Author: Louise Kennedy

I can’t resist a book set in Ireland and written by an Irish writer. And if the author is a woman and the story takes place during the Troubles, even better.

From the prologue you can assume there won’t be a happy ending. Cushla is a teacher who occasionally works in her family’s pub. When Michael stops in at the pub one night there is an instant attraction. Although it isn’t specifically mentioned one is Protestant and one is Catholic. When Michael is murdered is Cushla’s affair with him the cause and is her favourite student the link between Michael and the murderer?

Goodreads Rating: * * * *

Author: Kathleen Grissom

Lavinia is an indentured servant at a large tobacco plantation in Virginia. Here she becomes a helper to the slave Belle who runs the kitchen house. Lavinia soon becomes a favourite among all of Belle’s family and is instrumental in the care of the mistress of the plantation. 

The story is told mainly through the voice of Lavinia but Belle’s story gives her take on the ups and downs of plantation life. What runs through the book are the differences between the life Lavinia has (even though indentured) and the life of the slaves.

The author was born and raised in Annaheim, SK.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Barbra Streisand

This was a Christmas gift from Christy. I’ve read Streisand biographies before but this was so much better. It is a big book (970 pages) and my reading was interrupted several times with books that needed to be returned to the library.

Every story in every chapter revealed not only what Barbra was working on at the time but her thoughts about the movie or album and the people involved. She also is clear about the way she was treated by the media throughout her career.

I have quite a few of Barbra’s albums but I’ve only seen a few of her movies. Some of the movies I’ve never even heard of and I wonder if they are still available at the library.

Goodreads Rating: * * * * *

Author: Margaret Atwood

I tried this as an audio book once before and hated it. Apparently my “rules” allow me to quit an audio book but not a published book. It was the last of the books on Dylan’s class reading list and I felt I should support him right to the end.

My feelings towards the story weren’t altered by time. This is another end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it story but less humanitarian than the previous doomsday books I’ve read.

I know this is the first book in a trilogy but I won’t be reading any more of them.

Goodreads Rating: * *