Ryan

Absolutely delightful memoir from one of figure skating's greatest legends - at times touching, hilarious and dramatic. Much has been said to criticize Toller's books, but if you take them for what they are - memoirs - and appreciate his wonderful wit and storytelling, you're in for a fabulous read.

Toller never minced words and his assessments of many of figure skating's greatest stars are an entertaining read. His wit is ever present in this book and although I didn't agree 100% with all his takes on certain skaters, I did share many. The chapter on Laurent Tobel, in particular, was beautifully written.

This book promises a lot with its title, which makes the content quite a bit of a let down. The opening chapters on The Development of Skating and Skating and the Arts, though bringing nothing new to table, were at least promising, then you just get watered-down explanations of skating elements, judging, etc. that are designed for the layman before the book moves on to other ice sports. The concept is great, but the execution is disappointing.

A lot has been said about this book and the motivations behind it. I write about figure skating history and if there's one thing I've learned, it is that people and situations are nuanced and that the truth about just about anything doesn't always fit an all good/all bad narrative. Sonja was a brilliant skater and business person, but she also had her flaws. Over the years, over half a dozen of her contemporaries were very vocal about their contempt for her. She also developed friendships with several of her other competitors, which is something that is rarely (if at all) talked about. If you dive into this book accepting that it's written from a sensational perspective to sell copies, you'll probably quite enjoy it. If you have it in your head Sonja that was all good or all bad, you probably won't.

An underrated gem! Most coffee table books on figure skating that have been put out over the last 20 years have gone in one direction, and this one veered out into another. The visuals are stunning and the many of the aspects of skating history Frances Dafoe touched on weren't the standard ‘skating book fare'. It's always interesting to me how certain skating books have taken off and others haven't had as much fanfare. This is the book should have had much, much more fanfare than it did. If it's not in your collection, track down a copy if you can. You will not be disappointed.

This book was published in England in 1985, a year after Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won Great Britain's first Olympic gold medal in ice dancing. Though mostly a book introducing the rudimentary basics of ice and roller dancing to beginners, there's a decent chapter on the history of ice dancing in England and some interesting appendices listing the inventors of some of roller and ice skating's more obscure dances, many of which never quite caught on. While there's little that is ground breaking in here, it is an interesting book in terms of the content.

I thought this was such a clever concept that was very well-executed. Inspired by a collection of stunning photographs by Clive Thompson, the author penned a wide-ranging collection of poetry and prose that varies in both topic and tone.

I thought the “Poems of Pandemic” were the stars of the book, “All-Inclusive” being particularly touching. The pandemic experiences described were ones we could all relate to - from grocery shortages to putting our lives on hold to loneliness.

“Winning Streak” was also a standout and I loved the wordplay in “Cold Comfort” - “freezing our stamens off”, etc. The author's range and style was apparent from the very beginning of the book.

I think the appeal of a book like this is that you can either enjoy it by section or just enjoy each piece on its own. Definitely a coffee-table style book that I think anyone would enjoy adding to their library.

One of the things I would praise most about this book is the pace. You are drawn in quickly by the very first chapter and after that, the story flows quickly. The protagonist, Aisling/Clionaisling, wastes no time trying to come to the bottom of why the fairy lights in her Edwardian era home seem to have taken on a life of their own. She quickly concludes something supernatural is afoot and is doggedly determined to make sense of the hauntings in her home.

The idea of a haunted Edwardian home was what drew me to this particular book. The author did a commendable job of incorporating elements of the paranormal (mirror gazing, séances, etc.), spirituality and Celtic mythology into the story.

However, I do think it is worth pointing out to anyone who might be considering reading that the book really veers so quickly from a mystery to a fantasy. If you're going by the book's description and back matter and expecting a mystery with mythological elements, you should know that what this book really does fall much more into the fantasy/mythology genre.

That said, it is a testament of the author's excellent story telling skills that someone who wasn't a huge fan of the fantasy genre still rooted for the protagonist enough to see her journey through.

Make no mistake - I do think this is definitely a book that would have a lot of appeal to lovers of the fantasy genre. The author's ability to bring new worlds to life and make characters leap from the pages is a special gift.

The key on the cover of Shobeir Shobeyri's debut book “Unlock Happiness By Mastering The Self” intrigued me to find out what treasures could be unlocked inside.

The book is an abstract stream of consciousness/manifesto of sorts about society's quest for happiness.

The author contemplates on religion, Gnostic principles like the belief we are on earth to experience both the good and bad in life and philosophical concepts such as ego and humanity. The author frequently draws on their own life experiences and perspectives to illustrate examples of their philosophical beliefs. I enjoyed reading some of the side stories like “The Story of The Waiter” and many of the author's notes provided some interesting food for thought.

While the author had some engaging ideas, they could benefit from considering that not all readers are coming from the same perspectives and life experiences as they are. The chapter “4th Principle of Humanity” chapter on sexism made generalizations about men and women and their ‘desires' that did not take into account the perspectives of women or LGBTQ+ readers. That particular chapter was quite uncomfortable to read at best.

Overall, I feel a three star review is warranted because I appreciate the author's enthusiasm and overall message of empowerment and bettering one's self. It is evident that the author is well-read and passionate about their beliefs. They put considerable effort into organizing and categorizing their philosophies into a book that will offer readers insight into a wide range of belief systems. A unique effort.

As a lover of history, I can't praise Libby Copa's new historical fiction book “A Low Diving Bird” enough.

Capturing the spirit of post-Civil War America is not an easy task, but the author managed to bring another era to life with a gritty finesse and verve.

The author has you in the palm of their hand in the very first sentences and their storytelling ability is first-class. They have a particular knack for the use of narrative, imagery and character development. Hester is a determined and very believable character, as is Marlow in his own way. Small details of daily life are seamlessly interspersed and treated with the same respect as the growing tension that builds chapter by chapter.

Whenever an author tackles a historical fiction book set during a period of War, the natural tendency is to write a good .vs. evil narrative. One area this book really excels is in its understanding of the murkiness of that divide during the era in which it is set... and the moral dilemnas that everyday people would have faced. As one might expect from any book with this setting, there is violence right from the get-go (page 2 in fact) so I would caution any reader uncomfortable with its inclusion of this.

There was one line from Royal in the final chapter that stood out to me - “This isn't a place I know how to be from.” It beautifully captured the sense of how difficult the adaptation from one way of life to another would be for the character and it was especially poignant.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. It is a marvellous effort and this is definitely an author that is going places!!

I thought this was really well-done! A balanced account of the judging scandal and goings-on at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, providing an in-depth, behind the scenes look at the stories of the top three teams in the pairs event. Given the current Jamie Salé situation, I don't think anyone can really approach this book the same way they did previously - but it is important history nonetheless and the author did their homework and crafted an outstanding narrative.

Leilanie Stewart's “The Redundancy of Tautology” is an eclectic and at times surprising small anthology of poetry based on the concept of existential dread, using everyday objects and situations as literary devices.

In the poem “Carefree”, the author contemplates debt while jazz plays and the wind ripples a curtain. In “Brown Envelope”, the upcoming journey of a piece of mail is pondered. Everything from depression and mental health to erosion and the food chain are explored.

The cleverly written pieces “A Knife in the Back” and “It's a Metaphor for Something Else” add a much needed edgy dose of humour and levity to this otherwise dark collection.

Not every poem is a ‘greatest hit', but there are certainly more pops than there are fizzles in this anthology. If you are looking for a book of poetry that is offbeat and unexpected, this is certainly one worth checking out in my humble opinion.

Cathy Lynn Brooks' book “Rose-Coloured Houses: An Inspirational, Multigenerational Saga Spanning the Twentieth Century” begins in the Toronto suburb of Rosedale during the height of World War II.

Peggy, the book's young protagonist, has a troubling and precarious existence. Her parents are cold towards her. Her stern and violent father regularly disappears for months at a time. When he is home, he is physically abusive. The family's financial situation also doesn't line up at all with the public image of a successful lawyer that her father portrays.

After the facade all comes crashing down and the surprising truth about Peggy's father is revealed, we follow Peggy and her siblings through the sagas of their own lives as the influences from the past shade the present. The trajectory of their stories is at times turbulent but Peggy does get the happy ending she deserves.

I thought this book was beautifully crafted. It was full of rich descriptions that brought the characters and their environments to life. The plot was fascinating and the delivery was A+.

An unfortunate long-standing trend in figure skating books is the belief that biographies also have to be how-to books. This autobiography of Sonja Henie is an interesting primary source - but a superficial and heavily edited one targeted to a general audience that knows little about the sport. We get a glimpse of Sonja's story, but we don't really get to know her as much as we could.