The Lavender Childby Harriet RichardsPublished by Shadowpaw Press RepriseReview by Toby A. Welch  $24.99 ISBN 9781998273201 The Lavender Child is a beautifully unique and creative story with unforgettable characters and a plot that keeps readers intrigued. I wasn’t surprised to learn that this powerful read was a winner of the Saskatchewan Book Awards First Book prize when it was initially published. If you are like me and wonder what the title is referencing – what the heck is a lavender child? – I have the answer! When one of the main characters is born, Dion, he is limp and looks close to death. Another child was born into the family decades earlier that only lived for two weeks and fought for every breath. Both babies were a shade of blue, hence “lavender child.” (I should mention that this book might be a bit challenging for people who have lost babies or experienced children with health issues.) I loved that when reading this story about three generations of a family that we are thrown back into a time when life wasn’t so chaotic and technologically driven. But it’s not so far back that this would be considered historical fiction. After all, the book mentions…

Gehl v Canada: Challenging Sex Discrimination in the Indian Actby Lynn GehlPublished by University of Regina PressReview by Toby A. Welch  $26.95 ISBN 9780889778252 Knowing I am a reader, a friend of mine asked me an interesting question recently: “Are there any book publishers that you will read their books without even knowing what the book is about?” I immediately replied, “Yes – Harlequin and University of Regina Press. The first because I’m a sucker for a heartfelt romance and the second because every single book they publish is so thoroughly researched that any topic they cover is fascinating to read about.” So when University of Regina Press publication Gehl v Canada landed on my desk, I couldn’t wait to dive in! Detailing in a brief review what Gehl v Canada is about is nearly impossible as the subject matter is gigantic. We hit on so many familial, feminist, and Indigenous issues, among others. It’s challenging to encapsulate it. Perhaps Mary Eberts says it best in the forward: “Dr. Lynn Gehl describes the effort she made to document the sex discrimination affecting her and her family, her decision to challenge that discrimination, and how she applied herself to various proceedings… until she achieved victory.” To be clear,…

Spark: On Writing for Kids & Young Adultsby Alice Kuipers Published by University of Regina PressReview by Toby A. Welch  $22.95 ISBN 9781779400222 I must come clean – the title of this book threw me off. Spark: On Writing for Kids & Young Adults. I thought the title meant that this was a book geared for kids and teens who wanted to be writers. But it’s not. It’s for writers of any age who want to write books for children and adolescents. With that cleared up, let’s jump into one of the best books about writing that I’ve ever read! (And as a writer of almost three decades, I have devoured almost every writing book on the market.)  Canadian powerhouse writer Richard Van Camp said that “Spark is right up there with Stephen King’s On Writing” and I agree 100%. This is a phenomenal book on the craft of writing and it covers so many topics. The first third of the book covers how to write for a younger audience. Kuipers does an overview of writing for young people first and then goes into the specifics of writing picture books, chapter books, and then writing for middle grade and young adult readers. That covered, Kuipers delves…

Earth Angels – Operation Angelby Marion MutalaPublished by Millennium MarketingReview by Toby A. Welch  $19.99 ISBN 9781739067076 I thought I was knowledgeable about angels. But Earth Angels opened my eyes that they are so much more than I thought. Angels aren’t just those things that sit atop Christmas trees. They are spiritual beings and attendants that, among other things, are messengers of God that guard us humans.  Earth Angels is a chapbook, which I always appreciate for its tuckability factor. (A chapbook is a small publication, usually a paperback, that is not more than forty pages.) Chapbooks are ideal for tucking into your purse or bag and pulling out when you have a spare minute to read a page or two. In our fast-paced, distracted age, chapbooks check many boxes.  Earth Angels is an enlightening book about angels that packs a punch with its twenty-six pages. The bulk of the book is information about angels. We read about the different types of angels: archangels, seraphim, cherubim, living creatures, and common angels. We then get more details about the purpose of angels. We learn the eight symbolic characteristics of the appearance of angels: bright lights, wings, a balance of masculine and feminine, agelessness, soft flowing clothing,…

Tales This Side of the Elysian Fieldsby Trevor W. HarrisonPublished by Shadowpaw PressReview by Toby A. Welch  $24.99 ISBN 9781998273249 Few things are more entertaining than an engrossing travel book; that definitely applies to Tales This Side of the Elysian Fields.  Harrison crisscrossed the globe during the 1970s and 1980s and shares those experiences with us in this book. He was based in Canada during those decades but traveled around North America, Greece, India, Spain, and countries that surrounded the Himalayan mountains, among others. Each location brought a fresh batch of adventures and a slew of interesting people that crossed his path.  My favourite of the fifteen stories is Harrison’s time spent in Barcelona, Spain. During his month there in March 1973, the modernist revolution was underway although the country was still experiencing an authoritarian regime under Francisco Franco. It was a fascinating historical time to relive through Harrison’s words. And in an interesting twist, Harrison recounts a return trip to Barcelona in 2022 and what a different place it is now, in so many ways.  I was a bit confused by the title. What the heck is an Elysian field? It turns out that when Harrison was in high school, one…

Yellow Barks Spiderby Harman BurnsPublished by Radiant PressReview by Toby A. Welch  $22.00 ISBN 9781998926190 Yellow Barks Spider is a refreshing change from the mainstream books that fill shelves these days. This is my first book with a trans woman as the main character and I loved it!  As for what Yellow Barks Spider is about, my takeaway is that it’s the story of one person’s turbulent journey. It starts with a pre-teen boy, Kid, who is struggling with issues that cause him to retreat physically and emotionally from the world. In time he escapes the town where he grew up in agony. He moves to a new city, finds work in a restaurant, and has a roommate in a fourth-floor walk-up apartment. We then skip ahead to after the boy has transitioned into a woman. Due to circumstances beyond her control, Kid must return to her hometown where all her old demons are waiting to welcome her back. It’s an interesting premise for a book, one that Saskatchewan-born Burns successfully pulls off.  As I worked my way through the chapters in this book, the deviation from writing norms threw me off at first. But by the time I was halfway done, I found…

The Sun Makes A Soundby Andy WhitmanPublished by Pete’s PressReview by Toby A. Welch  $24.99 ISBN 9781069000910 The Sun Makes A Sound starts off with a bang. The main character, Mason Brigster-Contreras, is deep asleep in his tent when a menacing sound awakens him. Suspecting a polar bear, he grabs his rifle and we are thrust into a fascinating story about a man struggling to find his place in a new world while simultaneously dealing with his past.  The Sun Makes A Sound takes place in Nunavut’s Kivalliq Region, a vast tundra approximately two thousand kilometres northeast of Edmonton, Alberta. It’s a desolate and dreary place that Whitman writes about with so much clarity that the location feels like a character in the book. While the ‘meat’ of the story takes place in Kivalliq, numerous chapters take place in Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto. Nature herself plays a massive role as well; from wildfires to wild animals to vibrant seasons, this book is filled with outdoorsy content.  I found Whitman to be an expressive writer. What I mean by that is he has a talent of making it easy for readers to sense very clearly what he is writing about. For example, when talking…

Corridor to Nightmareby Dave DuncanPublished by Shadowpaw PressReview by Toby A. Welch  $26.99 ISBN 9781989398937 Why is it that tales that involve portals to other worlds are fascinating? Corridor to Nightmare falls firmly into that category. It starts off with a bang and jumps into a world of sorcerers, gatekeepers, and beasts that are half-man, half-Krendel. To keep things spicy, unexpected nasty people and things also go through the portal. When I crack open a book and find a list of characters before chapter one starts, I appreciate it so much. (I wish more authors did that.) The list is only nine characters long, but I referred to it often as I couldn’t always keep people straight. Such a bonus!  The premise of Corridor to Nightmare is an interesting one. An elderly lady, Agatha, is looking forward to retiring from her job as a village schoolteacher. But that doesn’t happen as she is sent through a portal and lands in another world. What comes next is a roller coaster journey! Agatha’s adventure could’ve been fun and lighthearted – but it wasn’t. (I love books with a tinge of darkness and this one delivers!) When it comes to names, Duncan gets huge kudos for creativity, both…

Gabrielle and the Rebelsby Maureen UlrichPublished by Flatlands PressReview by Toby A. Welch  $21.99 ISBN 9781778296536 Lampman-based Maureen Ulrich, author of the much-loved Jessie Mac Hockey Series, has crafted a new series, Winds of Change. It is a fantastical coming of age story. What a wild ride readers are in for! I love the premise of Gabrielle and the Rebels, the first book in the Winds of Change series. Travel back to a time a few centuries ago, throw technology in the mix, and see what happens. From page one, this was a fun read. I found it categorized in many ways – fiction, urban fantasy, historical fantasy, and alternate history, among others – but for me the only important category is “must read.”   With such a unique storyline, I was intrigued as to how Ulrich came up with the idea for Gabrielle and the Rebels. This is what she had to say: “The concept of the book actually came from a popular Lloyd Alexander series called Westmark, which utilized alternative history/historical fantasy, colourful characters, and NO magic. Real life problems aren’t solved with a magical wand or ring, but through human interactions and technology. That’s my goal. This series has been on my desktop in various forms…

Baby Rollercoaster: The Unspoken Secret Sorrow of Infertilityby Janice ColvenPublished by Wood Dragon BooksReview by Toby A. Welch  $19.99 ISBN 9781989078587 Baby Rollercoaster is the true telling of one woman’s personal journey with infertility. It starts with her years as a child when she dreamt of being a mother and progresses to when her struggle to have a family ended. Colven now dedicates her life to sharing her infertility experience and finding a purposeful life beyond motherhood. I believe she has made tremendous strides in her mission with this powerful book.  For anyone struggling with infertility – or anyone who knows someone that is struggling with it – Baby Rollercoaster is a must-read. Colven tackled this heartbreaking subject with a deep sensitivity. She was vulnerable in a way that couldn’t have always been easy. That realness came through in her words. For example, “You need an abundance of hope and resilience on this journey of hope. Sometimes I wasn’t strong enough to hope… Choose hope, even when things seem hopeless. Lean on the people around you to hope when you can’t seem to do it for yourself. Be brave.” Cue Kleenex.  As she struggled with infertility, Colven saw numerous doctors. She…