9. The Sisters Brothers

By Patrick DeWitt

I think this was one of those rare times where I actually purchased a trade paperback brand new, jumping on the bandwagon with this much hyped novel.  I remember how the CBC and The Globe & Mail heaped praise on this book as the author is Canadian.  

Even Olman remembered the hype when he came across a a free copy several years later and decided to give it a go.  Thank goodness for that as I can just link to his review of it here (yay to retroactive reviews).

I’m trying to remember if I had ever read a real Western.  I don’t think I have, so this is the only book that comes close, though I'm not sure whether it counts as one.  Like how Speculative Fiction is high literature for the Sci-Fi genre, The Sisters Brothers is like Spec Fic for Westerns.   

I really quite enjoyed this book.  It had everything it was supposed to have in an award-winning 'literary western' of this calibre.  The brothers made a flawed yet charismatic pair tossing witty exchanges at each other, the plot had some bad guys, the story was engaging with the right amount of humour, action, and romance all delivered via high quality writing. 

… and this was the beginning of our new brotherhood, with Charlie never again to be the one so far ahead, and me following clumsily behind, which is not to say the roles were reversed, but destroyed. Afterward, and even today, we are careful in our relationship, as though fearful of upsetting each other. In terms of our previous manner of correspondence I cannot say why it vanished suddenly then, snuffed as it was like a candle. Of course the moment it passed I became fond of it in a sorrowful kind of way, at least in theory or maudlin memory. But the question has entered my mind so many times: Whatever became of my bold brother? I can never say, only that he was gone and has yet to return.

--

I brought this book with me during our vacation in Vancouver, where we visited friends in Lasqueti Island.  Not surprisingly, they had read this too.  

8. Sunshine

By Robin McKinley

I think I came across this book when I was in Vancouver.  As always, Olman was on the hunt for books and we were browsing in the used section of Pulp Fiction Books on Main St.   

I had read a few Robin McKinleys when I was a teenager, the three I remember most being The Hero & the Crown, The Blue Sword, and Beauty, her retelling of the well-known fairy tale.  

So when I saw that Sunshine was quite recently published (in 2004), a contemporary fantasy about a young baker who gets kidnapped by a gang of vampires, and it was a used copy in great condition, I couldn’t resist passing up on it.

Sunshine made for a light, charming read, but it was not particularly memorable nor very exciting, especially if compared to her early work.  Perhaps it was due to me being a teenager that made McKinley’s early books so captivating and full of adventure and magic.   

I remember feeling somewhat disappointed in Sunshine for its lack of depth and originality, since I was hoping McKinley would give the tiresome girl + vampire relationship genre her own unique vision, like she did with her retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

One thing I did appreciate was how the protagonist, Rae "Sunshine" Seddon, ends up being close allies with Constantine the Vampire, instead of she & him going all Twilight goo-goo ga-ga.   So that was one small ray of sunshine. That, and it was a waaay more pleasant read than my last book. But since I don’t see my copy of Sunshine next to The Blue Sword in my forever shelf, it was not enough to make this worth keeping.

Now I want to seek out a copy of The Hero and the Crown for a revisit!

7. How To Kill a Rockstar

By Tiffanie Debartolo

When I was on maternity leave, I joined a mom’s book club.  As I suspected and learned firsthand, book clubs for moms are not really about reading books so much as getting together and drinking lots of wine.  Though only a couple of the women had something closely resembling a genuine curiosity or knowledge of good literature, it was nevertheless a pleasant way to hang out with other moms in the neighbourhood. 

One time, a valiant effort was made to vote on a book to read.  Somehow one of the younger and more vocal moms insisted on her recommendation.  Not only was it something she had already read, she also spoke with conviction about how good it was!   Soon after I learned yet another lesson:  books (like all creative media) can be very, very subjective.  A good book is in the eye of the reader.

And another thing I have always known about book clubs, and why I have avoided joining one for so long, is that you usually have to conform with the taste of the majority, which leans towards popular fiction and bestsellers.  

While HTKaR - which was published in 2005 - was not exactly Eat Pray Love, it came very close.  Instead of 30-something divorcees, HTKaR was marketed for twenty-something ‘alternative’ women (I think people were still using that term in the early oughts, right?).   Although the cover and title looked somewhat edgy, it was fairly mainstream dreck in its (lack of) style, characterization and mentality.  Simply put, it was bad and I did not like it.

Since this mom had already read HTKaR (and may have even spent hard-earned money on it), she had a copy she could pass around.  Lucky for me I was next in line after someone had finished it so I didn't have to spend a single dime on this annoying piece of fluff, so I won’t waste any more of my time trying to recall what I wished I had never read in the first place.  

Sadly, this was the only book our 'book club' ever read as a group during that summer.  A few moved away, or moved on, or went back to work (like I did), though I'm sure a few others stayed in touch. 

6. Trail of the Spellmans

By Lisa Lutz

Another Spellman hardcover copy found at good ol’ Chainon thrift shop.  

To be honest, it’s 2020 and I don’t remember much from Installment #5 of the lovable Spellman series, so I'm going to cheat with some bits and pieces from various goodread reviewers.

Isabel is back in the game working, if not practically running, the family business, Spellman Investigations.  Younger sister Rae is studying at Berkley U but still helps out with cases.  Her latest obsession is to convince the newest employee, Demetrius Merriweather, to file a lawsuit against the state for wrongful conviction and false imprisonment.  I can't remember how the brother fits in the story but there are newer characters like baby Spellman, Sydney, and a geriatric Spellman gets introduced.   

What’s more, Isabel’s her mom has inexplicably enrolled in a number of classes, such as Russian and crochet (or is it croquet? Isabel can’t read her writing).  Could she be behaving this way because her parents are thinking of retiring?  Her Dad remains on his 'health-food diet' without his knowing since Demetrius does all the cooking.  Isabel is still living with boyfriend Henry, but his mom is visiting and Isabel still can't bring herself to give him the answer to that pesky question.  All this with the usual roster of oddball clients and their cases.

Even though things ended happily and romantically between Isabel and Henry in the last book, Henry was mostly MIA in this installment.   There were no exchanges between him and Rae and worse, the chemistry between Henry & Isabel has already petered out.   Sadly, I had similar feelings for Book 5.   Don't get me wrong, this Spellman book is still a treat to read, but it felt like it was starting to run out of steam.

We knew we were doomed. The kiss was a warm acceptance of years of bickering, years of me consuming foods that I found barely edible and Henry tidying up after someone who already thought she had tidied up. When I kissed Henry I wasn't imagining Ex-boyfriend #13; I was picturing Husband #1.