★ The Sky is Falling

It’s 1983: Reagan is president and the Cold War has escalated to the point that a nuclear strike means mutually assured destruction. Russia has just raised tensions by shooting down a South Korean civilian airliner, ... Read More »

November 4, 2010 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delany Begins Her Life’s Work at 72

By Molly Peacock

This wonderful and markedly unusual work by Toronto poet Molly Peacock is both biography and memoir, but not the sort that switches back and forth between genres. The biographical element concerns Mary Granville Pendarves Delany ... Read More »

November 4, 2010 | Filed under: Memoir & Biography

Home and Away: In Search of Dreams at the Homeless World Cup of Soccer

By Dave Bidini

Over his long career as a musician and writer, Dave Bidini has frequently been characterized as an engaging storyteller. His odysseys through sports, travel, and rock and roll have entertained readers, while simultaneously giving them ... Read More »

November 4, 2010 | Filed under: Sports, Health & Self-help

Growing Up Jung: Coming of Age as the Son of Two Shrinks

By Micah Toub

Most men would not turn to their mothers for advice about erectile dysfunction, nor would they confront their aggressive impulses by shopping for jeans. But having been raised by two Jungian psychologists, Globe and Mail ... Read More »

November 4, 2010 | Filed under: Memoir & Biography

The Damage Done

By Hilary Davidson

By rights, given its suspenseful opening and engaging milieu, the debut mystery novel from Toronto-born, New York City–based travel journalist Hilary Davidson should be a slam dunk. Unfortunately, something gets lost in the execution. Lily ... Read More »

November 4, 2010 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Bad Boy

By Peter Robinson

The phrase “this time, it’s personal” is among the hoariest of jacket-copy clichés, yet that’s what popped into my head after finishing Peter Robinson’s 19th Inspector Banks novel. The most recent entries in the series ... Read More »

November 4, 2010 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Come Again No More

By Jack Todd

There is something awfully familiar about Jack Todd’s second novel, set in 1930s Nebraska. We’ve seen these impoverished, worn out women before. And we definitely know those selfish, unreliable cowpokes. The same types – actually, ... Read More »

November 4, 2010 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Mr. Shakespeare’s Bastard

By Richard B. Wright

In stately Easton House in Oxfordshire, where she has served as housekeeper for decades, Aerlene Ward decides to put her story to paper. She will finally reveal herself as the product of her spirited mother’s ... Read More »

November 4, 2010 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

One Fine Day You’re Gonna Die

By Gail Bowen

Victoria’s Orca Book Publishers is one of Canada’s foremost publishers for children and young adults. Almost a decade ago, the company began putting out short, simple, yet well-written stories (often from established authors) under its ... Read More »

November 4, 2010 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels