The Indextrious Reader

Crafting a Knock-Off

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:24:54 +0000


Crafting a Knock-Off / Barbara Emodi Concord, CA: C&T Pub., c2026 232 p.

I love this series of cozy mysteries set in Nova Scotia, written by a Canadian craft legend :) When book 7 became available, I grabbed it! This details the further adventures of Valerie Rankin, middle aged craft and general store owner, as she once again gets involved in a mysterious death -- and like usual, goes off on many misguided suspicions before the truth is revealed.

In this volume, she encounters Murray Nunn, a big talker who is trying to push business development and an export scheme. He won't leave anyone at the local craft fair alone, and while Valerie is talking to him, he suddenly drops dead. On camera. She has a wide range of suspects, from local craftspeople to those who have just arrived in Gasper's Cove for their own purposes, and even including her boyfriend's nephew -- which causes some relationship bumps.

But Valerie must continue on her sleuthy ways no matter what, and with the involvement of the local RCMP and her crafting ladies, they eventually solve the mystery, and Valerie's fears of the end of her relationship prove unfounded.

I love these books for their characters and the Nova Scotia setting -- and of course the inclusion of craft content! There are upcycled quilted coats, tartans and kilts, piecework sewing and craft fairs as integral parts of this mystery, and they are important. I thought this one was well constructed and entertaining. Always a treat to revisit Gasper's Cove!

(Review first appeared at Following The Thread)

Short Canadiana Mentions

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sat, 30 May 2026 13:00:00 +0000

As some of my readers may recall, I also review books for work, in Library Journal. I can't review those ones fully here because of that, but I wanted to mention some of the Canadian titles I've read for them in the last while. You can read bits of the original reviews at LJ, just follow the links :)

Definitely Thriving by Kerry Clare

This is a modern "women's novel", inspired by the work of Barbara Pym. Anyone who can mix Bridget Jones with Barbara Pym has a unique viewpoint! Set in Toronto, this is an entertaining book with some thoughtful themes. Clementine Lathbury gets divorced, moves back to TO and a crummy apartment of her own, gets a part-time job in a book store and tries to figure out her "Eat Pray Love" journey, without the "love" part. Things get complicated!

The Mystic & The Missing Girl / Vikki VanSickle

This one isn't released until September 8, and my review isn't up yet for LJ. But I just read this one and wanted to let you know about it -- it was such a fun read! Drew Benson goes home to her small town to take over her late Aunt's metaphysical shop. And she gets involved with a cold case going back 20 years, while discovering her own psychic abilities. This one was unique and entertaining and will be particularly interesting to readers who are into psychics, tarot etc.

Leave our Bones Where They Lay / Aviaq Johnston

Memorable read for sure! This collection of linked short stories follows Jupi, an old man who must tell a story to a demanding spirit, Kupik, each solstice. He's getting old so brings in his young granddaughter to train her in the family tradition. Fabulous look at the contemporary North. I thought it was fresh, unusual and a fascinating read.

A Box Full of Darkness

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Fri, 29 May 2026 14:25:22 +0000

A Box Full of Darkness/ Simone St. James
NY: Berkley, c2026.
337 p.

I'm a big fan of fellow Canadian author Simone St. James. I read all of her books as they come out. This one is another spooky story told in her ghostly family drama style. But it's even more about families than usual.

St. James returns to Fell, NY, the site of her previous novel The Sundown Motel (a fave for me). Strange things happen in Fell. There are drownings, children having heart attacks at far too young of an age, and finally the disappearance of six year old Ben, the youngest sibling of the three Esmies, a family who left Fell 18 years previously but are now reconvening thanks to a reported sighting of a ghost who may be Ben.

The three siblings have all dealt with their childhood trauma differently -- Violet, the oldest, sees dead people and has had her life upended because of it in so many ways. Vail, the middle, used to be a diver but he is now a UFO true believer and drifts around the country searching for proof of aliens. Dodie, the youngest, is a brittle personality, living in NY City and working as a hair and hand model, but keeps people far away from her, emotionally. They have to come back to Fell and face up to who they were then and in the intervening years when they didn't really stay in contact too effectively.

I really liked this. The characters were interesting - the interactions between siblings was unsettling, they were all so prickly and independent, but had to depend on one another as they are pulled back into their childhood trauma. Returning to a childhood home is always a great plot device but here it is to a mostly abandoned, haunted childhood home -- even less likely to lead to warm fuzzies! It had ghostly bits that were scary, but also real life encounters with nasty people. And the need for the siblings to break down and be honest with one another was another plot driver. It was fun read even if the plot wasn't quite as tight as some of her earlier books.

I Think We've Been Here Before: Facing the End of the World, in Saskatchewan

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Thu, 28 May 2026 20:42:33 +0000

I Think We've Been Here Before / Suzy Krause
Regina, SK: Radiant Press, c2024.
309 p.

It's the end of the world -- with advance notice. Scientists have discovered some kind of cosmological burst that will reach Earth in two months, just around Christmas time. They announce it to the world. So, prepare for the end.

Marlen and Hilda Jorgensen receive this news differently. Marlen has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer, so for him it's the end either way; his wife is struggling with their own reality, never mind the apocalypse. Their daughter is in Berlin, and it's not certain she'll be able to return home, what with transportation being knocked off-kilter by the panic and chaos. She has her own issues, meeting someone in Berlin who feels strangely familiar to here. Meanwhile, Hilda's sister is in complete denial, which makes it hard for her husband and teen son to cope, never being allowed to talk about it.

This was a very unusual take on the end of the world. Set mostly in rural Saskatchewan (with side scenes in Berlin), it focuses deeply on the emotional state of its characters. There is a certain numbness which permeates the story; the world around these characters is quiet -- even in Berlin, we don't really see, hear from, or interact with other characters. It is like these particular characters are insulated somehow.

But I found this thoughtful, with some intriguing elements that would be very discussable. There are funny bits, and touching bits, too. I loved the daughter's story, and found this an engaging read. I am originally from Saskatchewan so it is nice to see a story like this taking place, rooted in small town Saskatchewan. For me, this was fresh and interesting, even if I'm still not quite sure about that ending! Well worth searching this one out, in my opinion.

Two Mrs. Pollifax

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Wed, 27 May 2026 16:25:55 +0000

More Mrs. Pollifax in my quest to read the whole series - this time two books that work together almost as two volumes of the same story. They take place both in the US and an imaginary African country, Ubangiba. I thought it was a bit unusual to have this imaginary country, rather than the finely evoked real places in all of her other books. But listening to a lengthy author interview, I discovered that these two books were written during a time that she was suffering from a form of agoraphobia, and couldn't travel for research. So this choice makes more sense. I didn't feel that same sense of exploration and interest, though, because of the imaginary nature of the country. Still, these worked together well and had some new, intriguing characters.

Mrs Pollifax Pursued / Dorothy Gilman
Recorded Books, 2011, c1995
read by Barbara Rosenblat

This first story sets up the premise - Mrs Pollifax drives her husband Cyrus to the airport and when she gets home and feels something is up, she searches the house and discovers a young woman, Kadi Hopkirk, hiding in a utility closet. She had escaped from men trailing her a couple of days before. Mrs. Pollifax is of course interested in the story and decides to rescue Kadi, driving her back to NY City. But things go wrong, as Kadi's pursuers catch sight of them and trail them. Mrs. P, fortunately, has important friends -- and thinks quickly. She pulls in to a busy hospital and calls her CIA contacts from the ER.

They rescue and deliver Mrs. P and Kadi to an unexpected safe house: a travelling carnival. The story has a lot of fun with the characters and the setting of a carnival, and Mrs. P discovers new depths to herself! She also puzzles out why Kadi was being watched (her connections to Ubangiba, where she grew up thanks to her parents medical mission) and they end up travelling to Ubangiba to see the conclusion of Kadi's involvement. This one felt really escapist and light, thanks to the imaginary political setting of this invented African country. I loved the carnival and some of this story, but didn't find it as engaging as the others so far in the series. Still, the next book carries on this tale.

Mrs. Pollifax and the Lion Killer / Dorothy Gilman
Recorded Books, c1996.
read by Barbara Rosenblat

Mrs. Pollifax and Kadi head back to Ubangiba to see the coronation of Kadi's childhood friend Sammat. They are special guests of the government, but that doesn't mean there aren't shenanigans to deal with. There have been a rash of violent killings in the capital, where the victims are slashed with what looks like lion's claws. The catch is that there are no lions in Ubangiba. Rumours of supernatural causes abound, causing Sammat political difficulties.

Mrs. P is on the case - she explores the area quite fearlessly, and gets involved with locals in the way that she always does. And thank goodness, because the silent, grim bicycle seller named Moses turns out to be integral to the plot, and their survival! There isn't that much of a mystery going on here, and definitely not the exciting spy thriller sense of the other books -- this is an imaginary country, and there is no CIA involvement here. This duo of books is probably the weakest in the series because of these elements. Mrs. Pollifax is always delightful to read about though, so while they are not the best of this series, I still liked them well enough.

The Hundred Dresses

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Fri, 01 May 2026 03:12:00 +0000

The Hundred Dresses / Eleanor Estes; illus. by Louis Slobodkin
NY: Clarion, 2014, c1944.
93 p.

A bittersweet, classic children's book for today's review. Wanda Petronski is a new student, in a school full of well-off children. The girls in her class, especially one named Peggy, make fun of her for her Polish name, the fact that she wears the same faded blue dress every day, and after a little while, for her outrageous claim that she has more dresses at home: “A hundred of them. All lined up in my closet.”

Peggy's friend Maddie feels bad about the way that Wanda is treated, but not enough to say anything -- she's afraid she'll be next if she does. But then Wanda stops coming to school, and they wonder what's happened to her. Shortly after, the school art prize is going to be announced, and when the students enter their class, there are 100 beautiful sketches pinned up to view -- all of the hundred dresses that Wanda had drawn before her family moved to the more friendly big city.

Wanda has also left instructions for two of the sketches to be given in particular to Peggy and Maddie, as she created them with the girls in mind. Maddie realizes that she made the wrong choices, that speaking up is always the thing to do when something is happening that she is uncomfortable with. The lessons in this story are gentle and not overly didactic, they arise out of a naturally told story. And sadly they are still so relevant 80 years after this was written.

But aside from that, the descriptions of the dresses and the imagination that Wanda shared with the class are all so lovely and I really enjoyed picturing the drawings that she'd created. A lovely read, with so many touching elements.

(first published at FollowingTheThread.ca)

The Dream Stitcher

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Dream Stitcher / Deborah Gaal
Anchor House Press, c2018
295 p.

This was a random discovery for me, via my library, and a great find. It's a novel that moves between the USA in 2008, and WWII Poland, following a family line of women. It starts out rather fantastical, and has elements of magic throughout, particularly in regards to embroidery. But it also has realistic historical content and strong characters.

Goldye is the titular Dream Stitcher: in Poland she discovers an uncanny skill at embroidery early on (readers will know why). She's taken in by Kaminski Fabrics, and stitches magical wedding dresses for Christian brides. When the Germans come, Mr. Kaminski claims her as an Aryan niece from France, and Goldye changes her name to Anna to survive. But she is still in love with her Jewish resistance fighter, and uses her magical embroidery to fight in her own way. She's so good that a German officer takes interest in her, and requires her to accompany him to France to interpret the mystical imagery of the Bayeux Tapestry, which the Nazis are convinced tells of their victory.

In 2008, we meet Maude, recently widowed and in financial straits. She has to take her mother out of the home she's been in, too expensive to continue it. When she moves her mother Bea home, she brings along a large recreation of the Bayeux Tapestry that the nurses say she stitched while there, even though Maude has never known her mother to sew anything at all. Maude's pregnant daughter also moves home, and they try to understand the family secrets that start leaking out, especially due to the large tapestry Maude has hung in the living room.

I thought this was a fascinating read. It melds history, fantasy, mystery and some thriller-y bits too. Plus there is a lot about the magical power to stitch reality that Goldye holds, and what it can and can't accomplish. There are a couple of troubling scenes of sexual violence, during the war, readers should be aware. It can be hard to read, but it's all disturbingly real. The historical elements are strong and the WWII sections are compelling.

When we hit the contemporary chapters, it is fascinating to feel the difference in narrative tone. Maude is flippant and childish at times, and the writing reflects this. It's like the whole story turns into Maude's story with a minute adjustment to tone. I thought it was really interesting! Maude's story slowly begins to link into Goldye's but what I thought was coming was not what was finally revealed. What a great build up to the conclusion, it surprised me.

This was an unusual read, unexpected and memorable. I'm still thinking about it. The embroidery was a key part to the book, and makes me want to go see the Bayeux Tapestry - it's in England starting this fall, at the British Museum, for the first time in nearly 1000 years. That would be fascinating.

But the characters and the creative storytelling are also fresh and engaging here. I am so glad I stumbled across this book.

(first published at Following The Thread)

Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief / Dorothy Gilman
read by Barbara Rosenblatt
Blackstone Audio, c1993.

Another trip for Mrs. Pollifax! Her latest assignment is to take some photos at a small funeral in Virginia, then deliver them to her old friend Farrell in Sicily. He has specifically asked for her and Cyrus, but as usual Cyrus is busy with something else and Mrs. P goes alone (I do find it amusing how Gilman regularly gets rid of Cyrus, after introducing him in Book 5).

Nothing that Mrs. Pollifax does ever turns out as easy as promised. Here, she is met in Sicily by Kate, a young woman also from the CIA but who is on holiday and just doing a favour. But their trip to meet Farrell turns into a car chase, rescue and retreat to a safe house of sorts - Kate's aunt's country house where she is staying. This aunt turns out to be almost as mysterious as the men searching for Farrell.

This book was a bit slow for me, with most of it taking place within one house. There is some adventure beyond its walls, and an unlikely romance for Farrell too, but overall it's not as dramatic or eventful as some of the others. The plot can be a touch thin at times.

However, it is always enjoyable to see Mrs. P and Farrell back together, and the main element that is tying this story together is a suspected assassin who they put behind bars some books ago, who Farrell is sure he has seen in Sicily. The resolution of that is a little amusing but definitely suitable for an Emily Pollifax story. This one was just okay for me, but there was still that layer of social commentary that made it worth reading.

Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 02:20:00 +0000

Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish / Dorothy Gilman
read by Barbara Rosenblatt
Recorded Books, 2011, c1990.

I haven't been writing too much this month, but I have been reading -- I need to catch up on some reviews, so I'll start with a series I've been obsessively listening to, the Mrs. Pollifax series.

In Book 9 of this fun series, I was transported to a hot and dangerous trek across Morocco. Mrs. Pollifax has been asked to deliver some important documents to an agent in Morocco, where an underground network of informants may be at risk. But when she arrives, she doesn't like this agent; there is something off she doesn't quite trust. So she tells him that she has memorized all the info and destroyed the documents for safety -- so she will have to come along on his journey to check up on their secret allies. He is not happy.

Her instincts prove correct, when he is not what he seems to be, and her karate is about to come into play again. But then someone else appears, and the story moves forward with a different vibe. It was a bit of a different storyline, just Mrs. Pollifax and one other character at a time, essentially, on a long and lonely road trip. There is, as always, information about the country she's in and some history/sociology about the inhabitants, always thrown in as part of what she needs to know for her job but illuminating for the reader at the same time.

This was quite a good one that I found appealing, with a strong setting and interesting set-up. I do like this series!

Ordinary People Don't Carry Machine Guns

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Ordinary People Don't Carry Machine Guns/ Artem Chapeye
trans. from the Ukrainian by Zenia Tompkins
NY: Seven Stories Press, c2025.
128 p.

Moving from yesterday's 1920s Kyiv to 2020s Kyiv with today's book. This set of essays by Artem Chapeye is a straight-talking, angry book about war and the way it affects a society. It was so powerful and striking in many ways.

Chapeye was a leftist pacifist prior to Feb 22, 2022. But the reality of an invasion of his country led him to enlist shortly after the invasion began. He has been serving in the army since.

The book is divided into three parts: “When Darkness Comes”, about the beginning and the incomprehensible reality of war arriving in a modern European country, and the way it immediately shook everything up. “It’s Necessary to Cultivate Your Garden” takes a look at everyday Ukrainians, their survival strategies and hopes for a return to a peaceful future. Then, “People Aren’t Divided into Brands" which examines the problems of elitism and the attitudes between different levels of Ukrainian society - how those who haven't enlisted often say that they can help elsewhere, with overtones of them being more important than those on the front lines. Chapeye has years, now, of serving in the army, and he worries about his wife and children, his country, and more, even as he doesn't waver from his role.

I found Chapeye's earlier book, The Ukraine, memorable; a mix of fiction and reportage, it was published just as he had enlisted. This book is darker, more grounded in daily experience of war and the social issues it aggravates. It's a must read, as a fluent report of the day to day life of a Ukrainian soldier, one who is also an accomplished writer and journalist. Hard to read but so vital.

The Sunflower Boys

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000

The Sunflower Boys / Sam Wachman
NY: Harper, c2025.
352 p.

This novel, published as YA, is by an American writer with Ukrainian roots. It follows two young boys, Artem and Yuri, as the full scale Russian invasion arrives in Feb 2022. Their father is working in American, sending money home, while their mother and grandfather take care of them.

Artem is an artist, drawing in his sketchbook constantly. He is a regular boy, with school hijinks, games, friends and so on. But as this book opens, he is realizing that he is also falling in love with his best friend. This theme of identity and self-awareness runs throughout the book, but there are bigger things to worry about once Russia arrives.

After the first few days of hiding in the basement with the rest of their apartment neighbours, their mother decides that they are leaving the city to go to their grandfather's farm in the country. This seems like a good plan but it turns out to be a tragic decision. There is a horrific scene when the Russians find the house; it was very graphic and terrible, and perhaps readers should be aware that there is violence and terror in this book as well.

Artem and Yuri escape and make their way across a hellscape of cold, dark countryside, trying to get to a city so they can flee to Kyiv. Eventually they make it, their father finally gets back into Ukraine and finds them, and they end up in Florida in the last chapters. But this trek is endless, full of difficulty, fear, hunger - and also the help of people they find along the way. Artem and Yuri stick together but as the elder brother, Artem is more permanently affected by his responsibility and awareness of what's going on.

This was a striking and realistic read, a war novel that describes the realities of civilians caught in the middle of this invasion. It's also a humanising one; Artem's life and other concerns are still important to him, everything is not wiped by war coming. It was a powerful read, but readers should be prepared for some traumatic scenes, as Wachman doesn't hold back on the horrors of war.

The City

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000

The City / Valerian Pidmohylnyi
trans. from the Ukrainian by Maxim Tarnawsky
Cambridge, MA: HURI, 2025, c1927.
504 p.

I read this recently, as it's a Ukrainian classic now available in English. It was written in 1927 and is considered one of the first urban novels (as per the title).

The cover is evocative, as the story is about Stepan Radchenko, who comes to Kyiv from his village, to study and help build up socialism. He is ambitious, driven, sensitive to what others think of him, works hard and takes whatever advantage he can. He intends to climb the social/artistic ladder as high as he can. He doesn't have much emotional intelligence, but he knows how to play the game and advance himself wherever possible. I thought the story was quick moving, psychologically interesting, and definitely a great picture of 1920s Kyiv when Ukrainization was going strong -- before Stalin reintroduced russification and the generation of writers including Pidmohylnyi were killed -- the Executed Renaissance.

However. I did not love this book. Stepan is a bit of a self-centred asshole so I had a hard time finding sympathy for him. He has three relationships with women once he arrives in Kyiv, all focused on his own needs and desires, not theirs. He forces himself on a girl from the village who had been stepping out with him, then drops her. He starts a physical relationship with his married landlady. And then he has a long-standing relationship with another young woman who he leads on to the point of proposing, only to then change his mind and drop her too. These women were only useful to him insofar as they helped him advance in some way.

So Stepan's great ideal of socialism and equality only extends to men like him. The book thus made me feel conflicted; while I admired the writing style and some of the psychological insight into Stepan and his fellow writers and students, and the depiction of the arts scene in Kyiv, I was dismayed by the depiction of women's status and experience as being secondary and only important in relation to the men in the book. Their rights of artistic growth and autonomy are not considered. At the same time, the writing itself is good, with quotable moments of insight and the evocation of an era. So this is a mid book for me -- the good is counterbalanced by the bad so it comes out just middling for me as a reader.

More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 04:38:00 +0000

More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop / Satoshi Yagisawa
trans. from the Japanese by Eric Ozawa
NY: HarperPerennial, 2024, c2011.
176 p.

I couldn't wait, after reading the first book in this set last week - I had to search out book two. Thankfully my library had it, so I brought it home and read it over a couple of days. I had to stretch this one out a little more than the first one, as it is quite melancholy and I needed a break before the conclusion.

In this novel, Takako is reminiscing; the story is related from her future vantage point. I find this style a bit melancholic by nature, and this story has some sad parts in it for sure. It takes place 3 years after Takako left the bookshop for a design job, but she still comes back and hangs out at the bookshop and the coffee shops in the neighbourhood. She's now dating Wada, from the end of the first book, and along with her friend Tomo, has a life outside work -- something she had to create consciously for herself. As an aside, the description of Takako's romantic relationships seems unusual -- very formal, with not much communication on her part as to what's going on -- I'm wondering if this is a Japanese norm that I'm missing, or just a man writing a woman character. Anyhow!

Uncle Satoru and Aunt Momoko are still running the bookshop, but things are about to change, and Takako has to help Satoru come to terms with the way life is going. There is less talk about specific books and authors in this one than in the first, and more about the lives and relationships of the characters. Once again I was reminded of Banana Yoshimoto's style.

I liked this one, although marginally less than the first one. It made me cry, and I found some lovely bits in it, though. This ties up the story of the Morisaki Bookshop, but the author has another series set in a cafe. Perhaps I will try that next. I find his style quite appealing and readable.

House of Many Ways

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000

House of Many Ways / Diana Wynne Jones
NY: Greenwillow, 2009, c2008.
338 p.

This is book three in the Howl's Moving Castle trilogy, but it was written quite a few years after the first two and honestly didn't need Sophie or Howl in it at all. It could easily have been written without them, with no huge loss to the storyline. This is definitely even less connected to their world than book two was!

Still, I liked this. There were lots of neat ideas in it, and the main character, Charmain Baker, was interesting to me as a bookish, stubborn girl. As the story opens, she is being sent off to keep house for her Great-Uncle William while he is away. There's nobody else to do it, so Charmain heads off to the very odd home of her great uncle, who is also known as the Royal Wizard Norland.

This house has doors that open to different places, secret passages, magical water and food and so forth, and as Charmain finds out, also an apprentice, Peter, who just shows up at the door one morning expecting the Royal Wizard.

Charmain gets involved (long story) with the King and his daughter, who are searching for something called the Elfgift, which will save their kingdom. The King is sifting through books in the royal library, and as Charmain is very good with books, she begins to assist him. These scenes in the dim, creaky library are wonderful, quiet and reeking of research. I enjoyed them!

Howl's crew gets involved when the Princess calls in Sophie, now a feared sorceress, to help them in their search. Of course, where Sophie is, Howl and Calcifer and her child are not far behind.

I liked this one, I thought the titular House was appealing, the villian (an insect like creature called the Lubbock) was suitably creepy, the plot was pretty good and Charmain was interesting. It felt a bit too farcical in some parts for me, as chaos is not my favourite plot device. But overall it was an enjoyable read. The creative set-up and the sneaky conspiracy that took a while to figure out were entertaining. I'm glad to have read all three titles in this trilogy now, although I'd probably only reread Howl's Moving Castle.

Castle in the Air

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Castle in the Air / Diana Wynne Jones
NY: Greenwillow, 2008, c1990.
383 p.

This is book two in the loosely connected Howl books by Diana Wynne Jones. It is not a sequel exactly; Howl and Sophie show up in this one, even if you don't know it immediately, but the main action follows other characters.

It begins in the Howl universe, but south of the land of Ingary. We meet Abdullah, a carpet seller in the Rashpuht bazaar. He's young, not that successful, and spends a lot of time dreaming of being a hero. One day, a stranger sells him a magic carpet -- and the adventures begin.

He meets the Sultan's daughter, Princess Flower-in-the-Night, but she is stolen by an evil Djinn before Abdullah can do anything. He heads off in pursuit on his magic carpet, meeting a rather disreputable companion along the way, a rough character who turns out to dote on cats and whose skills as a thief are particularly useful. They discover that there is a castle in the air where many kidnapped princesses are being held, and the scenes in the castle (Howl's Moving Castle, stolen by the Djinn) are my favourite part of this book, funny and full of fabulous women. The princesses range from small children to mature women, but they are all interesting and clever.

Calcifer, Sophie, and Howl (and their small infant) all turn out to be important to the story, and have been woven into the tale more than first appears. This was funny and charming, with many disguised identities and misdirections. The power of constancy and true love is highlighted as well, with many delightful pairings showing up.

It is over 30 years old so there are a few things that might not have been included today, but overall, it was a fun read with a satisfying happy ending.

If Cats Disappeared from the World

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000

If Cats Disappeared from the World / Genki Kawamura
trans. from the Japanese by Eric Selland
London: Picador, 2018, c2012.
202 p.

I read this little book last week; I've owned for a long time but have just picked it up now. It's funny how many books like this I have on my shelves - ones that have been patiently waiting their turn, and once I open them I can't stop reading.

This is a short novel, just 202 short pages. It is loosely in the form of a letter, written by a young man who is all alone in the world aside from his cat Cabbage. He's just found out that he has a brain tumour and only weeks to live. But his week turns surreal as the Devil appears to him and tells him that he can choose one thing to disappear from the world in exchange for another day of life.

He gets a few extra days but the idea of exchanging things starts to pall. What is life worth living for and what parts make it all worthwhile? When the Devil suggests that cats disappear next, our narrator realizes he has a vital choice to make.

Throughout this short narrative, told in a confessional, almost offhand style, deep questions are raised. We learn that the narrator's mother has died and that he is estranged from his father; he has a loose connection with an old girlfriend, which is important to the story. But his closest emotional relationship is with Cabbage. And through his reflections, we learn more about his past and his issues with his father.

I found this a touching story, on the edge of being too sentimental but counterbalanced by the humour and irreverence of the Devil and the narrator's reactions. Even with the brevity and direct style, it causes the reader to think more deeply about what is worth cherishing in life, especially when you're about to leave it. I'm not sure why it hit me right now, but it did have an emotional impact. I thought the ending was perfect, resolving the interiority and isolation of this character's story with a resonant visual image of reconnection. Really interesting read, with some memorable moments.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 03:30:00 +0000

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop / Satoshi Yagisawa
trans. from the Japanese by Eric Ozawa
NY: Harper Perennial, 2023, c2010.
150 p.

I read this sweet book in a day -- it's short and easy to read, even with some emotional heft to it. It reminded me a lot more of Banana Yoshimoto's style than the more recent "healing fiction" titles I've been reading. There is nothing supernatural or outside of reality here; just people trying to survive bumps in the road and finding healing in books and coffee.

It starts out with 25 yr old Takako finding out that her boyfriend is engaged to someone else. They work together so it doesn't take long before she quits -- essentially losing her boyfriend and job in the same few weeks. She's at loose ends and nursing her broken heart when she gets an offer from her uncle Satoru (who she hasn't heard from in a few years) to come and live and work with him in the family second-hand bookshop in the Jimbocho neighbourhood of Tokyo. Being awfully short of money she reluctantly accepts.

This set up is quite lovely, as Takoko has a season of quiet and rest to find herself again. Her uncle says:

It's important to stand still sometimes. Think of it as a little rest in the long journey of your life. This is your harbor. And your boat is just dropping anchor here for a little while. And after you're well rested, you can set sail again.

And this is what happens: as Takoko finds healing through discovering a love of reading, and engaging with people outside of a driven office environment, she comes to the point where she can find another job and leave the bookshop.

The relationship between Takoko and her uncle is interesting - she knew him when she was a child, so they are developing a different connection, one between adults. She finds out a lot about who her uncle really is, and about his wife who had left him five years previously (but reappears halfway through). There is a tiny coffeeshop down the street that Takoko frequents, and some of the characters are based there. Some bookshop regulars are found in both places. All of these side characters are an important part of the story, showing Takoko another way to live, and empathy for other people -- just as her reading does.

I liked the references to Japanese classics, some more contemporary authors, and some Western titles too. It was a charming element and yet the story wasn't overdone. It was light but I found it satisfying and am planning on finding book two of this story as soon as I can -- I want to hear more about the Morisaki Bookshop!

Crafting a Cold Case

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Crafting a Cold Case / Barbara Emodi
Concord, CA: C&T, c2025.
256 p.

I read the latest volume of the Gasper's Cove series by Barbara Emodi at the very end of December, during a huge winter storm. Timely, as it is set mostly during a huge winter storm! It made it feel quite recognizable.

This is such a fun series, and the characters grow with every new story. In this 6th installment, Valerie shows her inimitable amateur sleuthing skills again, when there's a murder, a snowstorm, and a number of strangers in town outside of tourist season.

The story begins with the usually unflappable Catherine, former librarian and Valerie's cousin-in-law, calling her in panic mode. Valerie drops everything and heads right over, to discover that the crisis is two unwanted guests at Catherine's B&B who are driving her crazy. Valerie responds immediately.

“I went over to the pantry and found a box of Morse’s Tea, the official consolation beverage of Nova Scotia since 1870. I picked up the kettle and filled it at the deep, stainless-steel, industrial-sized sink. While I waited for the water to boil, I found a tin of shortbread and put enough for four people onto a plate. Emotional breakdowns are no time to be skimpy with baked goods.”

This book is such a great balance of mystery and humour. I love this series for this reason, and I find that each book gets better. There are two extra guests, one a prepper who follows Catherine's partner Rollie around constantly, and one a peevish old professor there to talk to a local group about antiquities. The other stranger in town is a smooth talking podcaster, unfortunately brought to Gasper's Cover by Valerie's daughter -- nobody else really likes him, but her daughter seems enamoured.

There is intrigue from the start, but then a storm blows in, one that their local weather station seemed to miss completely. And it's a bad one. It snows them all in, even as one of the locals in the antiquities group is found dead in a snowbank. Murder, and who was it? It's a real mystery this time with some plausible red herrings sprinkled around liberally. Lots of people to dislike and suspect, whether of murder, stealing a snowplow, or just being a jerk.

I really liked this one. So many good characters, intriguing setup, funny commentary, and an unexpected conclusion. Even a big surprise for everyone (even herself) when one of Valerie's guesses proves correct. I'd read this again, just for the characters. And that snowstorm!

(first published on FollowingTheThread.ca)

Dinner at the Night Library

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 22:36:00 +0000

Dinner at the Night Library / Hika Harada
trans. from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel
NY: Hanover Square Press, 2025, c2023
320 p.

Another Japanese novel that has been on my list for a while! This one is set in a library, one that has a very particular mission. It houses the collections of writers who've passed away (generally), and one that researchers can visit to study what writers read - but it's only open after dark.

It starts out with a young woman, Otoha Higuchi, who is looking for a job, and stumbles across this one. It doesn't have the cache of a corporate position, and is located out of the way on the outskirts of Tokyo, so her parents aren't overly thrilled, but she thinks it sounds fascinating.

Having a new employee to follow through the story really makes it easy for the author to explain everything to the reader in a natural way -- Otoha, and by extension the reader, is being introduced to all her coworkers, the purpose of the library and how it works, regular library patrons, and so on.

We find a two person cataloguing department, front deskégeneral staff, and a manager as well as an ever-present cleaning lady, oh and a chef -- and a mysterious absentee owner. Otoha makes her way through her first few months of employment learning about minor scandals with patrons, discovering that there is a chef on-site who makes meals based on food from books (one chapter is all about Anne of Green Gables and the food choices are...interesting), and finally being involved in going to pick up the collection of a popular female author who has died and whose sister is donating everything. The storyline feels unfinished, like part two is on its way. The exact way this library operates isn't entirely clear either, especially the random food sections. But it was fun.

I liked this, as another weird fictional library (fan of those) and a look at how a writer's reading can shape their own works. A bit metafictional in that way. There were some engaging characters in this one, all originally involved in books in some fashion, whether as former booksellers, pickers, librarians, literature students or what have you The setting was unusual as well, and although the café sections seemed a bit sudden, I still enjoyed the descriptions of literary inspired feasts - and the books they were drawn from. I wouldn't consider this a plot driven novel, but the vibes were good ;)

The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000

The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen / Yuta Takahashi
translated from the Japanese by Cat Anderson
NY: Penguin, 2025, c2020.
192 p.

This novel lies in the 'magical cafe' realm of Japanese fiction, but a little different - not a coffee shop but rather a seaside restaurant that serves evocative meals from a person's life, in order to draw back the dead. And recipes included! There is a cat as well, one which seems to be part of the conduit to the dead for diners at this restaurant.

It's told in three sections; beginning with Kotoko, a young woman who is seeking out the restaurant after hearing that its kagezen (traditional meals offered in remembrance of loved ones) can actually restore them to you briefly. Her older brother died protecting her, and she feels a lot of guilt - she's hoping that this will be real, and help her.

She meets Kai, the young chef, who introduces her to the kitten Chibi who is an integral part of the cafe. And she gets her meal - as she starts to eat, things get hazy and then she sees her brother. This experience draws her back to the kitchen, and in the next two sections she plays a bit of a role as well. The second story is a young boy who feels bad that he was mean to a classmate who died; she liked him and he made fun of her. He gets a chance to apologize here. And then the third section features an old man living near the cafe. Kai wants to take a meal to him, as he can't get around much. Kotoko helps him, and in this long night together, both of their lives are changed as well.

I thought this was a lovely read, just different enough to appeal. And the short recipes are a great addition, especially for Western fans of the translations. There were a few little things about it I didn't like - particularly the second story about the young boy. According to the 'rules' of this return of the dead, they can only come back once. So why did a random classmate get to experience it, just so that he could feel better about his rude words, instead of say, her parents? A personal peeve there!

But this was a quiet read that I enjoyed. The setting is a tiny seaside location off the trainline, rather than a city, and there was lots of beauty even in the melancholic nature of the storyline. There is another volume to come, and I think I will be reading that one as well.

Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle / Dorothy Gilman
read by Barbara Rosenblat
Maryland: Recorded Books, 2005, c1988.

In this book, Mrs. Pollifax gets back on the horse after her traumatic experiences in Hong Kong and takes a commission from the CIA to go to Thailand. There is supposed to be a quick drop of documents for her to pick up from an informant, pass on to the CIA, and then she and Cyrus can have a holiday together in Thailand.

But this is a Mrs. Pollifax book, so you know she is going to get involved in the heart of the issues instead of just being a courier! In this one she really gets embedded in field work; on the morning that she is supposed to casually walk down an alley and find the exchange location, she instead finds a dead body. And as she rushes back out of the alley, she sees Cyrus (who'd stayed on the street watching out) being bundled into a truck by two strangers. He's been kidnapped, who knows why.

Mrs. Pollifax is resourceful, especially when Cyrus is endangered, so she finds someone to drive another truck and follow the kidnappers. This all happens very quickly. But then the "car chase", so to speak, is endless -- they drive into the hills, they are followed by young men on motorcycles (when Mrs. Pollifax's karate skills again come in useful), and they spot the kidnapper's van drawn up on the side of the road, empty. Luckily for Mrs. P, her driver is more than he looks and they head off into the dangerous forest, tracking Cyrus' kidnappers. There is a lot of chance and coincidence in this one, and at times it feels a little dreamy -- especially when Mrs. Pollifax and her companions come across a hidden monastery in the forest, with only a few devotees and a holy man, who isn't from Thailand.

The conclusion of this one involves drugs, CIA side quests, and the irrepressible Mrs. Pollifax rescuing her husband, her informant, and another CIA agent (unknown to them both). It was good, lots of interesting connections made for Mrs. P in the third of the "Asia" trilogy of this series. Looking forward to the next volume, in which she heads to Morocco.

Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha / Dorothy Gilman
read by Barbara Rosenblat
Ashland, OR: Recorded Books, 2011, c1985.

This volume of the Mrs. Pollifax series carries on shortly after the events of her last adventure. In this one she is asked to go to Hong Kong, make contact with a CIA asset to check on his being alive and well, and then come home. Does the trip turn out this simply? Of course not!

She gets involved with the situation, going to the home of one of the suspicious characters and befriending the housekeep to get as much gossip as she can. She is given a lovely statue of a Buddha in the small shop she enters to try to find this asset -- mainly to get her out of there, but it turns out it's a rather important statue, leading to someone searching her room at night while she is supposedly sleeping (but she's not, really) and eventually to her kidnapping by the baddies.

At this point the story takes a darker turn. She and a couple of others have been kidnapped and they are being held in a warehouse of sorts by the villains. They are an international group of random men, all part of an anarchist terrorist cell. They've been involved in this by someone in Hong Kong who wants to see the "rightful" ruler of China restored. This all goes back to the upheavals of Chinese history and politics, and the British rule of Hong Kong, and the fears of it reverting to China. This was written in the 80s so this was something yet to happen, although within in a little more than a decade after the story was set. In any case, the bad guys are taking this very seriously.

During Mrs. Pollifax's lengthy kidnapping, she engages in her usual efforts to talk to the others. This time only one of her fellow captives has any feeling for her. Another tries to sabotage the communications that the terrorists are using, and in a shocking turn is shot for it. This leads to the feeling of darker elements of the story, and a stronger sense of danger. Mrs. Pollifax herself endures torture as they try to get information out of her. And her salvation comes from the ideas of two amateurs at the other end, who've joined the American agents trying to find her.

I found this one politically astute, relevant, and very thrillerish. I loved the descriptions of Hong Kong, of some of the eccentric characters who Mrs. Pollifax befriends, and the relationships between old and new agents. It was a strong book in the series, with lots of intrigue and mystery. I really liked it, it felt well plotted and engaging.

The Lantern of Lost Memories

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000

The Lantern of Lost Memories / Sanaka Hiiragi
trans. from the Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood
NY: Grand Central Publishing, 2024, c2019.
208 p.

Another Japanese novel, in the genre of healing fiction, and I really, really liked this one. It's a little different, with a bit more darkness to it but an amazing arc to the storyline. It has that tinge of the extraordinary, but with less whimsy, more melancholy and pathos.

Mr. Hirasaki owns a photo studio somewhere in limbo, between the living and the dead. When a person dies, they are escorted to his shop (or one of many like it) and given the chance to view their life again, choosing one memory to relieve before they go on to the other side.

Mr. Hirasaki is swamped with other people's memories, but has no recollection of who he is or why he has this role. He just has one photo to try to help him remember.

This short novel follows loosely connected characters - first, Hatsue, a 92 yr old woman who was a nursery teacher and wants to relive a day from her career. She's happy and so are her memories. Then we have Waniguchi, a yakuza who is also somehow empathetic and protective; his memories are conflicted. Finally Mr. Hirasaki meets Mitsuru, a young girl who has had a short tragic life. He hates when his clients are children, and in this case he engages more actively with her moment of revisiting a memory than he really should...

I found this read touching, highlighting the best of people even amidst tragedy or squalor. The instinct to sacrifice, and care for others, comes to the forefront even in those you might not expect to see it from. The concept of the story was a bit unusual, fresh for the genre, and allowed for some philosophical talk on life and memory to be included. The characters were complex, even the mysterious Mr. Hirasaki, despite the blank slate of his past.

I thought this was a particularly thoughtful and engaging read; some trauma is involved but not gratuitously. There is an edge of darkness and grief that fits the story of a world in limbo between life and death, but also a beautiful sense of transcendence of the banal and everyday.

One of my favourites so far. Recommended.

Winter Solstice

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Winter Solstice / Rosamunde Pilcher
NY: Thomas Dunne, c2000.
454 p.

I just finished this one, read over the winter holidays. The book features a lot of snow and storms over the solstice week in Scotland -- I read it during a particularly bad winter storm here, just after Christmas week. It felt quite apropos!

This one was published in 2000 -- I didn't read it then, in fact, I haven't read any of Pilcher's books before. It was a fun thematic read but it is a bit dated now. There are some plot points that stood out to me like a sore thumb -- the way that hetero relationships seem to be the cause and endpoint of every character's story, the way that Elfrida, one of the main characters, is continually cooking and cleaning for her new partner (and no-one even remarks on it), the way that a 14 yr old girl is taken under the wing of an 18 yr old male neighbour and everyone is fine with it - even if it does turn out to be innocent it's a bit odd now. And so much booze!

Despite these slightly jarring elements of a book that's not really very old, I did like this one. It was warm and expansive and had lots of good bits. It starts out as a bit of a downer; Elfrida, a self-described washed up actress, moves to the country. She makes new friends of her neighbours Gloria and Oscar; things happen and she leaves the south of England with Oscar to go stay in an Estate House he half owns in Scotland. Another storyline: 14 yr old Lucy is a awkward addition to a home where nobody really wants her. Her Aunt Carrie comes home from the continent after a disappointment in love, to find her sister (Lucy's mother) wanting to spend Christmas in Florida, their own mother swanning off to Bournemouth, and nobody to look after Lucy at all. Carrie calls up her distant cousin Elfrida to see if she and Lucy can come to them. This adds much more of a Christmas vibe to Elfrida's season.

And into that household of odd souls comes Sam, a businessman sent to Scotland to revitalize an old woolen mill. He gets snowed in, following a series of events, landing at the Estate House -- and he has more connections to the household than first realized.

The story is replete with holiday parties, upstanding locals, the nearby vicar and his family, Christmas cooking and decorating and present giving, small dramas, love and relationships, and lots of house talk. The Estate House, another small cottage on the former estate grounds, descriptions of the rooms, the decor, the coziness or lack of, the proportions etc. Even the local church is described. Just the kind of old-fashioned saga that is good reading for snowed-in cozy days.

We'll Prescribe You Another Cat

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000

We'll Prescribe You Another Cat / Syou Ishida
trans. from the Japanese by E. Madison Shimoda
NY: Berkley, 2025, c2023.
304 p.

Starting off my New Reading Year with a review for the Japanese Literature Challenge! I have read a few titles by Japanese authors in the past while and will be sharing them over the next few weeks.

This book is the second volume in a series I started last August during Women in Translation Month. It carries forward the unique premise that people in Kyoto who find themselves in some kind of life transition or trouble can run across a clinic that can't be found otherwise. This clinic has a distinctive nurse and doctor, who prescribe clients a cat to take home, specifically chosen to help solve their problems.

It's an amusing series, and in the second volume, plainly called We'll Prescribe You Another Cat, we meet a new set of characters who find the clinic just in time to help their lives progress.

Each chapter features a new client, but the characters cross over between the stories, becoming side characters in someone else's chapter. Even the cats reappear. This gives a novel feeling to the book rather than just being a series of short stories, and it creates a community of sorts for the reader to follow. This adds depth and complexity to the book, just as in the first one in the series. It's a bit odd and the reader has figured out the doctor and nurse by the end of the first volume, even if the characters haven't. But it's a charming read, with some humour and some warm-hearted observations of family dynamics and personal growth. I really enjoyed it.