#20 Family Pictures

Family Pictures
By Jane Green

A very readable and enjoyable novel. Warning: this is chick lit! But hey, everyone needs a good, easy, interesting piece of chick lit everyone once in a while. Just the kind of book you need for a grey and rainy day.

This novel is about two families living on opposite coasts of the U.S., and in a rather horrifying way, they find out they are connected. The two families survive the situation to become strong friends, with new, more positive connections. Note: no crime or murder involved. The horrifying connection is just rare and rather strange.

Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Yes, a nicely paced easy read.

#19 Kiss the Joy As It Flies

Kiss the Joy as It Flies
By Sheree Fitch

Canadian author. A cutesy story about a woman waiting exploratory surgery for an abdominal mass. During the weeks that she has to wait to find out if she has cancer or not, she decides to tidy up her life, emotionally and physically.

Rating: 2/5
Recommendation: Kind of cute. Wouldn't highly recommend it. Readable. The end was lame.

#18 The Girl Who Came Home

The Girl Who Came Home
By Hazel Gaynor

This novel tells the story of a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic. The story goes back and forth between the 80s and 1912 and the sinking of the Titanic, between Ireland, the Titanic, and Illinois. Maggie survived the sinking, though she has never been able to talk about here horrible experience with her family. Her great-granddaughter discovers that Maggie had survived the sinking, and finally Maggie is ready to tell her story.

Based on the true story of fourteen people from one village in Ireland, of whom only two survived.

The writing is more like a young adult novel, but the story is tragic and fascinating at the same time.

A few twists and turns keep the novel moving forward. An easy read.

Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Sure.

#17 All the Good Pilgrims

All the Good Pilgrims
By Robert Ward

Not fiction this time, but a travel book about walking the El Camino, the path to Santiago de Compostela. This book is mostly about the people this Canadian pilgrim meets along the way. No complaining too much about aching body parts, just character sketches about the people he meets along the way. A bit of mild philosophizing, nothing too remarkable.

I have read a number of other books about walking El Camino. One of my remaining travel goals.

Rating: 3/5
Recommendation: If you're interested in El Camino, certainly, read it.

#16 Mount

Mount
By Jilly Cooper

This was a long book, at 592 pages. Not a difficult read, however.

By a British author, the book chronicles the life of a horse racing/breeding man, his family, his "yard", all the employees who care for and maintain his horses, plus his competitors. Horses are bred, races are won, plus there is a bit of intrigue, as mysterious things happen to various horses and jockeys.

A glamorous world of rich people playing at horse racing to make lots of money winning horse races. The Saudis are into horse racing, and the Chinese are just starting to get into it.

Look up British horse racing on YouTube and you'll see what these races are like: run on grass rather than dirt, like in North America, and very very fast horses with colourful jockeys on board.

A long-winded "romp" with a fair amount of sex, partner switching, foul language and philandering, rivalry, and of course gambling on horses winning races.

Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Entertaining, but a long read.

#15 Shelter

Shelter
By Frances Greenslade

Very lovely writing in this book, though the story is sad. The novel is set in various places, including Williams Lake, the Chilcotin, and Bella Coola! How could I not read this book?

Two young girls grow up living back to the land on the Chilcotin. Dad dies in a logging accident, and mom struggles, then disappears, leaving her two daughters with family friends. After three years, if becomes obvious that she is never coming back. Finally, one of the daughters goes looking for her mother. In Bella Coola, she finds out what happened to their mother.

Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Yes.

#14 The Glass Kitchen

The Glass Kitchen
By Linda Francis Lee

Sometimes you need to read a trashy novel, and this was one of those. Trashy chick lit par excellence.
Light and an easy read if you can stomach the sex scenes. Tacky. I skipped those parts.

I've read other books that featured food and recipes, as does this one, and enjoyed them. This one, however, despite the food and recipes, featured a predictable plot: recently divorced Texan girl meets craggy and brusque recently widowed New York neighbour. You can fill in the rest yourself.

Rating: 1/5
Recommendation: Only if you're desperate.