Week ending 1 April 2016

1 April 1988 I went to a government office on Yonge Street in Toronto to register a business – Parry Sound Books. Seemed an auspicious date.

Now 28 years later we’re still at it – just about as foolishly optimistic as we were then. What hasn’t changed a bit is my anticipation at the publication of new books. Year after year, month after month it continues to be a wonderful thing.

This week the new arrivals are, in no particular order

Food to Grow by Frankie Flowers – a guide to feeding yourself and your family from your own garden. With the price of food these days it makes sense in every way. Get the kids involved – and get growing!

Birdie by Tracey Lindberg – now in paperback -  one of the Canada Reads books this year – it may not have taken the prize but it wins just by being selected.

Stalin’s Daughter by Rosemary Sullivan – now in paperback - an award winning book about the intriguing life of the Svetlana Alliluyeva, the only daughter of Joseph Stalin, who lived under a variety of names in the United States, Russia and England.

Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear – continues story of Maisie Dobbs, now in the final days before the Second World War as Maisie accepts an assignment to rescue a scientist from Germany who holds important information needed by the British Government. 

The Children’s Crusade by Ann Packer is now in paperback. A terrific novel about a marriage immediately after the Second World War, the children that quickly followed, and their lives into the present time as the now adult children must deal with the parent’s estate and their childhood experiences.

Miller’s Valley by Anna Quindlen – another great American writer and a novel that explores the changes that take place on a farm near a small town, and the family who call it home.

The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R King – Surely she’ll not really murder Mary Russell! Just came out of a box today, can’t wait to read it.

The Night Stages by Jane Urquhart is now in paperback – the story of a woman who was a pilot in England during the Second World War, now living in Ireland. On her way to New York her plane is grounded in Gander, Newfoundland where she muses about her future while observing the work of a Prairie artist. Another great book from one of our best.