Bernice Morgan’s historical novel about settlers in 19th century Newfoundland was the highlight of my recent reads. Originally published in Canada as Random Passage but subsequently in the US as Cape Random, it caused me a bit of confusion as I ended up placing holds on both versions at the library, incorrectly thinking that the latter was the sequel (which is in fact called Waiting for Time). Then life got busy, and it wasn’t until I was at the end of my lending period (including the two renewals) that I got a chance to pick it up. And was immediately hooked. But I wasn’t able to read quickly enough and had to return it to the library unfinished (it never occurred to me to just keep it for another day or two and incur the fine), place it back on hold, and wait several days for another copy to arrive. By then I was just two days away from leaving to actually travel to Newfoundland, and read feverishly that last day, wanting to finish the book before we left.

It’s one that’s very evocative of Newfoundland, its stark beauty and the toll it takes upon those who call it home. Without being sentimental, Morgan tells the story of a ragtag group of settlers in a remote fishing outport, the secrets they harbor and how their lives intersect with one another. I loved not only the story itself, but how she told it. I’d recommend this book to those interested in Newfoundland history or anyone who enjoys good historical fiction.

The book was adapted into a miniseries in the early 2000s, but from what I can tell, it seems to either take extreme liberties or incorporates the sequel – not having read that or seen the miniseries, I can’t say. Not one to pass up a tourism opportunity, the location where it was filmed has been kept intact, so visitors can see replicas of the characters’ homes, attend a concert featuring local musicians, or enjoy some traditional Newfoundland fare. It wasn’t enough of a draw to make me want to drive the 3+ hours to get there from where we were situated on the Avalon peninsula, but then I have seen my share of fish flakes and my aunt makes the best fish cakes and partridgeberry pudding you can find.

In other reads:

Making Rounds with Oscar was a selection for my church book club earlier this summer. Dr. David Dosa’s book about one of the cats who resides at the assisted living facility where he works was poignant and relatively unsentimental. Rather than focusing on Oscar, the book really addresses how the patients and their families dealt with dementia and death, and how Oscar’s presence – and his apparent ability to know when a person was about to die – affected both them and the facility staff, Dosa included. It’s a rather slim volume to deal with such a heavy topic, and the brevity perhaps contributed to my lack of personal investment in these people’s stories. Good but not great.

David Baldacci’s historical novel Wish You Well was a library book club selection earlier this summer, and the first book I’ve read by this author. And honestly, it will probably be my last. Set in the Appalachian region of Virginia in the 1940s, it had the premise for being a great novel, and for many, it is. Baldacci is one of our library’s most popular authors and his books are consistently bestsellers. But I found the story overwrought and melodramatic. It would probably make for a great Hallmark Channel movie, but rather than warming my heart, it left me cold.

I purchased Roland Merullo’s novel Breakfast with Buddha a year or so ago when it caught my eye and my interest at a bookstore, but it never made it onto the actual reading pile until it was chosen as the August selection for my church book club. Otto is a middle-aged publisher, comfortable in his life, when he embarks on an unplanned cross-country road trip with a spiritual guru. Lessons are learned, experiences are had, and minds are opened – and not just on Otto’s side of the car. It’s a good story that will make you think about your own life – and about what’s muddying up your water.

The August selection for my library book club was the debut novel by Southern author Susan Rebecca White, called Bound South. It was suggested by one of the book club members who’d read a positive review of the book in one of the local papers. This is not a book I would have read if it wasn’t for book club, as the ’sassy Southern woman’ character type isn’t one that typically appeals to me. But reading outside of our comfort zone is one of the greatest reasons for participating in a book club, right? Set in an upscale part of Atlanta, this book fits as many references to the South and the city as it possibly can, but yet it still felt as though with those removed (or replaced with those from another region), the book could have taken place anywhere. This is one of the few books that garnered a unanimous reaction from the group – unfortunately, it was a negative one.

And finally, there was John Gimlette’s book about his travels throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, called Theatre of Fish. This was another book that I’ve had on my shelf since I purchased it last year, although I did pull it off and attempt to read it a couple of times, I never made it past the introduction. In light of my planned trip home, the fact that it was a book about Newfoundland and that the cover blurb from the New York Times called it “laugh-out-loud funny” made me put it back on the reading pile once more. I was busier than I expected in the days before we left for our trip, so it wasn’t until we were sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting for our flight that I began to read it. And because our trip was so jam-packed with family and experiences, it wasn’t until the flight back that I finished it. Some of that had to do with the book itself though, as I’m sure if I found it rivetting, I would have found time to read it, even if it was a few minutes each night. But rather than a humorous look at modern day Newfoundland, the book is a somber account of its history, with some references to its impact on contemporary life thrown in. It’s not a book for the wannabe tourist, that’s for certain. I did enjoy reading more about the history of the province, particularly those areas I’m not overly familiar with, but overall I found it rather bloodless and depressing.