Category: books

Book Buzz

                                          

 Today is World Bee Day. Established in 2018 by the United Nations, the purpose of the declaration is to acknowledge the importance of bees and what they do for our environment. Did you know, for instance, that bees help grow 90% of the world’s wildflower plants or that 35% of the world’s crops depend on bees to grow? Along with contributing to food security, bees are key to conserving biodiversity.

Bees have been around forever. The first bee discovered, which is preserved in amber, dates back 100 million years. That discovery played a significant role in helping scientists understand the relationship between bees and the evolution of flowering plants and our very ecosystem.

Unfortunately, bees are under continuous threat from invasive insects, pesticides, changes in land-use, and the practice of monocropping, which destroys bee colonies. So, anything we can do to sustain them (and other pollinators like bats, hummingbirds and butterflies) helps all of us.

Here are just a few simple things you can do to help the bees:

  • Plant a diverse set of native plants, ones which flower at different times of the year;
  • Buy raw honey from local farmers;
  • Buy products from sustainable agricultural practices;
  • Avoid using pesticides, fungicides or herbicides in the garden;
  • Protect wild bee colonies when possible;
  • Sponsor a hive;
  • Make a bee water fountain by leaving a water bowl outside.

And once you’ve done any or all of those things, reward yourself by reading a book where bees feature prominently. There are many! Here are just a few to consider.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. This coming-of-age novel about loss, betrayal and the interracial civil-rights landscape of the 1960s American south is considered a modern classic.

The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia (translated by Simon Bruni) Set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution and the devastating influenza of 1918, The Murmur of Bees captures both the fate of a country in flux and the destiny of one family that has put their love, faith, and future in the unbelievable.

The Last Beekeeper by Julie Carrick Dalton. The disappearance of the world’s bees, along with the other pollinating insects, in an ecological disaster dubbed the Great Collapse provides the backdrop for this moving post-apocalyptic thriller.

The History of Bees by Maja Lunde. This novel follows three generations of beekeepers from the past, present, and future, and tells the story of their relationship to the bees – and to their children and to one another – against the backdrop of an urgent, global crisis.

The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin.  A heartwarming novel about three lonely strangers who are brought together by happenstance on a local honeybee farm where they find surprising friendship, healing – and maybe even a second chance – just when they least expect it.

Pre-teen and teen readers might enjoy The Summer We Saved the Bees by Robin Stevenson. Wolf’s mother is obsessed with saving the world’s honeybees, so it’s not too surprising when she announces that she’s taking her Save the Bees show on the road—with the whole family. Wolf thinks it’s a terrible plan, partly because he’ll have to wear a bee costume in public.

And for picture book readers consider The Beeman by Laurie Krebs and Valeria Cis. With rhyming text and warm, expressive paintings, this picture book takes the reader through a year of beekeeping from the point of view of a little girl helping her beloved grandpa, who’s known in town as the Beeman.

My May Reads

The weeds are growing and so is my ‘to do’ list. I’d rather stare out the window at my blooming rhododendron and contemplate beauty, but, alas, spring leaves little time for contemplation. There’s not much time for reading these days either, though I always manage a little time before bed. Here’s what I’m reading this month.

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

The Traitor’s Daughter by Roxana Spicer

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

Books read to date in 2025: 29

Diversity in Art

                                                 

Diversity is a hot topic these days. The word has become somewhat polarizing, particularly when it’s used to reference people from different social and ethnic backgrounds, or those of specific genders and sexual orientation. But in that context, when paired with inclusion and acceptance, diversity becomes something to fight for and something to celebrate.

Nature depends on diversity for its very survival. Without a wide range of animals, plants and microorganisms, we would not have the healthy ecosystem we need to survive. Diversity, at its core, maintains life.

In its truest sense, the word diversity means variety. I like to think I favor variety, yet humans are hardwired to favor predictability, and I’m as human as you are. This morning, for instance, I had a predictable spring breakfast: a protein smoothie and some fruit. As I ate, I stared out the window at my empty garden pots. I found myself thinking about using the same annuals and fillers I used last year, the same pretty trailers. I have to remind myself to pivot and try something new.

Predictability is comfortable and familiar. It creates a sense of security, something businesses favor. The recent wild swings in the financial markets show just how stressful and potentially lifechanging unpredictability can be. Publishers, like most businesses, also thrive on predictability, something I learned early on in my career.

I didn’t stick to writing for one specific age group or in any particular genre. I wrote fiction and non-fiction, picture books and novels, historical and contemporary fiction; I even wrote a few short novels with a paranormal theme. Publishers and agents weren’t amused. They suggested I should ‘stick to one lane’ and develop my presence for a specific audience and in one genre. Diversification, I was told, just confuses readers. Predictability makes it easier to build a brand. Strong branding makes it easier to sell more books and make more money, which publishers love. And let’s be honest, authors like making money too!

There are authors who write in a variety of styes, but it’s not always an easy transition. Margaret Atwood was famously afraid of making the jump from literary fiction to genre fiction, but lucky for us, she did.  Other authors like Stephen King, Norah Roberts, Anne Rice and Dean Koontz rely on pseudonyms when they write in different genres. That makes publishers happy and avoids confusion for readers. 

I suppose it’s no surprise that diversity sometimes comes under fire and we humans tend to favor the status quo. Yet in the same way that nature hinges on diversity, I believe diversity can also infuse and flavor any creative practice, and not only for authors.

Leonardo Da Vinci is the classic example of someone who dedicated his life to a variety of art forms. John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton and Lady Gaga all went to art school. Rapper Tupac studied acting, poetry, jazz, and ballet at the Baltimore School of The Arts. Australian musician Nick Cave writes screenplays and novels and so does singer/songwriter Amanda Palmer. Actor Jemima Kirke from the HBO’s series “Girls” is also a talented painter. Juliette Binoche works as, dancer, poet, and painter too. Antonio Banderas composes music and writes poetry.  Actor James Franco paints, draws, sculpts and is a skilled photographer.

I’ll probably never take up sculpting or pick up a paint brush, and I’ll certainly never become an actor, but the idea of trying a new art form or writing in a different genre is a way of adding a spark of life to our art. As biologist Sir John Sulston said, “What is the purpose of being human and alive without doing and trying new things?”

At the very least, I can certainly switch up my breakfast tomorrow. Falafel, anyone?

Overheard This Week

                         

I popped into the bakery to pick up a baguette the other day and two women ahead of me in line were chatting. I couldn’t help overhearing them. Well, technically, I probably could have shut them out, but eavesdropping is not against the law and one could even argue that it’s in the job description of writers everywhere. 

I gather one of the women was an artist of some kind (I’m guessing fabric art) and her creations were beautiful enough to elicit raves from her companion. “I could never make wall hangings like yours,” said one women to the other. “I can’t make anything,” she added. “I’m not at all creative.”

That’s not the first time I’ve heard someone claim they lack creativity. It’s probably not the first time you’ve heard it either. But the thing is, we are all creative. Every single one of us.

Just ask author Lois Peterson who launched her latest book a few weeks ago. Titled Creatively Human: Why We Imagine, Make and Innovate, the book is targeted at young readers, though I think it deserves a spot on everyone’s bookshelf, regardless of age. It’s an engaging and informative read showcasing the fact that we’re hardwired to make and create, and that the drive to do it is as old as humanity itself.

Our ancestors were weaving 12,000 years ago and using pigment to make paintings 17,000 years ago. Creativity is everywhere, Lois says, from graffiti to logos to flash mobs to splashy stage productions. In her book, young readers are encouraged to look at the world with an imaginative eye as they explore the origins and impact of ideas and inventions, arts and technology.  I loved the A-to-Z list of creative activities sprinkled throughout the text. It was also great fun to read some real-life examples of creativity too, like Ben Wilson who is known as the Pavement Picasso in London, England where he converts discarded gum into sidewalk masterpieces. . .  and a young girl name Mayhem who reproduces Oscar Award winners’ gowns out of common things like construction paper, gift wrap, tissue paper and foil.  

Lois came up with the book idea after going into schools and libraries to speak to children about writing and the creative process. During those sessions, someone would almost always say ‘I’m not creative.’ So, Lois decided to try a little exercise. She asked all of them to stand up. Then she began listing creative activities, asking them to sit down if they’d ever done them. She started with the obvious ones: who likes to draw, to dance, to sing? Who likes to build things or cook or garden? To paint? To collect and display treasures? To tell jokes and make people laugh? Inevitably, as she went down the list, one or two people would always be left standing. To those last holdouts, Lois would ask: did you choose your own clothes and dress yourself this morning? Because that is another creative act. And if anyone was still standing after that, she would ask them ‘have you ever told a lie?’ By then, the kids were all sitting down and most were probably laughing too.

But Lois had made her point that creativity is everywhere and everyone is creative.

Creatively Human: Why We Imagine, Make and Innovate by Lois Peterson is published by Orca Book Publishers and is available through your local independent bookstore.

My March Reads

This Thursday is the first day of spring. The ancients called it Ostara and believed it was a time to celebrate new beginnings, balance, and renewal. We usually think of it as the Spring Equinox, a time when the sun and earth are in balance, and the days and nights are equal.

Whatever you call it, and whether or not you mark it at all, spring is almost always welcome, at least here in the Western Hemisphere. Signs of growth are everywhere! In my garden, the heather and crocuses are in bloom, the daffodils are just about to pop, and the blossoms on the cherry and plum trees are too.

I love this time of year, though I’ll admit that as the garden comes alive, it’s sometimes challenging to balance cerebral pursuits with outdoor activities. For now, though, there’s still plenty of time for both. And that makes me happy because I have a lot of reading and writing to do. Here’s what I’m reading this month.

The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche

The Spirited Kitchen by Carmen Spagnola

Elegant Simplicity: The Art of Living Well by Satish Kumar

Books Read to Date in 2025: 21

Creating During Challenging Times

                             

The ground feels unsteady under our feet these days. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s because my part of the world has been the epicenter of three earthquakes registering 4+ on the Richter Scale over the last week and a half. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent more time than usual (and more time than I probably should) following current events, both here and abroad. As a news junkie and former journalist with friends still in the business, I’m horrified by the attacks I’m seeing against a free press. As a human with a beating heart, I’m shocked and appalled by the way in which the rights and needs of so many are being ignored or even trampled upon.

It’s depressing, it’s worrisome, and it’s led me to ask why. Not why it’s happening but why create anything at all during times like these.

And then author friend Eileen Cook posted something on Facebook that refocused my thoughts. Cook was born in the US and now lives in Canada. She was writing about her need to align with people who believe in the importance of human decency. If you’re on Facebook, please search her out and read what she said on that subject. It’s beautiful and wise. But there was another theme in her post that also resonated with me. She wrote, in part:

The measure of your life comes down to a simple question: What did you do with the time and talents you were given?

Writing is my talent, so I do my best to get better, to write stories I think the world needs.

Darkness is never going to show us the way forward.  The world, more than ever, needs all of us to be using our time and talents wisely.

Her words lifted me up on a day I needed to hear them. They were a good reminder of the importance of following your heart and giving back, even in a small way. So, whatever your talent, please don’t let darkness stop you from practicing it. Art, in all its forms, helps us understand what it means to be human. And I think we could all do with a little more humanity these days.

My February Reads

 It’s Freedom to Read Week, a time that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom. Now, more than ever, we need to hold onto the right to read whatever we please. We need to make sure all voices are represented and all readers can find themselves reflected in the books they select.  Pick up a book this month. Any book you like. It’s your right to choose. Here’s what I’m reading this month:

The Leap Year Gene by Shelley Wood

After Life by Gayle Foreman

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman

Books Read to Date in 2025: 16

The Shadow Ban Against Libraries and Books

                                    

I know the news is dark, and I have no desire to add to that darkness, so I’ve waffled for a few weeks about writing this blog post. In the end, I couldn’t not write it. I will, I promise, write something a bit lighter in the future. But not today.

Book censorship and book banning is a very real threat right now, not just in the US but also here in Canada. It’s growing at an alarming rate, it’s impacting schools and libraries in particular, and it’s directly affecting writers and readers I know. Free speech is an integral cornerstone of democracy. Free speech and democracy are increasingly under attack and I believe we ignore that fact at our peril. That’s why I decided to write this post.

A library in Valleyview, Alberta is poised to close and reopen elsewhere with a diminished budget and far fewer books, primarily because a small group of LGBTQ+ youth meet there.  The issue is complex and nuanced, and deserves more space than I can give it here. So, if you have the time and inclination (and can manage more disturbing news) I urge you to read this CBC interactive report that will explain things further: https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/a-shadow-war-on-libraries

The Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN) has been following and reporting on this story, and they issued a call out for letters of support for library staff and the kids who gather there. https://www.antihate.ca/sending_love_canadians_standing_up_for_the_valleyview_library

If issues like this concern you, CAHN is an organization worth noting. They are a nonprofit dedicated to exposing and countering hate promoting movements, groups, and individuals in Canada and elsewhere. Their board includes well-recognized experts on hate crimes, lawyers with decades of experience, people who stood up to the neo-Nazi Heritage Front in the 1990s, and leaders in communities that are being targeted by hate.  https://www.antihate.ca/

Books have been challenged, censored and banned for many years. That will probably never go away. But right now, the hate that’s accompanying censorship is frighteningly high. That hate needs to stop. And that should be something we can all agree to ban.

Book Love

 People are often surprised when they learn that I don’t belong to a book club. I adore everything about books – reading them, writing them, and (in spite of my well-used eReader) the very physicality of them, as witnessed by the overflowing bookshelves in my house.

So why not a book club? Many people swear by them. Several of my friends, in fact, belong to book clubs and love them (I’m waving at you, Leah and Alice).

For me, though, book clubs conflict with how books are meant to be experienced. They take me back to high school with its enforced reading and dissection of characters, plot and theme. I’m also not a fan of being assigned mandatory reads. I have enough trouble getting through my own ‘to be read’ pile! And I certainly don’t want to struggle through a book I don’t like so I can share criticisms with others. The most I want to say about a book I don’t care for is ‘it’s not for me.’ Because that book might be just right for someone else.

That’s not to say I don’t talk about books with others. I talk about them all the time. I have friends who love to read and we often recommend titles to each other or discuss what we’re reading. If we read the same book, it’s fun to compare notes afterwards. I’ll admit, book discussions with writer friends sometimes do veer into specifics about what we liked or didn’t like about a given novel. But we generally approach the subject from deep craft point of view and always with the understanding and underlying respect for the many inherent challenges (as well as courage!) that it takes to write any novel and see it through to publication.

At the end of the day, writers write so people will be moved and entertained by their stories. That’s all that truly matters. That and reading the book. So, regardless of whether you’re in a book club or not, read a book. If you liked it, tell a friend. And then read another book. And another . . .

My January Reads

                                                    

The garden might be in hibernation mode, but the neighborhood birds are active. They love that we didn’t get to the deadheading last fall. After dining on the seed heads, they play tag with each other before resting on the branches we didn’t prune. One of my favorites is a tiny green Anna’s hummingbird that loves to drink nectar from the Sarcococca Confusa (Sweet Box) outside our kitchen window before perching on the weeping Maple. It’s almost enough to keep me from my reading. Almost, but not quite.

I didn’t read quite as many books as normal in 2024. I noted down 52 titles, one for each week, though I know I read slightly more than that. I lost track when we were travelling. I hope to surpass that number this year. Here’s what I’m reading this month.

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

One Way Back by Christine Blasey Ford

Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto by Kolei Saito

Books read to date in 2025: 4