Leanne Dyck's blog: October 2022

photo by ldyck

October on this Blog...

and...

It's literary awards season and we're celebrating on this blog. I'm devoting the entire month to reviewing books and here's the last review...

Sunday, October 31

The Dollhouse: a ghost story by Charis Cotter

Is anyone in the mood for a scary story?

Frog Legs

A woman and her dog traveled to a foreign land. Over mountains, through desserts, they walked. When they finally arrived the woman

Book Review: Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin, published by Atria

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead is a philosophical study of death in fiction with light touches of humour and suspense.

Buy This Book

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead

Emily Austin

Atria

an imprint of Simon & Schuster

2021

243 pages

27-year-old Gilda is obsessed with dark thoughts as a result she can barely get out of bed, barely keep a job. In fact, as the story begins Gilda has just lost her job in a bookstore. It's not like she hasn't tried some way to escape these dark thoughts. The nurses, doctors, and janitors in the hospital's emergency unit know her by name. She keeps going back; they keep trying to help, but nothing works. Gilda is desperate. So desperate, in fact, that when a nun hands her a pamphlet advertising therapy Gilda follows this lead and winds up at St. Rigobert's Catholic Church. Father Jeff misunderstands the reason for her visit and hires her as the new secretary. What happened to the old secretary? That's a mystery Gilda is driven to solve and for a time her new job gives her a new lease on life until...

If I knew the wild ride this book was offering I may not have bought it, but Anne Logan's recommendation on I've Read This convinced me to give the book a try. And from page one the compelling writing reeled me in. In the end, I'm glad I joined Gilda on her introspective journey because I found this book about death surprisingly uplifting.

photo by b dyck

photo by ldyck

October on this Blog...

and...

City of Victoria Butler Book Prize

and...

and...

It's literary awards season and we're celebrating on this blog. I'm devoting the entire month to reviewing books...

Sunday, October 24

Book Review: Hannah and Ariela (novel) by Johnnie Bernhard

Sunday, October 31

The Dollhouse: a ghost story by Charis Cotter

Sharing my author journey...

In order to grow as a writer, you have to be courageous enough to try

Mistakes (short story) by Leanne Dyck

This short story was inspired by my career as an Early Childhood Educator--inspired by it but not about it. I've made mistakes--many, too many--thankfully this wasn't one of them.

photo by ldyck

I'd started working at the daycare only a few weeks before so I was still getting to know everyone.

Tyler, one of the children in my care, rushed to the toilet but she didn't get there fast enough. She kept crying and saying, "I'm not a baby."

Tyler is an adorable little girl with an angelic face and big blue eyes. Seeing those big blue eyes full of tears tore at my heart. I would have done anything to ease her pain. All I could say was, "Everyone makes mistakes."

I dug through our collection of donated clothes and found a pair of pink sweatpants that fit. She dried her eyes and joined the other children at the craft table.

I bagged Tyler's soiled pants and hung them on the hook under her jacket.

Her mother usually picked her up from daycare. She often arrived with a gift for her daughter--a flower or a pebble or a... Little things that delighted Tyler. Gifts that revealed their special relationship. Small things that spoke loudly about a thoughtful mother.

That day we were told "Peter" would pick up Tyler.

I was helping one of the little boys put on his jacket to go outside to play when Peter came.

"You--?" Was all he said when he saw me.

We'd meet the night before at the pub. One thing had led to another and I'd invited him home.

"I work here." Said quickly to ensure him that I wasn't a mom. I smiled at how shy Peter was acting. I didn't think he was capable of shyness. And I smiled because I was excited to see him. Butterflies. The whole nine yards. Doubly so now that I knew he must be Tyler's uncle.

He pulled Tyler's jacket off the hook and knocked the bag containing her soiled pants to the floor. "What's that?" He picked up the bag. "It stinks!"

"Tyler had an accident but--."

"And you didn't wash her pants?"

"The daycare doesn't wash clothing."

"Where's Tyler?"

"She's finishing her snack. Please don't--. I mean she feels really bad about her accident so I told her, Everyone makes--."

Tyler came running down the hall and threw her arms around his leg. "Daddy."

"Mistakes." But I wouldn't make that mistake again.

photo by ldyck

Nails by GG on Mayne Island

photo by ldyck

October on this Blog...

and...

City of Victoria Butler Book Prize

and...

and...

It's literary awards season and we're celebrating on this blog. I'm devoting the entire month to reviewing books...

Sunday, October 16

Book Review: Everyone in this room will someday be dead (novel) by Emily Austin

Sunday, October 24

Book Review: Hannah and Ariela (novel) by Johnnie Bernhard

Sunday, October 31

The Dollhouse: a ghost story by Charis Cotter

What happened to and on Sunday, October 9? Well, you know I couldn't go an entire month without sharing a short story. And so...

Sharing my author journey...

Congratulations to us. On October 10 this blog will be twelve-years-old.

You watched over it as it found its' feet and started to walk. Now that's running it needs you

Book Review: Those Precious Days by Ann Patchett, published by Harper

Those Precious Days is a collection of 22 essays--24 if you count the essays Ann Patchett wrote for the Introduction and Epilogue. She wrote about what she needs, whom she loves, what she can let go of, and how much energy it takes to let go. But it's what she writes about writing that intrigued me the most.

For example...

'When I'm putting together a novel, I leave all the doors and window open so the characters can come in and just as easily leave.' (p. 238)

Some points she made I agreed with...

'I've found that when some thought wakes me, writing it down is my best hope of going back to sleep.' (p. 187)

Some I didn't...

'writing must be separate from editing and if you try to do both things at the same time, nothing will get done.' (p. 63)

I've always combined editing with writing.

Those Precious Days

Ann Patchett

Harper

an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

2021

320 pages

Reading These Precious Days was like chatting with an old friend.

I'd like to thank Anne Logan of I've Read This: Book Reviews for Bookworms for recommending this book.

I've also reviewed State of Wonder by Ann Patchett.

photo by ldyck

October on this Blog...

and...