📚BOOK REVIEWS

Here are the books I have reviewed for fun. Some have been sent by publicists, others I have bought or borrowed. I've read all of them. 

Readers may be divided into four classes: 

A. Sponges, who absorb all that they read and return it in nearly the same state, only a little dirtied. 
B. Sand-glasses, who retain nothing and are content to get through a book for the sake of getting through the time. 
C. Strain-bags, who retain merely the dregs of what they read. 
D. Mogul diamonds, equally rare and valuable, who profit by what they read, and enable others to profit by it also. 

      ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge, poet, critic (1772-1834) 

 denotes a Canadian book!

1. Aaron, Glen; The Curse of Sacerdozio
2. Aaron, Richard; Gauntlet 
3. Alexander, Devin: You Can Have It (recipe book)
4. Alexander, Eva M.; Condos and Condoms (short stories)
5. Almond, Paul; The Gunner 
6. Alt, Jeff; The Adventures of Bubba Jones
7. Alton and Craan; My handy little health journal
8. Andersen; Fantasyland
9. Arden, John: The Brain Bible
10. Arneson,  Rick; Plotting the Course; Life lessons from the sport of sailing
11. Ashby, Kathy; Carol, A Woman's Way 
12. August, Y.; Coaching For Caregivers
13. Barager, R.; The Atheist and the Parrotfish
14. Barr, Nevada; 13½, Blood Lure
15. Bartleman, James; As Long as the Rivers Flow, Raisin Wine
16. Bartley, Allan; The Klu Klux Klan in Canada
17. Blachman and Stracher; The Curve
18. Blanche, Kathryn; Infiltrated by Demons



My Reading Pile!





19. Blatchford, Christie; Fifteen Days
20. Bradbury and Karney; Love Me Slender
21. Bradley, Eric; Harry Potter Collectibles
22. Brennan, Peter; Iceapelago
23. Brown, Ron; Vanished Villages Part 1, Post 2  (Non-fiction)
24. Brown, Ron; Backroads of Ontario (Non-fiction) 
25. Carey, Pamela: Elderly Parents With All Their Marbles
26. Carlon, Michael; Uncorking a Murder
27. Carpenter, J.: No Place to Pray
28. Carucci, M.; Sobrietease
29. Charters, Cloudia; Aloha: Where You Like Go?
30. Cho & Gifford; The Anxious Lawyer (self-help)
31. Christofora, Kevin; Amira Can Catch
32. Clevenger, S; Greek Mythic History
33. Clinton & Penny; State of Terror
34. Cobelo, Carolyn E.; Bridge to Beyond
35. Consell, R.A.; Stealing From Wizards Excellent trilogy for teens. 
36. Conway, Martha; Sugarland
37. Cook books: gluten-free, paleo,  from Robert Rose, Inc. 
38. Cotton, Larry D; Whiskey and Wickedness
39. Crilly, Karin: The Blue Satin Nightgown
40. Cuellar, David; Plastic Island (picture book)
41. Currie, T. Ottawa Valley's Great Fire of 1870
42. Cusumano, J.; Balance
43. Davidson, Dr. Elizabeth; Cheery: the Chiricahua leopard frog (Children's picture book)
44. Daywalt, Drew; The Day the Crayons Quit
45. De Avila, Ed., Spread Thin and Moving Fast: An unlikely story (memoir)
46. De Hart, Scott D.; Shelley Unbound: Uncovering Frankenstein's True Creator
47. De Santis, Cinazi; The Sense of Darkness
48. Delaney, V; Under Cold Stone, (Constable Molly Smith Series) 
49. DeLapa, Gina; stuff you already know
50. Dennis; Anita Katherine; Beyond Myself
51. Dickinson, Emily: the Illustrated Emily Dickinson Nature Sketchbook
52. Doering, Ron; The Battle of Crysler's Farm
53. Dougherty, M.J.; Life Lessons From a Total Failure
54. Donovan, Kelly; Police Line – Do Not Cross
55. Dr. Seuss; You're Only Old Once
56. Dunn, David A.; Get Life Right
57. Epp, Alvin; Through The Eyes of Guilt
58. Erwin, Travis; Waiting on the River
59. Espy, W.R.; Words to Rhyme With (Non-fiction)
60. Estes, Kelli; The Girl Who Wrote in Silk
61. Even, Aaron; He Comes in Fire
62. Eyre, Linda; Grandmothering
63. Fallis, Terry; The Best Laid Plans -comedy
64. Feder, S; Bitter and Sweet
65. Fields, Mara; Weaver's Light
66. FitzSimmons, David; Curious Critters, Salamander Dance
67. Flynn, Gillian; Gone Girl
68. Follett, Ken; Pillars of the Earth
69. Forrest, Deborah: Touch the Spirit: Connecting to the world of dementia (non-fiction)
70. Freed, Dennis; Love, Loss and Awakening
71. Freeman and Parks; All-Electric America
72. Gabaldon, D.; Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone
73. Gaber, Stanley; Jex Malone
74. Garner, L.G.; The Golden Princess
75. Gawande, Atul: Being Mortal 
76. Airton, Dr. Lee; Gender: Your Guide 
77. Genova, Lisa; Left Neglected, Still Alice
78. George, Elizabeth; In the Presence of the Enemy, Deception On His Mind
79. Gebreyohannes, B. T.; Fire Walkers (memoir) 
80. Graham, Heather; Death Dealer, Unhallowed Ground, On Isabella Street
81. Gray, John; Beyond Venus and Mars
82. Gray & Ardagh; Conscious Men
83. Green, Lyndsay; A Perfect Home for a Long Life
84. Greenblatt, Mark Lee; Valor: Unsung heroes from Iraq, Afghanistan, and the home front
85. Griffin, Lynne; Sea Escape
86. Griffith, Victoria; Amazon Burning
87. Griffiths, Doug; 13 Ways to Kill Your Community
88. Grippando, James; The Penny Jumper
89. Habib, N. & M.N.; History of the Muslims of Regina, Saskatchewan, and Their Organizations
90. Haibach, Michael; Amazing Gracie
91. Hardee, J.L., Justice or Injustice: What really happens in a jury room (Memoire)
92. Harris, et al, Journey to Invisibility to Visibility
93. Hayden, John; Godfit
94. Helm & Smith: Talking Back to the Indian Act
95. Hemphill, R.F.; dust tea, dingoes, dragons (Memoire)
96. Heston, F.C., & McAdams, H. J.; Desolation Sound 
97. Hiebert, Michael; Close to the Broken-Hearted
98. Hill-Lehr, Andrea; A Mother's Road to Kandahar
99. Hillier, Jennifer; Wonderland 
100. Hoogstraten: The Debaters
101. Horeck, Brian; Frozen Beneath 
102. Hospital for Sick Children: The A to Z of Children's Health  
103. Ivey, Donna; Clinic of Hope: The story of Rene M. Caisse and Essiac
104. Izso, Jay; got social mediology?
105. Jackson, Joshilyn; The Almost Sisters
106. Jauvin, Chantal; The Boy with a Bamboo Heart: The story of a street orphan who built a children's charity
107. Jenner, Reid: Diagnose Yourself
108. Johnson, George: The Cancer Chronicles
109. Johnson, Spencer; Who Moved My Cheese? (Non-fiction)
110. Jones, Marjorie G.; The Life and Times of Mary Vaux Walcott
111. Jones, Robin and Robert; The Refugee Crisis: Through the Eyes of the Children
112. Jucha, S. H.; The Silver Ships
113. Kading (Ed.); No Straight Lines
114. Kamm, Kurt; Tunnel Visions
115. Kellerman, Faye; Bon Box
116. Kendell, Laura J.; A Simple Case of Suicide
117. Kennedy, Dr. John; The Heart Health Bible
118. Kelsey, E.; You Are Stardust, Not Your Typical Book
119. Kerr, Leslie; Harriet Quimby
120. Keyser, Judith Redwing; Last Acts of Kindness (Non-fiction)
121. Kalla, Daniel; We All Fall Down 
122. Kinew, Wab; The Reason You Walk 
123. King, Samantha; Pink Ribbon, Inc. (Non-fiction)
124. Knight and Sweeney; You Should Be Writing
125. Krich, Rochelle; Dead Air
126. Kumar, Sameet M.; The Mindfulness of Grief (Also Medicalisation of Grief: DSM-IV)
127. Kuritz, Marc; Man With Child
128. Kushner, Harold; When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Conquering Fear
129. Lackberg, Camilla; The Gallows Bird
130. Lafaye, Vanessa; Under a Dark Summer Sky
131. Laferrière, Dany, The World is Moving Around Me: A Memoire of the Haiti Earthquake (Memoir) 
132. Lalonde, Julie S.; Resistance is Futile: The life and death of Julie S. Lalonde (memoir)
133. Lawhon, A. (2024) The Frozen River
134. Leinvebers, V; No TIme To Cry
135. Lemmon, G. T.; The Dressmaker of Khair Khan
136. Levin, Joel M.; Our Beguine (Memoir)
137. Lieberman & Neubert; Max and Charlie
138. Lindsay, B.R.: Old Bones
139. Louden, Paul; Behind the Locked Door (memoir; autism)
140. Lundin, S.C. et al; FISH!
141. Lynch, Wayne; Owls of the US and Canada
142. Mackie & Taylor; The Cottage Bible 
143. Mankell, Jenning; Faceless Killers
144. Manning, Diane Daniels; Almost Perfect
145. Maron, Margaret; The Bootlegger's Daughter
146. McGee, Robin; The Cancer Olympics
147. McGinty, Stephen, The Dive
148. McKee, David M; Bala Boy
149. McKee, Thomas. W; The Top Seven Reasons Volunteers Quit, The New Breed (Non-fiction)
150. McNally, B.; Unbridled
151. Martin, Mish Mockovic; Insights of a Yogi (autobiography)
152. Mancuso, S; The Incredible Journey of Plants
153. Mebane, Donna; Tomorrow Comes
154. mhic Aonghais, Clinton; The Baker Boys -700 pages, haven't gotten to it!
155. Miller, Dorcs S.; Scat Finder
156. Miralia, Mindy; The Hero in Heroin (autobiography)
157. Morelli, Laura; The Gondola Maker
158. Morgan & Smith; Advanced Genealogy (self-help
159. Moroney, Shannon; Through The Glass (Autobiography)
160. Mowery, J. Nichols; The Parallel Lives of Elizabeth Ann
161. Musleh, Mitri I.; The Making of a Palestinian Suicide Bomber 
162. Nash, Nicholas: The Girl at The Bar
163. Neice, Rick, The Band Plays On: Going home for a music man's encore (memoire)
164. Nelson, Craig; The Age of Radiance
165. Nichols, N.; Broken Promises (autobiography)
166. Nickerson, Cash; BOOMERangs; Engaging the Aging Workforce in America
167. Noah, Jim; Country Store
168. Obama, Barack; The Audacity of Hope
169. Orloff, Judith; The Ecstacy of Surrender
170. Paetkau, Jean; Blood on the Breakwater, The Sinking of Souls. 🇨🇦
171. Parker, David; The More You Do The Better You Feel (self-help)
172. Parker, Morgan; 1986
173. Pastor, Marc; Barcelona Shadows
174. Penny, Louise; A Trick of the Light - Gamache series
175. Penny, Louise; A World of Curiosities
176. Pesaturo, Janet; Camera Trapping Guide
177. Picoult, Jodi; House Rules, The Tenth Circle, Plain Truth, Picture Perfect
178. Piggott, Mark; The Dark Tides
179. Pinzone, J.J.: Fireballs in my Eucharist: Fight Cancer Smarter 
180. Polster, E; Beyond Therapy
181. Potter, Cheryl: The Broken Circle, Secrets of the Lost Caves
182. Power, G. A.; Dementia Beyond Disease
183. Prattis; Trailing Sky Six Feathers , also New Planet, New World 
184. Pronko, M.; The Last Train: A Tokyo Adventure
185. Putzel, Michael; The Price They Paid
186. Regan, Paulette; Unsettling the Settler Within
187. Revere, Glenn; All About Carpets
188. Richards, Jass; Turblojetslams
189. Rice, Waub; Moon of the Crusted Snow,  Moon of the Turning Leaves 
190. Riley, Laura; Tell Me of Brave Women
191. Roe, Carolyn or Sale, Medora; Murder in a Good Cause
192. Rue, Nancy; Tristan's Gap
193. Roland, Bridget; the Doula
194. Rosen, Lynn; A Man of Genius
195. Rutherford, Edward; The Forest
196. Saturday Even Post Magazine 1963 Kennedy Edition
197. Schiller, E.; Watermark
198. Schopick, J.: Honest Medicine
199. Scholz & Church; The Masterpiece Within (Non-fiction)
200. Schwägerl, Christian; The Anthropocene  (Non-fiction)
201. Schwartz, Leslie; Angels Crest
202. Seuss, Dr.; You're only old once!
203. Shelly, Derek; Dying to Live
204. Shem, Samuel; The Spirit of the Place
205. Siegel, Alex; First Circle Club
206. Signorile, M. A.; The Wartime Chronicles 
207. Slatton, Traci L; Fallen,   Cold Light
208. Smiley, Cat; the planet friendly diet 
209. Sperazza, Diana; My Townie Heart
210. Stephanopoulis, G., (2024) The Situation Room
211. Stewart, Roderick; The Mind of Norman Bethune 
212. Sutton; The Power of Legacy (Non-fiction)
213. Tapper, J. (2025) Original Sin About Joe Biden.
214. Tartt, Donna; The Goldfinch
215. Thayer, R.S.; Kobee Manatee
216. Traill, Catherine Parr; Lost in the Backwoods
217. Transgender Lee; Woman Incognito
218. Treitler; My Dad is an Alcoholic: What About Me? (autobiography)
219. Tran; American Dreamer (autobiography)
220. Trollope-Kumar, Karen; Cloud Messenger
221. Trudeau, Kris; TimeShift 
222. Vallée, Brian; The War On Women 
223. Vinter, M.; Collette
224. Voss, Donna Carol; One of Everything
225. Wallach, Dr. J.D. ; Epigenetics; The death of the genetic theory of disease transmission (Non-fiction)
226. Ware, Ruth; The IT Girl
227. Warrington, Freda; Midsummer Night
228. Wathanavongs and Jauvin; The Boy With the Bamboo Heart
229. Welch, D.Y.; The Life and Times of Lilian J. Rice
230. White, Kate; If Looks Could Kill 
231. Williams and White:  Act III (Non-fiction)
232. Wilson, Daniel H.; Robopocalypse
233. Wilson, P.D.; The Caregiving Trap (Non-fiction)
234. Wold, Richard; Stan
235. Wolitzer, Meg: The Wife
236. Wright, Robert; Our Man in Tehran (Non-fiction)
237. Wyler, Allen;  Deadly Errors
238. Young, David; Channelling Harrison (biography)
239. Yow, David; Copycat

Book Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, DVD & iPad App Reviews (scroll down!) 

1. Band of Brothers
2. Borgen - Denmark Politics. Excellent!
3. Broadchurch – amazing! 
4. CIVIL WAR: THE UNTOLD STORY
5. DCI Banks
6. Endeavour (TV Series 2012)
7. Foyle's War
8. Grantchester
9. George Gently (TV Series 2007)
10. Inspector Lewis (2006–2015)
11. Inspector Lynley
12. Inspector Morse (1987–2000)
13. Jack Irish
14. Janet King
15. Midsomer Murders (TV Series 1997)
16. Mystery Road (ABC)
17. My Life is Murder (ABC)
18.  People of a Feather, Belcher Isl., Hudson Bay
19. Shetland
20. The Newsroom - fabulous!
21. Vera - wonderful UK mystery

Restaurant Reviews

1. Almonte Barley Mow – May 9, 2015
2. Bistro 54 Italiano Perth – Jan. 2011
3. Café Postino Almonte – 2011
4. East Meets West – Perth - 2015 to present!
5. Fratelli – April 17, 2017
6. Georgian House – Alexandria, June 18th, 2016
7. Heirloom Restaurant Almonte – Jan. 2015
8. Mexicali Rosa –July 29, 2015 Also, Oct. 2010
9. Rocky River Cafe – October 17, 2017; also Dec. 6 & 26, 2013.
10. The Cove - Westport – many visits!
11. The Hot Wok – April 10, 2017.
12. The Shipwreck - Rideau Ferry – Oct. 2010
13. The Waterfront - Napanee – May 2015
14. Waterfront Gastropub – Carleton Place, May 23/18
15. Wildfire BBQ and Smokehouse – Perth, 2015
16. Zolas – Ottawa - May 13, 2015; Zola's Oct. 2016

iPad Apps

1. Never Alone –Inuit game PC, so far
2. Brushstroke –drawing
3. ToonCamera –photoshop idea
4. Doodle Buddy –drawing
5. PhotoBooth –photoshop idea
6. Dragon Naturally Speaking –speech-to-text, text-to-speech
7. Spirits of Spring –Josie and I like it!