Library patrons who are visually impaired and homebound tell me repeatedly that library outreach services are their lifeline. They often like to discuss books they have enjoyed and this provides me with a great opportunity to request book reviews as reading suggestions for others.
Transcribed reviews are posted on our reading blog, I Was Told There'd be Cake, and videotaped reviews are posted first on YouTube and then on our blog.
Trudi Stephen is 94 and a resident at Madison Care Centre. She enjoys among others, Lee Childs, Robert Crais, Brian Cornwell, Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, Diane Gabaldon, Judith Jance, John Leascroat, Michael Connelly, Clive Cussler - you get the picture. Historical fiction, drama, crime, espionage - the better if they are in series. No romance, minor plots or family stories for her. This is Trudi's first review and we hope it is not the last.
Red Star by Brian Freemantle
I thought Brian Freemantle had stopped writing the Charlie Muffin series a long time ago, when lo and behold, Teresa brought me Red Star Burning.
The series is about espionage between Britain and Russia. Charlie is (you know what spies are like) two-faced. But he is very intelligent - there is always something around the corner with him. He is always double-dealing. The agency he works for, MI5, plans to kill him in this book because he is devious and bright. There is a lot of friction because, even though Charlie is successful, they don't like him. In an earlier novel in the series, the agency had killed Charlie's first wife. In this book, what MI5 does not know is that Charlie is now married to a Russian secret agent and she could face the firing squad if their marriage is found out.
Regular blogger, Jean McRobbie at 92, is one our most prolific homebound readers. It is truly amazing how she retains information weeks after she has read a book and is always willing to share the story with me. Jean is a resident of Madison Care Centre.
Still Alice (audiobook) by Lisa Genova
Still Alice (audiobook) by Lisa Genova is a story about a 50-year-old woman who is very smart and happily married. She is also a professor at a university. This novel is very interesting, describing the early onset of Alzheimer's disease (which the character faces) and taking you through most of her life.
It is surprising just how well she copes with this and, yet, she still teaches for a year as professor after her diagnosis. But, since she loves teaching, she simply carries on.
Sometimes you think that clever people should not get this disease, but Jack Webster had it. It can happen to anybody. I am very thankful that I have been able to avoid this disease so far in my life.
Denise Racine is 87 and resides at Foyer Maillard. She listens to audiobooks as she is visually impaired and receives home-bound services from the library. Denise enjoys family stories with intricate plots which have happy endings, such as the following two books which she has reviewed.
Too Good to be True (Audiobook) by Sheila O'Flanagan
Carey takes the plane from Ireland to New York City to go on a shopping trip and becomes friends with Ben, the male passenger sitting next to her.
When they get to New York, they discover that their hotels are close by; inevitably, they fall in love. Then, they decide to go to Las Vegas to get married. When they get home, everyone's reaction is shock: the couple had married so soon. And it gets more complicated; in New York, the newlyweds had not revealed that they each had had a partner back in Ireland.
Back in Ireland, the trouble begins. The couple have their wedding reception, Ben having invited his ex-girlfriend. The newly married couple fight and, soon after, separate. Carey even goes as far as to get in touch with her ex-boyfriend. On the verge of divorce, however, they get back together again. Love, sentiment, games adults play - I like all these twists and turns in romance novels. It hurts a reader like me when love affairs go awry with the characters, especially when you know that they really feel for each other. I love a story with a happy ending
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published every Wednesday. Teresa Rehman is community services librarian at Coquitlam Public Library.
