#IMWAYR April 7, 2025

Welcome! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. I'm also connecting up with the Sunday Salon. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.

I had sinus surgery last Tuesday. It went well, but the surgeon did much more work than I thought he was going to do. When I read his report, I realized he had essentially restructured my sinuses. I thought I would finish reading and responding to blog posts on Wednesday. I thought wrong. I couldn't read with my eyes or concentrate on much of anything. My head is finally starting to feel like it belongs to me again, but I expect it will be at least another week before the merogel packing disintegrates and I can breathe freely.

 
On a positive note, my husband has learned how to make really good home made chicken soup.

 

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.

YA/ADULT FICTION

5 stars

The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett August 27, 2015

I first read this book driving back and forth to visit my mother who lay in palliative care dying. When I got to the part where Granny Weatherwax dies, I pulled over to the side of the road and wept. I wept for her, for my mother, and for Terry Pratchett. 
I didn't have such an emotional response this time, but reading the book did take me back to those final days with my mom.

Pratchett's witches are community health nurses who have the capacity to use magic, but they use it sparingly because it's dangerous and difficult to control. When Granny Weatherwax dies, she leaves her stead and her role of first among equals of the witches to Tiffany Aching. Tiffany soon discovers that looking after two steadings is overwhelming and that she needs an assistant, so when Geoffrey, an educated son of a Lord, tells her he wants to be a witch, she takes him on. 

Granny Weatherwax's passing weakened the barriers between the Elf and  Discworld realms. Nightshade, the Elf Queen, whose power was diminished in her previous interaction with Tiffany, is in trouble. A few of the stronger elves begin making incursions on their own into Tiffany's world and wreaking havoc. Eventually, Peasbottom, another elf, usurps Niteshade's reign, has her wings torn off, and throws her out of the elf realm. When the Feegles find her, Tiffany befriends her and attempts to rehabilitate her by teaching her kindness and what it means to be human. 

When the elves, en masse, finally enter the Discworld, they attack on two fronts. The whole community: Tiffany, Nightshade, the witches, the Feegles, and Geoffrey and his old men, are waiting for them. It looks like they will be overpowered until Tiffany calls on the magic of the chalk, her grandmother's sheepdogs, and the King of the Elves for help.

There is a lot going on in this book. It examines the difference between good and evil, (this is a common theme in all Pratchett's books) between duty and selfishness, and between courage and humility. These are ideas we need to look at more closely in our Roundworld. It addresses death and grief at the same time as it deals with the future. Tiffany comes to understand that whatever the future holds, she must deal with it on her terms. There are hints about what the future might hold and what stories might be told if Pratchett's time had not run out. We can only wonder what will happen between Tiffany and Preston and what will become of Tiffany's namesake and Eskarina's son? 

In this, his last novel, Pratchett referenced multiple characters and books from his Discworld collection. I especially appreciate his connections between fairytales and reality. I'm sure I will never get all his sly jokes. 

Parts of this would have been more fully developed had he lived a bit longer, but it is still deeply satisfying. I am left feeling his loss all over again. 

4.5 stars

Cut You Down by Sam Wiebe February 13, 2018 🍁

I wrote about Invisible Dead, the first in this mystery series, a couple of weeks ago. In this, the second book, Vancouver PI, David Wakeland, takes on a couple of mysteries. In the first case, Professor Dana Essex hires him to find Tabitha Sorenson, a missing university student. The day after he finds her and informs Essex, Tabitha is murdered and Essex has disappeared.

In the second case, Wakeland's ex girlfriend, police officer Sonia Drego, asks him for help investigating her VPD partner who she suspects is corrupt. 

Wakeland is a complex character. A review I read recently called him a "disappointed romantic." That's part of his appeal, but this former Vancouver police officer simmers with anger and at times, struggles to hold on to his self control. He's a representation of the dark underbelly of the city of Vancouver itself. 

If you are a fan of noir thriller detective novels like those written by Raymond Chandler, Ross Macdonald, and Dashiell Hammett, I encourage you to read this.
I am mostly a cozy mystery fan, so these books take me way out of my comfort zone. I had to skip over pages that were too scary for me. That said, just like last time, as soon as I finished this, I put a hold on the next book. 

 

ADULT NON FICTION

5 stars

Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters by Charan Ranganath January 1, 2024

If you ever wonder, “Why do we remember some events, but forget others?” then this book is for you.
I should probably start it all over again since I mostly listened to it those first few days after my surgery. I couldn't focus enough to read with my eyes, so I lay around listening to this. I'm not sure how much I really took in.

It's an important book for many reasons. It's not a 'how to book' for improving your memory. It's more of an overview of what memory might be and how it might work (the author contends that he's still doesn't understand it.) What it shows us about the power of "error driven learning," makes it a must read for everyone involved in the arena of education. 

I listened to the last chapter a couple of times because it seemed most critical for our times. In it, Ranganath addresses how our memories are shaped in the context of social interactions. This is especially significant with respect to how lies and misinformation are spread, and what we can do to protect ourselves from them. 

CURRENTLY 

Didion and Babitz by Lili Anolik November 12, 2024

Noodle and Bao by Shaina Lu October 15, 2024

UP NEXT (MAYBE)

Hell and Gone by Sam Wiebe October 23, 2021  🍁

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong November 5, 2024

2025 READING GOALS

#MustRead2025 10/25

NonFiction 13/30  one on the go

Poetry 1/12 

Canadian Authors 23/50

Indigenous Authors 6/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 51/200