Books, Beaches, Beautiful Stories and a Little News From My Own Writing World
Books I love, stories worth sharing, and the latest from my author journey
One of the greatest joys of being a writer is being a reader. This past month I’ve had the privilege and joy of discovering extraordinary books from independent presses and talented Canadian authors, each one reminding me why stories matter. From literary fiction to horror, graphic narratives to mysteries, here are the books that captivated me, challenged me and stayed with me long after I’d turned the final page. And, at the end, a little news from my own writing world.
Books in the order in which I read them:
Happenstance by Thomas Chamberlain (Galleon Books)
About the book:
Darby Saunders has a plan. Two years in the making, every detail rehearsed, every goodbye disguised. At sixteen, she’s learned to survive the unthinkable behind closed doors, but survival isn’t living-and she’s ready to end the reign of the monster who made her home a place of terror.
Over a single harrowing weekend, as a storm lashes her small New Brunswick town, Darby’s carefully plotted escape collides with the unpredictable-an unexpected kindness, a loyal dog, a best friend who doesn’t know the truth, and the fragile flicker of what might have been love.
Told with unflinching honesty and heartbreaking restraint, Happenstance traces the final hours of a young woman’s attempt to reclaim her power from the man who stole it. It’s a story of courage and silence, friendship and betrayal, and the desperate hope that even in darkness, there might still be one way out.
My review:
I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure how a book of this subject matter and magnitude could be written by a man, so I immediately flipped to the afterword to find out more about the author and the story behind the book.
Thomas Chamberlain wrote this novel over a period of ten years, and it started with him writing with his Grade Nine students who he cites as his first editors. So that, and the fact that the book is published by Galleon, one of the finest publishers in CanLit today, piqued my interest and the book pulled me in, from the very first line to the last.
Writing a review about it isn’t about finding superlatives or finding ways to applaud the writing (there would be too many ways), it’s about saying one thing: If you read one book this year, make it Happenstance by Thomas Chamberlain.
This must-read (by all ages) story will rip your heart to shreds like a thousand puzzle pieces blown by a gale force wind.
This is the kind of book that changes your life. It’s so powerful that the reader live in Darby Saunders’ skin.
I sat, clenched on the edge of my seat, unable to put the book down, as if doing so might further endanger Darby, as if I had any role in her wellbeing—and the book is so brilliantly written that I did indeed feel that. I feel like I hardly breathed.
I don’t want to give away any plot points or spoilers so all I will say is that if you read one book this year, make it Happenstance.
From a writing perspective, this novel is a cut above, and was awarded 2nd place in the 2024 Writers’ Federation of NB Writing Competition, in the David Adams, Richards category for unpublished fiction and Chamberlain thanks Lee Thompson, for editing and for moving the story to submission level.
You will not forget this book. You will not forget Darby.
-.-
The Unravelling of Ou by Hollay Ghadery (Palimpsest Press)
About this book:
Moving on is hard. Even harder when it’s from a make-believe friend—someone, or in this instance, some thing—who’s been your strongest source of support. On what should be one of the happiest days ever, the day her granddaughter is born, Minoo is faced with a terrible choice: make a clean break from her constant companion, a sock puppet named Ecology Paul, or lose her daughter and granddaughter, and maybe all of the people she loves. On an emotional drive home from the hospital, Ecology Paul shares the story of how Minoo got to this point, recalling Minoo’s early teenage pregnancy in Iran, her exile to Canada, her questions about her sexuality, and how a ragtag sock puppet came to her when she desperately needed to be seen. Full of imagination, whimsy and heart, The Unravelling of Ou follows Minoo’s struggles to justify the puppet’s existence and eventually, untangle herself from her dependence on it and reconnect with the people she loves.
My review:
If you’ve followed my reviews on The Minerva Reader or on A Turn of Phrase, you’ll know that I always wax lyrical over Hollay Ghadery’s work.
And The Unravelling of Ou, Ghadery’s debut novel, is one of the most profoundly beautiful novels I’ve read. The poetic juiciness and succulent sadness of each exquisitely crafted insight just blew me away.
It’s the kind of book where you read, pause, and inhale the sheer magic of the prose. That Ghadery is such a gifted poet makes each sentence a breathy delight, a sunlit gem.
And the emotionality will enthrall you, move you, delight you, worry you, frustrate you, and have you jumping up and down for joy.
I’m a great fan of chapter headings and these made my heart leap: A Cotton Batting Existence, Bruised Lips and Open Hearts, Young Love is Like a Sugar Cube and I’ve Got a Porous Empty Feeling, just to mention a few. They’re like tiny poems unto themselves, offering a glimpse of what’s to come.
This book is a dazzling celebration of the human condition in all its guises: sexuality, first loves, remembered loves, the family push and pull even from afar, sensuality, the vulnerability of both young and old, the ways we find to survive and then, what we must give up, in order to truly thrive.
-.-
Tsunami by Randall Perry (October Park Editions)
Our CanLit writing world is facing many challenges, including the loss of many former publishing avenues—making it all the more important to celebrate independent presses like October Park Editions, founded by Randall Perry.
That Tsunami, along with Smorg by Terri Favro and Total Depravity by Emily Weedon, is so exquisite comes as no surprise. Perry is a gifted designer as well as a talented editor and writer.
His fiction has appeared in Islandside, On the Run, Blood+Honey, and in anthologies Fear From a Small Place and Storgy 2019. His non-fiction essays, columns, and reviews have appeared in Wayves, The ARC Quarterly and fab.
About the book:
Tsunami was originally published in the indie horror anthology Fear from a Small Place: Writers from Canada’s Smallest Province Unleash Their Greatest Fears in 2017—“Tsunami” has been out of print and unavailable for nearly a decade.
Now the text has been revised for republication in this limited edition chapbook: a chilling story of a young boy’s grief over the loss of his family members, his guilt arising from his role in their demise, and the terror at what lurks in the darkness and of the pursuing horror at his recurring nightmares.
My review:
“Jesus chases you only at night. It’s a rule all monsters that live in the closet or under the bed or in the paintings on the wall must follow.”
What a great opening.
‘ “The child’s thin voice from under the bed, calling out: “Jesus loves you.”
Love me. Or else.’
How brilliant and creepy is that? Love me. Or else.
The possibilities of awfulness are endless.
In Behind the story, Perry notes that he’s always loved fictions that comes out what some call the “What If?” method of writing … We naturally draw on disparate clues from real life—characters, situations, settings—then combine and pen them into our work.”
Tsunami was inspired by an illustration of Sacred (burning) Heart Jesus on his bedroom wall, a youthful stint in his village’s Catholic church and a White Juan-esque snowstorm that closed the rural road for almost three weeks in 1982.
All fabulous ingredients to create a perfect horror story.
I loved the lurking humour; Aunt reading her Catholic murder mystery (I didn’t know such things existed!), having exhausted Catholic romance novels. Aunt who doesn’t look up from her book but comments that tourists wouldn’t love a visit “when it’s minus forty degrees outside and the snow drifts are up past the crack of your ass, then you’ll appreciate paradise might live somewhere else entirely.”
And our protagonist—or is he the antagonist—with truly awful flashbacks and, as a reader, you’re hoping for justice and redemption and I won’t say there isn’t justice and redemption but there is the tsunami itself, the ironic death of the Bible-bearing missionaries, the tortured familial relationships, and ultimately, a murder.
A wonderful intertwining of Catholicism and horror (and they do make for a great marriage), coming to the reader by way of a beautifully designed chapbook (and aren’t chapbooks just wonderful?), Tsunami is a wonderful addition to my keep-forever bookshelf.
-.-
Progressive in Polyester by Heather Babcock (Forthcoming)
About the book(s)
Ever since Of Being Underground and Moving Backwards (DevilHousePress, 2015), I’ve been a huge fan of Heather Babcock’s writing. I also loved her 2020 Inanna novel, Filthy Sugar, and wrote this blurb for it: “Filthy Sugar is so delicious it’s positively sinful! Wanda Wiggles will take you to another time and place, but a place where love, lust, greed, sex and power are just as heartbreaking and complex as they are today.
Filthy Sugar was inspired by the women of the Pre-Code period of Hollywood film, referring to the films that were made from 1930-1934, prior to the enforcement of the amended Production Code “to govern the making of motion and talking pictures” and Wanda Wiggles is a stellar female character of that time – she’s a dame not to be messed with! Her heart is as soft as a kitten’s fur but the claws come out when they need to! She’s sensual, sassy and stunning and she isn’t afraid to be her true self, even when that self lands her in some hot water.
The dialogue and setting are pitch-perfect, demonstrating a great deal of research and love for the time period, but the author’s voice never intrudes; the reader is fully engaged.
I truly hope this exquisitely written debut novel will enjoy the love and attention it deserves. Superb, poetic and cinematic, Filthy Sugar will transport you into another world and you won’t want to leave!”
Heather Babcock has also published short stories and essays in venues including Descant, The Humber Literary Review, The Toronto Quarterly, and Write Magazine and I was tremendously excited to read Progressive in Polyester: A Tribute to the Women of Saturday Night Fever. It is a collection of Babcock’s essays focusing on the women characters of the iconic 1977 film. Progressive in Polyester looks at how the women of Saturday Night Fever both defined and defied the gender expectations of their day.
My review:
Who doesn’t remember Saturday Night Fever? Or rather, who accurately remembers Saturday Night Fever? I thought I did. It was a glamorous disco fantasy with John Travolta resplendent in his white suit, king of the disco, king of the world. I had no recollection of the women, so in anticipation of reading Progressive in Polyester, I watched SNF again and it wasn’t what I remembered or expected.
At the time, I watched a PG version of the film and this was the R-rated version— and what a sociological indictment of a particular moment in American working-class life. Definitely more horrified than delighted by the film, I immediately understood why Heather Babcock wanted to explore the women in SNF.
Not only did she do them justice, she explored many of the issues the film leaves unresolved.
The opening line reverberates with heartbreaking beauty:
“You are never older than when you are sixteen.”
And this: “Saturday Night Fever is about disco as much as Joker (2019) is about clowns.”
I knew that Progressive in Polyester was going to do a deep-dive into the real issues of the film in which Tony Manero is no hero, but rather, the king of a cesspool of racial prejudice, homophobia and misogyny.
Heather Babcock looks at Annette (Donna Pescow), Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney), Tony’s mother Flo Manero (Julie Bovasso), and Connie (Fran Drescher) and also talks about the famous Farrah Fawcett poster.
What is it about the nostalgia lens that we can’t help but don? Rewatching SNF, my nostalgia lens was shattered and I was left utterly discombobulated.
Which is why works like Progressive in Polyester are so important. We can’t allow ourselves to be swept away in a “life was so much better then,” when really, it wasn’t.
And this is where Heather Babcock steps in with her magic. She meticulously wipes the Vaseline from the lens and focuses on why the women—not the strutting Tony—are the true protagonists of the film. Babcock, with her vast knowledge of film, references a plethora of films and cross references them to SNF, tracing feminism’s progress across decades of cinema.
It is by studies like these that we see how far we have come—and that we still have a ways to go.
Progressive in Polyester is an outstanding study of North American feminism and women’s roles in the 1970s. From the Pill to careers to owning our own sexuality, this powerful chapbook about SNF explores all these issues with depth and intelligent focus and analysis.
I’m hoping Babcock writes an entire series of film-study chapbooks. I’d be first in line to buy them.
Also forthcoming from Heather Babcock: The Memory of Crows — a novella forthcoming from DarkWinter Press (listed for summer 2027).
-.-
Friends are Forever; A Sgt. Windflower Mystery by Mike Martin
About the book:
Peace is precious in Grand Bank. So is justice.
Welcome back to Grand Bank, where community is everything—and nothing stays hidden for long.
As Winston Windflower and his RCMP colleagues gather in Marystown, Newfoundland, to celebrate promotions and milestones, trouble is brewing far beyond the banquet hall. A sophisticated heist operation—led by international mobsters and local biker gangs—is sweeping through the province, hitting banks and businesses in a coordinated crime spree that leaves more than just empty vaults behind.
In Book 16 of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series, bestselling author Mike Martin returns readers to the beloved, fog-kissed coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, where the bonds of family, friendship, and community are as strong as ever. But even in the coziest corners of Grand Bank, danger can creep in like the tide.
Whether you’re a longtime fan or meeting Sgt. Windflower for the first time, you’ll be swept up in a mystery rich with charm, warmth, por’ cakes, movie nights, and the unmistakable magic of a lighthouse that’s long overdue for a facelift.
My review:
Family. Community. Mouthwatering food. A creepy fog so pervasive it almost becomes a character in the book. Add to that a stunningly beautiful sense of place, and Marystown is where you want to be. And yes, there’s crime — but with it comes compassion. These are folks you want to hang out with.
The Shakespeare and Chaucerian quotes made my day, as did the camaraderie, the likeable characters, and the way even some of the bad guys (and gals) get a reprieve. In true cozy fashion, justice is served with a generous helping of humour, heart, and humanity, while in the background, the biker gangs lurk, adding just enough danger to keep the tension simmering. And let’s not forget the unforgettable animal companions — Molly the cat and Lady the dog — who steal their own share of the spotlight.
I’m going to have to do my homework and check out a partridgeberry muffin. After spending time in Marystown, I suspect it might become a new favourite.
-.-
Capital Crime Writers Presents A Capital Mystery edited by Bernadette Cox and Mike Martin
About the book:
Explore the rich tapestry and history of Ottawa, Canada’s Capital City, through the eyes of 23 local writers. Ranging from well-known mystery writers Brenda Chapman and Mike Martin to a cadre of aspiring authors, these stories take us underneath the façade of Ottawa as a sleepy government town to find hidden truths and sometimes unpleasant scenes and memories.
From Kanata to Orleans, from Britannia Beach to the Mer Bleue Blog, these lawyers, piano teachers, poets and puppeteers find mischief, mayhem and even murder in modern-day Ottawa. And back through our collective civic past in places like Le Hibou, the ‘Laff’ and Barrymore’s that people remember more as a music hall than a marijuana emporium. They have uncovered evil deeds at the Farmer’s Market in Landsdowne to the Tulip Festival. Oh my god, not the Tulip festival.
Nowhere is safe from the prying eyes of these inquisitive writers. A jewelry store, an escape room, not even while skating on the Rideau Canal. The stories range from humorous to deadly series, from light romps and accidental death to the loss of a young immigrant who got entangled and finally trapped, in love. We invite you to come see Ottawa from their eyes. All fiction, of course. But a fascinating new look at the city that we call home.
My Review
A completely unique and utterly Canadian anthology, particularly worth reading for the insightful and poignant vignettes of not only Ottawa-based literature but Canadiana. Each story presents itself with a full cast of fascinating characters and layered depth and meaning. Thematically, the anthology is balanced and broad, ranging from noir to literary to cozy, the stories in this anthology flow with an easy grace, much like a camera lens following the lives of strangers on a street, only to discover the secrets, lies and dangers that lie beneath.
Many of the characters in these stories will live with me for a long time - the data-hustler sharing tuna from a bowl with her cat, a go-go dancer in love with somebody who didn’t care, an escape room like no other, a young drug addict, written so skillfully it was heart wrenching.
Ranging from noir to literary to cozy, the stories in this anthology flow with an easy grace, with compassion for the protagonists and measured justice
-.-
They Don’t Run Red Trains Anymore, Heidi von Palleske (Smart House Books)
True story: I was sitting on a park bench near Dundas and Dufferin, reading They Don’t Run Red Trains Anymore and I heard a voice calling out. I was so engrossed it took me a moment to look up. When I did, a young woman was smiling and pointing at the book. “Great read,” she said, “loved that book.”
Before I could ask her who she was, did she write, when did she read it, did she know the author—or any number of questions of which I always have dozens—she turned into an apartment block and vanished.
About the book:
Set in the 1980s, They Don’t Run Red Trains Anymore explores the nature of love, sexuality and the importance of art in our day to day life.
Alex Hoff is a young artist who witnesses a suicide at a subway station. That same day an exotic young woman comes to pose in her life drawing class at art college. An obsession takes over Alex’s art and mind. Her teacher, Boris misconstrues her intentions and offers to give her extra tutoring. Alex soon finds out that the model, Premika, is his lover as well. The triangle becomes a competition, both in the art world and in the realm of each of their hearts.
Alex’s obsession with Premika drives her to create. Too intimidated to carve in stone, she sets out to sculpt a life-sized terracotta replica of Premika, but in order to succeed she needs to know this beautiful but enigmatic woman thoroughly. She slowly peels away Premika’s carefully constructed, yet superficial, layers to get to the essential core of her being only to expose a well hidden, rooted sorrow.
They Don’t Run Red Trains Anymore is a love story that breaks the rules and labels of society. This is a love that does not limit itself to age, race or gender. It is the love of the idealist. The love of beauty, the love of art and the love of desire. They Don’t Run Red Trains Anymore is thought provoking, philosophical and heart felt. It is a cry in the dark in defense of art, love and obsession.
They Don’t Run Red Trains Anymore is a winner of the HR PERCY AWARD for best novel manuscript in Eastern Canada. Recipient of Toronto Arts Council Award, Recipient of the Ontario Arts council Award, Toronto Star Critics choice
My review:
A sublime novel, sensual, mesmerizing and thrilling. Throw in a good dose of a love so intense it’s dangerous and you have a nerve-wracking, heart-wrenching read.
I loved this gripping exploration of art, success, fame and compromise.
Add to that the magnificent celebration of youth and beauty, the inevitable over-ripening, decay, erosion and death.
But let’s not forget immortality. This sinuous, languid, driven novel deep dives into loneliness, loss and longing—and survival.
A beautiful, affecting read.
-.-
Vidal by Danila Botha, At Bay Press
About the book:
Part Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, and Art Spiegelman’s Maus, Danila Botha’s powerful debut graphic novel, follows young Vidal who grows up in Tiberias (Ottoman Empire and then British Mandate Palestine) and moves to Paris to pursue his art and freedom and gets trapped there during World War II. Danila Botha traces the steps of Vidal’s life through Chagallian vignettes, from his Sephardic upbringing in Tiberias to studies in the Technion in Haifa, his artistic life in Paris, his work with the underground resistance, and his ultimate arrest and time in Auschwitz.
Poignantly capturing the Sephardic Jewish experience, and Like Vidal and his family, the author’s family were fifth generation Moroccan Jews who grew up speaking both Hebrew and Arabic and coexisting with their neighbours and friends.
A rich artistic and cultural experience, Vidal brings to light the untold stories of family, hope, freedom, and what their pursuit can cost. Vidal reminds us all that it’s possible for things to be different.
My review:
Frame-worthy artwork with equally as vibrant text, I congratulate Danila Botha on this extraordinarily memorable and moving visual narrative. Vidal is a beautiful and meaningful homage, a work of vital importance.
Art, love, the sensuality of food, fabrics, the sun, moon and stars are all beautifully illustrated and described—as are the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust, portrayed with unflinching truth, sensitivity, and profound humanity.
Wishing that events such as the Holocaust had never happened is much like “wishing for a yellow watermelon” as the book describes, but human atrocities need to be remembered so that those who lost their lives do not go unforgotten.
Written about one of the darkest times in human history, this book is a joyful celebration of life, both visually and through the power of its storytelling.
Meanwhile, in my own writing world...
This month has been a lovely reminder of why I love books and the community that grows around them. It has been wonderful seeing fellow authors adding That Time I Killed You to their reading lists. Here are a few of the posts that brightened my week...
And I was just delighted to receive this wonderful five-star Goodreads review from fellow author and friend Rosemary McCracken:
In the News
Every book begins somewhere, and for That Time I Killed You, so much of that inspiration came from living in the Beaches.
I’m honoured to be featured in Beach Metro Community News, talking about the novel, the neighbourhood that continues to inspire me, and the joy of telling stories set close to home.
Thank you for reading, for sharing my stories, and for being part of this wonderful community of book lovers, writers, and curious minds.
Whether you’re a longtime reader or a new friend, I’m grateful you’re here.
Until next time,
Lisa
I'm so very glad!! I loved Progressive in Polyester - gave me so much to think about!
Thank you dear Lisa for this thoughtful review of Progressive in Polyester! You've made my day!