Rapid Reviews: Books

Unfiltered and completely objective reviews brought to you by the fact we’re not connected to anyone in publishing, we’re not trying to impress our elitist Manhattan neighbours, we’re not sucking up to get a book deal (although we’re open to coffee …):

Now Reading: Big Men Fear Me, Mark Bourrie

A Complicated Kindness, Miriam Toews: Nomi is your stereotypical teenager, struggling with growing up, high school, her parents, her sister, finding a boyfriend. All while growing up in a small Ontario Mennonite town, that is. This incredibly compelling, thoughtful and beautifully written story is a breeze to read through, which means it was probably incredibly difficult to write. But Toews pulls it off with brilliance, weaving together a story both obviously funny and subtly heartbreaking, a strong statement on religion and love and family. Sure, it feels like Holden Caulfield for a different time, but you can’t deny how deeply this award-winner with sink into you. Honest cover quote: “One of the best books I’ve read in a long, long time.” Bail factor: Very low, unless you are a devout Mennonite. Rating: 4.25 out of 5

Waging Heavy Peace, Neil Young: We all know Neil Young isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Or brand of bud. But he, if nothing else, is a supreme ally amid the struggle with The Man. This memoir — and the term is used loosely here — is more about a slice of time, him writing his random thoughts while living in Hawaii and thinking about the good old days, all the while railing against the inferior sound quality of the streaming services, CDs (this was published in 2014) and anything that isn’t vinyl, pretty much. Coincidentally, at the time of writing he is trying to drum up support for his ultimately failed alternative, the long-gone and forgotten Pono, which was like Apple’s iPod but better. Heck, you’ve got to give him marks for giving it a shot against the largest company in the world. The book’s narrative isn’t close to linear, chronological or even reverse chronological, there are repetitions, full introductions to people whom we sorta met earlier, very little of the kind of editing you’d expect and is generally pretty chaotic, probably like being inside Neil Young’s head. And his frequent mentions of his love and dedication to then-wife Pegi feel hollow now that we know he would eventually leave her for Daryl Hannah. But he offers up enough honesty, insights into songwriting, authenticity, self-deprecation, heart-warming accounts of his children’s lives and fond memories of his upbringing in Omemee and desire to one day return to Canada, that it makes it all worthwhile. You kind of feel like a friend of his for a while, which is the way a memoir is supposed to make you feel. Honest cover quote: “Kinda all over the place, but in an endearing kind of way.” Bail factor: High, if you’re not a music fan, a Neil Young fan or a stream-of-consciousness-maybe-it’s-a-blog writing. Rating: 3 out of 5

Chimney Rock, Charlie Smith: Will Blake is an acclaimed actor, son of two actors, one of whom is an over-the-top man-bull in the spirit of what you think of when you think of Ernest Hemingway. All man, all brawn, flat-out all-out, and perhaps broken inside. Will is married to the equally vibrant and challenging Kate “Zebra” Dunn, who dabbles in deception, thrills and a lifestyle that has you thinking she has a death wish, a character for the ages. The collision of these three larger-than-life characters, none of whom you will soon forget, plus the occasional invasion of Will’s seemingly broken mom Jennie White, form a cataclysmic rhythm and rumble to a story that is either captivating or capsizing, depending on your worldview. I found it to be the former, as the story hurtled me along with its energy, impossibility and bombast, all while told in some of the most eloquent and evocative language. But it is no easy ride for the casual or prudish reader, so best buckle up, turn off the screen and dig in when deciding to read this classic. Honest cover quote: “Brilliantly twisted. A fun, trying ride.“ Bail factor: High for the squeamish and/or anyone with low mind-suspension skills, aka the sober. Rating: 4 out of 5.

A Better Man, Leah McLean: Nick and Maya are regular big-city (cough—Toronto) couple who have lost their zip somewhere along the way. So, Nick wants a divorce, but learns from his lawyer friend that he’ll be paying way more than he wants to because his wife paused her own law career to stay home with the tenacious twins. Nick agrees with his lawyer friend’s suggestion: become a better husband, a better partner, a better man so his wife goes back to work, has fewer reasons to grieve, falls back in love and, thus, is on shakier ground when asking for too much in court. Sounds like a man-bashing thing, where the dopey guy pushes executes this plan without regrets, the wife somehow gets retribution, etc. But not to spoil it, but that’s not how it plays out, and there’s a nice twist in the second act that I think most will see coming but still stirs things up a tad. There is comeuppance, but it feels appropriate, and the story is more balanced than I expected going in. And, truth be told, as a divorcee, I got a little choked up near the end as well. This is the kind of gem that, when you stumble upon it and take a chance on it, be it in the bookstore, library or second-hand shop, rewards you with a memorable read. Honest cover quote: “Liked it more than I thought I would.” Bail factor: Low to medium, depending on how much you like tales of the everyday. Rating: 3.25 ouf of 5

The Apollo Murders, Chris Hadfield: This best-selling space thriller combines legitimate expertise and experience — Hadfield has been to space, has run ground communications for the Space Shuttle and even sang Space Oddity on acoustic guitar while in space, so he knows of what he writes — with thrills, espionage and murder. The tale of protagonist and one-eyed Apollo 18 flight controller Kaz is a little contrived — it’s 1973, there’s a race to the moon with the Russians, who have a lunar lander there potentially up to no good, causing a clash at a space station and murder and trust issues with a female cosmonaut forced onboard after a spacewalk gun battle — and the pages can get bogged down in acronym soup and Unnecessary Capitalization of Everything Deemed Important, but you can’t rain on the parade of a guy who has seen where you live from space (in a general sense) and knows how to throw together a plot compelling enough to be a national bestseller. Honest cover quote: “What you’d expect from a decent beach read.” Bail factor: Medium if you’re not jacked about the technical intricacies of space travel. Rating: 3 out of 5

The Winners, Fredrik Backman: The latest and purportedly final installment in the Beartown saga, Backman hits all the right and expected notes: Heavy foreboding foreshadowing that doesn’t always end up being tragic but does frequently enough not to feel hollow, lovable but flawed characters who almost all redeem themselves in the end, fraught tensions followed by reconciliation, bad people doing good things, good people doing bad things, the death of someone beloved, everyone coming together against all odds to achieve one good and common goal. If you’ve read Backman before — he also did A Man Called Ove and Anxious People — you know what you’re getting into, but his stories still manage somehow to pull at your heartstrings all the same. The writing can be beautiful, which sort of gives it a pass when it becomes maudlin or overtly melancholy. Hockey is at the core of these stories, its good and terrible qualities, the sport being portrayed with pinpoint accuracy in many ways, lending more credence to its authenticity. This time around, however, the translation seems off somehow, as if a different, non-hockey translator was used, as some of the terms don’t resonate correctly and feel awkward, especially for those who know sports. Also, the book could’ve been shorter than its monster 670 pages, the size of which perhaps resulted in the odd dropped word or typo, which you hardly ever used to see in mainstream publishing. Honest cover quote: “A tremendous read if you buy in and push through.“ Bail factor: Medium to high, considering your patience with the text and the sheer size of the book. Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Sweetland, Michael Crummey: Moses Sweetland lives in a remote Newfoundland community that bears his name, the residents of which are being offered government compensation to leave, a common occurrence in the history of the province. Everyone wants to take the money and run, except him, of course. But the story is more than you think it will be — he has his reasons, sure — for not just the story and conflict and Newfoundlander emotions of convincing ol’ Mose to leave, but also what happens afterward. The second and third acts, especially, could have felt boggy with the mundane of his everyday while still on the island, alone, but they instead surprise you at almost every turn with magic and shadows alike. Wonderfully written using simple language to convey complex thoughts, this beautiful story will break into your heart and stay with you for a very long time. Honest cover quote: “What a friggin’ book.” Bail factor: Very low, unless the authentic Newfoundlander dialect and love and romance for the Rock is not your jam. Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Searching for Terry Punchout, Tyler Hellard: Every now and then a book comes along that exceeds your expectations, that you thought you knew the story and the characters and the climax just by skimming the jacket, but the journey still surprises you enough that you are entertained. Searching for Terry Punchout is that book. Adam Macallister is a struggling writer who gets a shot at writing a feature on his estranged hockey-legend father for Sports Illustrated, a story that has all sorts of vicarious to it, but that’s not the only reason I liked it. The novel feels real, feels authentic, in a this-is-thinly-veiled-autobiography kind of way. The writing is good, thoughtful and easy to read, which makes all the effort feel effortless. A breezy read at just under 200 pages anyway, it has enough conflict, shy romance, second-guessing, forgiveness, men-being-buddies and father-son regrets to make it accessible. Honest cover quote: “A guys’ book without playing up the tropes. Highly recommended.” Bail factor: Low, unless you’re not into High Fidelity-type narratives. Rating: 4.25 out of 5

A Drinking Life, Pete Hamill: This memoir about the formative years of renown New York columnist Pete Hamill was not what I was expecting, which was a glimpse inside the life of one of journalism’s most creative and influential writers. Instead, it was very much an account of how Hamill, who made a name for himself with the New York Post and New York Newsday, came to be who he was up until 1972, from childhood on up. Sure, there were colorful and honest tales of his upbringing, his womanizing, him cutting his teeth as a writer after he decided he no longer wanted to be a tortured artist, but it stops short just when the journalism portion was about to get interesting, what with Vietnam, Watergate, and the rest of what the 1970s had to offer for colorful experiences. Heck, he barely touches on the Kennedys, Martin Luther King Jr. That’s perhaps in another book, which is what I should’ve read. The writing is straightforward and engaging in its own right, and if you know what you’re getting into, you will be fine. Honest cover quote: “A memoir about a journalist without much journalism.” Bail factor: Medium, especially if you’re not into tales that start in the 1930s and are very New York-centric. Rating: 3 out of 5

Everybody’s Fool, Richard Russo: Sully and the gang are back not long after the end of the previous novel, Nobody’s Fool. A few friends have passed on, but Sully, Rub, Raymer and Carl are still in fine form, getting into and out of borderline-impossible situations, exchanging witty rejoinders and just all-around trying to get through the everyday. Raymer, the buffoon cop played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in the movie adaptation, is more or less the focus of this story, winding his way through being struck by lightning, finding his wife dead while she was on her way out the door while intending to leave him, trying to find a lost snake, chasing down a bad guy, etc. Really, the plot doesn’t matter all that much (although it is interesting), this is a character-driven tale that will have you zipping through in no time. And that’s not intended as a slight at all; writing an accessible and compelling novel is no small feat. Russo is one of the best. Honest cover quote: “Quietly brilliant.” Bail factor: Medium to start, low thereafter. Rating: 4 out of 5

Eyrie, Tim Winton: For a while now, I’ve been looking for an author who sensitively represents the modern man, someone who writes more than the cliche “Dad is an idiot” or “Adult male can’t dress himself and has a man cold” that often seems fair game — but not be a misogynist, of course. It’s a delicate balance, I know. During this search, I stumbled upon acclaimed Australian author Tim Winton. I had never heard of him, but Winton has won award after award in his native country, and purportedly brings a rugged tenderness to his stories. This seemed promising. If there’s someone who can bring honest modern, multifaceted masculinity to a story, it should be an Aussie, right? Well, Winton isn’t exactly what I was looking for, but he comes close, and avoids cliche pitfalls along the way. In this one, Tom Keely is on the downslope of his life, both professionally and personally. Then, an old neighbour and her grandson crash into his life, upsetting the applecart and bringing new zest to his seemingly downtrodden existence. The plot is very simple, not really groundbreaking, but the journey is incredible, with some of the finest prose this side of Bill Gaston. Keely isn’t exactly a well-put-together man, but his hubris and failings make him endearing, as does the language used to describe his actions and motivations. And not everything gets wrapped up in a tidy bow in the end, which is not a bad thing (sorta like life). My search for a story about the enlightened and sensitive modern man continues, but I’ll be reading more Winton in the meantime. Honest cover quote: “A subtle and wild ride.“ Bail factor: Medium to start, very low after you catch the rhythm of the thing and appreciate the Aussie-isms. Rating: 4 out of 5

The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s, Andy Greene: This oral history gives rabid and casual fans alike an inside glimpse into the rise of NBC’s The Office, from uncertain beginnings to sitcom juggernaut. Told through interviews with many of the show’s writers, stars and production staff, it leans a little into the revelatory, but largely focuses on the brilliance and kind-heartedness of showrunners, stars, etc. It also relies heavily on interviews with influential but relatively unknown people behind the scenes, which is a bit of a disappointment, given most of the interviews with Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson et al. are sparse or from DVD commentary or non-author interviews. But if you’re a fan of the show, like hearing what Creed had to say and recognize the importance of the forum, you’ll enjoy this account. Honest cover quote: “Decent oral history of a comedy gem.“ Bail factor: Low. Rating: 3.25 out of 5

Remainder, Tom McCarthy: Something falls on a guy’s head from the sky, he gets a squillion dollars in compensation then spends it on tremendously odd re-enactments, underlining that he’s not quite right because of said accident. Our protagonist is obsessed with re-enacting random events from his life, to the extent he purchases an entire residential building in London to stage events over and over again to soothe what aches within him. His insatiable appetite for this comfort of repetition amps up accordingly, culminating with incredibly raised stakes. Having written a haunting and trying book at the same time, McCarthy tips you forward into the story, wondering where this is all going. I pushed my way through to what was a merely satisfying payoff, but not everyone will make it all the way there. Full marks for trying something different. Honest cover quote: “Affecting, haunting, cleverly written, maybe not for everyone.“ Bail factor: Medium. Rating: 2.75 out of 5

The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, John Grisham: This thriller is Grisham’s first foray into non-fiction, and it’s a fairly compelling journey. Grisham, known of course for legal bangers such as The Firm and the Pelican Brief, lays out the story of wrongfully convicted Ron Williamson, who was sent all the way to Death Row in Oklahoma for a murder he didn’t commit in the 1980s. Documented over pages and pages, Grisham lays out in excruciating detail how Williamson ended up being accused, charged and convicted of the crime, equally diving into Williamson’s struggles with mental illness. At times it can be too much, too precise, too in need of a couple of jump-cuts or summaries, meaning the contention that this story is “suspenseful” is a bit of a stretch, but there’s no questioning the amount of research done to bring this story to publication. It’s no accident it feels like a Grisham novel. Honest cover quote: “Incredibly researched true-crime thriller.“ Bail factor: Low. Rating: 3 out of 5

Deep Six, Clive Cussler: This humdinger of a thriller catches you up the hunt for a chemical that “could destroy all life in the ocean — and perhaps the world”(!), and that’s only the foundational story. There’s also an evil Asian shipping magnate, a plot to overthrow the American presidency and government, and old-fashioned Soviet meddling, for good measure. If you’re familiar with the early Cussler ouevre, it’s packed with action, babes and ballast. Dirk Pitt, long a hero of mine from when I read these books as an impressionable youth, is back to save the day with his rugged, anti-Bond tactics. You know he’s going to do it, just as he did in Raise the Titantic!, Sahara, Inca Gold and other late-1970s-early-1980s classics. Longish for this discipline but still a zippy read all these years later. Honest cover quote: “Old-fashioned thriller takes you on a wild ride.” Bail factor: Low. Rating: 3 out of 5 (if you accept what you’re getting into)

Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel: An incredibly infectious virus has swept the globe, killing all but a mere 1 per cent of the world’s population. Twenty years after the pandemic, we travel along with a Shakespearean troupe that stops along what used to be the Toronto-Chicago corridor, performing and bringing a welcome escape to ragged citizens living in what’s left of a society without electricity, gasoline and pretty much everything else. Kirsten Raymonde is one of the leaders of the troupe, a lead actor but also a deadly defender of her “family.” Truly, though, Station Eleven is much more than that. Sure, it’s a harrowing tale of survival in the post-apocolyptic reality where thieves, cultists and beggars do all they can to survive. But, through flashbacks, it’s also about an actor in his last act and the regrets he has to live with in his last few days, about a brother trying to find himself within the early chaos and the mysterious origins of a young Kirsten. Poetic, simple, complex, haunting, real, fantastic, poignant, Station Eleven may very well be one of the best novels written by a Canadian in a long, long time. (The HBO series is good, too.) Honest cover quote: “Subtly brilliant on all levels.” Bail factor: Extremely low; you’ll flip through it in no time, and yet it is engrossing. Rating: 4.25 out of 5

The Eye Test: A Case for Human Creativity in the Age of Analytics, Chris Jones: A wonderful and clever case for our gut instinct, a book ahead of its time in making a case for people over AI. Using anecdote after anecdote highlighting the way people get things done, the former Esquire writer shows how we think things through, flaws and all, is what makes the best art and science. A tremendous read by a tremendous writer. (No ratings because I know the guy! 10 out of 10!)

Moon of the Crusted Snow, Waubeshig Rice: The concept is brilliant: What happens if stuff just stops working? Power, cell phones. What does humanity do next? What happens to our connectedness? Set in an Anishinaabe reserve in Ontario’s north, the first act sets up this fantastic and timely premise. But the second two acts fall short, despite a dab of “Lord of the Flies” and dash of “Station Eleven.” I wanted to like it, I was bracing for what was over the hill, but the delivery didn’t pay off. Honest cover quote: “Wasn’t feeling it.” Bail factor: Low. Rating: 2 out of 5.

If I Fall, If I Die, Michael Christie: The debut novel of one of Canada’s finest writers is like a bull bursting out of a china shop, searching for more dishes. This tale of young Will, son of agoraphobic mother in decrepit Thunder Bay who has never been outside his house, rips from start to finish with beautiful prose, honest similes and fresh dialogue. You know that preteen Will will somehow discover the outside world and, once there, not ever want to go back. Sure, there’s danger and dalliances with substance abusers and, bringing the conflict that drives the tension, the dealers of those substances. But what could have devolved into trope turned into triumph, a sweet story of hope, devotion and trust. Highly recommended. Honest cover quote: “Simple story told brilliantly. Utterly unforgettable.” Bail factor: Extremely low. Rating: 4.25 out of 5

How Did You Get This Number, Sloane Crosley: This collection of essays about everyday life in New York, Paris and life is funny, thought-provoking and tremendously accessible. Crosley’s easy way with words leads you from tale to tale without needing a break to glance at your phone. Calling her style “conversational” feels like a backhanded compliment, but it truly is a skill to write in a way that makes the reader feel like you’re along for the ride and not merely a visitor to a museum. Sure, Crosley’s stories resonate with a certain demographic — specifically, early 20-somethings looking to shrug off the teenager coil and make their mark as adults — but they should appeal to all, as the subject matter hits even a little bit in all of us. Honest cover quote: “Essays that will make you laugh — and think.” Bail factor: Extremely low. Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Go-Boy!, Roger Caron: The original gritty “true story of life behind bars” is the account of Roger Caron, a career convict who spends most of his life either in prison, trying to escape from prison or on the run from the law after escaping from prison. Throughout the book, Caron describes in devastatingly simple, plain-spoken and thought-provoking detail the harsh life in the prison system in Ontario and eastern Canada in the 1960s and ‘70s, complete with the beatings, abuse, mind games and torture exacted on the inmates by, yes, other inmates, but also by the guards and medical staff of facilities in Kingston, Brampton and Guelph, just to name a few. While the individual accounts are harrowing, the overall effect underlines the fact that this guy didn’t stand a chance of rehabilitating, doomed to a life of crime or paying for his life of crime. (This book was also used while I was growing up to scare straight middle-school misfits.) Every time he got out on parole — and there were many of those times — Caron found himself scrambling without support to deal with the compulsion he had for violence and theft. Clearly written in an age where mental health was not a thing, nor were doctors familiar with the consequences of early-childhood concussions, this classic and Governor General award-winning story will leave you feeling horrified at the conditions inmates once had to endure and the resulting wasted lives. Honest cover quote: “Shocking without being sensational, even all these years later.” Bail factor: Extremely low. Rating: 4 out of 5

Songs for the End of the World, Saleema Nawaz: Listen to this crazy pitch for a novel: An incredibly infectious virus spreads around the world, causing havoc, death and panic. Too soon? Well, this amazingly prescient and accurate novel was written between 2013 and 2019, believe it or not. And its accuracy is uncanny, from the confusing science that would result in people wearing masks as wardrobe complements to the poor being more susceptible right down to the inclusion of a novelist who writes a hauntingly timed novel about a worldwide virus. No kidding, the story feels like the author travelled forward in time, documented what she saw and then travelled back in time to write it all up. Creepy! That’s the positive. Bringing it down were the forced placements of the setting being in New York, when it clearly was intended to be another city, perhaps Toronto or Montreal. In spots it reads, to be frank, like it was written by a Canadian who had never been to New York. Coupled with character names that are decidely more Canadian than American (not to mention references to distinctly Canadian products such as a Tilley hat) and some daft choices by said characters, and you have a novel that need a good cultural edit and is more concept than delivery. Honest cover quote: “Incredibly prescient but kinda uneven.“ Bail factor: Medium. Could be higher, based on your personal COVID fatigue. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Lawn Boy, Jonathan Evison: Mike Munoz is an early-20s wannabe entrepreneur who keeps getting sewered by his choices and those of the people closest to him. He quits/gets fired from his landscaping gig, even though he is an apparent lawn and topiary artist, admired by peers and himself alike. He thinks he wants a girlfriend, but isn’t sure when the opportunity arises. He bumps into and is surrounded by colourful characters who ride along on this entertaining trip through a world we don’t usually see in novels: a young working-class man, struggling to get by, who enjoys his work. Some of the writing is touching and the story overall has a charm only original ideas and characters can provide, even if the personal denouement was telegraphed very early on. Cover quote: “A zippy little ditty.” Bail factor: Low. Rating: 2.75 out of 5

The Passenger, Cormac McCarthy: The idea of a new Cormac McCarthy novel was exciting. I loved The Road, the story about a father and his young son trekking across a post-apocalyptic America that is a rollercoaster survival tale of fatherhood, love and devotion. A societal warning wrapped in an emotional, heartbreaking blanket. Brilliant on so many levels. The movie was pretty decent, too. So when I read an excerpt of The Passenger, it was such a no-brainer than I bought the hardcover, which hardly ever happens. (Such an extravagance, amiright?) But I wasn’t too far into the novel before i started to wonder if I had made a mistake. The story starts strong: our protagonist, Bobby Western, is on a dive crew hired to investigate a sunken private jet, complete with all ghostly passengers strapped in — except one. Therein the mystery begins. Or so you’d think. But then we learn Western had a sister who was a mathematician so brilliant that she essentially went insane, seeing imaginary characters at night, etc., before committing suicide. Thus, much of the first half of the book alternates chapters between Western’s dealings with the submerged airplane and the mysterious characters trying to get him to talk and his sister’s italicized hallucinations. The excerpt I read was of the diving operation, so I figured/hoped this might be a premium version we desperately need of a Dirk Pitt story, the Clive Cussler character fondly remembered from my youth but not exactly considered literature. Did I mention the Westerns’ dad was one of the co-inventors of the atomic bomb? All the ingredients are there, really, but the hallucination chapters became daunting to complete. And then there is the dialogue. I’m in favour of intelligent conversation as much as the next guy, but there’s no way people actually talk like some of the characters do in this novel. Plus, if I can nitpick a bit further, could we please get away from this trend of not using punctuation of any kind? Not only does the dialogue not have quotation marks, making it very difficult in spots to follow who’s saying what, but we also have some contractions with apostrophes and others without. I get it, he’s won the Pulitzer and I’m just a reader, but sheesh. There is some wonderful writing in here, no question, but the whole thing has a first-draft kind of feel to it. I won’t spoil the resolution (or lack thereof) to the story, but it ticked me off, too. Cover quote: “I was expecting something more.” Bail factor: Medium to high. The sections about the sister brought serious bog to my progess. Rating: 2.75 out of 5

The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man, Paul Newman: This incredibly intimate memoir is based off interviews Newman did with close friend Stewart Stern from 1986-91 about his life, loves and regrets. Everything is in there: his challenging upbringing by an indifferent father and a hyper-critical mother, his struggles with trying to be taken seriously as an actor, his crossover with his first wife and Joanne Woodward, his relationship with his son Scott, who pre-deceased him, his struggles with alcohol … . If anything, Newman tries too hard to look at himself objectively, coming across as being plain overly critical about himself. Not a criticism; unvarnished is the best way to do a memoir. That, in itself, is revelatory about an ordinary guy who spends his entire existence trying to fit into an extraordinary life. At its core, this is an intelligent, introspective look at one of Hollywood’s greatest celebrities. Cover quote: “An honest look at an actor’s life.“ Bail factor: Low. Rating: 3.25 out of 5

All the Quiet Places, Brain Thomas Isaac: Eddie Toma lives with his mom, his younger brother, grandmother and uncle in the Okanagan Indian Reserve. It’s the late-1950s, early-1960s. His father is absent, but then comes back, throwing the family’s routine into upheaval. Family friends stop by as well, adding to the chaos. This novel, which was on the Giller longlist, the Canada Reads longlist and the 2022 Amazon Canada first-novel shortlist, is at its best when it’s quietly describing the heartbreaking conditions Indigenous people of the mid-20th century had to endure. What makes it even more heartbreaking is that even the most casual reader will know that these awful conditions — no electricity, no indoor plumbing, questionable water quality, just to name a few — continue to exist today for people living on the reservations. Conversely, some of the predicaments Eddie and his brother get into feel telegraphed, the routine of, “don’t do this,” and then they do it, bogs down the rhythm, but overall, this is a worthy read and an even finer first novel. Cover quote: “Heartbreaking and harrowing.” Bail factor: Mild. Rating: 3 out of 5

All Roads Home: A Life On and Off the Ice, Bryan Trottier with Stephen Brunt: Playing hockey in the driveway, I was Bryan Trottier. He was tough, he scored goals, he seemed to enjoy himself out there, he played on my favourite team with my favourite line, the Trio Grande with Mike Bossy and Clark Gillies. Later, I learned he was a decent musician and Indigenous. Plus, I consider Stephen Brunt to be one of the finest sportswriters of our era. So, no-brainer picking this up, right? Well, the payoff was low, sadly. This account of Trottier’s career contains little insight into how the dynastic Islanders came to prominence, how they dominated an era, etc., and the writing isn’t great, so I’m not sure how much Brunt actually had to do with the final product. Plus, Trottier glosses over the dissolution of his two marriages, his mental-health struggles after retiring (which is fine, of course, but he has spoken about mental health struggles publicly, so it seems odd he wouldn’t write in-depth about it) and doesn’t mention a low point in his career, when he left his feet to deliver a crippling hit to classy Canadiens forward Bob Gainey, who separated both shoulders and was sidelined for the rest of the playoffs because of the hit. The book is essentially an extended thank-you letter to all the key people in Trottier’s life, which isn’t a terrible thing but not necessarily something I want to read. Cover quote: “Unremarkable book about a remarkable athlete.” Bail factor: High (paused midway to read The Midnight Library). Rating: 2 out of 5

The Midnight Library, Matt Haig: Nora Seed wants to die. But instead, she checks in to the Midnight Library that’s a sort of purgatory of second chances. What if you had taken that job instead of going to school? What if you had stayed in that band? What if you had married that guy? Nora Seed gets to follow all those avenues to see which life she would have been happy in. Stellar concept, a nod to the movie “Sliding Doors” and many others. And readers agreed because this novel sold millions. But I was pushed back by a couple of serious flaws: Nora is a whiner of the highest order, and every alternative life she chooses has some kind of extreme consequence. If you had made that life choice, your brother dies! And, when she transports somehow into these alternative lives, a magical experience requiring suspension of disbelief if there ever was one, she somehow has no knowledge of everything came before that moment in that particular life, but still remembers everything else to that point in the novel. So, it’s too much to ask, in this fantastic scenario, to have a little briefing on this new alternative life in these books she’s pulling from the shelves? Doesn’t pass the logic sniff test. Add to the quibble list: repeated uses of the phrase a person “is called” and then their name. Example: “A man called John Smith.” It even appears in dialogue! Could we just go with “A man named John Smith” or just “John Smith”? Copy-editing rant over. Cover quote: “Serious logic holes bring down brilliant premise.” Bail factor: Low; the pace is pretty decent. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

We Want What We Want, Alix Ohlin: I read this and didn’t get a chance to write the review until weeks later. Not much stands out to me about it. It was fine, it had some twists, some Twilight Zone vibes, but didn’t blow me away. I think sometimes short stories can be overrated. Cover quote: “Short stories that will keep you turning the page, I guess.” Bail factor: Low. Who bails on short stories? Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Waste, Andrew J. Sullivan: This story of wannabe skinheads is about what you’d expect from such a plot: scores of graphic violence, a bounty of extreme characters and a machine-gun-rattle of stinging dialogue. It’s Larkhill, Ontario, in 1989. Jamie, Moses and the boys have hit and killed a lion while driving home one night. And the weird just gets dialed up after that, with thugs who look like two of the guys with ZZ Top, a drug dealer who operates out of an abandoned strip mall and a villain who seems like a cartoon if he weren’t so unique. Definitely for those who lean to the independent slant of literature. Cover quote: “Gritty, sharp and nasty, so get ready for the real.“ Bail factor: Low, if you have a high tolerance for violence, as the story zips along pretty well. Rating: 3 out of 5

The Teardown, David Homel: Phil is a freelance journalist. Phil is a father of two teenage daughters, one of whom might have an obsessive disorder. Phil attends support groups to cope with the “loss” of his daughter. Phil is married to a woman who might be having an affair. Phil might be having an affair himself with a woman from the support group. Clearly written but plodding, this tale of the conflict of everyday people in everyday situations feels like it has promise just right around the corner. The second half, in which Phil takes his troubled daughter with him on assignment to the Balkans, has that similar “is something exciting going to happen next?” vibe, but doesn’t really deliver. Cover quote: “Very introspective, deliberate take on everyday life.” Bail factor: Medium to high (I bailed about one-third of the way in to plow through Burke’s Law). Rating: 2.75 out of 5

Burke’s Law: A Life in Hockey, Brian Burke with Stephen Brunt: The unvarnished and honest former NHL GM writes an unvarnished and honest memoir, complete with calling out of players who dog it, GMs who hosed him, coaches who failed him and executives who betrayed him. Plus, he covers in heartbreaking and simple terms how he lost his son Brendan in a car accident, not long after he came out as gay. The prose is a little purple, but that just reinforces its authenticity. If you’re a hockey fan, this is a must-read. If you’re a sports fan, you’ll find it entertaining as well. If you like memoirs, it’s for you. A tremendous and legitimate read. Cover quote: “It doesn’t get more honest and insightful as this.” Bail factor: Extremely low. Rating: 4 out of 5

Like a Rolling Stone, A Memoir, Jann Wenner: Reportedly ticked off with the way an unauthorized biography turned out, Rolling Stone magazine founder Jenn Wenner responded with a memoir. And what a memoir it is: oodles of name-dropping (Jagger, Bono, Clinton, Gore et al), lots of juicy personal details and insightful glimpses into how some of the absolute royalty of rock ‘n’ roll live, party and create. Given his position as publisher of RS as well as Us and Men’s Journal, it’s easy to forget how good a writer Wenner is; the pace of the 555-page book is quick but not breezy; informative, yet not dense; and with some tart descriptive use of language without being overly flowery. Most of the really revelatory stuff here is about Wenner, the Rolling Stone staff (especially Hunter S. Thompson), his family and his sexuality, and some of the juicier stories about rockstars feel a bit like drive-bys, but there’s no denying this is still a worth trip into the memory and life lived of one of the most influential people in the cultural history of North America. Cover quote: “Trippy peek into the life and personality of an American icon.“ Bail factor: Low (unless you’re not really into music). Rating: 4 out of 5

Consider This: Moments in my Writing Life After Which Everything was Different, Chuck Palahniuk: The author famously known for the groundbreaking “Fight Club” provides veiled and not-so-veiled advice for writers in this winding journey through both writing and his writing life. Although not earth-shattering or game-changing for writers, any advice coming from a punk-rock author is worth savouring, if you’re so inclined. Or even if you’re not. If nothing else, Palahniuk is about going out of the comfort zone and trying something different. Cover quote: “Sharp advice mixed with wonky anecdotes from one of literature’s edgiest thinkers.” Bail factor: Low (higher if you’re not a fan). Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Scarborough, Catherine Hernandez: This collection of intertwined vignettes of kids and parents trying to make a go of it in one of Canada’s poorer neighbourhoods is heartbreaking in its rendering of characters that feel so authentic, you swear you went to school with some of them. Voices include an Indigenous single mom going day-to-day with two small children, one of whom possibly has developmental challenges, and a young girl, in the wake of being abandoned by her mom at a bowling alley, struggling with her dad’s alcoholism, to the social worker who provides the common thread while trying to help the entire pack and holding off the mismanagings of an out-of-touch supervisor. Cover quote: “Beautifully written, heartbreakingly authentic.” Bail factor: Very low. Rating: 4 out of 5

Son of a Trickster, Eden Robinson: Jared is a 16-year-old with a wild mom, an absent, mooching father and a dead dog that keeps reappearing. He’s also the only responsible one in sight and he has a budding spiritual side that he has no awareness of or control over. So, it’s no wonder, really, that he smokes and drinks too much. And about those blackouts … . This wonderfully told tale — shortlisted for the Giller Prize — masterfully weaves together Indigenous lore and cultural issues with modern slackerism and regular, old-fashioned teen angst. Cover quote: “Humourous and endearing novel that will stay with you for a long time.“ Bail factor: Practically non-existent. Rating: 4 out of 5

How to Pronounce Knife, Souvankham Thammavongsa: This short-story collection from Lao-Canadian writer Thammavongsa, winner of the Giller Prize, is very specific to a person who grew up in a Laos household, but is still relatable for non-immigrants. The short stories — among them, a colourful mom and her daughter who pick worms together, a dad who chooses family over confrontation and the charming title story about a young girl’s protection of her immigrant father — are short and punchy and entertaining enough to keep you engaged and flipping pages. Cover quote: “Quick but not breezy read, perfect for the beach or the cottage.” Bail factor: Extremely low. Rating: 3.25 out of 5

Grant, Ron Chernow: With almost 1,000 pages of densely packed copy and given it’s a historical take, this massive book promised to be an enduring commitment. And it more than lived up to that promise. I began the book at the very beginning of the pandemic, and only finished it early in 2023. Whew. But, not everything can be donuts; sometimes you need broccoli. And this is very much good for you, with Chernow’s extensive research skills extensively and painstakingly covering Grant’s legacy, from humble and borderline-abusive origins, to his emergence as a powerful and decisive Civil War general, through two terms as president, until his global coronation after he left the Oval Office. Grant was a complicated and important man, very much a pioneer when it came to equal rights for Blacks and indigenous peoples in a time when these were revolutionary ideas. His governing is often slagged, but it has some merits as well. Chernow tends to gloss over some of Grant’s mistakes and makes excuses for others, but, overall this, appropriately, is a complicated and important book. Cover quote: “Exhaustively researched. Exhausting to read.” Bail factor: High (see all the books above this rating to see how many times I paused reading it). Rating: 3 out of 5

Hench, Natalie Zina Walschots: Anna starts as a glorified administrator for super villains in this interesting take on the superhero genre. Specifically, who are the people behind the masked men and, more pointedly, what happens to the collateral damage inflicted by the good guys when they’re defeating the bad guys? The beauty of this look at the scruffy side of crime is that by the end of it, you sort of feel for the evil doers. Some of the details are a bit gory, but the read is strong and appropriate for this genre. Not too fancy, not too simple, but just right down the middle, where it should be. Cover quote: “Fun little ditty that presents life as a bad guy in a whole new light.“ Bail factor: If you’re into superheroes, low. If you aren’t but want to dip your toe, medium. Rating: 3.25 out of 5

The Listeners, Jordan Tannahill: Claire awakes one day to hear a hum that her family doesn’t. Feeling increasingly alienated, she searches for a source for this hum. Then, one day, a student in one of her classes says he hears it too. Together, they search for the source of the hum, eventually finding others who hear it too. None of the group members really know the source, but they bond — and, in some cases, break away — over their common ailment. In the third act, the story goes off the rails a bit: Claire has lost her job because she was seen outside of school with her student, a teacher no-no. The relationship is supposed to be platonic and borne from the common hum, but ends up feeling a little creepy, given the age differences, expressions of love, opposite genders, etc. (If had been a male teacher and a female student, it would have been even creepier.) Plus, the support group turns a little culty. Nonetheless, the story concept is original and interesting, but the climax of the story and the discovered source of the hum feel a little too much like a Hollywood ending. Full marks, as always, for trying something different. Cover quote: “Great idea, but kind of peters out in the third act.“ Bail factor: medium. Rating: 3 out of 5

Finding Murph, Rick Westhead: The tragic story of former No. 1 NHL draft pick Joe Murphy, deftly and expertly told by TSN journalist Westhead, is heartbreaking in scope and personifies the league’s harsh denial over the years that concussions are actually a thing in the league. Westhead documents the rise and sad decline of Murphy, once a premier forward in the NHL and a Stanley Cup winner with Edmonton, and now a homeless drifter struggling with severe mental health issues, sleeping on the roadside lawn of a Canadian Tire in Kenora, Ont. Told through interviews with Murphy circa 2018, friends, some family, former teammates and coaches, Westhead mixes anecdotes about Murphy with stats and the reprehensible duck-and-cover approach of the NHL toward the healthcare of its employees. Strong stuff. Cover quote: “Comprehensively researched and heartbreaking personal story of a national dream tarnished by greed.” Bail factor: low to medium-low. Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Reproduction, Ian Williams: This story of three generations of an oddly connected family is beautifully written, artfully crafted and wonderfully executed. Edgar Gross and Felicia Shaw (anyone seeing Wuthering Heights references yet?), him a middle-age businessman with German heritage, her a high school student from an unnamed Caribbean island, are thrown together when their dying mothers are hospitalized in the same room. From that point onward, they are not really apart and not really together, either, through the birth of their son, through their separation, through their conflicts, through birth and death in their circle, through the trials and tribulations of Felicia’s landlord-turned-partner’s dysfunctional kids, through to hospice. We see it all, we hear it all in their thoughts and quoteless dialogue. But the narrative twists and turns with creative variations in form, from mini-chapters to actual smaller-fonted subtext to flow charts and texts complete with emojis, providing very much a modern tale. The ending kind of peters out, but that very well could be intentional, given poet Williams is intentional from the get-go. (What you think are typos are brilliant manifestations of intent.) A long and twisted read, but so good and so worth the time. And I’m not just saying that because I, too, hail from Brampton. Cover quote: “Wuthering Heights for the modern suburbanite.” Bail factor: Higher early, less so as the story progresses. Rating: 4 out of 5

Middle Men, Jim Gavin: This collection of short stories about a cross-section of men in California is funny, engaging and just weird enough to feel authentic and not fantastic. From the high school basketball player with middling prospects to a production assistant who has a side gig as a (comically terrible) stand-up comedian, these characters all feel vaguely the same and yet are different enough to keep you interested. Cover quote: “Nicely written journeys with regular guys.“ Bail factor: Low. Rating: 3.25 out of 5

Halcyon, Rio Youers: Great concept, fairly well-written, this story of a cult-like community on an island in Lake Ontario that is responsible for school shootings and other terrorist attacks in the United States is a veiled comment on consumerism, groupthink and the American firearms-rights movement. But being a little too graphic, a tad unbelievable and having oddly named characters keep it from rising above typical entries in its genre. Cover quote: “Top concept feels like a movie waiting to be greenlit.” Bail factor: medium if gore and terrorism aren’t your bag. Rating: 2.75 out of 5

Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story, Chris Nashawaty: This highly addictive and well-researched history is more than just a document of how the cheeseball Bill Murray-Chevy Chase-Rodney Dangerfield-Ted Knight-Harold Ramis cult classic comedy came together. Although that is the nucleus, the larger idea is about a changing of the comedy guard. The book begins by examining the evolution of comedy in the mid-1970s, away from safe variety-show fluff, to edgier, ribald material fueled by drug abuse but that still resonates today and sets the table for the 1980 movie in the title. Those were heady (and high-high-high!) comedy days, of course, and Nashawaty, the longtime film critic for Entertainment Weekly, expertly examines the founding of National Lampoon, the shaky characters who made it great, and how the confluence of the cosmos collided with the rivalry of the fledgling Saturday Night Live, Second City and other comedy troupes. Every key player is interviewed either directly, or in the case of those deceased, indirectly through effective archival clips. No topic is considered out-of-bounds, which, considering the subject matter, is exactly the right approach. The way it’s written, the story doesn’t feel salacious or sensational, just real. Primarily comedy at its core, the book is also a tribute to pioneer Doug Kenney, the troubled and tragic center of the movie and leader at National Lampoon who just might have been born in the wrong time. Cover quote: “Entertaining, informative, real take on a pivotal movie.” Bail factor: Extremely low. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Crazy Heart, Thomas Cobb: Every now and then a character resonates so hard after you’ve put the book down, you find that character alongside you as you do menial everyday things. What’s he doing now? Bad Blake is one such character. Crazy Heart is about aging, relevance, talent, love, ambition, and, above all else, a love letter to music. Blake is a washed-up country star who has wasted his riches and is reduced to playing dives across the South to scrape by pay the bills. Gone are the glory days. Or are they? Blake is ragged from too many years of drinking, drugging, womanizing, divorcing and partying to care much. But then love comes to town in an unlikely package, and he’s suddenly on a different path. The idea isn’t all that original but the writing is, particularly the rarely opened window into the creative process behind writing a song. The novel was later adapted into a 2009 movie, starring Jeff Bridges in an Oscar-winning performance, Maggie Gyllenhaal (who was nominated for best supporting actress) and Colin Farrell. Consider it now on the watchlist. Cover quote: “You won’t be able to get Bad Blake out of your head.” Bail factor: Extremely low. Rating: 4 out of 5

Let Me Frank With You, Richard Ford: I’ve read both The Sportswriter (naturally) and Independence Day, two of the three previous books in the Frank Bascombe series, but that was a while ago, so I had forgotten how unlikable his character is. This book, while well-written, was a delicate reminder. The tone of LMBFWY is set up by the beneath-Ford cheesy title and doesn’t really do much for me through its four short stories that form a novella of sorts. Frank is remarried and retired, deals with his old house being blown away by Hurricane Sandy and the angst of the new owner whom he sold it to years ago while a real estate agent, a visit to his new house by a former resident with a tragic story and dropping in on a longtime acquaintance who is days from death and has an alarming secret about Bascombe’s first wife. As you can see, legacy, mortality and regret are on Ford’s mind, which is logical given his age (77 as of July 2021) and propensity for subtle turns on big topics. I prefer Richard Russo. Cover quote: “Decent but not dazzling.” Bail factor: Low. Rating: 3 out of 5

Someday Jennifer, Risto Pakarinen: Written by a friend, this accessible story about a lost middle-aged slacker who tries to save his small-town Finnish movie theatre is a sweet ditty that is worth the journey. After being downsized from his barely rewarding IT gig, Peter is prompted by a letter from his past high school self to jump back in time, which leads him to pretend it’s 1986 — which means forsaking Facebook, Twitter, the internet … pretty much everything that wasn’t invented when he was happiest. The triumph and tribulations that follow are not excessive in either direction, but the characters feel right and the story brings just the right amount of nostalgia for readers of a certain vintage. Cover quote: “A sweet throwback love story.” Bail factor: Low. Rating: 3.25 out of 5

Can’t Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop’s Blockbuster Year: Intricately researched but poorly written, this more-or-less-chronological story of how 1984 shaped popular music is compelling when recounting the origins of Madonna, the power of Michael Jackson, the rise of rap and the calculating brilliance of Prince. But it feels like series of well-researched magazine pieces, with the chapters connected only in that the stories therein are all in the same year. Cover quote: “Fine if you can get past the poor writing.” Bail factor: Low if your priority is substance over style. Rating: 3 out of 5

Phoenix, Amos Aricha and Eli Landau: When I was a wee lad with a bowl cut, this book was the first on my bookshelf, alphabetically organized by the author’s last name. And it long remained No. 1 as I moved from place to place, taking my increasingly heavy book collection with me, always the first or last one to be placed, depending on how I had packed the boxes. The plot of this 1979 spy thriller of some renown is pretty basic: The race is on to prevent the assassination of Israel foreign minister Moyshe Dayan by an assassin who is a master of disguise. But the significance for me was more about what it represented. See, my dad, not a reader in the slightest, would go to the annual used-book sale at the local library and, knowing and/or fostering my love for books, brought home a boxful every year. This book was among the first from one of those boxes, and thus has always held a special place in my heart, even if I hadn’t read it since the early 1980s. My father, my dear old dad, has been gone since 2007, but my love for books and the generosity he showed on a frequent basis to myself and many others lives on. As for the book itself, it’s passably good but I wouldn’t recommend it; too many lucky coincidences advance the plot and too many leaps need to be made to follow along. Cover quote, “Political thriller misses the mark.” Bail factor: Medium. Rating: 2 out of 5

The Amateur, Robert Littell: A surprisingly well-written little spy-revenge ditty, The Amateur is the story of CIA code-breaker Charlie Heller, who vows to bring his own variety of justice to the three terrorists who killed his girlfriend in a hostage drama at the U.S. consulate in Bonn, West Germany. Heller is, you guessed it, more pencil-pusher than professional killer, but somehow blackmails the Company into training him for the job. The novel, published in 1981, was written concurrently with the screenplay for the movie of the same name, and brings good character depth and believable action. Be warned, this is not Jason Bourne; the action is sparse. But that’s a good thing. Littell’s writing is more literary than some of the genre, but it doesn’t big down the plot or the pace. And then there’s the whole who-really-wrote-Shakespeare cipher, which presents interesting food for thought. In some ways, a precursor to Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. Cover quote, “Solid spy-revenge tale will keep you engaged.” Bail factor: Low. Rating: 3.25 out of 5

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Philip K. Dick: The inspiration for the awesome, arty and infuential classic Blade Runner, Electric Sheep is a typical Dick concoction: A fantastic original idea delivered upon with workmanlike prose. As in the movie, Rick Deckard retires/kills rogue androids built by a massive corporation, in this case Rosen Associates (Tyrell Corp. in the movie). That basic plot is the most important element carried over from the book to the movie, but if you’re looking for memorable moments such as Roy Baty’s iconic (and improvised by Rutger Hauer) “tears in the rain” speech or Gaff’s intrusiveness, you will be disappointed. Earth is a broken and polluted place, as in the movie, inhabited by stupid or sick people unable to afford to leave, as in the movie, who long for the companionship of animals, most of which are extinct, as in the movie. And there is a love story with an android (more effectively called “replicants” in the movie), but it’s, uh, a more base relationship. In spots, this original version differs significantly from the Hampton Fancher and David Peoples script. Dick’s novel follows a married and insecure Deckard as he investigates the escape of eight androids from a colony in Mars, for instance. However, the many differences don’t water down the effectiveness of the story: It’s still a solid Dick novel, one of his better ideas come to fruition, if you treat it as its own entity and aren’t imaging the movie or its characters or actors as you’re reading. Cover quote: “Not the movie, but still a zippy Dick read.” Bail factor: Low. Rating: 2.75 out of 5

The Tourist, Robert Dickinson: Our man Spens is part of an advanced race of humans from the future who travel back and forth in time, largely in the name of tourism and commerce. These advanced humans are larger than us, and some have modifications that allow them to see in the dark, break down doors, etc. But when one of the tourists from a time-travel trip leaves the group, Spens has to find out where (and when) she went and how to get her back. Dickinson offers a different take on the time-travel subgenre, but the dueling narratives — a key figure in the plot is presented in the second perspective — can be a tad confusing if you’re not paying close attention. And the terminology of the time of the novel is well thought out and considered, but if your mind wanders, you’re out early. Toss in a few minor typos and you’ve got a promising story that leaves a little bit to be desired by the time you reach the final pages. Cover quote: “Confusing time-travel tale falls short of potential.” Bail factor: Medium. Rating: 2.75 out of 5

Playing With Fire, Theoren Fleury with Kirstie McLellan Day: This no-holds-barred autobiography of former Calgary Flames superstar Theo Fleury is one of the finest sports books written this century. Period. Detailing his dysfunctional upbringing to the abuse at the hands of disgraced coach Graham James through to an added chapter on his truncated comeback in 2009, this retelling covers all the debauched territory that was the life and career of one of the more exciting players in recent NHL history. Drug use, alcohol abuse, gambling, strippers, hookers, infidelity … they’re all here in raw and politically incorrect detail, written in such an accessible and conversational, Holden Caulfield-esque way that it feels like you’re sitting beside Fleury while he tells these stories. (Much credit here goes to Day, who is a sort of superstar co-author in this realm, having collaborated with Bob Probert and Curtis Joseph on similar projects.) And Fleury, true to his character, doesn’t stop there, unafraid to offer his true thoughts on opposing players, teammates, Gary Bettman, playing for Team Canada, playing for the Rangers, playing for the Blackhawks, why most coaches suck, etc. If more athletes — especially notoriously close-to-the-vest hockey players — were this unafraid to express their opinions, the sport would certainly be more interesting to read about. Highly recommended, even if you’re not a huge hockey fan. Cover quote: “Heart-breaking and unvarnished gold from an outspoken superstar.” Bail factor: Extremely low. Rating 4.25 out of 5

Foe, Iain Reid: Junior and Henrietta, living comfortably on an isolated farm, have their world turned upside down when Junior wins a lottery to work on a space station for two years. Which is great … but the company sending Junior away wants Henrietta to be happy in his absence, so she is offered the services of a companion unlike any other. Or, rather, exactly like another. Hence the twist that propels the craftily imagined story. This second novel from the author of I’m Thinking of Ending Things is short, has short chapters, is accessibly written and is riven with suspense. I figured out the reveal pretty early on, but that didn’t prevent me from plowing through to the nice twist at the end, testament to the story and characters. Cover comment: “Twisty thriller artfully brings the tension.” Bail factor: Extremely low. Rating: 4 out of 5

The Greatest Game: The Montreal Canadiens, the Red Army, and the Night that Saved Hockey, Todd Denault: When two Russian Elite League teams traveled to North America in 1975-76 to take on the best of the NHL, hockey was at a crossroads: See, the Philadelphia Flyers, aka the Broad Street Bullies, were two-time defending champs, and the league was headed down the path of becoming a goonfest, a parody of itself, pro wrestling on skates. Thus, with Vladislav Tretiak’s Central Red Army team headed for a New Year’s Eve clash with Ken Dryden’s Montreal Canadiens, big stakes were on the line. Denault, a hockey researcher whose first book, a biography about Jacques Plante is reviewed below, has spoken to or cited all the key players, coaches and figures involved in the game, which ended in a taut, few-whistles, no-fighting, sport-salvaging 3-3 tie and now considered one of the best of all time. Denault’s writing is not wonderful and some occasional mistakes (particularly annoying were more than a few “Soviet’s” as team possessives) meant the editing wasn’t great, either, and it takes 200 pages to set the stage for the actual game, so this takes some dedication. Cover quote: “Purely for the diehard hockey fan.” Bail factor: Medium. (Higher if you’re looking for The Game-like writing.) Rating: 2.5 out of 5

A Terrible Country, Keith Gessen: Professor Andrei moves back to his native Moscow to look after his aging grandmother, getting mixed up with socialists, bad pickup hockey, corruption and Soviet-era melancholy along the way. This novel is a rare fictional glimpse into modern Russia, and delves craftily into life before and after communism, but it was unevenly written and edited. If you’re interested in a narrator who comes across as a sort of professorial slacker in an atypical setting, then this could work for you. Cover quote: “Modern Russia as rarely seen from the inside.” Bail factor: Medium-high. (Bailed on it once to read Catcher in the Rye, but that might be unfair because it was preceded by Hammer of the Gods.) Rating: 2.75 out of 5

Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger: This classic tale of youth disaffection, originally intended for an adult audience but since embraced by adolescents, is every bit as good as its reputation. It’s Christmastime in New York and Holden Caulfield, 16, is in the process of getting kicked out of his third school for poor behavior and bad grades. No one understands him. He’s surrounded by phonies. He hates everything and everybody. He wanders the school and then the city, searching for connections with strangers and old friends alike, missing with the adults and peers but connecting with the kids he meets along the way. Ultimately, this is a story about a young man walking the line of trying to be an adult while still pining for the days of his youth, when his brother was alive and things were simpler. Adolescents connect with this novel and Caulfield, one of literature’s more notorious unreliable narrators, because of his struggles with his evolving place in life, and adults seem to connect with the story because of its resonance with losing youth. Cover quote: “Snappy read about the search for adult happiness.” Bail factor: Low. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga, Stephen Davis: Slagged by the band as largely an exaggerated account since its sensational debut in 1985, nonetheless Hammer of the Gods remains the preeminent rock band biography, tracing the rise and rise and precipitous fall of arguably the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band of all time. The tales of the debauched behavior by the band, documented by Davis, detail the lascivious actions of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham and John Paul Jones. The music is largely secondary to recounting of TVs thrown through windows, promoters being threatened, lines being inhaled, alcohol being consumed in mass quantities and women (often very young women) being defiled in some awful way. Written in a different time, there isn’t a lot of apologizing or judgment; it’s up to the reader to make up their own mind, a documentary approach that is the way this sort of thing should be presented. Needless to say, most of the band’s behaviour wouldn’t fly these days and/or wouldn’t be read first in a book (it would be in a tweet, probably), making it all the more compelling/sad to read in the modern era. But the between-the-lines insight into the broken character of Page, who should hereafter be known as the King of Sampling considering all the ancient blues songs he “borrowed” from and spun into Led Zep hits, and the tragic personal life of Plant are the most enlightening bits. A few glaring holes along the way: why John Paul Jones changed his name, more about what happened to primary source and longtime band fixer Richard Cole, what dynamo band manager Peter Grant did toward the end and after the band’s end, what happened to Plant’s wife after her car accident, and how the marriages and various relationships of the band devolved. More insight into how the albums were made could have bumped some of the repetition, but, really, these are niggling complaints for what has long been held up as the standard for this genre. Worth the investment. Cover quote: “The wildest rock-band tale.” Bail factor: Very low. Rating: 4 out of 5

Layover, David Bell: You remember travel, right? And airports? And being interminably bored during layovers? Well, neither do I. But maybe this thriller will strike a nostalgic chord for those days, back when flying was a thing. Situation is, our boy Joshua Fields is in between flights in Atlanta when he meets super-hot but mysterious Morgan Reynolds; next thing he knows, they’re locking lips at the bar and she’s bidding him farewell, saying they will never see each other again. Josh carps him some diem and next thing you know, he’s changed flights to be on hers, to surprise her, seeing as they hit it off so well and all. But, in the plane, she totes ignores him. Huh. After landing and figuring she was some screwball, he sees on the terminal TV in Nashville that Morgan is actually a missing person! And the chase is on to solve the mystery, which involves disgruntlement over a missed bonus, the disappearance of a guy no one really liked and a ham-fisted brother in hot pursuit. Oh! And cops who, at the end of the day, are soccer moms and have hearts of gold like the rest of us. Not much new here, the thrills aren’t exactly surprising and the writing is fine. Cover quote: “Decent thriller if you ever fly again.” Bail factor: Low. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL, Sean McIndoe: McIndoe is one of the funniest writers on the Internet, regardless of topic, famous for his pithy, unapologetic and hyperlinked-references look at the NHL and all the wackiness it has engaged in over the decades. This history, at a zippy 249 pages, is an easy read, not to mention ambitious. Although he seems a bit more down the middle here than his biting online pieces, McIndoe is at his best when writing about the shenanigans of the modern era, specifically the games and events he saw. Cover quote: “Good for readers seeking a light intro of NHL history.” Bail factor: Lowish. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Motorcycles & Sweetgrass, Drew Hayden Taylor: A stranger rides into the rez on an Indian motorcycle and turns the residents’ world upside down. That’s the basic premise of this tremendous and funny novel from the multitalented Taylor, a playwright, comedian and filmmaker who was born and raised on the Curve Lake First Nation reserve near Peterborough, Ontario. The novel centers around Maggie and her son, Virgil, as they try to find out exactly what “John” is doing in Otter Lake. Along the way toward truth, we get a nice glimpse into everyday life on the reservation. Cover quote: “Witty and poignant peek into indigenous life in Ontario.” Bail factor: Very low. Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Net Worth: Exploding the Myths of Pro Hockey, David Cruise and Alison Griffiths: An Important Book about hockey from the early 1990s, this well-researched and carefully assembled examination of the NHL’s mistreatment of its players is a must-read for anyone interested in how the NHLPA came to power. And this is the unvarnished story, meticulously documenting every step of the way, from Ted Lindsay bravely taking on creating a union in the days when players needed summer jobs, through to the corruption and double-dealing of former NHLPA head and player agent Alan Eagleson, once revered and now disgraced. The reporting by Cruise and Griffiths is exhaustive; one can only imagine the hours and hours of library and phone time the authors logged in the pre-Internet days. The writing is serviceable and about what you’d expect for a results-driven work, and insightful anecdotes and interviews keep the train moving. But it’s obvious the authors had an agenda, evident in characterizations of the owners, Eagleson and former NHL presidents Clarence Campbell and John Ziegler. The NHL was on the wrong side of history on this issue, no doubt, but some of the editorializing detracts from the solid journalism therein. Net Worth is no beach read and a lot has changed since it was published — it ends with the NHL owners’ mishandling of the drafting of a young phenom named Eric Lindros and there’s not one mention of Gary Bettman — but there’s no discounting the influence it had in contributing to the rise of the NHLPA and the fall of Eagleson. Read it if you’re a dedicated student of the game but pass if you’re mainly into hockey for the nightly highlights. Cover quote: “Important book purely for puckheads.” Bail factor: High. Rating: 2.75 out of 5

Slap Shot, Richard Woodley: Yeah, there’s a book of the movie. This adaptation of the classic 1977 movie by the same name is pretty much what you’d expect. Woodley made a career out of writing adaptions of movies into novels, back when this was more of a thing, and does a serviceable job here, although you can tell he’s not a hockey guy by the language he uses (and the misspelling of Lady Byng). Overall, it’s a fairly straightforward re-creation of the movie, down to the famous and authentic dialogue brought to the screen by Nancy Dowd, based on her time following her brother’s minor-league team. Which leads one to believe a novel by Dowd would have been a bit more fulfilling. Cover quote: “Purely for die-hard fans.” Bail factor: Low, unless you’re squeamish. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

The Twenty-Seventh City, Jonathan Franzen: Try as he might to make regional politics interesting, Franzen’s story about a new police chief coming to downtrodden St. Louis in the 1990s is a mix of fantastic, everyday realistic and terrorist thriller. S. Jammu, a former police chief in India, settles in St. Louis and immediately is needed when a terrorist faction begins setting off bombs, attempting assassinations and, generally, well, terrorizing the otherwise laidback and comfortable citizens of this sleepy Midwestern city. You can tell Franzen was raised in the city, because he knows it well, down to the vibe exuded by each one of the mentioned neighborhoods and towns. He knows the difference between Ladue and Webster Groves, and knows why the north side is problematic and ripe for the real estate plot that forms a thread throughout the novel. His characters are everyday people, for the most part, dealing with extraordinary circumstances, feeling a bit like John Irving and Richard Ford. Of the storylines, the one of Arch contractor Martin Probst, a minor celebrity in town, is the most interesting. Overall, some of the writing is wonderful, but trying to get the reader jazzed up about the campaign and political jockeying around a vote on whether St. Louis city and county should amalgamate — a debate in the area since the two separated a century ago — is a tough task. Cover quote: “Valiant effort to jazz up regional politics.” Bail factor: Medium. Rating: 2.75 out of 5

The Never-Ending Present, The Story of Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip, Michael Barclay: Quite simply, one of the best profiles of a band that’s out there. Meticulously researched and reported, with a compelling style and unique format, this biography of The Tragically Hip, the Canadian roots rockers from Kingston, Ontario, is hard to put down. In alternating chapters, it goes chronologically album by album, discussing with honesty and candor (the book was not endorsed or reviewed by The Hip) the production process behind the hits and misses of Canada’s biggest band, interspersed with chapters on thematic approaches, such as why the band never made it big in the States. Throughout it all, Barclay draws from interviews with the band members, most notably charismatic and enigmatic lead singer Gord Downie, to describe the inner workings of what makes an iconic band tick. Barclay also interviews musicians, authors and producers within and outside the sphere of influence of the band. Where he couldn’t get first-hand interviews, he quotes, with attribution, a number of valuable sources. The passages about Downie, whom most readers will know died of a brain tumor in 2017, are particularly wrought and insightful. The story is not puffy, it’s not purely linear, it’s not hagiographical, but it’s all there and in the right proportions. Cover quote: “The standard for band biography.” Bail factor: Low. Rating: 4 out of 5

Us Against You, Fredrik Backman: This sequel to Backman’s tremendous Beartown is more of the same: the small-town folk have angst and conflict and growing pains and … oh, yeah, hockey. But as with the first novel, the sport again is secondary to the pushes and pulls the characters endure in their normally abnormally lives, from the closeted gay hockey player who gets ousted in public fashion to the GM who makes a deal with a double-crossing politician in a valiant attempt to save his beloved town’s team. The strong writing is back, the characters and their uber-realistic motivations are present, and the theme of all Backman’s novels, that we are all multitudes, that no one is simply bad or simply good, run straight through every chapter and paragraph. The good guys have some bad in them and the bad guys have some good in them, as in real life. Similar to its predecessor, this one is about unfairness, about fate, about hopes, dreams and tragedy, but more subliminally is about the heartbreaking miracle and eternal job of being a parent. Some of the same levers are pulled here on the heartstring meter, and there are a few shifty tricks pulled, but overall this is sweet little story about a savage little Scandinavian town. Cover quote: “A worthy sequel to the classic Beartown.” Bail factor: Low. Rating: 3.75 out of 5

How to Stop Time, Matt Haig: The thing is, Tom Hazard doesn’t age. More accurately, he doesn’t age at the same rate as the rest of us. His rare condition means he has sailed with Captain Cook, played in Shakespeare’s troupe, has had random drinks with F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda. But having this condition is lonely, as one might expect, watching mortal loved ones die off as you continue onward, barely wrinkling. Tom has a daughter who has the same age-defying condition, so he’s forever searching for her, all the while working for a secret society designed to bring into the fold those who slowly age or else, er, eliminate them as they try to live with an overwhelming cache of memories. The story is deftly told, the plot believable while not being predictable, the characters authentic and the resolution, while a little Hollywoody, feels right. Haig uses some beautiful language, driving the story along with enough mystery to keep you interested, but also presenting great set pieces about our love for technology, about our love for company and, foremost, about our desire to tame time. Cover quote: “A fantastic, well-executed premise with a heart.” Bail factor: Low. Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Underground Airlines, Ben H. Winters: In an alternate reality, slavery still exists in four states in the South. Victor’s job is to hunt down escaped slaves and return them to the corporate demagoguery, taking direction from a voice on the phone. But Victor is black himself, and you can see where this is going: inner conflict, double agency, plot twists, misdirection, suspense, torture, blood, lots of blood, the enlistment of innocent bystanders seeking a sort of freedom themselves, last-minute rescues. If you can suspend any misgivings born from the fact that Winters is white and writing about being a black man, you’ll be entertained by this 322-page work that comes very close to delivering on its very creative premise, which, compared with other similar works that were all idea and less payoff, is very high praise indeed. Cover quote: “Good delivery on a great idea.” Bail factor: Medium-low. Rating: 3 out of 5

Sparrow Nights, David Gilmour: This slightly depraved novel by Governor General-winning Gilmour is about a middle-aged French literature professor who has his heart broken by one of the many too-young-for-his-age women who flit in and out of his life. Brilliantly written in spots, it also has some stereotypes to address (the poor, black massage parlour attendant who steals all his stuff?) and you sense that the story is really about him, but it barely tops 200 pages and presents a whirlwind opportunity to read one of Canada’s craftiest and few proudly male authors. This isn’t in the same class as his deft and compelling Film Club, a nonfiction take on reconnecting with his son through film, but it holds you, even through the jarring third act. Cover quote: “Depraved, creative and worthy.” Bail factor: Medium. Rating: 3 out of 5

Atlas Obscura: This 450-page reference-type coffee table book is full of the great random, off-the-beaten-path and odd destinations and characters around the world, ranging from a macabre half-woman, a half-fox fortune teller in Pakistan to the cathedral of junk in Austin, Texas. This one is best savored over a matter of months because otherwise it could twist you up after a while, the converted cooling towers and museums of decaying mummies. But if you’re looking for an unusual and meticulously researched travelogue, this is definitely for you. Cover quote: “Bizarre, comprehensive and rewarding world tourbook.” Rating: 3.25 out of 5

Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson: We know that Steve Jobs, the main mind behind Apple, was a genius and a class-A jerko. One of the primary reasons you know this is because of this book, the incredibly researched and insightful biography published in 2011, written by former CNN chairman and Time editor Isaacson. Isaacson takes us from Jobs’ youth as an adopted child all the way through to his fight against cancer just before his death. Hence, a door brick that weighs in at almost 600 pages. But if you’re into comprehensive bios and are the least bit interested in the brilliant Jobs and/or his Apple products, this is the way to go. We hear about his youth, the seeds of his lifelong resentment at being put up for adoption, and his intersection with a certain Bill Gates (also born in 1955), who serves as a nemesis, rival and muse. We hear everything about Jobs’ relentless drive to get things right as Apple founder and then, later, savior. We hear about how the Mac, iPod, iPhone and iPad, arguably the most game-changing inventions of the last 50 years, came together, complete with arguments made by powerful people against each as well as Jobs’ refusal to accept anything other than his own way during design, production and marketing. As in, he was selfish, self-serving, insensitive, cruel, decisive, distant with his daughters and arrogant. We’re in the room for this stuff. And there are also ample examples of Jobs taking credit for other people’s ideas, bullying people he thought were weak and acting like a big baby when something doesn’t go the way he wanted. And we haven’t even touched on Pixar. Minor quibbles include a touch of repetitiveness (perhaps intentional reminders because of the length of the book) and a tendency to present both sides of the story but then more frequently side with Jobs (perhaps unavoidable when you get as much intimate access to Jobs and his family as Isaacson did). Whatever. Isaacson talked to scores of sources, getting unvarnished quotes from everyone from Roger Ames to Bono to Bob Iger to Gates to Al Gore to John Lasseter to Jobs’ wife to his ex-girlfriends to former colleagues to Steve Wozniak. The result provides the standard for comprehensive biographies. Cover quote: “Hard to top this comprehensive look at one of history’s game changers.” Bail factor: Medium. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Zero Cool, Michael Crichton/John Lange: Before there was Jurassic Park-Michael Crichton, there was Zero Cool-John Lange, a pen name Crichton adopted while an honors student at Harvard Medical School. Crichton/Lange wrote a series of crime thrillers, forming his writing chops that would eventually produce some of the best scientific thrillers ever produced, many of which were turned into movies and TV shows. In this one, while at a conference in Spain Dr. Pete Ross, a radiologist, finds himself somehow threatened into performing an autopsy, all the while befuddled about his involvement and assisted by a beautiful and bikini-wearing woman. Of course. The plot is driven by many questions: Why is Ross, seemingly unconnected to the hoodlums, involved? Can he trust the bikini lady? What was in the box? Who is dead and who isn’t? Who are the real bad guys? What does Tex have to do with it all? Why are there so many Americans in this novel? How influenced was this by Ian Fleming’s work? Overall, at a breezy and thrill-packed 226 pages, I scarfed this down in a day, and you will too. Cover quote: “A deft melding of James Bond and Carl Sagan.” Rating: 3 out of 5

Born to Rock, Gordon Korman: This breezy little ditty about a teenager who finds out he might be the product of a one-night stand with a punk pioneer is actually sweet and charming. Sure, Leo Caraway acts younger than his 18 years old, but his search to bond with the notorious and potential bio-dad King Maggot over the course of a cross-country reunion festival tour hits the appropriate snags and feels mostly legit. A side love story with a childhood friend feels a bit cliche, and some of the reactions to outrageous events seem underplayed, and the rockstar shenanigans are muted, but you end up cheering for this guy, somehow. The chapters are crisp and the book clocks in at 218 pages, meaning a low-risk read. Cover quote: “Good book for adventurous teens.” Rating: 2.75 out of 5

Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury: Although considered a foundational work, this is not the best effort from the master who brought us classics Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Sure, it’s got Earthlings fleeing a dying and warring planet for redder climes, and lots of accurate speculation about technology killing us and us killing the Earth (and us killing us), but it’s a bit disjointed. Perhaps this is because the short stories that form this novel are loosely connected and were assembled partly with short stories Bradbury had published previously. Still, there’s no denying the genius, the forethought and prescience in every bit of writing the sci-fi maestro was able to pull off. Rating: 2.75 out of 5

Rum Punch, Elmore Leonard: Simply, an edgy adrenaline ride that provides a speedy vacation read. Characters are believable, dialogue feels authentic and action is reasonable. At a basic level, this is about a smalltime crook using a Florida airline attendant to smuggle back ill-gotten gun-trading profits from the Bahamas. Along the way we’ve got mangled syntax, punctuation challenges and confusing twists. But this is a character-driven piece, the banter between the losers, cops and low-grade players from life’s margins making it a fun read. Cover quote: “Smart at being dumb.” Rating: 3.25 out of 5

From Russia With Love, Ian Fleming: When you think about James Bond, you think thrills, adventure, exotic locales and bikini-clad women. What you don’t think about is administrative tasks, meetings, bureaucracy, uncertainty and love. And that’s the difference between the books and the movies. In From Russia With Love, 007 has to convince a Russian spy that he’s in love with her over the course of a trip on the Orient Express from Turkey to France in order to gain a super-secret encryption device. But getting there is a slog and filled with descriptions of meetings and long passages describing the rooms the meetings are held in, and listening to Bond’s second-guessing of himself. I’d forgotten how different the books are from the movies. Fleming’s James Bond is more a man of inaction, with a license to chill. Cover quote: “Far from cinematic.” Rating: 2 out of 5

Slash with Anthony Bozza: As the lead guitarist and one of the creative geniuses behind debauched partiers Guns N’ Roses, you just know Slash has seen some things. And, believe it or not, this book is a startlingly unvarnished retelling of many of those awesome and awful things. Told roughly in chronological order, beginning with his upbringing by liberal-minded parents who divorced when he was little, right through to the second album with his band Velvet Revolver (the book ends before the death of VR lead singer Scott Weiland), this ribald tale is a no-prisoners view of what really goes on before, during and after a massive rock band performs, makes an album, goes on tour, etc. The writing is opinionated, conversational and accessible, so much so that it feels like you are sitting in the room with Slash while he’s telling of his many drug dependencies. Minor quibbles: It’s a bit repetitive, the timelines are hard to follow at points (a few more references to his age and the year during anecdotes would have helped context), it has a hypocritical viewpoint about destructive behavior and it’s about 75 page too long. But, really, this is an addictive read because of the honest stuff about his challenging relationship with lead singer Axl Rose, how many times Slash has come close to dying, the myriad times he was unfaithful (with enough details to be insightful, but not too many to be invasive) and his self-sabotaging addictions. One of the better books from this rather thin genre. Cover quote: “Great for music fans, regardless of allegiance.” Rating: 4 out of 5

The Testaments, Margaret Atwood: The wacky gang from Gilead is back! In a sequel to the powerfully prescient The Handmaid’s Tale of 35 years ago, Gilead is under seige, women are still horribly mistreated and Canada remains the land of freedom of choice. This time, the narration is taken on by three characters: A powerful Aunt, a young Gileadean teenage girl being conditioned to conform and a young Canadian teenager who could be the key to bringing down the entire regime. When The Handmaid’s Tale came out, even though Atwood cleverly elected to use only events and policies that already existed or had happened in history to create this dystopian future, there was a sense that we were moving away from that as a society, that the story was more of a warning not to repeat past mistakes than a prediction. How the times have sadly changed. Reading The Testaments, you fear instead that it’s more of a statement about where we are now as a society, that we are on a tragic path of regression of women’s rights being rolled back. A whole different kind of scary. Nonetheless, the writing is Atwoodian, which is the typical brilliantly subtle, informative and pointed. Maybe it’s my predisposition to hate sequels, and, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it shared the Booker, but I just didn’t think this one moved the ball all that much. The novel got off to a slow start for me, I had trouble following the timeline and which character I was supposed to be reading (even though the chapter headings were conveniently marked with unique designations for each). I would rather have had Atwood aim her considerable sharpshooting at a more obscure but equally important topic, like she did the first time around. Rating: 3 out of 5

Run, Eric Walters: This young adult novel about a teen who meets Terry Fox early in his Marathon of Hope run is a nice little ditty about one of Canada’s greatest heroes. For those who don’t know, Fox lost a leg to cancer in his teens and, determined to raise money for cancer research, decided to run across Canada, starting in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on his one good leg and one artificial leg in 1980. But the cancer that claimed his leg eventually spread to his lungs and, ultimately, his life. The story is short (227 pages) but effective. Cover quote: “Nice ditty about a courageous Canadian hero.” Rating: 3 out of 5

An Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America, Thomas King: This is an important and long-overdue book, laying out the centuries and centuries and centuries of crimes against the indigenous people of Canada and the United States by European settlers, all from a Native perspective. King, a noted American-born Canadian scholar and intellectual of Native heritage (namely Cherokee, and he has also claimed German and Greek blood), lays out crime after crime perpetrated against Natives through treaties that weren’t negotiated in good faith, treaties that were cagily intended to be convenient stopgaps of placation by the white guys but perceived as being permanent by the Natives, etc. In short, King brings to the fore the backroom stabbings committed by Europeans against Natives, which, presented alongside the crimes we’ve previously read about (pox-laden blankets, beads for land, massacres, etc.), makes for a pretty grim and bitter narrative. In spots conversationally funny, sarcastic and pithy, An Inconvenient Indian received much praise after it was released in 2012. But I was left looking for it to go to the next level: how about some solutions? King is qualified, of course, to suggest as much, but they aren’t forthcoming. Maybe I was seeking a book he wasn’t trying to write, maybe he was determined to merely lay out the crimes and consequences, which is admirable and understandable, given his perspective. Cover quote: “An important book that could have been more.” Rating: 3 out of 5

Old Man’s War, John Scalzi: Future Earthling John Perry joins the army, overcomes long odds, misses his dead wife, shows brilliance beyond his rank, ends up saving the universe. Oh, and did I mention that he was 75 when all this started, but went through a genetic modification that in many ways turned back time and made him fitter than he was even in his young and strapping days? This story, Scalzi’s debut and considered by some to be his finest, is an old-fashioned science fiction yarn that will have you turning the pages at breakneck speed. Sure, it owes more to Heinlein than Hemingway, and it’s not about anything more than what’s on the surface, but the protagonist is likable, the dialogue is snappy and the entertainment value is high. After all, there’s nothing worse than dreading picking up the book you’re reading. Cover quote: “Darn good throwback sci-fi war tale that will have you ripping through the pages.” Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Just Let Me Look at You: On Fatherhood, Bill Gaston: Fatherhood is the best and hardest job of import the world over. Just ask all those guys who bailed on it, failed at it, rail at it or ever mailed it in — and their children, who deal with those consequences the rest of their lives. So you can imagine how difficult it must be for a father raised by a bad dad (before being abandoned by a mom) to raise a son. That’s author Gaston’s dad, a complicated and yet simple man who just loves to fish—and drink like one. Gaston’s story, all these years later, is a weave of fond memories of fishing with his dad, interspersed with moments of revulsion while watching his dad struggle with alcoholism, which was, as we learn, a coping mechanism for a horrible childhood. Gaston is a wonderful writer (The Good Body is a top-fiver) and this book has some powerful prose, indeed. Not only is the book primarily about fathers and sons, but it’s also about existentialism, death, the environment and seeking solitude, all deftly and beautifully covered. But because I’m not really into fishing (despite the best efforts by my own dad to instill that love), this one took a while to get through. Cover quote: “Touching treatise on being a dad.” Rating: 3 out of 5

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Cory Doctorow: Sci-fi often gets a bad rap because it’s not considered high-brow enough to be literature, or whatever. To me, a good completely fabricated idea executed well is more challenging than some of the pretentious “fiction” that is really just a rewrite of real life to fawning praise. Plus, in world in which we live, a finely crafted sci-fi tale can be more relevant to our lives than any homily about slavery or allegory involving a Wall Street clown. In this 2003 novel, Doctorow’s more famous work, Jules is barely a century old, operating the Haunted Mansion and living his lifelong dream of residing in Disney World. Meanwhile, he’s seemingly fighting off a conspiracy from a competitor whose work with the Hall of Presidents is considered leading edge and driving the “guests” crazy with admiration. Oh, and his girlfriend has a deep secret and his best friend is aiming at ending it all, finally, completely and Jules believes this rival had him killed (his fourth such death). But don’t worry, he had a backup made just before his death, so the restore is all good. This is more old-fashioned storytelling than deep treatise about society, but there are occasional hits on theme parks and our over-reliance on technology. Cover quote: “A breezy and well-considered ride.” Rating: 3 out of 5

Generation A, Douglas Coupland: The bees are almost extinct. Does an addictive drug have something to do with it? And where do five people, all stung by said nearly extinct bees in separate parts of the world, fit into all this? So goes the premise of Coupland’s 2009 novel that is very much not a sequel to his bestselling, career-defining masterpiece Generation X. The fascinating and compelling idea starts of really strong with the tales as told in the distinctive voices of the B5s, as they are collectively known, and how they unite. But after they do congregate in Gwaii Haida in British Columbia, the plot takes a sideways slide into each character having to tell stories for a captive (and, ultimately, devious) scientist. Coupland is a genius and this novel received much praise — and he’s still a master satirist of society’s evil leanings — but the devolution of the beginning of the third act was too much of a distraction for me. Cover quote: “Liked it a bit, but not a lot.” Rating: 2.75 out of 5

Canadian Pie, Will Ferguson: This collection of articles and essays by Canadian humourist Ferguson is a funny summer read masked in an exploration of Canada from coast to coast (with some Japanese padding — Ferguson lived in Japan for a time and married a Japanese woman — at the end). Nothing too deep, really, although beautiful writing pops up amid the mirth, particularly in the story about searching for an old girlfriend in Quebec City, which is weaved around a complex history of the city, as well as the profile of the failed kamikaze pilot from World War II. Ferguson is mildly funny, going the expected route with some of his bits, and the LOLs are in short supply. Overall, this series of previously published magazine and newspaper pieces from the late 1990s and early 2000s is a decent used-bookstore pickup for the cottage or beach. Cover quote: “Mildly amusing.” Rating 2.5 out of 5

The Stone Angel, Margaret Laurence (a previous top 10 read): Quite simply, this is the best novel you’ll read about aging. Hagar Shipley is 90 and, well, losing it. Her son Marvin and his wife Doris are trying their best to manage Hagar as she struggles with dementia, recalcitrance and ill physical health. Seen through her eyes, these present-day tribulations are interspersed with her memories of her young family life, including marrying the wrong man and the loss of a son. The storyline is essentially an old-school, sweeping family tale, but the language Laurence enlists makes it all so vibrant, so alive, that you feel every bit of anger, remorse and confusion that the stubborn and steadfast Hagar experiences. Cover quote: “An affecting read from cover to cover.” Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Iceberg, Clive Cussler: This adventure thriller, one of the earliest of the Dirk Pitt novels in the famous series (he’s the guy who would go on to raise the Titanic) that’s still somehow going, has what you’d expect from a novel written in this genre in 1975: a tough and wisecracking hero, damsels in distress, excruciating masculinity with an underlying edge of homophobia, wild plot developments, cheap life and a despicable villain. In this one, our man Pitt finds a burned-out ship mysteriously encased in an iceberg that leads him to uncover an ambitious plot to take over Central and South America for their resources in a caper that stretches from Iceland to the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. See, symbolism isn’t subtle here at the Cussler factory. I loved these books as a kid. For this genre, it’s fine. For literature, it’s predictable … other than the last few pages, which reveal a villain who is either a stunningly progressive statement on tolerance or just a convenient plot twist. Cover quote: “Took me four days to read it.” Rating: 2.75 out of 5

The One, John Marrs: A new DNA test reveals with stunning accuracy who your soulmate or perfect romantic match is (as long as that person has also done the test). It’s Match.com taken to scientific heights. But it raises many questions. Do you take the test if you’re already in love with someone? If you’re married? And, if you’re single, what are the hazards with seeking out your perfect match if you know nothing else about this person and truly believe that love is blind? This novel surprisingly plays out well beyond being just a fantastic idea, even though it’s generally tough to pull off great concepts like this beyond the elevator sales pitch. But Marrs pulls it off, even if it’s a little gory in spots. And we should talk about his male characters for a minute: one is a former player who is now in a vegetative state; one is a psychopathic serial killer; one is a stereotypical jock matched up with another heterosexual guy; and another is a manipulative schemer bent on bringing down the entire Match DNA system. Where have all the good guys gone? That issue aside, this story rips through its 400-plus pages at a lightning pace (chapters are typically three to four pages long) and has enough surprising twists to help mask the obvious ones. Cover quote: “A brilliant idea executed in an entertaining way.” Rating: 3.75 out of 5 

The Couple Next Door, Shari Lapena: A combination of the Disappearance of Madeline McCann and a John Grisham novel, this thriller serves up what you’d expect: suspenseful twists and turns, pedestrian writing and a climax that you could see coming if you were paying close enough attention. See, the couple went next door to a dinner party without their six-month-old baby, leaving her alone while keeping an eye on her via monitor and half-hour checkins. But, when they get back for the night, she is gone! Was it a kidnapping? Was it an inside job? Did the mom, suffering from postpartum depression and with a history of violence, kill her own baby? Is the dad, whose business is failing, … well, you get the picture. Still, in this genre, the bar is only so high, and Couple does a good job of hitting it, providing a rapid read for a beach holiday or lunchtime at work. Cover quote: “About what you’d expect.” Rating: 2.75 out of 5  

High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (a previous top 10 read): Another longtime favorite, I first read High Fidelity in 1996 while tolerating complicated personal noise and navigating a new job in a new city. My copy, discovered in a secondhand bookstore, couldn’t have come at a better time. But that’s not really relevant to the book itself (don’t you hate reviews that are all “me” and “I”? Just give me the goods on the book, man!). Rob, a music snob who owns a record shop, is a bit of a dick and going through tumultuous times in his relationship. That’s the basic skinny. But the journey, as always with any great book, is in the telling, which holds up in this revisiting all these years later. We meet interesting characters, eavesdrop on realistic and funny dialogue, find the twists believable, and, somehow, feel for this mid-30s wandering soul who is oblivious about having a hard time growing up. An allegory for our times, even before it was this particular age, High Fidelity hits all the right notes. The music talk is authentic, the posturing around what it means to be a man in the modern era is pointed and the expression of reluctance we all have when it comes to growing up is profound. Cover quote: “The best novel written about music, men and mating.” Rating: 4.5 out of 5

The Good Body, Bill Gaston (a previous top 10 read): I revisited this longtime favorite after Buffalo Lockjaw (reviewed below) reminded me with its similar narrative voices and themes of regular guys just trying to figure it all out. In The Good Body, the finest work in the career of the brilliant Gaston, Bobby Bonaduce returns to hometown Fredericton after bulldozing through the pro hockey minors for the last 20 years. Once back home, he tries to reconnect with his estranged wife, who’s long been with another man, and the son he never got to know. Bonaduce, oh by the way, is in denial about being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, all while attending university to learn about writing and trying to make the varsity team in a clumsy attempt to bond with his understandably wary son. Practically every paragraph of this novel is rich with a breathtaking nugget of enriched prose that leaves you pondering, pondering, pondering. The story is rare in that it lets us know it’s just fine for us men — ok, not just men, but especially hockey players — to be wholly complicated people too, to have rich interests, diverse backgrounds and suffer heartbreaking dreams. You can be sensitive and masculine, too. For me, it’s the perfect book: A former hockey player who loves literature and music and returns home to try to redeem himself for a selfish past. Beautiful, tragic, funny, devastating, subtle, original, alive. Cover quote: “Best book ever.” Rating: 4.75 out of 5

Buffalo Lockjaw, Greg Ames: Protagonist James/Jimmy is back in his native Buffalo over Thanksgiving while his mom, in an assisted-care home suffering miserably with Alzheimer’s at 54, is slipping out of reach. Turns out he’s a bit lost himself, holding down a job writing juvenile greeting card messages while living a faux hipster life in Brooklyn and trying to figure out adulthood. But the story is much more than that. Funny, smart, incredibly poignant and pause-worthy well-written, Lockjaw is one of the few books I’ve read in recent memory that I thought about while not reading it. There’s a lot of the author in Jimmy, sure, but that doesn’t take away from the narrative, stealing from real life or not. Beautifully done; here’s hoping Ames has a few more such brilliant works in his repertoire. Cover quote: “That’s what I’m talking about.” Rating: 4 out of 5

Life, Keith Richards with James Fox: Seriously, I thought it was going to take me that long to read this  547-page autobiography by the seemingly immortal guitarist and chief songwriter of the Rolling Stones. As with the Johnny Lydon autobiography (reviewed below), a dash of editing would have gone a long way, but this was still a decent story of arguably one of the most influential cultural icons of the last half of the 20th century. If you’re merely looking for stories, there is a wealth: Richards sharing drugs with John Lennon, Richards “accidentally” getting Mick Fleetwood hooked on the junk, Richards unapologetically going from one woman to another (with many instances of concurrency), Richards infamously falling out of a tree, Richards randomly running into Paul McCartney on a Rio beach, Richards feuding time and time again with Mick Jagger, Richards hanging out with Johnny Depp. But his reverence for music (“I could kick smack; I couldn’t kick music”) is what drives this story and, therefore, his life, and the love is obvious. If you are a super Stones fan, a music history buff, interested in Richards’ detailed guitar-playing geekery or just plain curious about the inner workings of one of rock’s most colorful characters, pick this one up (if you can lift it). Cover quote: “Great for the hardcore music and Stones fans.” Rating: 3 out of 5

Beartown, Fredrik Backman: This is the best hockey novel ever written. Backman, the author of the wonderful A Man Called Ove, does it again with this story about the crushing events surrounding a junior hockey team that threaten to destroy a small (presumably Swedish) town and derail the people within it. Through meticulous research and beautiful, beautiful writing, Backman artfully presents the inner workings and mindset of a hockey team as accurately as I’ve ever seen them portrayed. The motives of the many characters ring true, the reactions are genuine and the outcomes are refreshingly unpredictable — just like as in life. And even though on its surface it’s about hockey, this novel is a strong indictment of groupthink, paternalism, sexism, inequality, cliches and homophobia, just to name a few. Backman is sharply adept at the art of subtlety, so paying attention earns a lush reward. In short, If there is any justice in this triangle of a world, Beartown will be taught in schools in the near future. Cover quote: "The best hockey novel ever written." Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Anger is an Energy, John Lydon: This ribald autobiography is just what you’d expect from the lead singer of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd. Punk pioneer Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, writes like he talks (the preface from the publisher excusing the malapropisms and sloppy grammar is surely unnecessary) in that it’s bold, unabashed and entertaining as all get out. Lydon talked more about the Pistols in his previous autobiography, but this newer book is broader in scope and starts with his youth — explaining in heartbreaking but straightforward detail what it was like to be a poor immigrant kid in midcentury England who becomes an outcast after a dose of meningitis keeps him from school for a year and results in short-term memory loss, all at the tender young age of 5. Oh, and that memory loss temporarily made him suspicious of his parents, questioning who they were and why they cared about him. One can only imagine. The story hurtles from there toward the fateful and culture-shifting birth of the Pistols, to Lydon’s gloriously unvarnished opinions of his bandmates and, most savagely, manager Malcom McLaren. There’s a lot of bile in here (not to mention a sprinkling of the worst curse words you can imagine), but in Lydon’s wonderful, conversational prose (ghosted by Andrew Perry), it transforms into a blast of a ride. Plus, c’mon, punk. Sure, the book can be a tad repetitive, slides occasionally into a spite session, has about four endings too many and is 150 pages too long (it clocks in at 519 pages), but as a work of art it’s a great representation of the life of one of rock’s smartest and kindest (true) stars. Cover quote: “Funny, smart and heartbreaking. No, really.” Rating: 3.75 out of 5

The Marrow Thieves, Cherie Dimaline: Not on the same scale as American War but equally as dystopian, this novel tells the story of a young Aboriginal boy and his fight for survival with a merry bunch of misfits in a society that kidnaps indigenous people to harvest their marrow for dreams, all the while dealing with the consequences of global warming. The plot is feasible, the characters are believable and the message is clear: now look at what you’ve done, European settlers. Cover quote: “Dystopian love story with a serious dose of hard truth.” Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Girl in a Band, Kim Gordon: Even though I’m not a huge fan of Sonic Youth, I thought I’d give this memoir a chance, considering it’s written by one of the band members and it had good buzz when it was released. Gordon, a founding member of a pioneering band of the alternative/No Wave era, is articulate, creative and thoughtful. And, in the case of her assessments of Courtney Love and Billy Corgan, she is also refreshingly forthcoming with opinions and firsthand experiences. But the book, because it was written in the shadow of the dissolution of the band, comes across in parts as a bitter tirade against co-founder and ex-husband Thurston Moore, whose infidelities ended their marriage and capsized Sonic Youth. This is probably a good read for fans of the band, but for me I wanted more backstage insight and less vitriol. Cover quote: “Better than most rock books, but not encore-worthy.” Rating: 2.75 out of 5

Whisky King, Trevor Cole: This all-encompassing, deeply researched story profiles the life of Rocco Perri, the so-called King of the Bootleggers, who made a fortune while running alcohol to Canada and the United States from Hamilton, Ontario, during Prohibition. Cole, who has twice been nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award for his novels, turns his expert journalistic eye to a story that has more twists and colorful character turns than a Hollywood movie (and why this story hasn’t been made into a movie is a mystery). The rich details Cole was able to assemble through research, reporting and sourcing is astounding; we know how Perri got to Hamilton after coming over in a ship from his native Italy, we know the events immediately before his mistress made a fatal decision, we know what kind of car he drove the day his partner was shot, etc. This richness provides an immersive experience about events and a society that took place almost a century ago, which is no small accomplishment. If you’re up for a good biography,  this one is worth the journey. Cover quote: “Cole’s masterful approach brings a great Canadian caper to life.” Rating: 3.25 out of 5

Half the Child, William McGee: This heartbreaking and funny tale is a treat from start to finish. Air traffic controller Mike Mullen is going through a painful divorce from a woman who clearly has issues with, you know, keeping promises, honesty and being faithful. But the primary focus is on Mullen’s custody battle and love for son Benjy, “the fruit of the marriage.” There’s more here, a lot more, but at its heart this debut novel is the best look at how some dads just plain get royally screwed by the court system all while being treated like idiots by society. Cover quote: “Funny, sharp and heartbreaking look at how good dads get shredded during divorce.” Rating: 4 out of 5

Juliet, Naked, Nick Hornby: Sure, I might be a cliche for my generation, but High Fidelity (the novel) changed my life. The story, if you’re not familiar, is about a guy who runs a record shop in London and is going through an existential crisis while his girlfriend dumps him. The novel (reviewed above) is full of great band references and hilarious music snobbery pulled off by some of the geekiest and most real characters seen heretofore. And it was a revelation: There were people out there like me! Since then, Hornby has fallen into a bit of a Douglas Coupland plateau (“rut” is too harsh) in that his fantastic debut novel was so different and cunning and meaningful for its time that subsequent works fall short no matter how good. Juliet, Naked, falls into that same category as other non-Fidelity Hornby novels: on their own, pretty good, but when expectations are so high, it’s just … fine. This one is the story of a woman in a boring relationship with an uber-fan of reclusive American rockstar Tucker Crowe who writes a review and, through the miracle of email (the book was published in 2009), they connect. Meaningful exchanges and much mirth ensues. The rockstar lifestyle is pilloried, but not as much as fanatic fandom and those who get swept away by it. Overall, Juliet is a good and breezy read, as usual, but it doesn’t (can’t!) stay with you like High Fidelity. Cover quote: “Hornby is one reliable cat.” Rating: 3.25 out of 5 

Survivor, Chuck Palahniuk: The author who most famously wrote Fight Club as his debut novel deals this time with celebrity, religion and fate, among other heavies. His writing style is easy, his characters feel authentic and his settings and actions are not always what you expect. All good things. Plus, this one has chapters and page numbers in reverse order from the norm, for which he gets bonus points not just for trying, but for successfully pulling off in a way that is relevant to the story and not just a clever gimmick. And then there’s the whole hijacked-airplane thread. Cover quote: “A speedy read that is a sharp jab at the people who will do anything to embrace celebrity.” Rating 3.25 out of 5

A Great Reckoning, Louise Penny: Part Dan Brown, part Agatha Christie, Penny’s Inspector Armand Gamache series has become a huge international hit. This particular tale, an account of Gamache taking over a corrupt Quebec Surete academy where a murder later occurs, is forthright and earnest, but is draggy in parts. Which makes it, at almost 600 pages, about 150 pages too long. The writing is good for the mystery/thriller genre, with an occasional nice turn of phrase or description — the rich food scenes will make your stomach rumble if you’re reading between meals — and the characters are likable and mostly believable. But the repeated frustration of wanting something to happen because of the expectation of the genre tainted it for me. Cover quote: “Slow-paced thriller misses the mark.” Rating: 2.25 out of 5

In Pieces, Sally Field: Coco and I stumbled upon a reading by actress Field that turned into a literary-industry version of a melee (the moderator was heckled for talking too much! In the Midwest, no less!), and admission came with an autographed copy of her autobiography, so that’s why I read it. Otherwise, no. Not a big fan of the actor memoirs, mainly because the industry tends to treat humans like the cosmetics industry treats animals. Not to mention everything is about them. So that might be why I didn’t really care for this book, even though the writing is at times beautiful, even though it appears to be Field’s own words (not ghost-written), even though there are a few revelatory bits in there about Hollywood. Field’s upbringing is the majority of the story, which is important to the narrative because it centers around abuse, but it felt disproportionate: the Hollywood stuff at the end seemed jammed in to assuage people who wanted her to write about Burt Reynolds. There’s nothing in there about working with Tom Hanks, for instance, even though she did it twice (as his girlfriend in Punchline and his mother in Forrest Gump). If you’re looking for a stylishly written autobiography by a famous actress, then this is for you. If you’re looking for a story that focuses on behind-the-scenes insight on moviemaking, not so much. Cover quote: “Well-written but not for everyone.” Rating: 2.75 out of 5

But Enough About Me, Burt Reynolds with Jon Winokur: This memoir, on the other hand, was a swift page turner. Published three years before his death, Reynolds’ account of his life is full of what you’d expect from this wise-cracking former stuntman: fantastic and ribald Hollywood tales told with honesty and, somehow, respect, all the while walking the line between danger and truth. Reynolds has many regrets, including never telling Sally Field he loved her and, reading between the not-so-subtle lines, marrying Loni Anderson. But he revels in a life fully lived, for good or for ill. He perhaps doesn’t come across as nasty as perceived elsewhere, and he intimates that he slept with (or dated) a lot of his era’s most famous actresses, and he doesn’t shy away from acknowledging that he was a dick at times. (The lines of when he was in concurrent relationships are blurry.) Nonetheless, at the end, you can’t help but feel informed and entertained through this speedy and fun read. Cover quote: “Better than you’d think it would be.” Rating: 3.25 out of 5

Ball Four, Jim Bouton: This book was scandalous when it was released in 1970 because former Yankee fireballer Bouton ripped back the curtain, revealing ballplayers to be crass, obnoxious horndogs, full of petty and all sorts of immature. You know, what you’d expect from young men who know nothing but sports and are raised to embrace the pack mentality. All these years later, the book still holds up as a funny diary-type chronicle of Bouton’s time with the expansion Seattle Pilots as he struggles to salvage his career by becoming a knuckleball pitcher. But it goes beyond that, dealing tactfully and subtly smart with race, class, ostracization and politics in late 1960s America. Just as relevant today as when it was written, Ball Four brings it all home. Cover quote: “The original tell-all baseball book still stings with humor and well-placed chin music.” Rating: 3.25 out of 5

The Game, Ken Dryden: Simply put, this is the best hockey book, the best sports book, maybe even the best non-fiction book of all time. No, really. Maybe I’m saying that because it spoke directly to me as a Canadian, as a former hockey player, as a writer, as someone who was never interested entirely in being just another part of a team. Dryden’s odyssey chronicling his last season with the legendary Montreal Canadiens owes some to the aforementioned Bouton’s Ball Four with its fascinating, uncensored and insightful locker room jock banter, but also provides an unvarnished and eloquent glimpse inside the head of an articulate goalie. He’s the perfect combination of writer and self-analytical athlete, the pairing of which has really only effectively been seen since in Andre Agassi’s brilliant Open. The Game covers the politics and greed of the late-1970s NHL, but it’s also a great time capsule for the Canada and Quebec of the era as well. If you’re not a hockey fan, your eyes will gloss over some of the highly detailed, beautifully written and accurate few game re-creations, but the rest of the book will be pure joy. This is not just a sports book, it’s a cultural snapshot for our times. It dazzled me as a kid because of the heretofore unwritten player insight into what happens on the ice and in the dressing room of an NHL team, and it dazzled me all over again as a middle-aged man looking back on life’s successes and failures. Cover quote: “Insightful and beautifully written. Worth every accolade.” Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Book of Numbers, Joshua Cohen: Sometimes you read a novel that screams that the author is trying to impress his friends in the Upper East Side by dropping as many 9/11 references and impossibly rare words. This is such a book. Further, the contrived narrative style of a writer named Joshua Cohen writing about his ghost-writing of the autobiography of a Google-Apple executive mash-up named Joshua Cohen (yup) is about as inside-baseball as one can get in the literary world (well, New York’s idea of the literary world) and, let’s be even more honest, is just plain really hard to follow. (Add: bonus reviewer points for trying something different, though.) Some really strong writing is buried in here, but at just south of 600 pages, an equipped editor could have trimmed it back and made this novel sing. I wasn’t sure I’d get all the way through. Update: I made it all the way through because my motto is "never leave a book unfinished." Otherwise, this one would have been shelved around page 200. On to Linwood Barclay to cleanse my palate. Cover quote: "Just awful." Rating: 1.75 out of 5

American War, Omar El Akkad: This brilliant book is, sadly, extremely prescient and well-timed. The story follows Sarat Chestnut as she grows up in a United States divided into Red and Blue regions in a country embroiled in a second Civil War. To reveal much more about the plot would risk spoilers, but this can be said: the writing is beautiful, the characters are believable, the plot is on the horizon if we're not careful and the journey of the whole thing -- even if there are a couple of spots where a perceptive reader can see what's coming -- is well worth it. This is the best book I've read in many moons and I just hope it is not foreshadowing. The biggest question coming out of reading this powerhouse: Will El Akkad's next book be nearly as good? Cover quote: "Brilliant and sadly prescient story for our sorry times." Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Snow Falling on Cedars, David Guterson: It's a love story. It's a court-room thriller. It's a murder mystery. It's a strong statement on racism and provincialism. It's all of those and none of them, all at the same time. This novel, which on its surface focuses on a murder trial for an Japanese-American accused of murdering a fisherman in small-town Washington state in the aftermath of World War II and it's accompanying prisoner camps, is rife with beautiful imagery of luscious landscapes and words that you've never seen before and probably never will again. Guterson's poetry is a treat to read, but you'll want to give yourself time to adjust if you are coming from reading, say, a thriller by Linwood Barclay. Cover quote: "Beautifully written and heartbreakingly simple." Rating: 3.25 out of 5

Welcome to the Monkey House, Kurt Vonnegut: This collection of short stories from the author of much renown sings with its prescience, its economy of stylish writing and its brevity (25 shorties over 308 pages). Most of these stories were written in the 1950s but are still relevant as they aim squarely at the alienation of modern society, the temptations of technology and the superfluity of celebrity. This is a powerful collection from a writer who would go on to develop into one of the literary world’s most influential. And he will somehow find a way to choke you up at the decision made by a room-sized computer. Cover quote: “Key works from the early days of a master.” Rating: 3.25 out of 5

Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut: Interesting characters, streamlined plot and strong but not overly flowery writing somehow don’t bring this breezy early Vonnegut novel to the fore. It’s a nice statement for its times (mid-20th century) about war, genius and religion, among other things, but the story about a writer who stumbles upon an isolated and somewhat backward island culture while researching the life of one of the fathers of the atom bomb is somehow not the sum of its parts. But it did bring us Ice Nine! Cover quote: “Admirable miss.” Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Executioner’s Song, Norman Mailer: No, this is not posturing and yes, I actually did read this massive 1,024-page tome. And, as with Atlas Shrugged, I’m glad I made it all the way through this garage-door stopper. The retelling of the real-life saga around the trial and, not a spoiler, execution of killer Gary Gilmore is, at its pinnacle, reporting at its finest. Few will top the efforts of Mailer (and presumably myriad assistants) while interviewing the dozens upon dozens of principle characters to get their perspectives and assemble a story for the ages (interviews were done before email, text and cell phones, people). What somehow emerges is a heartbreaking indictment of capital punishment. And, at the same time, Mailer accomplishes the unfathomable by making us feel sorry for, and, presumably for some, shed tears for a cold-blooded killer. The major omission in that vein remains, of course, any sort of significant presence of the impact Gilmore’s crimes had on his victims’ families, which was likely intentional in order to lionize the murderer and further the anti-capital punishment subtext. Just a guess. Nonetheless, this is an important book that has a sprinkling of deft writing but is more worthy of the journey if you’re interested in a piece of art that greatly changed the direction of significant kinds of modern storytelling. Cover quote: “The high-water mark for reported nonfiction.” Rating: 3.75 out of 5

No Time For Goodbye, Linwood Barclay: Barclay is intensely skilled at weaving implausible premises in a way that entertains and makes you believe they could happen. Think of him as a John Grisham but without the legal crutch. He does it yet again in this, one of his earlier works, about a teenage girl whose family disappears in the middle of the night, leaving her to guess as to what happened for 25 years before the truth is slowly and dramatically revealed. A few flaws — although the setting is Connecticut, some of the characters act and talk distinctly like Canadians by using the “washroom,” etc. — don’t do much to detract from this fun page-turner of a thriller. Cover quote: “Great summertime thriller.” Rating: 3 out of 5

The Emperor’s Revenge, Clive Cussler with Boyd Morrison: Loved me some Dirk Pitt novels when I was a kid, and this was even before Raise the Titanic became a movie in the 1970s. Cussler now has several franchises that don’t involve the swashbuckling and suave NUMA agent Pitt — who was essentially a salvage guy who uncovered diabolical plots on every mission — including this novel, part of the Oregon series: Our hero Juan Castillo pilots a ragged-looking freighter that is full of top-secret and leading-edge weapons and search technology. Of course. In this novel, treasure stolen by Napoleon in his hasty retreat from Russia is the focal point — but there’s more! When the Corporation — Castillo’s band of merry fighters — has the money from its offshore account disappears, this time it’s personal. As with most novels of this genre, you know what you’re getting (life is cheap, action is excellent), but Cussler has been doing it for so long that he knows a good plot twist and description of action when he sees it (even if he’s not writing it) that it makes for a decent investment. You won’t get Shakespeare, but you’ll feel the suspense and won’t find too much groan-worthy dialogue. Cover quote: “Yeah, decent.” Rating: 2.75 out of 5

Cataract City, Craig Davidson: Where to begin? This story — part Elmore Leonard, part A Separate Peace — lays out the lives of two lifelong buddies who grow up in rough-and-tumble Niagara Falls, Ontario, but, of course, it’s much more than that. Owen Stuckey is the cop, Duncan Diggs is the low-level criminal. They’re friends, they’re rivals, that sort of thing. But both were bonded and broken by an experience of their youth, when they were briefly kidnapped by a hopped-up pro wrestler (no, really), and forced by circumstances to fight for survival during a harrowing escape back to civilization. From there the story advances through the love of the same woman, greyhound racing, the founding of an archvillain, eight years of jail time and a revenge plot. The secondary theme is of what it’s like growing up in a ragged city that has few redeeming qualities but inescapably remains home. Thrilling, exasperating, gory, funny, overwritten and draggy in spots and tear-jerking in others, this very male novel — shortlisted for a Giller, and surely coming soon to a theatre near you — taxes but rewards as well. Stay with it and you’ll find yourself smiling at the end. Cover quote: "Creative take on the tired buddy genre."  Rating: 4 out of 5

A Widow for One Year, John Irving: Irving is often described as an American Dickens, a writer who invents these sprawling but circular family histories that end up being a clear window into society. I can see where that idea comes from, but I think Irving is more like Robertson Davies in that characters drive the story, of course, but they also find themselves a little embarrassed and humbled by their awkward and authentic choices. The story starts with Ted and Marion Cole, he a womanizing children's book writer, she a mom who is lost in mourning for their dead sons, killed in a horrific car accident while still in their teens. From there, we follow the lives of Ted and his daughter Ruth, who had an untenable situation foisted upon her at birth: her parents, overcome with sorrow by the deaths of their sons, try to have another child (her) to help fill the chasm. Eddie O'Hare is a family friend who is seduced by Marion when he's 16 and she's 39, and ends up pining the remainder of the novel. And, naturally, all members of this tale are published authors, like it's the easiest thing in the world to do. The narrative has a disproportionate number of references to one character's great breasts, straight talk by all the characters when it comes to sexual behavior that would embarrass most of us, not to mention a preponderance of semicolons and parentheticals, the latter of which feel like answers to an editor's notes raised during the publishing process. Then there's the whole novel-within-a-novel published in Canada that is expertly researched (Irving lives part of the time in Toronto) for setting but is written in American, and not Canadian, English. Even though it busts the jackets at more than 500 pages, this tale delivers good pace, character development and enough twists to keep you engaged. Cover quote: "Deftly written." Rating: 3.25 out of 5

Another Roadside Attraction, Tom Robbins: I’ve got to admit, I faded in and out of this one. Effectively the story of the second coming of Jesus Christ, sort of, for the first 220 pages it’s a meandering diatribe about philosophy, religion and equality, among other things. Then, when the mummified Jesus shows up as an exhibit at a “funky roadside zoo,” the story turns. In theory. Cover quote: “Not so much.” Rating: 2 out of 5

Digital Fortress, Dan Brown: The debut novel from the mind that would next develop The Da Vinci Code franchise is a thrilling ride that makes for great reading during vacation, commuting or visits to the doctor's office (not intended to be faint praise!). As with any summer blockbuster superhero or action movie, you know what you're getting with a Dan Brown book: suspense, action, a complicated plot that somehow makes sense and comes together at the end, despicable villains, flimsy escapes and cardboard protagonists. But, at the end, you're entertained. Not a lot of subtext or symbolism here: The NSA's invincible code-breaking computer stunningly proves not so invincible, and it's up to our hero, head cryptographer Susan Fletcher, to find out why. And the clock is ticking! Secondary characters add to the tension and plot twists: an assassin chasing Fletcher's love interest in Spain; programmers and security people fighting for in-office supremacy; the director and assistant director of NSA in a battle of trust and wills. The result is a fun ride best read in as many long, page-turning bursts as you can manage (128 chapters over 430 pages lends itself to reading this sucker in one go) to keep that movie feeling alive. You won't be writing a college thesis about this novel, but you'll nonetheless feel like it's time well-spent. Cover quote: "Good vacation read." Rating: 3 out of 5

Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger: This non-fiction sports classic and basis for the highly regarded and long-running NBC series was fine, but it wasn't great. The story is 30 years old, so there's that. And there's no questioning that the reporting that went into following and reconstructing the 1988 season of the Permian Panthers, a high school football team in notoriously rabid West Texas, was well-executed. But the unapologetic use of the n-word, dropped words and some minor grammatical errors (e.g., repeatedly using "could care less" instead of "couldn't care less") put me off, especially considering the copy I read was a 10th anniversary edition with a new afterward in which the errors should have been fixed. Maybe it's because I'm not a high school football fan or a Texan or rabid about sports, but this tale didn't blow me away like I was expecting. Pick it up if you're passionate about the pigskin, but otherwise I feel this book has had its day. If you're looking for truly original sports books, pick up Open by Andre Agassi or The Game by Ken Dryden instead. Cover quote: "Not worth the hype." Rating: 2.75 out of 5

Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates: I didn't want to read this book, what with the Leonardo DiCaprio-Kate Winslet movie being so intense, and having gone through a tempestuous marriage of my own. Why go back there? Having said that, I'm glad I knuckled under and picked up this novel. The word "powerful" is used too often to describe works of art, but this book bulls you over with its pure antagonistic force. The story revolves around the Wheelers, Frank and April, who are living in 1950s suburban New York City and feeling the crush of repetitive, soul-leeching homogeneity (an evergreen theme, it seems), the everyday stress of which drives them further and further apart, jeopardizing their marriage. The dialogue is sharp, the characters are real, the cavalier treatment of the children is heartbreaking in its nonchalance and the plot is plausible, even all these years later. Give this one a whirl if you're feeling broken down by The Man, The System and/or The Machine and are looking for kindred spirits. Cover quote: "Powerful." Rating: 3.5 out of 5

That Old Cape Magic, Richard Russo: Because it had been a while since I had read Empire Falls and Nobody's Fool, I had forgotten how good a writer Russo was. So I'm glad I picked up this novel, which came out way back in 2009 but still feels fresh today. The story centers on a protagonist familiar in Russo novels: a middle-age-to-later white man looking for answers while running into calamity and comedy during interactions with the colorful characters that are his family. In this case, Jack Griffin is a professor who is haunted by his parents while they are alive and even more so when they are dead. This haunting interferes with the relationships with his wife and daughter, to sometimes cringe-inducing results. Russo's writing is beautiful but not flowery or too poetic; it's just creative enough in spots to make you look up as you wonder at the turn of phrase or description you'd just read, but not so much so that you have to read a sentence three times to understand it. This story is about love, loss, aging, divorce and the angst that can come along with each, and the characters are eccentric enough to feel real and familiar. Russo again proved with this novel that he remains one of the best American male writers of his generation. Rating: 4 out of 5

Fortune Smiles, Adam Johnson: This collection of short stories from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Orphan Master's Son has some high points -- the title story, for one, in which we get a glimpse behind life for North Korean asylum seekers in South Korea, not a way of life often portrayed in Western media -- and some low points -- a glimpse into the seedy life of pedophiles. Either way, the writing is provocative, of which there is no denying. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Caught, Lisa Moore: This thriller has a twist -- it's creatively written. See, it's 1978 and Newfoundlander David Slaney has escaped from jail and is in search of one more job smuggling -- gasp! -- marijuana to Canada from Colombia. I really wanted to like this novel -- the protagonist is from Newfoundland, it's a Canadian thriller, the world can never have too many likable characters. The journey Moore describes is good, if a bit uneven in spots, but a fun trip, nonetheless. Her protagonist seems more worldly and intuitive than most 25-year-olds, which makes for some insightful pondering. Some of the tangents seem a bit forced, but I give her points for trying to make a thriller into literature and not pulpy, and you have to take into account that the novel was nominated for a Giller in 2013, so there's that. Overall, a decent and different ride that is soon to be a CBC TV series starring Alan Hawco and Paul Gross. Rating: 3 out of 5 

The Unnamed, Joshua Ferris: A man can't stop walking. As in, it's uncontrollable, it's reflexive, his body is not listening to his mind. His wife becomes alienated and dabbles in alcoholism in order to handle her husband's weird, undiagnosed malady. His teenage daughter rebels. The man, a lawyer for a big New York firm, struggles to keep his job. The man walks and walks and walks. He encounters danger. He encounters suffering. He gets lost. He loses various body parts. He struggles. It ends. Beautifully written and at certain points hard to read for its perspective on mental illness. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Motels of North America, Rick Moody: Told through the reconstruction of online reviews of accommodations by the protagonist, we learn, through a non-chronological narrative, the story of a life lived. This was funny, engaging, pithy, pathosy and well worth the small investment (both in terms of cost and money). Highly rated for its content, for its format and for its message about who we are and why we're so lonely. Rating: 4 out of 5

The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood: In a dystopian society, a certain class of women are used as baby surrogates for the rich and entitled. One of the surrogates, the protagonist, struggles against the machine. She tries rebelling. She searches for answers. The story, written in 1985, serves as a cautionary tale for what life would be like if the unbridled power of men is allowed to continue. Prescient and sadly still very relevant today. Rating: 3 out of 5

The Informers, Bret Easton Ellis: This novel is exactly what you would expect from the author of Less Than Zero and American Psycho: depraved, shocking and with serious dose of real. Dialogue is definitely the strong suit here, in an early-1990s kind of way (the novel was written in 1994). And if you're not ready for the trademark long-ass sentences, they'll git ya! Overall, not to my liking but there's no denying its effectiveness. Rating: 2 out of 5

Jacques Plante: The Man Who Changed the Face of Hockey, Todd Denault: This biography of the innovative goalie is deeply researched and exacting in some of its details, but is pretty dense and bogs down when it comes to game descriptions, surely the least interesting part of hockey profiles such as this (unless the writer was at the games, it tends to feel like a re-enactment of a game summary). Nonetheless, it’s a good history lesson for those interested in learning more about arguably the greatest all-around goalie of all time. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Eddie Shore and that Old-Time Hockey, C. Michael Hiam: See above. As with the tale about pioneer Jacques Plante, this autobiography of arguably the toughest player from an era when it was normal for players to spit out teeth and be regularly hit over their helmetless heads with sticks is good when it’s specifically about the subject, but gets into filler territory when describing games from long ago. Getting rich details about the kinds of debris Boston fans would rain down on the ice required serious research, but who passed to whom is less interesting in today’s era when reading about game action is considered dead. A lot of pages are dedicated to Shore’s early playing days, with tattered tales of tough, but his later days as the infamous owner/player/coach/micromanager of the Springfield Indians get relatively shorter shrift, which is disappointing. Sure, the stories from former players are entertaining, but I wanted to hear more about the Black Aces, more about some of the stunts Shore pulled as owner and more about him as a parent. Cover quote: “And nary a mention of the Hanson brothers.” Rating: 2.25 out of 5

The Goal of My Life, A Memoir, Paul Henderson with Roger Lajoie: This book is about what you’d expect from Henderson: some nice details about being the hero of the 1972 Summit Series, some nice reminiscences about the NHL and WHA, and lots of talk about spirituality. He doesn’t pull punches on some subjects, such as Harold Ballard or his first year with the unwelcoming Red Wings, but there’s not enough here to carry an entire book. Give it a read if you’re passionate about the Summit Series, but know the last half of the book (which talks about Henderson’s life after hockey) is skippable if you’re not into serious discussions about spirituality and Henderson’s pals saying how great it is that they helped him find Jesus. Cover quote: “Pass.” Rating: 1.75 out of 5

The Cat's Table, Michael Ondaatje: The story of a boy taking a journey on a ship from Sri Lanka to England is ... interesting. As always with Ondaatje's work, the writing is fluid, poetic and receptive. There's not as much super-angst or tension or love as in his best-known work, The English Patient, but it's still a worthwhile journey. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson: I was apprehensive picking this book up, just like the first time I read Naked Lunch. Would I come out of it addicted to drugs? Would it set me off on a walkabout into the desert, only to reemerge, sanity in absentia? Turns out my worry was for naught; this was an entertaining ride, at times still very funny, even all these years later. And considering when it was written, tremendously pioneering. And, boy, did it make me want to have a drink. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The English Major, Jim Harrison: Another tale of a writer's journey, this one is tremendously well-written but the conflict is a little limp. An older man tries to recalibrate his life after his wife leaves him and he gets hosed on the divorce settlement, wandering the country in search of ... well, I didn't quite get there. He hikes a lot, he meets questionable characters, etc. Nonetheless, it wasn't overly long and made for an entertaining read. Rating: 3 out of 5

Far From True, Linwood Barclay: I accidentally bought this, the second book in a trilogy from the Canadian thriller writer, not having read the first one. But the story -- equal parts tawdry, suspenseful and original -- was a good and entertaining read. You're not getting Ondaatje-style paragraphs that have you staring out the window in awe, but that's not what you've signed up for. A suspenseful thriller that is long but a speedy read. Rating: 2.75 out of 5 

Northern Light, Roy MacGregor: Tom Thomson is a famous Canadian painter whose mysterious death in Algonquin Park 100 years ago remains ... mysterious: Was he murdered? Or did he get drunk, hit his head on a rock and drown? MacGregor's reporting chops are in fine form, as they should be: He grew up knowing the family of some of the key characters involved in the story that remains fresh to people in the area to this day. Well-written and engaging, this one will stay with you for a long time -- especially if you have ever canoed on an open lake or been to Algonquin Park. (Ahem.) Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Martian, Andy Weir: Funny, informative and, in parts, ingenious, this science fiction thriller tells the tale of survival about an astronaut left behind on Mars by a fleeing crew. It's been a while since I read this book, since it was made into a movie staring Matt Damon, but the plot and MacGyver-esque solutions remain with me to this day. A very entertaining read, especially if you like potatoes. (And who doesn't?) Rating: 4 out of 5

Ready Player One, Ernest Cline: Another sci-fi thriller, this one tells the story of a teen who battles evil forces through the enhanced virtual reality of the near future. People are so enslaved by "The Oasis" that they barely live in the real world -- and our protagonist becomes involved in a race with and good and evil forces alike to solve a high-stakes treasure hunt set up by the late founder of the addictive VR. The allegory is Facebook meets Steve Jobs, and what emerges is a thrilling cautionary tale about not living life. The Steven Spielberg-directed movie, starring Tye Sheridan as Wade Watts, didn't exactly become a summer blockbuster. It had big shoes to fill. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Stories of the Game, Wayne Gretzky with Kirstie McLellan Day: Yeah, not great. Pick it up if you don’t read a lot of sports books and want to dip into some of the more frequently told stories about the NHL. But don’t pick it up if you’re looking for any kind of rare superstar insight about what really goes on behind the scenes in an NHL dressing room, or revelations about Gretzky’s famous trade by the Oilers to the Kings, his life with a movie star, his family … Lots of platitudes in here about how great the game is, how great Glen Sather and Mark Messier are, etc. Essentially, it’s what you’d expect from Gretzky, whom I’ve seen interviewed in person enough times to know he rarely says anything controversial or enlightening or that will focus the attention on himself. The Great One is the Mediocre One when it comes to writing. Rating: 2 out of 5 (noticed I resisted giving him a 0.99)

Sports Illustrated: The Great One: This compendium of stories published over the years about Wayne Gretzky is a tad bit illuminating but largely redundant. The writing of Sports Illustrated always seems better when wrapped in the usual awesome photos and when confined to the magazine page. This collection suffers because of the lack of that wrapping, as well as some sloppy editing and packaging (even the sleeve notes aren't immune: Gretzky never played for the "Philadelphia Racers of the WHA," they were the Indianapolis Racers). The entire premise feels a little slapped together and opportunistic. Take a pass on this unless you're a fervent Gretzky fan or you can get it from the library. Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Shoot First, Pass Later: My Life, No Filler: Jeremy Roenick (with Kevin Allen): Actually, mostly filler. Apparently Jeremy Roenick has two books out because this is his second. I like how outspoken Roenick can be but who knew there'd be such a need? The former superstar and current NBC Sports analyst talks this time about his family and the travails of parenthood, while also throwing in some colorful anecdotes from his playing career, some of which are lighter rehashes of colorful anecdotes he apparently told in the first book. This one feels like a cash grab; I should have read the first book instead. Or neither. Rating: 1 out of 5