Author: Emily St. John Mandel

I’m noticing a theme to Dylan’s English class – the end of the world as we know it.

This book was published in 2014 but what it describes is a more severe case of the pandemic that was caused by Covid. This end-of-the-world scenario has been caused by the Georgian Flu, out of Russia. Small communities of people have survived; some are welcoming to strangers, others not so much.

The story starts with the on-stage death of a well-known actor who suffers a heart attack. The characters in the book are all related in some way to that event – ex-wives, friends, fellow actors, the paramedic who tried to help Arthur. There is also a group of people, called the Travelling Symphony, who go from community to community performing Shakespeare plays and symphonic music. No solution to the crisis is found but after twenty years many people have accepted their new way of life.

Goodreads Rating: * * * *

Author: Waubgeshig Rice

This is a sequel to Moon of the Crusted Snow.

Ten years have passed since a group have moved from the reserve into the bush. It is 13 years since the power went out and everything changed.

A small group have decided to head out to see what has happened to the rest of the world. They are headed for the ancestral lands of the elders; others who went in search in the past never returned. There are hardships along the way. Some of the small communities they find are hostile to newcomers but some are welcoming. By the end of the story another ten years have passed and the small bush community is back on the land of their ancestors.

Goodreads Rating: * * * *

Author: Waubgeshig Rice

Many thanks to Dylan for this recommendation; he had to read the book for his college English class. His review was that it was okay – high praise as he is not a reader. I, on the other hand, absolutely loved it and I have the sequel on my night table to start reading tonight.

The book reminded me so much of the lives of the First Nations people I knew in the North, particularly Fort Smith. There were also incidents in the book that brought back memories of things that actually happened – teens freezing to death and a hint of cannibalism.

Evan and his family live on a reservation in the northern part of Ontario. One day, as winter is approaching, they lose electricity and, soon after, all contact with the “outside”. Only when two young people return to their homes from college do they find out that the situation has been experienced beyond their community. As the elders and council attempt to keep order and make sure everyone is safe a southerner arrives in the community, bringing a disruptive influence in their lives.

Goodreads Rating: * * * * *

Author: Harlan Coben

I’ve seen a couple of Netflix series based on this author’s work and thought I should read at least one of them before more come online. Although I didn’t know it when I borrowed this one from the library, it is in production for a new series.

I really had to pace myself with this book. I read almost halfway through it in one sitting but I wanted to make it last until we came home from Texada.

There are three storylines that start the book and, of course, they all come together at the end. Simon Greene is the father of a drug-addicted daughter who is missing after her boyfriend is murdered. Elena Ramirez is a private investigator looking for the son of her wealthy client. Ash and Dee Dee appear to be on a crime spree with a motive that only they know. There were surprises at every turn in the last hundred pages.

Goodreads Rating: * * * * *