A Clear Christmas Eveby Coreen Bannerholt; Illustrated by Olha TkachenkoPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing|Review by Sally Meadows$19.95 ISBN 9781778690464 “On a clear Christmas Eve, the softly falling snow lay gentle as a blanket on the festive scene below.” Thus begins a brand-new holiday story, A Clear Christmas Eve, with a charming twist on the traditional night before Christmas story that hints at deeper spiritual truths. This lovely story is a must read for children-and those who read to them-and is destined to become a holiday classic. It is Christmas Eve, and Santa’s reindeer are raring to get on their way to fulfill their mission of sharing gifts around the world. Despite weather challenges and an unplanned stop, the reindeer press on in unison for their communal goal of spreading joy from east to west. Finally, with their assignment completed, Santa and his reindeer disappear into the night with the faith, hope, love, peace, and goodwill foundational to the real Christmas story lingering on. I adore how author Coreen Bannerholt bestows a unique personality and role to each reindeer. Their camaraderie as they work together to accomplish the greater purpose of spreading love and care over the entire world is endearing….

Releasing Your Need To Please: Escaping Romantic Relationships with Narcissistic Womenby James ButlerPublished by Wood Dragon BooksReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$21.99 ISBN 9781990863301 I wanted to review Releasing Your Need To Please: Escaping Romantic Relationships with Narcissistic Women because of the premise. It’s unusual, in my experience, to read about female narcissism, but Saskatoon counsellor and author James Butler writes that there’s a “growing phenomenon of women who perpetuate narcissistic abuse.” The men they’re in relationship with are the “pleasers,” and Butler says the only way for a pleaser to live a happy, healthy life is to leave the narcissistic relationship. “If … you are looking for help to escape your toxic relationship, this book is definitely for you,” the disclaimer states. The self-help book’s purpose is “to offer information about how to get out of unfixable, unsustainable, dangerous relationships.” Pleasers must break the “never-ending cycle” of “manipulation and accommodation,” once and for all, and Butler advises them to “lawyer up before [they] plan to escape.” It can be a “disease to please.” Narcissists and pleasers attract one another because of a deep need for love and acceptance that, Butler maintains, they didn’t get enough of as children. He speaks…

The Lake in the Middle of Townby Neil Sawatzky; Illustrated by Julio SalazarPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Sally Meadows$24.95 ISBN 9781778690402 When you do a Google search for things to see in Regina, Saskatchewan, Wascana Park consistently comes up in the top five. With easy access to other popular tourist attractions such as the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, the Saskatchewan Science Centre, and the Mackenzie Art Gallery, Wascana Park shines as a beautiful green space surrounding picturesque Wascana Lake. Residents and tourists alike marvel at its beauty. But what is the history behind this “sparkling gem in the Queen City’s crown?” An updated, hardcover, 20th anniversary edition of The Lake in the Middle of Town dives into this question both as an easy-to-read poem perfect for inter-generational snuggles and with sidebar information for older children and adults who want to dig deeper into the lake’s fascinating history. Although I didn’t grow up in Saskatchewan, my mother was born in Regina, so this book really opened my eyes up to the historical depth and breadth of this iconic area in Saskatchewan’s capital in a personal way. From its Indigenous roots to the first appearance of settlers to the establishment and…

The Wind and Amanda’s CelloWritten by Alison Lohans, Illustrated by Sarah ShortliffePublished by Shadowpaw PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$23.99 ISBN 9781998273157 It’s been such fun watching Regina author (and musician) Alison Lohans successfully focus her literary talents in so many different directions. The well-known multi-genre author has just released her 31st book, and it’s a standout among the many children’s books that cross my desk each year. Firstly, Lohans knows how to tell a story—whether it’s a novel for young adults, an early-reader chapter book or an illustrated children’s book like her recent release, The Wind and Amanda’s Cello—and it begins with language. In the opening spread of this colourful softcover, we read that “the wind grew restless.” Personification is effective in all writing, but perhaps particularly so when a writer’s engaging young readers. Sound is the most critical element in this book, and Lohans writes about it like she’s making it—a conductor directing an orchestra. We hearthat life-like wind as it “whooshed by cars on the highway; it rattled gates and scattered old leaves on the sidewalk.” Note how the author uses specific details—another hallmark of quality writing. The wind is indeed a powerful character in this story, and…

Where’s Johnny?: The Tale of a Lost Catby Lori Burton, Illustrated by Wendi NordellPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Sally Meadows$19.95 ISBN 9781778690419 Johnny, the big Maine Coon cat, had a perfect life. He was well loved by his family of four, and he loved them back. But when Johnny and his family move to a new neighbourhood, it sets off a chain of events that none of them could have seen coming. As a house cat, Johnny was used to being inside all the time. But curiosity gets the best of him in his new surroundings. When Mom removes a window screen to clean it, Johnny sees his chance. He jumps onto the windowsill and out the window, eager to experience his first taste of freedom. His elation is short-lived. Within seconds, Big Dog comes bounding towards him and chases Johnny right out of the neighbourhood. Johnny soon realizes he is completely lost. What ensues is a long journey with unexpected twists and turns as Johnny tries to get back to the people he loves. Along the way he meets a cast of diverse characters, both human and animal—some kind and others not—as he navigates challenging, even perilous,…

The Salmon Shanties: A Cascadian Song Cycleby Harold RhenischPublished by University of Regina PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$19.95 ISBN 9781779400154 I was excited to read BC poet Harold Rhenisch’s The Salmon Shanties: A Cascadian Song Cycle, as I know him to be a respected writer working in various genres—including fiction, nonfiction and memoir—and his poetry’s been recognized with several awards. The latest of his thirty-three books swims upstream with salmon through Cascadia’s rivers, sings the songs of history as experienced by the English and Chinook Wawa, laments how humans have abused this earth and each other, and praises the natural world and its creatures, from grass to mountains to sky. The poems, scored mostly in couplets, are detail-rich and I recommend reading them slowly to savour the language, names and ideas. It’s also helpful to read them in tandem with the author’s notes on the poems and his extensive glossary of Chinook Wawa—a blended language “of trade and diplomacy … as developed by the wives of traders at Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River” that was commonly used across the Pacific Northwest. In naming these poems shanties (songs), one can rightfully expect that they’re musical. Readers hear grasshoppers “click-clacking in…

The Suspension Bridgeby Anna DowdallPublished by Radiant PressReview by Brandon Fick$25.00 ISBN 9781998926121 Anna Dowdall’s mysterious, allegorical novel The Suspension Bridge has the subtitle, “A Sister Harriet Mystery,” but it could just as easily be subtitled “A 1962-1963 Mystery,” considering the early 1960s atmosphere and tensions percolating in every chapter. There are many supporting characters in the novel, but it revolves around Sister Harriet, a nun in her first year of teaching at swanky Saint Reginald’s Academy, a Catholic boarding school for girls in the fictional city of Bothonville, located in southern Ontario. Once three popular senior girls at Saint Reginald’s go missing, unease and suspicion ripple through the school and wider community, and Sister Harriet, in the midst of her own identity crisis, is both wittingly and unwittingly caught up in the mystery. Looming over everything is the under-construction suspension bridge, expected to “confer untold benefits on Bothonville” and create a world that “was practically a new dispensation,” yet the bridge is also a nexus of sinister and supernatural activity, along with regular old urban conflict. While this has elements of a fairy tale, and sardonic humour of the wry grin rather than laugh-out-loud variety, where The Suspension Bridge…

Soulworm by Edward WillettPublished by Shadowpaw Press RepriseReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$22.99 ISBN 9781989398807 I missed it the first time, but what’s old is new again—Aurora Award-winning author Edward Willett’s YA fantasy novel, Soulworm, has been auspiciously re-released. What a treat to read the book that launched the prolific Regina writer’s impressive career in 1997, especially as I’ve so enjoyed his subsequent books. And prolific is an understatement: the heralded author, publisher, podcaster, actor and singer has written more than sixty books, including science fiction and nonfiction titles. The opening scene of Willett’s new and revised edition immediately pulled this reader in: it’s 1984, near Weyburn, SK, and seven paragraphs into the story, three teens are in a horrific car accident. After the “car rolled six times in a welter of mud and water, tortured metal, and breaking glass,” it landed upright, and, hauntingly, Van Halen was still “blasting, the thump of the bass like a club pounding the ground.” Exceptional writing. And that’s what one can expect from this seasoned writer, all the way through this adrenaline-charged tale. The story’s simultaneously old-school otherworldly—complete with torches, a tower and drawbridge—and rooted in Earthly details. Sixteen-year-old Liothel is an “Acolyte” in…

Loved Beyond Compare: A Journey of Miracles and Resilience During a Wicked Warby Dr. Jane Amana EkongPublished by Living Water PressReview by Sally Meadows$24.99 ISBN 9781990863455 It was with great anticipation that I received Dr. Jane Amana Ekong’s memoir Loved Beyond Compare for review. I love reading about other peoples’ faith journeys, and Dr. Ekong’s story promised to be inspirational. I was not disappointed. From the opening chapter, Dr. Ekong’s compelling writing drew me in through her vivid imagery and frank stream of consciousness. From the miracle of her birth to the “chaos, uncertainty, and fear” of living through the Nigerian Civil War, to the challenges she faced while getting her education, to navigating hurdles as she raced towards her wedding and marriage, this book is bursting with stories of how God kept His promise, as referenced in the opening chapter, to keep her and her family safe—and thrive—under seemingly impossible conditions. Sprinkled liberally throughout her book are stories of miraculous healings, prophetic warnings, visions, divine encounters, and the kindness of others who crossed her path. There are Scripture references, judicious use of bible stories, and wise spiritual tenets that punctuate the life lessons she learned. Dr. Ekong doesn’t shy away from…

Standstill: A Hopewell Earthworks Daybook and Other Essaysby Bruce RicePublished by Long Road PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$20.00 ISBN 9781068949708 I’ve long admired the breadth of Bruce Rice’s sophisticated poetry, and now, with the publication of Standstill: A Hopewell Earthworks Daybook and Other Essays, I can attest that his creative nonfiction is equally diverse—and even more satisfying. In his new five-part collection, Saskatchewan’s former Poet Laureate explores various types of language and arts’ life-saving abilities; presents a poetic and sensitive travelogue as he crosses the border to explore the 2000-year-old Hopewell Earthworks (sites aligned with the lunar standstill, long sacred to Indigenous peoples); and transports us to the ICU-bedside vigil for his deaf sister in Nova Scotia. This award-winning Regina scribe—oft-praised for his painterly use of light and shadow—continues to raise the bar with poetic evocations of these elements, as well. Rice explains that “the prairie creature in [him] is drawn to the farthest edges of a place,” and a 2012 trip to Scotland’s Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides to appreciate the Standing Stones of Callanish sparked his desire to experience one of the “three known Native American standstill sites.” These journeys are pilgrimages, and the writer treads carefully: what…