Penny and don’t want to go all the way back to book #1 then I’d start partway through the series at #7 A Trick of Light.

So Misguided