The Aviator’s Wife by Melaine Benjamin is the story of Ann Morrow  Lindbergh. Her husband Charles was the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1927. He swept everyone around the world off their feet with his accomplishment, men & women alike, girls swooned over him, but it was shy Ann, a recent Smith College graduate who’s father was the American Ambassador to Mexico, who managed to snag the world’s most eligible bachelor. Ann learned on her honeymoon that she was to be his partner, not only in life, but in the plane as well. She was expected to learn to fly. She became his co-pilot and helped him map a route to the Orient, leaving her year old son at home for 6 months in the care of a nursemaid. Imagine! They had an odd relationship to say the least. Their life together as man & wife was secondary to their life in the plane. Poor Ann. She became nothing more than the Aviator’s wife. The world would not leave them alone. Hounded constantly by the public, the press, and even the famous they cocooned themselves from everyone trying to live a normal life. But it didn’t work. Their first-born son Charlie was kidnapped and killed in what was described as the Crime of the Century. She eventually had 5 other children and was busy keeping the home fires burning while Charles abandoned her to fly off to foreign places while he  focused his attention on his career. Ann was a bright, well educated woman, but it was only late in life that she ever received any recognition at all for her accomplishments. This book was a real eye-opener for me. Quite sad and shocking at times. Even jaw dropping! It really is true what they say… “Behind every great man, is an even greater woman.” *****

This book is historical fiction. Melanie Benjamine states in the Authors’s Note that she hoped to make Ann “the heroine of her own story”, and this she did. She wrote an amazing book. I love historical fiction and I’ve read a whole stack of books in the past few years that highlight the exceptional fortitude and character of women standing in the shadows of famous men. This book is probably the best of the lot by far.

This is quite the book! A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki will blow your little mind. It’s is very original. Not like anything I’ve ever read before. It’s fiction, with footnotes on some pages that translate Japanese words or expressions into English. It has appendices that explain various things mentioned in the story in detail. In Japan, time is running out for young Nao Yasutani. She wants to record the story of her great-grandmother Jiko who, at 104 years old, has been an anarchist, feminist, novelist and Zen Buddist nun. This diary that Nao (pronounced Now) writes somehow ends up inside a Hello Kitty lunchbox, along with a few other interesting artifacts, washed up on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest of Canada. When Ruth discovers this strange package while walking along the beach, she brings it home and quickly thinks it could quite possibly be debris from the 2011 tsunami. The more she reads of Nao’s diary, the more involved she becomes in trying to discover the meaning of the strange contents, and whether or not Nao survived this catastrophic event. Believe me, you will be shocked by what you read, educated (who knew Japanese crows could be so fascinating!), filled with laughter & horror (you think we have a problem with bullying in our schools!!), “enlightened” (there’s even a page telling you how to meditate – remember Jiko is a Buddist nun) and often stop and think about what you just read (the parrallel between the flow & containment of water at the Fukushima nuclear plant with the flow & containment of  information in our high-tech world is brilliant). Oseki is an amazing writer, but be forewarned, at times the descriptions are difficult to read. And some of it is pretty heavy to digest. I guess I’m slow on the take because I was almost half way through the book before realizing that Ruth, one of the characters in the book, has the same name as the author, they’re both writers, AND they both have a partner named Oliver. (I always read the “Acknowledgements”.) Fact turned into fiction, in tiny bits maybe? It made me wonder how much of the British Columbia part was based, even slightly, on their lives.  When I picked up the book I wasn’t totally sure it was my “type” but I decided to give it a go anyway. Now I can’t say enough good things about it. Somehow it has flown under the radar screen, and I’m not sure why. It deserved WAY more praise and publicity than it’s been getting. Buy the book and spread the word. Tweet… skype… blog… facebook… do whatever it is you do and get the word out!!

If you want to see something beautiful go to http://www.ruthozeki.com/ and play the little video she provides as a backdrop to her book. It is breathtaking. And read about what the British publishers have managed to do with their version of this book. I really want to get my hands on one of theirs now.

I knew nothing about this book, or the author, when I plucked if off the shelf. I’d just finished a series of historical fiction books about WWI and I really wanted something entirely different. A palate cleanser of sorts… I chose well. Me Before You is written by British writer Jojo Moyes. I love British writers. Spunky, funky-dressed, Louisa Clark is an ordinary 27 year old girl with an ordinary life, working at the local cafe (the Buttered Bun) and living at home with Mum, Dad, Granddad, sister Treena and her nephew Thomas. When her boss announces he’s closing the cafe and heading back to Australia, Louisa is desperate to find a job. Money is tight in the Clark household, with just her and Dad actually bringing home the bacon. Reluctantly she accepts a position as “care assistant” to quadriplegic Will Traynor, ex-Master of the Universe, former extreme sports enthusiast, world traveler and business tycoon. As her Dad said when she announced she’d accepted the position… “If it wasn’t punishment enough ending up in a ruddy wheelchair, then you get our Lou turning up to keep you company.” Humour abounds in this b0ok. But be forewarned, there is a very serious issue at the heart of the story. Will is often uncommunicative, moody, and bossy. Lou finds it a trial to deal with at first, and isn’t sure she can cope, but eventually realizes his happiness means more to her than she ever expected. She sets out to prove that his life is worth living, even though he has plans to the contrary. She soon discovers just how challenging it is, and in doing so, eventually comes to realize that Will has changed her life for the better in ways she never imagined. When I started this book I thought it would be verging on “fluff” but I was dead wrong. Moyes is a wonderful writer, and this is a great book. Give it a go.

A Future Arrived is Phillip Rock’s 3rd book in his trilogy of the Greville family at Abingdon Pryory set pre and post WWI (this book actually ends in October 1940.). Having enjoyed the previous two immensely, I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it. I’m sorry there were only 3 books in the series, I really wish Rock had decided to just continue with a social history of England set against the backdrop of world history. It would have been fantastic I think. He’s a wonderful writer (he died in 2004). The saga continues… Charles Greville finds love again, and becomes Headmaster of Burgate House, and journalist Martin Rilke continues to dominate the newspapers & airwaves of the world. The next generation, the Wood-Lacey twins – Jennifer & Victoria, as well as their younger sister Kate, and Colin Mackendric Ross (Alex’s son), figure largely as time marches on towards WWII. And we’re introduced to Albert Thaxton, Ivy’s brother, who follows in Martin’s footsteps as he travels through Europe headlining the turmoils & troubles of the world. I love historical fiction, and this series of books has been one of my favourites. I just spotted it sitting on the shelf in the bookstore and decided to take a chance. And I’m SO glad I did. Read all 3 books, you won’t be disappointed. ***** for all 3 books.

Circles of Time is Phillip Rock’s second book in his trilogy of Abingdon Pryory. You can read it without having read the first (there’s enough overlap of info that you won’t be confused as to who’s who and what’s what) but I suggest you start at the beginning. It’s like trying to watch season 2 of Downton Abbey without having watched season 1 – why would you? Time marches on at Abingdon Pryory, the Greville family are coping with the aftermath of WWI, rebuilding their precious “estate” to it’s former glory. William and Charles, both of who were wounded in battle - in different ways (I don’t like to give anything away) get on with dealing with their demons. Beautiful, smart Alex comes to admit to her mother’s desire for a proper marriage to a proper British gentleman, and along with Martin, the American cousin who has become an international success as a journalist, they all figure large in the book and it’s a great read. It’s the age of jazz, looser morals, changing ideas and ideals. But all is not good. On the horizon is the problem of what to do about Germany, left battered and broken by the war. Someone named Hitler has appeared on the scene and he’s slowly winning over the minds of the broken, hungry, and destitute. I love the book, maybe even more than book #1 (less war stuff) but it’s hard to say since that one was a favourite too. I just wonder why we’ve never heard of these books before. Rock wrote this book in 1981-  he died in 2004. I bet it’s the Downton Abbey craze that has brought them to the forefront now. Better late than never is what I say. The writing is terrific, and you’ll get just as caught up in his 3 books as the blockbuster TV series. I want to keep book #3  to read when I’m away in a few weeks, but it’s going to be really hard to keep from peeking.

Two of our very own wonderful Canadian writers have new books arriving at your favourite store this spring. Barbara Fradkin, who writes the Inspector Michael Green series set in Ottawa, has The Whisper of Legends being released in early April, and Robert Rotenberg, famous for his Detective Ari Greene series set in Toronto, has Stranglehold appearing on the shelves in early May. Mark your calendars bookworms.

The Passing Bells by Phillip Rock is a novel about World War I. I don’t usually read books with war themes, but this one looked different, and I was right. I found it fascinating. It is the first book in a trilogy about the British upper class Greville family at Abingdon Pryory. Lucky me – there are two more books to dig into! The war is front & centre in this book, but the goings on with the Grevilles and their servants at the Pryory serve to buffer all that nastyness of gaunt soldiers in muddy trenches, mustard gas and shell-shocked veterans with missing limbs. It sounds awful, and it is, but it’s so well written and there’s so much about British society and how the war changes everything that I was compelled to finish the book - even though at times I got confused as to which country was doing what to who. British aristocracy was forever changed by that war. Society women who’d never done a days work in their lives became “sisters” (nurses) tending to the wounded side by side with the downstairs staff who were elevated from pot scrubbing scullery maids, while Anthony Greville, 9th Earl of Stanmore, loses the 25 hunters and jumpers in his stables – the finest in England – to the war effort and… heavens!… is forced to drive his own “motorcar” since all the young, able bodied men are either off serving or have been called upon to aid the war effort in ways they’d never imagined. If you’re addicted to the very popular Downton Abbey TV series - this is a book for you! Immerse yourself in the fascinating story, the saga actually, of Abingdon Pryory and it’s inhabitants. I can’t wait to dig into book #2 Circles of Time. Stay tuned.

The Last Runaway is written by Tracy Chevalier. She wrote the hugely successful The Girl with the Pearl Earring  a few years ago. This novel starts off with Honor Bright accompanying her sister Grace to America, leaving behing their entire family and Quaker community in Bridport, England. Tragically, Grace dies of yellow fever while en route to Ohio where she is to marry a former member of their Quaker community, and Honor is left to her own devices, relying on people she doesn’t know to shelter, feed and take care of her in a strange land with strange customs – slavery being a major one. Honor soon learns that being a Quaker in England isn’t the same as being a Quaker in America. Even their timely passion of quilting is different. There’s a fair amount of info in the book relating to quilting (I paid attention… British quilters do patchwork quilts and Americans do applique quilts) and as research for her book Chevalier even learned to quilt. But the book centres on how the community of Quakers in Ohio deals with the whole issue of runaway slaves trying to make their way to Canada on the Underground Railroad. Honor soon realizes that her principles don’t mesh with some of those in her new homeland. And she is forced eventually to decide where her loyalties lie. It’s a great read. Chevalier is a wonderful writer. I do have a bone to pick with her though, and I know it’s silly but… Honor is British, so why wasn’t her name spelt with a “u”… “Honour”. It would have been more authentic. Chevalier was born in Washington D.C. but now lives in London, and I guess bowing to an American editor and with the book being geared to American readers… but I still think her name should have been spelt the British way.  Anyway, that’s my 2 cents worth. Just a comment from an observant Canadian reader. But it’s a great book nonetheless.

Lisa Moore has won the Canada Reads competition for her fantastic book February. The win came on the 31st anniversary of the storm that sank the Ocean Ranger oil rig off the coast of Newfoundland on Feb. 15th 1982. The book tells the story of one woman’s grief and stuggle to cope after the death of her husband Cal in the Ocean Ranger disaster. Lisa deserves all the attention & recognition and $s this award brings. It is one of my all time favourite books. READ IT!!! (And read my blog posting from March 2010.)

If you didn’t hear Jian Ghomeshi’s intro on “Q” on CBC radio the morning after, you’ve got to find it online and listen to his ode to Canadian literature… he brought me to tears.

Susan Hill’s mysteries are a cut above the usual, and A Question of Identity, her 7th in the Simon Serrailler series, certainly is a terrific read. I sat for ages staring at my computer trying to figure out how to even start to tell you about this amazing book. In a nutshell… 3 women are murdered, and when, with undisputable evidence, Alan Keyes is acquitted, the public is so enraged that “the system” realizes, for his own safety, Keyes will have to cease existing and become someone else. They give him a new identity. His old life is gone. Years later, when 3 more women are murdered, it takes a very astute member of Her Magesty’s Finest to put two and two together and come up with – nothing. How do you find a murdered when he’s fallen off the grid?  He no longer exists. Hill allows us to get inside the murderer’s head, and listen to his conversations with himself, all the while not revealing exactly who he is now. It’s a fantastic twist to a typical mystery that definitely sets this book above all others. Kudos to Hill for her smart twist of the tale. Fans of Simon Serrailler will be happy to know that Rachel, his love interest, is back (remember I said in my review of her previous book I hoped we’d hear more of Rachel), along with his sister Cat. As per usual in Hill’s books, the background stories are every bit as interesting as the main plot. She’s a brilliant writer. And this is a fantastic book.