BAD BOY - The Latest Jason Davey Mystery by Local Author, Winona Kent

So excited to see Winona Kent's new mystery, BAD BOY, making its debut Sept 26, 2024. Winona's photo, here is by Jim Goddard, an excellent photographer, who posts great photos of Winona's many book events. Brian Richmond designs all of Winona Kent's book covers, and the Jason Davey mysteries always feature a guitar, as Jason is a musician as well as a sleuth. 

The London setting shows the Shard, a huge hotel complex with the highest pool in Western Europe, with a city view of London Bridge and the Thames. That imposing sky scraper, the Shard, is the setting for the first major incident in the story. Is it a crime and who is the bad boy? The unsettled and darkening sky hint at dark times ahead. 

 This is a musical mystery, one that involves finding stolen musical scores/arrangements (Sir Edward Elgar: The Enigma Variations) by following a 6 word clue: Judy, Wensley Manor, Market Street and Newlydale. Finding people and places is a complex puzzle, which Jason works through by consulting with family and fellow musicians and friends, using maps, (old and new)sustaining himself with lots of chocolate, biscuits and double Gloucester cheese, and being a tourist around the city and countryside. He is expert at getting people to tell their stories, revealing more clues. So many references of places he has played at and the locations of 'meet-ups' and critical incidents, provide readers with music and perhaps travel memories. Even "The Antiques Roadshow" has role and I could hear the introductory music as soon as I saw the name. Cliff Richard and The Shadows, Herbie Hancock, Buddy Holly, David Bowie, The Bee Gees,The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Terry O"Neill (Photographer) Piccadilly Circus, Denmark Street (Regent Sounds) are a just a few of the people and places.

 So many songs to be remembered and locations, all popular tourist attractions, today. Is there more than one crime, here? Read on to find out. Winona gives readers two chapters to read here: http://www.winonakent.com/badboy-chapters.html  More about her books here: http:www.winonakent.com  

A Few Questions for Winona:

 Who are some of your models for your lead, Jason?

 Jason is based on "...a musician my husband and I met on board a Holland America Cruise to Alaska, in 2009. He was a one man band playing his guitar in one of the lounges. I first wrote about him in "Cold Play" my 3rd novel and brought him back, with a permanent gig in London and a career as a sleuth. Jason will come to Vancouver in the 6th book." (Musicians are memorable)

 What is your favourite music? 

 Rock and Roll from the 50's and early 60's and the British Invasion, of course.

 What are you reading right now? 

 "Bermondsey Boy" by Tommy Steele - his autobiography. I love autobiographies.

 Note: Winona was in London during the summer of 1968 when the Beatles' film: "Yellow Submarine" opened at the London Pavilion, Piccadilly Circus, and saw the Beatles arrive. She says: "That was pretty exciting for a 14year old teen from Regina, Saskatchewan.

 BAD BOY is available for preorder on Amazon. I have written about Winona Kent, previously, here: Ten Stories That Worried My Mother, Ticket to Ride, Notes on a Missing G-String.

Photo by Jim Goddard

Image via Amazon 

Ten Stories That Worried My Mother By Winona Kent, Award Winning Local Writer

I am a big fan of Winona Kent's Jason Davey Mysteries (Blue Devil Books) and have written about a couple of them here: Notes on a Missing G String and Ticket to Ride. While the Jason Davey stories are set in England, there's a rumor that Winona will be bringing him to Canada, soon. Fittingly, it seems, because aren't we and/or our families mostly from somewhere else? And, family histories and family stories are very important to Winona as is apparent in her newest publication, "Ten Stories That Worried My Mother", to be released August 22nd, the day she reads to us from it, at a literary event with other notables from Crime Writers Canada: Karen Dodd, Ken MacQueen, Yvonne Maximchuk and David Rabinovitch, at 6:30 at Vancouver Public Library.

So why would her mother be worried about what Winona writes? I met with her recently to ask for more about this.

1) Why was your Mother worried?

Originally, the book was only going to include 5 stories, but then, increased to 10, well, who knew if Mother, or other family members would be in one, or if the neighbours would be described in recognizable detail, or if her daughter would be sued by some unhappy cruise line or employer? And who wants their daughter to be a writer anyway? Mom wanted her brilliant daughter to be a U.N. Translator. 

2) Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Winona wrote throughout her childhood and was her high school newspaper Editor and freelanced for her university paper, too. Short stories, novellas and novels followed. But, she says she will never write a book of poetry. She has written continuously while working at a huge variety of jobs, including on a Radio travel show, where she met her husband, Jim Goddard who champions her work, is a marvellous photographer and is possibly a source for the first story in this collection: TOWER OF POWER. Published in 1982, this one is about the trials and tribulations of Radio DJ's, News Reporters and yes, groupies. I'm not sure that working conditions have changed all that much, all though the 'groupie' role has certainly expanded much beyond Radio and Social Media . It is even more expansive and, of course, includes that array known as 'influencers'. This is a vivid picture of behind the scenes at a radio station, back then, and how the news might be of much less importance than the songs. Popularity and listenership can be fleeting. What one tower crashes, another one is created and maybe not for one either the DJ or Reporter even likes.This story won first prize in FLARE MAGAZINE'S Fiction Competition in 1982. Winona gives further context for each story in her "About" for each story. As Winona says, these stories chronicle "...a 40 year literary journey" that begins with this and 9 others stories, plus  two Jason Davey novellas, one "shortlisted for the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence for the Best Crime Novella in 2021". This is a never ending story as Winona is already hard at work on her next novel.

3) How is writing a short story different than writing a novel? 

The novels are crime fiction and are a like a multileveled house in their scope, while a short story is more like an 800 sq. ft apartment. However, you have much less time and space to make your point and you will have fewer storylines and perhaps less of a challenge to keep the action going. 

4) Role of Women?

Winona's characters are strong, achieving women, real and not stereotyped, and challenges, career and otherwise are there. She likes to show relationships, for example, Jason, her lead Sleuth's mother runs his tour band and his recently introduced daughter is a career photographer. Winona's women are capable and independent. They have a sense of humour and determination. When I read about them, the motto: Ever Onward, comes to mind.

5) What are you looking forward to: 

Meeting David Rabinovitch/Writer/Screenwriter/Director, Aug 22 at the Writers' Event at Vancouver Public Library.

Launching: TEN STORIES THAT WORRIED MY MOTHER

Reading to an audience at my first Author Event at VPL

The after party!

Winona is a delight to interview and she and Jim brought 10 objects of significance for each of the stories and novellas. The photos tell a bit about the fun we had. On the table, were great prompts: English maps, a double decker bus, marmite, fender guitar, radio, and much more. 

Thanks to you, Jim, and Winona! In the forward to TEN STORIES, fellow author, A. J. Devlin, tells us to "Rock On." You will when you read this one and anything else Winona Kent writes. Please add Aug 22, 2023 to your calendar and come out to the Author Event at VPL to meet Winona and other writers as they read to you from their latest.

Also by Winona Kent:

The Jason Davey Mysteries

- Ticket to Ride

- Last Time

- Notes on a Missing G-String

- Disturbing the Peace

Other Novels

- Marianne's Memory

- In Loving Memory

- Persistence of Memory

- Cold Play

- The Cilla Rose Affair

- Skywatcher

Winona Kent

My Vancouver Public Library Book Face

Thanks to Jim for the photos below 

EAT, HABIBI, EAT by Shahir Massoud

The Vancouver Public Library's Summer Reading Club for Adults encourages us to try a new genre, learn something new and share in a variety of ways. What I call Cook Book Lit is not new to me but Egyptian recipes are. When I saw this book: EAT, HABIBI, EAT, I had to investigate further. I have seen Egyptian Canadian Chef Shahir Massoud cook (CBC) and like his sense of humor and how he makes his recipes accessible for those who want to expand their usual menus. His food passion started in his family kitchen and deepened with his training in French and Italian cuisines, and,  this is someone who loves color, texture, flavor and creative combinations that definitely are: "Fresh Recipes For Modern Egyptian Cooking". I looked for recipes close to the Greek foods we love. I also looked for dishes that would be enjoyable and possible for me to make. Stocking the pantry is a must if the dishes are to turn out and most ingredients are available at Mediterranean or specialty stores, here in Vancouver/Metro Vancouver. New to me are: Aleppo Pepper, Black Sea Salt, Cardamom, Mastic, and Sumac. Mint is one I know well but seldom cook with. Nuts, seeds, and dried fruits are highly recommended additions for a healthy diet. There is a whole range of vinegars to try, too. I have had Hibiscus in tea and drinks but never in meat dishes. Look forward to trying Mulberry Molasses and Ashta (Arabic double cream). Not only is the pantry list extensive but also the reasons for using are noted. Good to know that I have all the tools of the trade, except for a microplane, for a finer grate for cheese, chocolate and fresh Nutmeg. And yes, spices should be fresh. (Okay turf those old packages at the back of the cupboard.) Key kitchen tips are helpful and new to me was seasoning with fingertips rather than from a measuring spoon or box. (Nothing about salt over the shoulder for luck, though) 

So much to take in for when I try some of these fabulous tastes for a certain Toronto BBQ, coming up this August. One of our favorite appies is a bowl of varieties of Greek olives. Chef Massoud's has a mango-glaze and sun-dried tomatoes. Moroccan and Lebanese olives and chili flakes make this a more colorful, spicy and uniquely flavored olive bowl. We call them Greek green beans, but Summer Green Bean Fasolia is an Egyptian dish that contains almonds, butter, red onion, butter, beef stock and 1 and  1/2 tsp of of Ras El Hanout, a multi spice blend, in addition to the garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes and green beans and oregano that we use. The intent with these additional ingredients is to keep the colors bright - vibrant greens and reds. Grilled Calamari with Tomato Jam is a new and delicious presentation of deeply spiced and simmered sauce/dip to accompany calamari that has been coated with Garlic, Ginger, tomatoes, sugar, Molasses, white vinegar and Chili flakes and then grilled and drizzled with lemon juice. These are the first 3 of 100 recipes, all of which I intend to sample, hopefully over many family get togethers.

I loved Shahir Massoud's story of changing from a career he hated to one he loved and how his family supported his dreams, even though they cried, at first. I love the recipes and the encouragement and support to try them. I love the book cover and design by Emma Dolan. (Yes, you can tell a good book by its cover) The photography by Kyla Zanandi is exceptional. I love the couple to whom I am gifting this book, for their first anniversary. EAT, HABIBI, EAT!

Thanks to Chef Shahir Massoud for the fabulous food and the stories behind it. 

 

Chef Massoud's has a mango-glaze and sun-dried tomatoes. Moroccan and Lebanese olives and chili flakes make this a more colorful, spicy and uniquely flavored olive bowl

 Summer Green Bean Fasolia

Grilled Calamari with Tomato Jam

60 Fashion Icons and Runway Ready Cocktails Created And Shared in Jennifer Croll's Latest: DRESSED TO SWILL, 2022

Jennifer Croll, a prolific local Author, Editor, Researcher, Historian, Fashionista and Cocktail Creator, knows good book launches and where to have them. They are salon gatherings and everyone dresses. She often wears a classic little black dress, but the color swirls around her as people meet and greet and gather for a book signing. Dressed to Swill, is shades of brilliant red and orange, the colors of David Bowie's Mohawk when he was Ziggy Stardust. And the drink, The David Bowie, is featured in a coupe glass with a lemon peel lightning bolt garnish. Get the book for the very doable, memorable drink, a tried and true creation by Jennifer, herself. Fashion and Art are her passions and the cocktails salute the Artists and toast the worlds to which they transport us.

At the Ellis Building, 110 years old and home to Artists as well as a speakeasy, The Library, while fellow fashionista, Dianna D. enjoyed the David Bowie, I was drawn to the shocking pink Elsa Schiaparelli, served in your best coupe glass, with a magenta carnation garnish, when you host your next salon. You will add hibiscus syrup and sparkling rose to provide even more dazzle.

The illustrations, by Daiana Ruiz, are especially colorful and detailed and whimsically depict the Icons, as you know them, in what might be a photo shoot setting or their own favorite locations, with their cocktail nearby.

Find Dressed to Swill, at Massy Books, locally. This is a hard cover, concisely written and beautifully illustrated. Plus, the cocktails are fabulous and the recipes for them, as I said, tried and true. As a nod to Alexander McQueen, I wore turquoise skull earrings to the launch, but might trade my hat for the pink cowboy hat worn (in the book) by Lil Nas X. Might also try his drink with a chili cut in the shape of a flower garnish.

Thanks, Jennifer Croll for your writing and launches! 

I have written about Jennifer's books many times and here is the last one.

 

 

 

Ticket to Ride - A Jason Davey Mystery by Winona Kent

 I met Winona Kent at a Noir Mystery Event and reviewed my first Jason Davey meetup here.

So by now you know that Jason Davey is an excellent sleuth who leaves the murder business up to the police and concentrates on finding missing persons and researching family history and how that often plays a part in life's mysteries. Ultimately it is the methodical research of family history, travel and historical sites, music and who wrote the songs, and medical maladies and cures, that make Jason a great sleuth (with a sense of humor) and the Author, a writer of mysteries that move along logically and keep the pages turning. 

I love that Jason plays multiple instruments, including bouzouki, although he prefers Jazz and has a full time gig at the Blue Devil, a Soho Jazz Club. In this novel, Ticket to Ride, Jason has taken a leave from the club to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of his parents' band, Figgis Green, a 60's-70's folk group. The Lost Time Tour involves a 34 day 18 stops tour of England. Jason is replacing his dad, who has passed, and playing alongside his mom, a feisty woman, still in the lead of a band with a large and loyal fan base. Jason has "...just tiptoed over 50.." so is well versed not only with his parents' music but also the music of the times, referenced throughout the book. An example of this is what Jason listens to, after a gig, after he has hot chocolate and replies to Instagram, he falls asleep watching a video of Cliff Richard and the Shadows. Ticket to Ride, is of course a song by the Beatles, and there are mentions of Dusty Springfield, Skeeter Davis, Manfred Mann and the Rolling Stones. And the Canadian, Ian Tyson and his rendition of 4 Strong Winds. So a recommendation might be to listen to some of these as you are reading. 

Although there are links to the past, through music and history of the venues the band plays at, this time, there is so much connection to the now, in terms of more accessible family history research, the internet, and how crime can happen, especially attempted blackmail of Jason and his mom and the band. Also how technology can be used to determine location and how phones can save the day. Still, technology can and is assisted here, by intuition, spirits and ghosts. Very plausible because it takes a whole community and a lot of resources to solve who the guilty parties are in causing so many 'accidents' along the way. And as is often the case, a series of small incidents that cause so much inconvenience and disruption to some of the musical performances, eventually stop being inconveniences and become murder. And there is rage, a simmering family resentment, that has boiled from the early beginnings of the band until the present. Rage is the underlying poison and then there is insulin, a medicine, but also deadly if misused.

So much has been written about Winona Kent and her ten books! This is the 4th Jason Davey! I refer you to her website at www.winonakent.com and to the Figgis Green Website: www.figgisgreen.co.uk for the details that researchers and readers really want to know.

I met Winona at the New Westminster Quay, and greatly enjoyed our chat about her Brit connections and fascinating work history. She was working full time, while writing and is now retired and writing full time, although I think she is still working, promoting her own writing and the writing of others! I can see her contributing good humor, good food, good travel and a belief in endless possibilities as well as a bit of magic, to her stints at Grad School (MFA - UBC) and Film School, in Vancouver. When we went to take a photo, we were drawn to The Vancouver Circus School in New West and to the mural, "Aaron's Dream", by Mural Artist, Irvin Hernandez. Aaron was a National Trampoline Champion and one of the founders of the school. He had a dream as does Winona Kent. 

Thank you to Lynda Rivers for the photo of us, in front of the mural. Should you fancy reading a mystery full of dreams, visions, ghosts, coincidences, things that drop, good music and delectable food, and should you like following the advice to look up and look forward, you should pick up a copy of Ticket to Ride.

Please visit: Blue Devil Books at www.bluedevilbooks.com

http://www.winonakent.com/tickettoride.html

ART BOOZEL (Cocktails Inspired By Modern and Contemporary Artists) by Jennifer Croll and Illustrated by Kelly Shami August 2021

Written by Colleen Tsoukalas

Jennifer Croll is a prolific writer, in addition to working full time as the editorial director at Greystone Books. She has written about Fashion: Bad Boys of Fashion, Bad Girls of Fashion, and Fashion That Changed The World, reviewed here. So, Fashion came first, but then, along came Cocktails and Art and I read, loved and reviewed, Free the Tipple here. Very much in awe of the recipes created to honor Artists' individual talents, I just had to attend Jennifer's latest book launch, recently, at the beautiful Polygon Gallery at the North Van Quay. All of her book launches are in fantastic locations, often in collaboration with other Artists and events. When you go to get your book signed, you will always be somewhere memorable, and you will always have a commemorative cocktail. The two served up this time were The Yoko Ono and The Diego Rivera! Both books, Free the Tipple and Art Boozel, are full of recipes that you can make to celebrate your favorite Artist or learn to make new ones to celebrate an Artist new to you. Basic Equipment, Glassware, Cocktail Ingredients, Garnishes and Rims, and Syrups are all there. You can easily make the syrups and most ingredients can be found in specialty sections of the larger grocery and food supply stores. I know, Do The Research, but, I might just consult Mixologist extraordinaire, Amber Bruce, as she is another creative who has the lowdown on the hows and wheres of fabulous concoctions.

Art Boozel is a read that will take you to local and international Artists and will inspire you to make a drink that brings them and their work to your table. There are more than 50 here and a cocktail for each. Having seen the patterned world of Yayoi Kusama (see below). I loved Kelly Shami's illustration of Kusama wearing a polka dot top and carrying pumpkin cocktails. I knew about the dots and patterns but not about pumpkins, which are also common motifs in her world. Cindy Sherman recently had an exhibit The Vancouver Art Gallery and I did my best to be part of that (see below). I adore the idea of transformation- as Croll says, Sherman, "transforms herself into clowns, movie stars, socialites and misfits-and proves that identity is easily manipulated." (Pg. 108)  The recipe for The Cindy Sherman, includes Butterfly Pea Flowers which change the colour of the drink to purple. Shami's illustration shows Sherman, surrounded by a purple drink with limes and, she is wearing purple lipstick.

Performance Artist, Yoko Ono will have an exhibit The Vancouver Art Gallery, this October, 2021 through May 2022 and I am sure this will be a special event, hopefully with signature cocktails. Hers is "inspired by Grapefruit, the influential artist's 1964 book, which is full of performance pieces called "event scores" for readers to enact." (Pg. 24) Yoko, with her signature long, black hair, is enveloped by her apricot brandy cocktail with grapefruits spirals, swirling around her.

I knew about Artist Banksy, but Jennifer Croll helps you to create your own Art (or at least a good copy) by making a stencil for the surface of the Banksy Cocktail that she says, "disappears as you drink it". 

Jennifer Croll's research, writing and imaginative cocktail recipes provide a unique and foolproof way   to host your next bash, especially for those in book clubs, or to take as a gift to those who host you!

Let's toast Art Boozel by Jennifer Croll!  Raise a glass, (the right vessel, please) to Kelly Shami for her delightful illustrations!

Via Instagram 

Jennifer Croll's latest book: Art Boozel

Illustrations by Kelly Shami

The patterned world of Yayoi Kusama 

At a recent exhibit of Cindy Sherman at The Vancouver Art Gallery

Five Ways to Disappear: New title, 6th in the B.C. Blues Crime Series by R. M. Greenaway

Written by Colleen Tsoukalas

The sixth book in this series by R.M. Greenaway is one that may make you disappear for awhile as you read the first five: Cold Girl, Undertow, Creep, Flights and Falls, and River of Lies. These local crime investigations, based in North Vancouver, feature the dark forests, stormy weather, and the criminal possibilities that shadow even a collection of whirly gigs along a neighbor's fence, and a kids' carnival. The 'uh oh, what if' feeling is what draws me to reconnect with RCMP Constables, JD Temple, Cal Dion and Dave Leith. Both Temple and Leith know something about the murder in Dion's past, one that is giving him recurring nightmares, now. Will it be friendship over career for Temple and Leith? And how about for Dion, the guy who gets himself into many do or die situations while managing to survive, leather jacket and ongoing bouts with conscience intact. He is a great tortured but kind hero, fixing and returning necklaces, repairing hot water tanks and vacuum cleaners and teaching survival cooking to that beautiful gal who needs to learn to survive without servants. 

Disappearing, in this story, takes on many shapes and forms. Make yourself a new identity and rent a place, in a far away neighborhood, retreat from society by building a cabin and becoming a hermit, lose your cellphone so your kids or your parents can't track you, be a terrible artist and be killed for it, become a clown and get murdered, become a murder victim and someone else takes your identity, and then there is the tiniest possibility that as should you decide to take a new upwardly mobile job, (Leith) find a different direction or love interest (JD) or confess and face jail,(Dion) that this dynamic team might be dissolved and disappear. Possibilities are endless. Most disappearances are solved, though; people reappear unless they are dead, and then the race is on to see who was the killer and all of the crime details.

All of the characters, good and bad, are complex humans. All of the motives for murder are there. All of the possibilities for choosing another direction, another partner, another way forward are there, too. There is cruelty and kindness, strength and weakness, relationship and alienation. There are death scenes: "He watched the salesman twitch and claw and turn purple." "The red spray was fast and startling." A surprise in each chapter beginning with the first fast murder in Whirlwind to the final one in Day's End, "Just say I did it." And will Dion tell? This sentence leads me to believe that there might be more to this story and for this great Canadian team. "The world was coming to an end, and it was just beginning and how could that be?"

Thanks R.M. Greenaway for a brilliant read during dark times.

Dundurn Press, BC Blues, 2021

Purchase via Amazon

This picture is taken looking at North Vancouver, where this book is set

Who is Armand Gamache and What Would He Wear?

Written by Colleen Tsoukalas

In her 16th novel, All The Devils Are Here, Canadian Order of Canada Writer, Louise Penny, moves Chief Inspector, and former head of the Surete du Quebec, Armand Gamache, from his home in the small village of Three Pines, to Paris. And isn't Paris, city of light, just the place we need right now? I can't think of Paris without thinking of Fashion, and I wondered if Gamache's style would work there, and how it might be found in men's clothing ads promoted today. We can always visualize the gardens, the cafes, the Eiffel Tower, symbols of Paris life. Similarly, when we meet a strong, evolving character like Gamache, especially over 16 novels, (17th coming August 2021) we might visualize him and look for him, closer to home.

Gamache is steady and strong. We know justice will be served. We know friendships will be deep and long lasting. We know family will be at the heart of each story. The fireplace will be warm and the food delicious. And to protect all of this, to ensure that all are safe, is Chief Inspector Gamache. Cambridge educated, he is bilingual and was raised with a knowledge of History and Art, via his billionaire Godfather and Industrialist, Stephen Horowitz, a lifelong mentor/father-figure/friend/life shaper, key especially when Gamache, at age 9, loses his parents. Stephen introduces and reinforces the importance of choices: the cruel or the kind, the unfairness or the wonderful, impatience or patience, choices and focus. "Your life will be decided by that choice." The decisions he makes are reflected in the lines on his face, and a deep scar but also laugh lines. He can see both sides: the dark and the light. He is reflective, decisive and confident, unafraid to say, " I don't know". and "I need help" and you know he will always learn and that because of his great leadership abilities, others will follow and help solve the problems.

Armand Gamache is a warrior, searching out the devils, despite not always knowing who or where they are. He is 6' with a sturdy build, hair, once dark, and now greying. In his late fifties, he wears reading glasses, and as you would expect, is up on the latest technology and has endless energy. Here is a hotel manager's impression of Gamache: "Middle-aged. Distinguished. In a good suit, tie. Shoes polished. Well groomed. He, too, looked like he belonged here." Other cues to his appearance: "Good cut to his clothes", "Good coat, classic cut, crisp white shirt, well tailored jacket beneath his overcoat". This is a man, who takes pride in his appearance, dresses the part, and even when travelling to Paris to await the birth of his fourth grandchild and to visit with family, including Stephen, would bring the clothes that would take him to the best hotels and restaurants as well as to board meetings with wealthy financiers, bankers, politicians and yes, devils. Oh and did I mention that he wears Sandalwood cologne and is acutely aware of different colognes and perfumes, especially at a crime scene?

I think, navy or black, wool, classic cut for suit and overcoat, with lots of room for extra pockets and a gun, handmade shirts, cotton handkerchiefs, a couple of handmade silk ties, maybe dark blue, leather shoes, a warm wool scarf, functional more than decorative. I asked my friend Myriam Laroche, who knows Fashion and is Montreal based, for some Canadian Menswear Makers. Here are two: Arthur Montreal Bespoke and Made to Measure Suits ArthurMontreal.com and Giovanni Clothes - Hand Tailored Fashion For men Giovanniclothes.com both, of which, have lots that would look great on Gamache. Some other Canadian options for ready made suits are Indochino, Harry Rosen, a Canadian company featuring a variety of International brands, and Simons. When a character is great, like this one, he comes to life. I would think that careful research, a few well timed fittings (probably between work adventures) and patience, patience, patience, would be strategies in the pursuit of a suit. 

To know more about Louise Penny and her 16th Gamache novel, ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE, 2020, have a look at her interview with Hillary Clinton here.

Via Amazon

Arthur Montreal

Arthur Montreal

Indochino

Harry Rosen

Simons

Simons

Simons

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel: Brief Escapes and Glad to Be Home Again

Written by Treasure Seeker Colleen

My days during COVID 19, seem to revolve around escape; I escaped to events like Art Vancouver, Art Downtown, and Vancouver Mural Fest, this summer, and now. As I visit a friend in South Granville, I walk to Granville Island to the new bookstore, Upstart & Crow, where I bought two books. whose titles: "The Midnight Library" and "The Glass Hotel" are places I have enjoyed escaping into. Imagine visiting a library where you could choose books that take you to lives you might have lived. And, if I were visiting the remote, rainy dark forests of Vancouver Island, especially around Port Hardy, I would be very intrigued by a sparkling Glass Hotel, accessible by boat only, and a destination for the rich. I know you are going to ask me where Fashion comes into my reading. I always imagine what the characters look like and what they are wearing. Because Vancouver Fashion Week has provided so many opportunities to see the work of local and international Designers, I remember the sets and runway shows and imagine how these might bring a book to a stage or movie. Having been so fortunate to bring Student Designers/Illustrators to Vancouver Fashion Week, keeps me thinking about new fashion perspectives for now and for the future. Here are Student Illustrators at VFW, not so long ago here.

Matt Haig, an award winning British author, introduces Nora Seed, who has great potential but has realized none of it and now, contemplating the end to a life of regret and unfulfilling routines, has a chance to look at how paths she now regrets not taking, might not have worked out as perfectly as she imagined. Although she wants her guide, a librarian from her high school days, to help her choose the book of her best life, she has to make the choice to make the life she really wants. For me, this was a longer read, one that took the same kind of persistence that watching the movie "Groundhog Day", took. I can easily envision Fashion Program students at any one of our wonderful fashion schools, taking on illustrations and outfits for each of Nora's incarnations: Olympic Swimmer, lead singer in a rock band, and many other ideal lives, none of which are her ideal until she chooses her own way to live her best life. I can imagine how they would bring fresh ideas to dressing the librarian, too, being mindful of stereotyping the job of librarian and her age. Our iconic Vancouver Public Library main branch would be the perfect setting for magic and transformation. I think Carolyn Bruce could easily design some symbolic book jackets and book marks and her steampunk/skull jewelry, especially brooches, and necklaces might enhance the magic and mystery of the characters and the setting. Here is Carolyn Bruce's staging and jewelry on stage.  Matt Haig's writing takes readers to new places.  So the subtitle on the cover page: One library. Infinite Lives, sums this one up, nicely. In 2020, there is a way out. More at www.matthaig.com

Emily St. John is Canadian and her latest, The Glass Hotel, is situated on Vancouver Island, and also in Toronto,  and NYC, although the lead character, a wealthy New York Investment Businessman and hotel owner, Jonathan Alkaitis, works and has multiple residences all over the world. He is a confident, charmer, who offers Vincent, a beautiful bartender, a chance to join him in a life free of ever worrying about money, again. But there are hints of trouble from the beginning. Vincent, whose favourite quote, etched by her into a window of her high school, is: "Sweep me up!" And she is swept into Jonathan's Gatsby like world, where he never takes responsibility for the financial destruction of everyone's lives. A second quote, sketched by her older brother, another lost soul,  on the lobby window of the hotel, "Why don't you swallow broken glass", is intended for Jonathan, but of course, he doesn't see it and avoids the threat. As St. John describes: "He carried himself with the tedious confidence of all people with money, that breezy assumption that no serious harm could come to him." So this is a story of being vulnerable, for many reasons: death of a parent, divorce, abandonment, poverty, to list a few reasons, and consequently being swept up and into addiction, ambition, greed, irresponsibility, and poor choices. One story becomes many lives that go well for a while and then end in catastrophe. And not only that, but there are ghosts and the dead are always there. They appear on the dance floor, on a ship, in a jail cell, a dreadful reminder of bad deeds done. In the end, the hotel is still there, empty except for the caretaker who will never trust another human again, and just wants to look after the glass hotel. This is another complex read, one that made me ask if there was any hope for any of the characters.  However, there is retribution and that counts for something. Great writing and I would visit that hotel; imagine a glass and cedar monument to brighten, "...the forest outside (that) seemed mostly dark, the shadows dense and freighted with menace." We have so many special, local Designers who could easily dress and stage a show of "The Glass Hotel". As I was reading, I thought of Shelley Klassen and her store, Blushing Boutique, as a setting for Vincent's shopping on 5th Avenue, NYC. Giovanna Ricci's elegant designs would be great for Vincent's work at the exclusive hotel, and for her daily shopping expeditions with other rich friends, and Sam Stringer's evening dresses, maybe some green/blue translucent fabrics for that sea (swept away) connection or gold, for the story of money. For the ghosts, well, Evan Clayton could certainly create vivid, dynamic designs and sets that would compel one to look and remember and be afraid, be very afraid. After all, ghosts do haunt for a reason. 

Two award winners and days of escape from here to there! A reminder that Fashion is the vision that brings story to life.

Book Review: Notes On A Missing G-String by Local Author, Winona Kent

Written by Treasure Seeker Colleen

One of the greatest things about the Noir Crime Writers' Read and Share Event is that you go to the Shebeen Whiskey House, snug in the back of the Irish Heather in Gastown, and hear local crime writers read from their latest. You can meet them, buy a book, get it signed, drink Whiskey or a Caesar and have a delicious dinner or snack. The brick wall and metal staircase in the lane, make for great photo ops, fedoras (or not). Last time, I took friend and writer, Marilyn R. Wilson (Life Outside the Box, The Wisdom of Listening, Blog Olio by Marilyn) to chat with other writers about these and future plots and projects. I sat next to Winona Kent and drawn to the bright orange cover of her latest, "Notes On A Missing G-String", I decided to open it, up and find out how notes became notes about mystery, music and pole dancing. Published in 2019 by Blue Devil Books. this is her 8th novel and she has written a novella and many short stories and articles, as well.

This is the second novel featuring musician and amateur sleuth, Jason Davey. I like him because he is British, plays a Fender Guitar, (actually super hero like: multi-instrumentalist, song arranger and writer) speaks French and has an ear for accents and languages, knows his teas, cooks and eats (does smoke but may quit) has a good heart, is loyal, knows fashion and looks the part, endures a lot of physical punishment but recovers quickly, (a case of the flu might not put him out of action) likes and is liked, (except by the bad ones) has a son in university and an older daughter, Jennifer, who has recently appeared and introduced herself. She, too, is a creative: a photographer and an adventurer. There are women in his life: his ex and the mother of the daughter he has just met, his current partner, Katie, Gracie, the 14 year old daughter of a band mate, a girl who has disappeared and must be found. Then there are the pole dancers and 'entertainers' who are attracted to his good looks and potential to solve problems with crime bosses, kidnappers, murderers ….

This novel has many storylines and the crimes are imaginative and seemingly unsolvable. But Jason, with his likeable combination of methodical note-taking, common sense, athletic abilities, solid partners, family, friends and helpful connections, (I like the Greek Lawyer) manages even without a cape, to fire walk (literally) through multiple challenges and as dastardly Braskey says: "...to engineer a clever distraction."

28 Chapters, intricate plotting, fast moving, music history (60's), human yet super human hero, food, fashion and fun, what else is needed? I hope to see more of Jason Davey. Would love to see a super female partner, so more from his partner or daughter? Very British in the many word plays, Soho District descriptions, and food. Yes, food. Never fun to be in a place or read about one where it rains all the time or where everyone only drinks coffee and smokes. Sustenance, eye candy, accents, intrigue, music, photography and even jewellery. All here, and a great read, especially during a very isolated time.

Thanks, Winona Kent.

Books In My View During Covid 19 or Reading and Looking Out

Written by Treasure Seeker Colleen

As many of you know, I am often out and about in Vancouver; whether it be attending fashion shows, working at My Sister's Closet, or visiting the fabulous Vancouver Public Library and their marvellous events. There is always something to do in Vancouver! 

Since we have been in lockdown, I have been using my newfound spare time to reflect on many of the events I have attending over the past ten years. I will be writing an upcoming post on all of the wonderful Canadian designers we have seen, supported, and worn! More to come on that soon!

I have also been reading up a storm. Since the Vancouver lockdown started approximately three weeks ago, I have read two Canadians, two Americans and a Brit. A cookbook, a mystery, a series of interviews, a fashion autobiography and a book of poetry. Reading and going out are my absolute favourites, however, now, I read, look outside and continue to practise my photography. If I can't be there, I will darned well imagine that I am! Here are some titles I've enjoyed on the never ending journey. What have you been reading? Leave your book suggestions in the comments. I would love to hear them!

IN A PINCH (Effortless Cooking for Today's Gourmet) 2010, is by born and raised in Vancouver, Chef and owner of the Gourmet Warehouse, Caren McSherry. I love her very first sentence: "Different lifestyles make it hard for me to suggest what you should have in your pantry." Tells me right away that what she is going to recommend will be things I might have. Sure enough, her list is doable: Balsamic Vinegar, Beans, Black pepper, butter (yes!) Chili paste and chili sauce, Chocolate, Figs, Grapeseed oil, preserved lemon, rubs, salt, Smoked Spanish paprika (might buy some) and Vanilla. There are varieties and adds to that, if you like, but otherwise you can do a lot with these. If you want to get fancier, she lists 10 (only 10) must haves: Amaretti cookies, Risotto, Capers, Chicken stock base, Dion mustard, Fleur de sel(might buy) jarred lemon curd, Moroccan spice rub, Olive Oil and Panko. So, while we know many of these, it is her skillfully delicious Appetizers, Soups & Salads, Main Courses, Sides, Sauces & Marinades, and finally, Desserts, that make this a great resource! Quick and easy food, beautiful photographs and a list of where to find the ingredients you don't already have, bring the Gourmet to your kitchen.

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RIVER OF LIES, 2020, the 5th in the BC Blues Series is by R.M. Greenaway and is her latest, set in North Vancouver, B.C. Read any of these and you will want to follow the complicated lives of her detectives and the solved or unsolved crimes. More details here.

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JULIA CHILD THE LAST INTERVIEW (And Other Conversations) with an introduction by Helen Rosner, is a series of interviews with Julia, from 1964 to 2004. Through, these, you learn about Julia's life and many accomplishments. In spite of her great success as an Author, TV Cooking Program Host, Fundraiser, Trail Blazer, and more, she remained down to earth, passionate about good food and friends and teaching. In her words, "I'm Not a Chef, I'm a Teacher!" This collection, a small book of interviews, was published in 2019 and since I always want to hear more about her, I had to read it.

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FASHION CLIMBING, A Memoir with Photographs, by New York Times Photographer, Hat Designer and beloved blue jacketed 'eye on the street', Bill Cunningham, was published in 2018. The book jacket is grey with one of his own illustrations, that calls to those who love elegant clothing and piles of fabulous hats. The actual book cover is blue, like the French blue workers jackets he was easily identified by as he snapped all that gorgeous wearable Art on the streets and at the shows and events. This book was widely reviewed and is a true example of his enduring creative vision and the choices he made to sustain it. The movie, Bill Cunningham, New York shows him at work, but the book tells the real story. Bill Cunningham inspired this post. 

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YOU TOOK THE LAST BUS HOME by Brit, Brian Bilston. Published in 2017, this is a book of quick, funny, serious, visual, rhyming and not, poetry. The idea of the bus and the road on the cover appealed to me since I often think of titles and first lines when I am on the bus, looking out. One of my favourites is "Why I Have Never Read War and Peace Ten Excuses". Many of my students, assigned this one for an essay, due tomorrow, wanted to know if I had read it, and if so, how I had carried it since it was so big and heavy. ha ha Here is a verse I love: "I think I left it on the bus, Or perhaps my dog ate it, although it may have been the cat, (she thinks Tolstoy's overrated)."

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RIVER of LIES, Number 5 in the B.C. BLUES CRIME Series by R. M. Greenaway

Written by Colleen Tsoukalas

From Nelson, B.C., Rachel Greenaway situates her RCMP Crime team in North Vancouver, a rainy West Coast city, surrounded by dark, dense forests and featuring, this time, the scenic Seymour River, calm and  and inviting on a hot day, but potentially deadly for some standing on the cliffs, garnering up the courage to jump, or being pushed or falling into those deep, rocky pools. There is this river, life enhancing or life threatening and then the 'river' of lies that start with half truths and spread quickly and widely, affecting individuals: a baby, kids, parents, step parents, brothers, sisters, teachers, a counsellor, a janitor, a girlfriend, a cop and the crime team. There is murder, kidnapping, suspect Valentine's cards and letters, over the knee suede boots, flashy bracelets, toy stuffies, stolen booze, pristine riverside mansions, hidden cabins, graves, black Cadillacs and relationships, always those complex, humans again. Sergeant Mike Bosco, calm, in charge and team building, yet continuing to search for evidence that Constable Cal Dion, is guilty of murder, and asking that Dion's partner, David Leith, not only work with Dion to solve other murders and find a missing child, but also use that partnership to confirm or deny that Dion has a criminal history. There are the romantic relationships, ones that are "sturdy trellises" versus others that are more tenuous. There is the increasingly developing role of the strong female lead: Constable J.D. Temple, too, struggling with team dynamics on her own terms. The novel ends in death, the death of cop, Ken Poole. J.D. is looking at the scene and thinking about the evidence. Did Ken know anything about the rumored murder of which Dion is suspected? If he has been silenced, then is Poole's death, suicide or murder? The final line, "Open and shut, it seemed. Maybe." leads nicely into more for book six, in the B.C. BLUES CRIME series. Great writing makes you think and feel. I feel that I really miss this dynamic group, now that I have finished the book. I look forward to meeting them, again, like old friends. I think that although we hear a lot about crime, that it is very difficult to write about how and why they might be committed, and about those who commit them and those who, in R.M. Greenaway's books, solve them, or most of them.....

 Greenaway, R.M.

 Dundurn, Toronto

 2020

Photo source

Photo of the Seymour River in its quietest space by Luke the Photographer

Annalee Newitz Reads Autonomous At Massy Books, Vancouver

Photos and writing by Colleen Tsoukalas

American Journalist, Annalee Newitz recently wore her fabulous silk tie, featuring a Greenland Shark and saluting Marine Biology, to Massy Books, for her reading of favourite passages from her 2017 Sci-Fi, "Autonomous". A quote from Neal Stephenson tells it all: "Autonomous is to biotech and AI what Neuromancer was to the internet." Set mainly in Canada, 125 years in the future, there is a Bot neighborhood at Aberdeen Mall, Richmond and other local and regional references. The lead, a woman, Judith Chen, known as Jack, is Chinese, a trained synthetic biologist, and, among other pursuits, a pharma pirate, who copies and makes life saving but hugely expensive drugs available to the poor. I like that she is female, strong, and very, very strategic. I am also finding, Paladin, a bot, who thinks and feels, fascinating. Only at the beginning of the book, I can tell you that this is a multilayered, deep one about AI, drugs, good and bad, economics - rich and poor, slavery - being indentured, the environment, adventure, survival, and the race for ownership and control of resources. A must read to learn more about the outcomes, for sure!

After reading, Annalee answered questions from an enthusiastic audience: Will there be a sequel? What else are you working on, How do you find your voice, What is your hope for the impact of this story? Listening carefully and thanking each person for their interest, she was eloquent in her responses and hopeful about the future. A recipient of a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship from MIT, and a prolific writer of non-fiction and now, Science Fiction, Annalee Newitz is a powerful voice who will continue to read to audiences who will be immensely impressed, as we were.

Patricia Massy and her Book Store, Massy Books is moving locations, soon. From Main, she is moving to 229 E. Georgia, where she will continue to provide a great collection and fabulous book talks and other events so much needed in Vancouver!

Thanks to Patricia and to Annalee for the opportunity to meet, greet and be read to!