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Doreen M. Bleich / 5 May 2021

If you’re looking for a well-written Saskatchewan romance then Doreen M. Bleich’s latest novel may be the perfect summer read. Anna Johansson wants to quit her job at the bank in the hopes of becoming a full-time writer and is doing some freelance writing on the side. One of her stories – an article on internet dating for Thirty Something magazine – introduces her to Nathan Haines, a rodeo-loving farmer in Borden. Nathan is divorced (his childhood sweetheart decided that she was not cut out to be a farmer’s wife and headed to Calgary with an insurance salesman she met at work) and had a horrible experience with internet dating. Anna’s not looking for a relationship but agrees to meet for dinner in Saskatoon. To her surprise they get on really well and things begin to look promising. But then a well-kept secret from Anna’s past emerges and causes her to reevaluate everything. Anna’s parents, never particularly supportive to begin with, are completely against Anna’s relationship with Nathan and Anna can’t understand why. Finally, Anna’s very emotionally taut mother breaks down and reveals long-hidden family secrets. But what effect will this have on Nathan and Anna’s relationship? I love reading…

Concrete

Concrete: From Ancient Origins to a Problematic Futureby Mary SoderstromPublished by University of Regina PressReview by Elena Bentley$28.95 ISBN 9780889777804 In her book, Concrete: From Ancient Origins to a Problematic Future, authorMary Soderstrom asks us to “[l]ook out the nearest window, then try to imagine what the view would look like without concrete.” Admittedly, before reading this book, I hadn’t given it much thought; once I finished the book, however, I started to pay attention: a leftover pile next to the trees outside my house, the garage floor, the sidewalk under my bike—concrete really is everywhere. Concrete has been used globally in some form or another since about 8700 BCE, which means that concrete has a fairly substantial history. Soderstrom holds our attention by taking us on a fascinating journey through this history, briefly highlighting concrete structures of note and the issues that surround them. Found in all levels of society, from the super highways in California to the Great Wall in China, Soderstrom confirms that concrete is “a truly egalitarian material.” So prevalent is concrete’s presence that it has made its way into popular culture. As any good English major would, Soderstrom makes reference to novels by literary greats…