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  Book Review:  Hannah Doe and Hannah Dory. They are one and the same person but living in different times and places. It’s 1397 and Hannah Dory is in a life and death struggle against starvation. Stealing to keep her family alive seems her only option. If she is caught, will the local baron make her pay with her life? On January 17/23, Hannah Doe is admitted to the Belman Memorial Psychiatric Hospital. She is allegedly experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations. Is she crazy, or does she actually exist in two different times and places at once. “The Girl in the Castle” by James Patterson and Emily Raymond takes this intriguing story setup and runs fast and hard with it. It’s an adrenaline laced, heart breaking ride – and weirdly believable. Natasha Preston (The Cellar) calls it “a brilliant and mysterious novel with a gripping plot”, and Kerri Maniscalco (Kingdom of the Wicked) says “fast-paced and unputdownable… will keep readers turning pages well into the ni...

  Book Review:  “Drawing from intensive on-the-ground reporting in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon, Murry presents a compelling case that places the latest violence in   its proper historical context. He takes readers on a harrowing journey through the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, piecing together the   exclusive accounts from victims, survivors, and even the terrorists responsible for the atrocities.”   (On Democracies and Death Cults) I picked up Douglas Murray’s “On Democracies and Death Cults” on the 2 nd anniversary (Oct. 7, 2025) of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. Two years gone by since the horrific news and the ensuing images and stories dropped. Two years of seemingly senseless demonstrations across the western world in support of the perpetrators of the horrendous atrocities. Two years of confused messaging from our governments, and a rise in antisemitism worldwide not seen since the Nazi era. With the Oct. 10 th Israel/Hamas peac...

  Book Review: “Only in silence the word, Only in dark the light Only in dying life: Bright the hawk’s flight On the empty sky.”   So begins Ursula Le Guin’s fantasy classic, “A Wizard of Earthsea”. The novel has garnered multiple awards since its release in 1968 and is widely recognized as one of the most influential works in the genre (Stephen Kings calls Le Guin a literary icon ). Now it is available in a sumptuous graphic novel by Fred Fordham (To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, and A Brave New World graphic adaptations). Personally, I was excited to purchase this book. Le Guin’s Earthsea Cycle (A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, Tehanu, Tales from Earthsea, and The Other Wind) occupied a very special place in my teenage reader’s heart. With great anticipation I slid the volume from its packaging and opened the pages. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had already blocked out the visuals in my imagination years ago. Now, ho...

 Book Review:   “If you want to make the world better, this is the book to read.”        ( Bibek Debroy, chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India)                 Want to do some good, make a difference, save the world? If yes, then Bjorn Lomborg (president of the Copenhagen Consensus think tank and one of the world’s 100 most influential people according to Time Magazine) has some essential thoughts to share with you in his 2023 book “Best Things First” . Many of us with good hearts and the best of intentions spend our time, energy, and resources with frustratingly little result. Why? I’m convinced it is because we need more than good hearts – we need informed clear heads. “Best Things First” brings just such insight and clarity. “We’ve promised everything to everyone, but we’re failing. Based on peer-reviewed research, here are 12 most efficient solutions for the poorer half of the...

 Book Review: “The Silver Blonde” by Elizabeth Ross is a straight ahead who-dun-it set in post WWII Hollywood. The baffling murder of a beautiful stand-in actress on the grounds of a major motion picture company becomes a young German immigrant’s obsession. Eighteen-year-old Clara who works aa a “vault girl” at the studio is the one who finds the silver blonde’s remains, the one who knows the police are on the wrong track, and the one who hunts down the real murderer. Being an enthusiast of silver screen era films, this book had an immediate appeal for me. In my mind I pictured the story in glorious black and white, complete with the glamourous gowns, smart suits, and moody sets making the very most of film noirish light and shadow. References to many well-loved films from the time established a sense of context and pleasurable familiarity. The more I read, the more immersive the experience became. Character’s voices took on the timbre and attitude of film icons from the 40’s, s...

  Book Review: “Explosive revelations that expose our government’s complicity with the Chinese Communist Party in undermining Canada’s national security and democracy.” (Dr. Charles Burton) Sam Cooper’s best selling  book “Wilful Blindness” is amazing – and chilling! It reads like crime fiction, but the story of huge international drug cartels, outlandish illegal profits and money laundering, high level government corruption, and an ultimate attack on the west by the CCP is investigative journalism at its best. Meticulously researched and documented, this report has leapt to prominence amid the furor surrounding election interference we have witnessed in the past few months. Cooper follows the work of Vancouver investigators who put their careers and lives on the line to expose the inner workings of organized crime wave that has become know as the “Vancouver Model”. Unimaginable wealth juxtaposed with heart-wrenching suffering – a walk around Vancouver’s Hastings and Mai...

  Book Review:   “I’ve long been fascinated by the story of the Navajo code talkers and the role they played in World War Two. In that part of the conflict that was fought against Japan in the Pacific Ocean, Navajo Marines used their native language to create an unbreakable code. Because they were Marines, that part of the U.S. military that leads all others into the thick of battle, they also saw some of the heaviest fighting of the war. If any American servicemen deserve to be honored, it was these Navajo.” (Joseph Bruchac) “Code Talkers” is a good read, pitched at middle grade kids but enjoyable for older ones as well. It is a straightforward account of the Navajo code talkers valor and ingenuity during WWII told from the point of view of a 16-year-old recruit who lived to tell the tale. As a war story, it neither glamorizes combat nor moralizes over the atrocities of battle. Rather, it attempts to tell the tale as a teen boy may have experienced it, proud, scared, c...

  Book Review: Monsters vs humans is a popular theme in fantasy and sci-fi fiction which Victoria Schwab puts an interesting spin on in “This Savage Song”. Are people actually some of the most monstrous… are some monsters more humane… is something as beautiful as a song the most powerful weapon of all? This dystopian novel follows the stories of a badass teenage girl and a shadowy boy/monster and how their lives entwine as their worlds fall apart. The book is beautiful and bloody, with enough tension and plot twist to keep thrill-seeking readers fully engaged. It is refreshing to read a book that doesn’t drag anywhere in its 427 pages and still manages to evoke poignancy and a certain amount of depth. All in all, an excellent offering by Schwab. Recommendation: a delightful mixture of thoughtful thrills, heart pounding action, and gritty gore. If that sounds like your jam, check it out. I’ve got lots of copies on hand. Mr. Wedel   Author – Victoria Schwab Publish...

  Book Review A little gem of humor and keen insight, Cipolla’s “The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity” is a must read for anyone wanting to live wisely with their fellow man. At first glance one might think the book is just a good-natured jab at humanity, much like Gary Larson’s “The Far Side” comics, but it is actually a serious assessment of how people are with one another in this far from perfect world. Cipolla builds the book around four general observations: 1.       Always and inevitably, everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation. 2.      The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person. 3.      A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses. 4.     Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging po...

  Book Review:   OK, “Belle Epoque” by Elizabeth Ross is definitely not my kind of story. Don’t get me wrong. I love historical fiction and Paris in the late 1880s is a very interesting time period. But the story had so much feminine scheming, so much angst around beauty and ugliness, and so many dresses, dresses, dresses. So… why am I reviewing the book then? Well, to be honest (and I hate to admit it), the book was just so good! The story follows Maude, a young Breton woman who has run away to Paris to escape an unpleasant arranged marriage and chase her dreams. But life for a poor girl in that (and any) time is tough. Maude ends up finding employment in a very strange agency that hires out plain women by the hour. Their job – to make their employer look more beautiful by comparison. Demeaning? Yes. Humiliating? True. Lucrative? Definitely! An interesting premise for a story that could go in many directions. I was unsure how things were going to unfold for a good part ...

  Book Review:   “The prow of our longship broke the waves, the salt spray stinging my eyes. My legs bent, and my feet shifting naturally at the rise and fall of the sea. Always, it was the same, when the unfurling sail caught the wind and the ship surged forward. Like when you put heels to horse and she runs. The same. My spirits rising.” So begins “The Swan’s Road”, first in the five part “Atheling Chronicles” by local author Garth Pettersen; a rollicking robust medieval adventure complete with romance, political intrigue, camaraderie, violence, and honor. This is Pettersen’s first novel and what a gem it is. I found it an invigorating and satisfying read, similar in feel to “The Three Musketeers”. The tale follows the perilous journey of Prince Harald of Engla-long and Scandinavia to Rome where he and his father King Cnute seek the assistance of the King Conrad against the scheming Duke of Normandy, Robert the Devil who plans to usurp Cnute’s kingdom and end his li...

 Book Review: What can I say about Laline Paull's novel, "The Bees" ? Amazing, immersive, unexpected, unique. I was totally blown away by this book, and that doesn't happen very often. The story follows the life of honey bee Flora 717, born into the lowest cast of the hive. Despite her humble beginnings, it quickly becomes apparent that she is no ordinary, run of the mill sanitation worker. Taking audacious risks and following forbidden dreams, Flora 717 finds a way to hold out unexpected hope for her colony imperiled by social upheaval and political intrigue. Nearly all of the characters in this story are anthropomorphic insects which might make you think it is a children's book similar to "The Rats of NIMH"  or The Cricket in Times Square". Think again! Paull has written with an adult audience in mind (many YA readers will enjoy it as well). Lovely yet disturbing, sensual, violent and primal, and highly nuanced, this book is not a kiddie read by a...