Author: dawnhiprose

I create.

The Party Wall by Catherine Leroux and Lazer Lederhendler

Books, Knitting, Wellness

This story is about siblings who are connected in odd ways.  Very odd ways.  Some I can imagine others not so much.  Someone having two sets of DNA is fascinating and I guess there is a known case in the world.  This book shocked me and made me think about our societies view on relationships.  What’s taboo or what society should keep their nose out of.  What’s private, what’s public.  We live in a pretty public time.  Where everything that happens is immediately shared with the world.  How do you escape?  How do you hide a secret?  

I’d have to re-read this book to connect all the stories, it’s complicated to pick that up as you go along.  I would recommend this book, it isn’t whitewashed, so be prepared.  

Floating Staircase by Ronald Malfi

Books, Ghosts, Knitting, Wellness

I couldn’t put this one down.  The main character is an author who moves with his wife to the USA to buy their first house and live closer to family.  The house holds secrets and the lake behind the house has something to do with the mystery.  I highlighted a few entries in this book as I read.  That’s always a good sign I’m impressed with the writing.  I was intrigued by this passage…

It has been said that nature does not know extinction– that once you’ve existed, all parts of you, whether they’ve dispersed or remained together, will always be.  Thick dust may hide the relics of human history, but if cannot erase the memory.

The author had all my favourite elements, haunted houses, the obsessive hunt for truth, and many plot twists.  Always making you think.  A theme I was caught up on was –how far is too far to go to find the truth–.  

The one scene I keep with me is the scene with the elderly dying woman.  It was well written, I’ve dealt with many dying patients and it was true to life.  Her resolve resonated with me.  I could feel her character jump from the page.  

I couldn’t have predicted the ending but I had hope.

All the things we leave behind by Riel Nason

Antiques, Archeaology, Books, Canada, Folklore, History, Knitting

I recently finished this stunner of a book over Christmas.  Bliss a teenager is missing, his parents go searching and his Sister Violet is left behind to manage the family antique store.  I loved the small town setting.  It brought me back to my Moms little shop by the road that brought tourists in to shop for local treasures that my Mom collected.  All the antique/vintage jargon I remember as a kid and is part of my life now warmed me up to the main characters and their life.  While reading I could get the sense of an underlying truth not exposed until the final pages.  It kept me thinking and fearing right along with the characters in the book.  As a archaeology volunteer one theme that was apparent to me was, what people leave behind tells a story.  In archaeology we are unraveling a mystery.  Dissecting what people leave behind to understand their motivation in life.  Understanding the past is the key to understanding the future.  

The author definitely got it right for me with this one, ghosts, antiques, treasure, folklore, grief and loss. Everything I need to hear right now.  

Thanks!