Book Snap #52

Title: The Sentence is Death

Author: Anthony Horowitz

Date Read: July 1, 2019

One and a half snaps

I don’t usually go for who-dunnits, but I am trying to explore different genres in my reading in order to better recommend titles to students.

Originally drawn in by the witty grammarian play on words in the title, I actually enjoyed trying to unravel this murder mystery alongside detective Daniel Hawthorne and his crime writing sidekick, Anthony Horowitz (our narrator).

A rich and elite lawyer, Richard Pryce, is found dead in his home, having been bashed over the head with a very expensive bottle of wine. While still on the phone with his partner the evening of his death, he opens the door to a guest and inquires, “it’s kind of late, isn’t it?” Who was the guest? The wine was a gift, but Richard himself didn’t drink. Oh, and the killer wrote 182 in large letters in green paint on his wall– what does it all mean?

There were many possible suspects– and I tried to narrow them down… but a great detective notices much more. A fun little read. See if you can figure out who killed Richard Pryce.

Book Snap #48

Title: Brother

Author: David Chariandy

Date Read: April 19, 2019

One and a half snaps.

Because life got busy, and I didn’t sit to write a reflection on this novel as soon as I should have, perhaps it isn’t getting the best review either. This is a second novel for David Chariandy, and was featured in this years’ selections for CBC’s Canada Reads.

A touching story of a family living in Scarborough in the 1990s. The teens; Michael and Vincent, face prejudice as brown boys in The Park. Vincent is shy, sensitive and over-protective of his mother; while Michael is hardened and resolved. Their over-worked mother does her best to scrape enough together to care for her teenage boys.

It is beautifully written prose and illuminates the careless prejudices and low expectations that confront them as immigrants.

A tragic shooting changes all of their lives irrevocably and packs the real emotional punch of the novel.

Book Snap #45

Title: Mrs. Fletcher

Author: Tom Perrota

Date read: March 5, 2019.

Two Snaps.

This was a great beach read!

It was light and funny and yet probing and cutting. Newly-divorced and on her own for the first time at 46, Eve is not sure who she is anymore. Her son is off to college and she seeks an identity that might fit her properly now. She gaffs and blunders in trying to make friends and to sort out her own sexuality. Meanwhile her son also struggles with what college sends his way and the kind of man he wants to be.

Book Snap #41

Title: French Exit

Author: Patrick DeWitt

Date read: January 19, 2019

Two Snaps.

These are some interesting characters to spend time with. The story traces a fall from grace: from the elite of the New York socialites to a strange melange of misfits in a Paris apartment nearly destitute– Frances and her son, Malcolm, are odd, witty, wise, and deeply self-destructive. A good read, for sure.

Book Snap #40

Title: House Rules

Author: Jodi Picoult

Date read: January 6, 2019

One Snap.

The last of the holiday novels. It may be a bit formulaic, a trait of Picoult’s I am not really fond of, but I think for the most part she had a good story and she certainly does offer some insight in to Asperger’s Syndrome and a family deeply impacted by it.