Latest news with #CanadianBooks
CBC
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
18 Canadian books you should be reading in June
A new month means new books! Here are some of the most anticipated Canadian titles for June 2025. In Too Deep by Matthew Bobkin and Adam Feibel In Too Deep features exclusive interviews and personal stories from nine Canadian artists, looking at how Canada unexpectedly became the birthplace of a new wave of punk rock icons like Simple Plan, Marianas Trench, Avril Lavigne and Billy Talent, who went on to conquer the global music scene. In Too Deep is available on June 3, 2025. Matthew Bobkin and Adam Feibel are Toronto-based music journalists. Their work has been featured in Exclaim!, Bandcamp, VICE, the National Post and the Toronto Star. In Too Deep is their debut book. Steve, a Rare Egg by Kelly Collier In Steve, a Rare Egg, while snacking on leftover party cake, Steve stumbles upon a mysterious, smooth, oval-shaped object. He's convinced it's an egg—though no one has ever seen a red egg before. Clearly, it must be a super rare thingamabob egg! Determined to take care of it until its parents are found, Steve puts his egg-care knowledge to the test. What could possibly go wrong? Steve, a Rare Egg is for ages 6-9. Steve, a Rare Egg is available on June 3, 2025. Kelly Collier is a Toronto artist and illustrator. She is the author-illustrator of A Horse Named Steve and Team Steve, and the illustrator of numerous books including Sloth and Squirrel in a Pickle, Izzy's Tail of Trouble and How to Party Like a Snail. My Friend May by Julie Flett A little girl and her cat are at the heart of Julie Flett's heartwarming new picture book, My Friend May. Margaux adores her cat May and is distraught when one day May doesn't return home. At the same time Margaux's nitôsis (the Cree word for auntie) is moving away to the city. While Margaux is missing both May and nitôsis, she doesn't realize that May has a surprise in store for her. My Friend May also includes a glossary of Cree words that are featured in the story and a pronunciation guide. My Friend May is for ages 4 to 8. My Friend May is available on June 3, 2025. Flett is a Cree–Métis author and illustrator. She has won two Governor General's Literary Awards, the American Indian Library Association Award and the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award. Her other books include We All Play, When We Were Alone and Let's Go. Soul Machine by Jordana Globerman Chloe and her sister craft souls by hand in an old countryside house, using a rare material called breth. But when their supply runs out, the powerful MCorp tries to force them into mass-producing synthetic souls. Determined to find a real breth source, Chloe ventures into the big city, hoping to modernize their business — despite her sister Lacey's resistance. As Chloe searches for untainted breth, she uncovers buried family secrets and starts questioning everything she thought she knew about trust, reality and the nature of souls. Soul Machine is for ages 12 and above. Soul Machine is available on June 3, 2025 Jordana Globerman is an illustrator and comic book writer based in Ottawa. Soul Machine is her debut novel. Annapurna's Bount y by Veena Gokhale Delight your tastebuds and imagination in Annapurna's Bounty, a collection of Indian legends where food plays different roles in the lives of a diverse cast of characters — from kings and commoners to witches, goddesses, gurus, bandits, refugees and travelers. Each story is also paired with a vegetarian recipe from the four corners of India. Annapurna's Bounty, is available on June 3, 2025. Veena Gokhale is a Montreal-based author. Her previous works include the fiction books Bombay Wali and Other Stories and Land for Fatimah. She has also worked in journalism, teaching, literary curation and the non-profit sector. Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel In Best of All Worlds Xavier Oaks begrudgingly goes on a trip to the cabin in the woods with his dad and his pregnant stepmom, Nia. One morning they wake up to discover the cabin is not in the same place it was yesterday and they are trapped in some sort of dome. After three years of still being stuck, another family is also transported to the dome and the two groups must work together to find a way out and a way home. Best of All Worlds is available on June 3, 2025. Kenneth Oppel is the bestselling author of many books for young readers. Among them is the Silverwing trilogy that has sold over a million copies worldwide and has been adapted into an animated TV series and stage play in addition to this new graphic novel. Some of his other works include Airborn, Skybreaker, The Nest, Half Brother and Ghostlight. He is currently based in Toronto. Bob the Boo-Boo by Mélina Schoenborn, illustrated by Sandra Dumais In the charming and humorous new picture book, Bob the Boo-Boo, we are introduced to Bob, a boo-boo who is looking for a new home. When he spots a boy with a scrape on his knee he knows he's found the perfect spot. Bob and the boy have a wonderful time together, but as the boy's knee begins to heal, Bob starts to get smaller. Bob and his new friend grapple with what this means and if they will ever be reunited again. Bob the Boo-Boo is for ages 3 to 7. Bob the Boo-Boo is available on June 3, 2025 Mélina Schoenborn is a children's book author and a ceramic artist. Her previous book is Squirrels! This is Not a Book about Dinosaurs. Schoenborn lives in Montreal. Sandra Dumais is a Montreal-based children's book author and illustrator. Her previous books include the Farm Crimes! series and illustrating Oliva Wrapped in Vines and The Fossil Whisperer. Meet Me on Love Street by Farah Heron Sana Merali believes in happily ever afters, she was basically raised to, having grown up on Love Street. Meet Me on Love Street centres a neighbourhood brimming with life. Warm, inviting homes and small businesses like that of Sana's mother, the florist, or the vintage shop where Sana works. When new developments that will gentrify the neighbourhood come knocking, Sana rallies everyone to create a festival and save Love Street. But when notorious anti-romantic Mile Desai joins the planning committee, Sana finds herself with two missions: save the street and matchmake Miles out of his cynical stance on love. Meet Me on Love Street is available on June 10, 2025. Farah Heron is a writer from Toronto. She is also the author of the romantic comedies The Chai Factor, Accidentally Engaged, Kamila Knows Best and the YA novel Tahira in Bloom. In More or Less, a picture book that celebrates how less can be more — a young boy inspires his family and friends to donate items, to live sustainably and to get rid of their clutter. The community then comes together for a swap party. More or Less is available on June 10, 2025. Alison Hughes is a writer from Edmonton. She has written over 20 books for children and young adults, including Fly, Life Expectancy, What Inspires and Hit the Ground Running, which was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — text. Her writing has been shortlisted for the Writers' Union Short Prose Competition for Developing Writers, longlisted for the 2011 CBC Short Story Prize and shortlisted for the 2021 CBC Nonfiction Prize. Oge Mora has written and illustrated numerous books for children. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island. Rag Pickers by Blaine Newton Rag Pickers is a story collection that explores the nature of feeling lonely and isolated. The 18 stories feature themes of death, mystery and humour while offering insights into the human condition. Rag Pickers is available on June 15, 2025. Blaine Newton is an Edmonton-based award-winning playwright, comedy writer, short-fiction author, actor and occasional engineer. His plays have been produced across western Canada and his short fiction has been featured in magazines and anthologies, and on CBC and CKUA radio. Rag Pickers is his debut short story collection. Born by Heather Birrell In Born, a pregnant high school teacher is trapped in a classroom during a lockdown caused by a troubled student with a knife, while relying on her students for support as she unexpectedly goes into labour. The novel explores the complexities of the school system, motherhood and the student-teacher relationship. Born is available on June 17, 2025. Heather Birrell is the author of the Gerald Lampert award-winning poetry collection Float and Scurry, and two story collections, Mad Hope and I know you are but what am I? She has also won the Journey Prize and been shortlisted for both the Western and National Magazine Awards. Her work has appeared in numerous Canadian literary journals. She lives in Toronto. In 2022, Birrell was longlisted for the CBC Poetry Prize. Not the Same Road Out edited by K.J. Denny Not the Same Road Out is a story collection set along the many roads and byways of the Trans Canada Trail, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic oceans. The book features a story for every province and territory; the tales within include moments of mystery, horror and melodrama alongside themes of estrangement, engagement and isolation. Not the Same Road Out is available on June 17, 2025. K.J. Denny is a journalist and editor with more than 30 years of experience in Asia, North America and the United Kingdom. She is currently an independent creative consultant. Denny formerly worked in magazine and book publishing. The Road to Goderich by Linda McQuaig In 1830s rural Scotland, 15-year-old Callandra in The Road to Goderich is forced to marry a wealthy clergyman, Norbert Scott, only to find herself trapped in a cold and cruel marriage. As they move to the remote town of Goderich in Upper Canada, she finds some solace in the town's warmth but soon faces a web of lies and sparks of rebellion that threaten her fragile happiness. The Road to Goderich is available on June 17, 2025. Linda McQuaig is an award-winning journalist based in Toronto and the author of eight nonfiction books. The Road to Goderich is her debut novel. The Sensus Communis, Synesthesia, and the Soul by Eric McLuhan In The Sensus Communis, Synesthesia, and the Soul, the son of media theorist Marshall McLuhan explores faith as a form of knowing, contrasting the embodied experience of ancient poetry and drama with the disembodied nature of modern electronic communication. By examining synesthesia, sensus communis and the theological senses, Eric McLuhan explores how faith, perception and contemporary life intersect. The Sensus Communis, Synesthesia, and the Soul is available on June 17, 2025. Eric McLuhan was a communications and literary theorist and the author of 18 books. His previous works include Cynic Satire, The Human Equation series (co-authored with Wayne Constantineau) and Theories of Communication. He also co-authored a number of books and essays with his father, Marshall McLuhan, including Media and Formal Cause and Laws of Media: The New Science. Anne of the Island & Anne of Windy Poplars by Lucy Maud Montgomery The third and fourth books in the beloved Anne of Green Gables series are now available in a single combined edition. In Anne of the Island, Anne attends Redmond College in the city, where she begins her writing career but is also met with an unwanted marriage proposal and the reappearance of Gilbert Blythe. In Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne embarks on a new career as the principal of Summerside High, but she faces opposition from a well-known family in the neighborhood — can she overcome their disdain towards her? Anne of the Island & Anne of Windy Poplars is available on June 17, 2025. Born in Prince Edward Island in 1874, Lucy Maud Montgomery started writing poetry and keeping a journal from the age of nine. She wrote her first and most famous novel, Anne of Green Gables, in 1905. She is the author of 21 novels, more than five hundred stories and poems, numerous essays and articles and several volumes of journals and letters. Enjoy Your Stay at the Shamrock Motel by Andrew Kaufman The Shamrock Motel can't be reached with directions — you can only get there if you're lost in your heart and soul. In Enjoy Your Stay at the Shamrock Motel, a collection of connected stories share how a stay at the mysterious motel leads to transformative, and wild experiences. Enjoy Your Stay at the Shamrock Motel is available on June 24, 2025. Andrew Kaufman is a writer from Ontario. His previous works include the novel All My Friends Are Superheroes which won the Relit Award, was nominated for the Leacock Medal for Humour and listed among the best books of the year by The Globe and Mail. The Devil Wears Rothko by Barry Avrich The Devil Wears Rothko is a nonfiction work that explores the real-life tale of the Knoedler Gallery, one of New York's oldest and most prestigious art galleries. The gallery served as the setting for a massive art fraud scandal around the turn of the century. The book casts a light on a $80 million forgery ring involving expertly crafted counterfeits claimed to be the works of Robert Motherwell, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and others. The Devil Wears Rothko is available on June 24, 2025. Barry Avrich is a Canadian documentary filmmaker and producer. His work includes producing and directing Made You Look, Born Hungry, Prosecuting Evil, Blurred Lines and David Foster: Off The Record. He is also the author of the book Moguls, Monsters and Madmen. A Treachery of Swans by A. B. Poranek Inspired by the classic story of Swan Lake, A Treachery of Swans is a queer fantasy YA novel about two rivals who were once childhood friends. Hundreds of years ago, magic was taken away from Auréal and 17-year-old Odile is bent on restoring it. Sent by her sorcerer father to steal the king's crown, Odile must pretend to be a noblewoman as she assumes the identity of none other than the regal Marie d'Odette, her former friend, and turns Marie into a swan. In a twist of events, the king is killed and Odile must ally herself with the girl she cursed, ultimately torn between family loyalty and her feelings for Marie brimming to the surface. A Treachery of Swans is available on June 24, 2025. A. B. Poranek is a Canadian Polish writer with a focus on YA fantasy. She also has a veterinary degree from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. Her other works include Where the Dark Stands Still.
Globe and Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Books we're reading and loving in June: The Unfinished is a gripping teen mystery, but adults will love it
Each week, Globe and Mail staffers and readers share what they're reading now, whether it's a hot new release or an old book they're discovering for the first time. Tell me about a book you loved and we might publish your recommendation. Fill out this form, or send your book recommendation to Lara Pingue at lpingue@ Globe staffers share their favourite Canadian books Spring books 2025 preview: 37 must-reads The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs is marketed for teens and young adults, although this senior loved it and has recommended it to her similarly mature book-club members. It's a gripping mystery about what happens when a friend goes missing and a curious bookstore employee who, with the help of her Mohawk elders, uncovers long-forgotten disappearances in the town. Although not Mohawk myself, perhaps the reference to elders is part of the novel's appeal to me. Those who indulge in 'forest bathing ' or simply enjoy hiking in forested areas may especially appreciate the vivid sensory aspects as the story unfolds. -Globe reader S. J. Meyer, Greensville, Ont. Direct Descendant is a dark fantasy about a modern mining town with a mysterious past, where the residents are acting strangely and the private investigator looking into a suicide doesn't quite understand what's happening around her. Readers will marvel at the original and weird community author Tanya Huff has created, and laugh at the snarky remarks she sprinkles throughout. There are mysteries to solve and a romance unfolding. The characters are fascinating and believable, even the extraordinary ones. This book is delightful, dramatic, enchanting and will hold your attention right to the end. I would love to read more about this fascinating town. - Globe reader Jane Garthson, Toronto A Communist for the RCMP by Dennis Gruending is a fascinating true-life story about how Canadian police spied on their own citizens. After a tipoff from a friend, Gruending came upon a banker's box of documents collected by Communist infiltrator and spy Frank Hadesbeck. Gruending put in countless hours and legwork to provide context to that find, and produced a book that reveals the thinking and emotion behind Cold War-era RCMP, which was suspicious of anything outside the status quo. While we may suspect surveillance in this modern age, Gruending reveals its chilling depth in Canada more than a half century ago. Hadesbeck the spy was a bit player, but Gruending's story reveals how many bits were just below the surface of those times and how they fit together. -Globe reader Vern Greenshields, Ottawa It's Mere Folly by Alfie Anfield follows the uproarious shenanigans of four retired businessmen – 'The Boys' – who discover corruption in their small-town community. With wry wit and tongue-in-cheek humour, the Boys find themselves up against a nefarious mayor, whose schemes are deflected by the retirees. This quick and quirky read covers fraud, blackmail and small-town gossip, and is full of snappy repartee and humour. (The follow-up book,Must Be Mere Folly, is a great read too.) -Globe reader Terry Jones, St. Albert, Alta. The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind and Soul by William Sieghart When tragedy struck at the Filipino festival in Vancouver last month, I turned to William Sieghart's The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind and Soul. In the role of 'pharmacist,' Sieghart offers reflections on a wide range of conditions from anxiety to displacement to the loss of elderly relatives, and matches a poem to each need. 'When we're grieving,' he explains, '... we long for the connection poetry can provide.' That led me to Elizabeth Jennings's poem Into the Hour, and her consoling words: 'Now, I speak its name. Grief finds its good way home.' This carefully curated collection has never failed me at times when I think there are no words. There are words. -Globe reader Victoria Miles, North Vancouver Ducks, Newburyport, Lucy Ellmann Clocking in at 1,000 pages and written almost entirely in a single sentence, Lucy Ellmann's Ducks, Newburyport demands the reader's attention – and it rewards it, too. This is a mesmerizing, modern epic, delivered in a stream-of-consciousness that reveals the hopes and fears of an American mother. She frets about Donald Trump, men with guns, environmental degradation and the mountain lion running wild in her neighbourhood. The lion, tracking her cubs, plays into the theme of motherhood under siege by a cruel and indifferent society. Sounds grim, but it's a vibrant, analytical and witty read with a satisfying climax. Be warned: This book is heavy (literally and metaphorically), but it's worth the weight. -Globe reader Frank McGinn, Dartmouth As Canadians head into a federal election dominated by tariffs, housing and energy infrastructure, it's interesting to consider a core tenet of former prime minister Mackenzie King: He embraced speaking to the dead. King, the country's longest-serving prime minister, was no doubt the quirkiest. In King, biographer Allan Levine covers the former PM's life from birth to death, including his propensity for seances. The book highlights King's political dominance of the early to mid-20th century, and covers key political events, such as the King-Byng Affair and the Conscription Crisis of 1944. Through it all, King manoeuvred to keep Canada united. Spirits aside, here's a prognostication: This biography will be read by anyone who enjoys compelling Canadian politics. -Globe reader Mel Simoneau, Gatineau This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel is a funny, provocative and timely story of a family with four boys. When the parents try for a girl, they instead get Claude – another boy, but one who wants to be a girl. This is a great read for book clubs as it pulls out all the stops, and that's the author's point. We need to be able to talk in an open way, even if not a friendly one. A great starter book for readers wanting to know about transitioning and family love. -Globe reader Joanne McLachlan, Stayner, Ont. One of my favourite books is Francesca Duranti's The House on Moon Lake, a novel of less than 200 pages that's meatier than weightier tomes. It's one of the few novels that our book club spent more than an hour discussing. The prose is crystalline, making for a very easy read. On the face of it, it's a pretty simple story: A translator, Fabrizio Garrone, discovers a novel by a famous Austrian author which hasn't been translated. He figures this is his big chance for fame and fortune. The novel is about his journey to discovery, in more ways than one. But it's more than that. It's about relationships. It's about obsession. It's about love. It's about art becoming life. It's even a ghost story ... I think. -Globe reader Tim Schobert, Ottawa I've recently discovered the novels of the late Elizabeth Jane Howard, a brilliant writer who loved to experiment with form. Most recently, I read her 1999 book Falling, the story of a sociopathic man, Henry, and his seduction of a twice-divorced author, Daisy. Falling is semi-autobiographical, which probably explains its powerful psychological nuance and page-turning intrigue. Interestingly, Henry's point of view is told in first person, while Daisy's, in third, includes her letters and diary entries. This is a story as deep and tangled as a neglected garden in the Cotswolds. -Globe reader Sylvia Pollard, Victoria Genevieve Kingston's powerful memoir Did I Ever Tell You? tells the story of a mother's final gifts to her two young children while she prepares to succumb to late-stage breast cancer. During her final years, Kingston's mother compiled presents and letters for her kids to open on their future milestones – from birthdays to graduations to engagements and weddings – all to be opened when she would no longer be around. With each gift she opens, the author discovers an accompanying letter filled with her mother's wisdom and guidance. Kingston clings to these words as a source of connection to her mother, at the same time discovering more about her mother and what she was like as a woman. This is a gripping memoir about the legacy of enduring love. -Globe reader Kristi Kasper, Calgary As an immigrant, I have faced numerous challenges with effective communication within the Canadian workforce. So, when my friend Jen Mulan published her book, How to Speak to Anyone, it resonated profoundly with me. This book is an invaluable resource for introverts aspiring to communicate with confidence in both professional and social settings. Through engaging narratives and real-life examples, Jen illustrates that even those of us with naturally reserved dispositions, like myself, can evolve into effective communicators, regardless of cultural background. -Globe reader Nipun Kudi, Toronto Bonnie McGhie's memoir, Hard Landings, recounts her compelling experiences in the Canadian Arctic in the 1960s, where she and her husband launched a bush-flying service called Arctic Wings. She writes of the creativity and tenacity needed to overcome the dangers of flying in unthinkably harsh conditions; of caring for young children in makeshift surroundings and struggling to meet the demands of their growing businesses. McGhie also describes their world of great extremes and unusual beauty, and of becoming a trusted outsider among her Inuit neighbours, whose way of life was being eroded by damaging government policies. -Globe reader Lin Perceval, Surrey, B.C. My book club is called Reading for Well-Being because we focus on evidence-based reads that help to combat misinformation and disinformation about wellness and self-improvement. We're currently reading The Positive Shift: Mastering Mindset to Improve Happiness, Health, and Longevity by Catherine A. Sanderson, PhD. In her book, Sanderson demonstrates how our level of happiness, our physical health and even our longevity is connected to how we 'think' about ourselves, in other words, our mindset. I like this book because it is full of fairly straightforward strategies and the science behind them to positively shift your mindset for improved well-being. - Globe reader Joanna Pozzulo, Ottawa A novel that takes the messy, most uncomfortable facts of life – betrayal, honour, trust and of course the biggest one of them all, death – and toys with them in ways both nerve-wracking and heartbreaking, Spin Cycle will hang your soul out to dry. Following a high-school math teacher who is thrust into a caregiver role after his mother can no longer manage her own dementia, Alfredo Botello's sophomore novel is a darkly funny, intimate yet epic journey that will have you racing to pick up the phone and dial up every family member who you've been avoiding for one reason or another. There is a brutal truth coursing through Spin Cycle – we can all save ourselves and each other, if we only put in the effort – that will flatten you. -Globe and Mail film editor Barry Hertz 'People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball,' Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby once famously said. 'I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.' It's a great quote, but an awful waste of time. I tell you what I do when there's no baseball: I read books such as The Baseball Vault, a collection of baseball writing from the pages of Sports Illustrated. The late Hornsby was a curmudgeon, by the way, and he might complain that only six of the 46 terrific stories here date before 1990. He has a point. -Globe arts reporter Brad Wheeler Inside the Third Reich by Albert Speer, one of Hitler's most influential ministers, was first published in 1969. I read it when I was 18 and again recently at 68. I wanted to fathom why political associates and constituents went along with a megalomaniacal leader. Written while Speer was in Spandau Prison for 20 years, he accepts responsibility for his own role in enabling a madman and offers a frightening glimpse of how people can be trained to concur with actions they know are wrong. The tome reveals the methods of a dangerous leader who was consumed with delusions of grandeur in an unscrupulous and deadly game of power. Fifty years after my first reading, this book is still as chilling – and timely – as it was when I was a teenager. -Globe reader Thelma Fayle, Victoria Sandra Birdsell's novel, Waiting for Joe, is a modern tale of human frailties, and all set in Manitoba and Saskatchewan; the descriptions of the Prairie cities are so vivid and refreshing to read. The novel tells the story of a couple trying to find their way through youth, marriage, employment failure and how they survive and move forward. Birdsell touches the soul with her deep understanding of human life. Not since Alice Munro have I read such strong depictions of daily life. -Globe reader Joyce Mylymok, North Saanich, B.C. In her debut novel The Berry Pickers, Canadian author Amanda Peters tells the gripping stories of Ruthie, a four-year-old Indigenous girl who disappears from the blueberry fields in Maine, and her brother, who's left to wrestle with the loss years later. The story takes readers across North America to places that may be familiar, from Ontario and Nova Scotia to Massachusetts. Some parts might feel a bit predictable, but Peters makes up for it with her deeply moving and nuanced writing. At its core, this book is about family, identity and the difficult but healing path to forgiveness. -Globe reporter Meera Raman Can the meaning of words change? In her new book, At a Loss for Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage, journalist Carol Off examines how the meanings of six simple words – freedom, democracy, truth, woke, choice and taxes – have shifted. The author contextualizes her work in the worldwide rise of the right, focusing on Canada. There has never been a more important time to learn about the scope of the influence of the wealthy far right, and to pay attention to language. This eye-opening book should be required reading for all Canadians. -Globe reader Lindsay Bryan, Welland, Ont. Tim Alberta's 2023 book The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism is both a fascinating and sobering look at the extremist element of the U.S. religious right. The author, a political journalist, grew up in an Evangelist household himself and he puts that experience to good use here. With access to leading figures and thoughtful analysis, Alberta paints a clear picture of the energy and fear that fuels the religious right. This book offers vibrant insight into the despair, anger and division in the U.S. today. -Globe reader Margery Cartwright, Haliburton, Ont. Life and Fate is often called the War and Peace of the 20th century. The novel was written by Soviet-era writer and journalist Vasily Grossman, who witnessed the battle of Stalingrad in 1942-43. The story centres on the Shaposhnikov family and explores their lives during the period when violence, ideology, suffering and sacrifice were all at extremes. It's a realistic novel, and Grossman is able to capture the smell and sound of war through dozens of vignettes involving more than 150 fictional and historical characters. It's an emotional read – and at 850 pages, it's a book you should take your time with. - Globe reader Michael Minnes, Ancaster, Ont. The Magnolia Palace takes place against the backdrop of New York City's Frick mansion, the opulent house that contains the art collection of Henry Frick. Author Fiona Davis tells a story of two time periods: the 1920s, when the mansion is a family home, and the 1960s, when it's a museum. In each period, we meet strong women who struggle to survive and overcome the restrictions of their time. Romances and betrayals abound. This is a story of family, its conflicts and how wealth doesn't always bring happiness. The mansion itself becomes a character in the story – and like any interesting character, it has its secrets. -Globe reader Maureen Murray, Burlington, Ont.
