So Misguided

The Fourth Princess by Janie Chang | Book Review

September 23, 2026 / Monique

The Fourth Princess by Janie Chang is a Gothic novel set in 1911 Shanghai, where a crumbling mansion, family secrets, and a relentless ghost almost bring about the ruin of wealthy newlywed Caroline Stanton and her young secretary Lisan Liu. Notably both are orphans and have difficult relationships with their guardians.

Janie Chang is a master of historical fiction and her latest novel brings her distinctive Chinese perspective to the Gothic genre. The story follows two women living at Lennox Manor:

Caroline Stanton is a wealthy American whose husband Thomas has moved them to Shanghai so that he can follow a business venture with his Uncle Mason. Caroline soon discovered that Uncle Mason is heavily in debt, doesn’t own the home that he promised they would inherit, and likely doesn’t have money to invest in the railway venture he’s exploring with Thomas. Caroline discovers the secret and presses Thomas to reconsider, but Thomas is keen to invest her inheritance into the railway to cover Uncle Mason’s missing share.

Lisan Liu enters this already complicated household as Caroline’s new secretary. Upon her arrival, she learns from the servants that Lennox Manor is haunted. Mason’s son committed suicide and they believe his unsettled ghost haunts the home. Lisan discovers that the house is definitely not peaceful. Mason’s daughter-in-law disappeared around the time of the suicide and she appears in Lisan’s dreams, beckoning Lisan to come find her. Despite her restless nights, Lisan is a stalwart friend and efficient secretary to Caroline. Unfortunately Caroline is also holding secrets and they all come to a head and converge with Lisan’s own past.

Chang is so good at historical fiction and she certainly knows what she’s doing with Gothic conventions as well. Lennox Manor is the grand house with the ominous past and unexplained bumps and sounds in the night that drive the occupants a bit mad. There are money problems, marriages full of secrets, and a growing suspicion amongst all the characters.

The Fourth Princess is so enjoyable because of its familiar Gothic elements, yet unfamiliar cultural perspective and Shanghai setting. Chinese superstitions about the ghosts of suicides, the stylings of the house, the workings of the staff, the power of Lisan’s guardian and his family, all provide historical context to the broader political and social world of Shanghai in the early 1900s. There is the push-pull between Chinese and foreign residents, the class and family obligations of Lisan vs. the class and family obligations of Caroline, plus there is enough mystery to how Lisan and Caroline both became orphans and what that means for their futures that it’s a real page turner.

If you like Janie Chang’s historical novels, like The Porcelain Moon, or The Phoenix Crown, which she co-authored with Kate Quinn, then you’ll definitely enjoy this read.

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue | Book Review

September 21, 2026 / Monique

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue is good craic. This is a funny novel about 20-something friendships, bad romances, and the intensity of that time of life.

The novel is set primarily in Cork in 2009, at the height of Ireland’s financial crisis. It follows Rachel and James, two bookstore employees who become fast friends, roommates and co-conspirators in each other’s increasingly complicated love lives.

There’s even a reference to Will & Grace, which definitely describes the vibe here. James is gay, Rachel is straight, and they both have a crush on Dr. Fred Byrne, who happens to be Rachel’s Victorian lit professor. Turns out Fred is into the lads and he and James have a messy affair (Fred is married, Rachel works for his wife) — actually, it’s considerably messy in that Rachel suffers the harshest consequences.

The novel is narrated by an older version of Rachel, who is looking back on this period of life from a much more stable place. She’s married now, living in London and working as a journalist. She’s also heavily pregnant. The physical and emotional distance from that time of her life allows for some uncomfortable reflection and funny asides.

Overall this is a story about best friends and all the sacrifices you are willing to make for each other. It’s about the all-consuming feeling of your 20s and how time actually heals many wounds (or at least takes the sharp edges off).

If you liked The Blue Sisters, then this is novel has the familiar sibling camaraderie, the friendships, the misunderstandings, and the righting of the ship.

Cool Machine by Colsn Whitehead | Book Review

September 19, 2026 / Monique

Listen to Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead. You can read it, obviously. But I loved the audiobook for how it conveys the grit and grim of New York in the 1980s. This is Batman’s Gotham City, and Whitehead has written a stellar novel about mobsters, fences, heavies, crooked cops, under-the-table art deals, hustlers, and men who have spent decades convincing themselves the next job is the last job. You want the voices, the accents, the audio drama of this book.

Cool Machine is the third and final book in Whitehead’s Harlem Trilogy. The book is in 3 parts, the first opens with furniture salesman (and fence) Ray Carney. It’s 1981, Ray’s survived the financial crisis and is watching crooked real estate development, Wall Street money, and old-fashion corruption eating away at the city he loves. New York is dirty and dangerous, but there is money to be made, and Carney keeps his hand in the game, looking for one last heist.

The heist he gets pulled into is a scheme that might be something he can’t talk his way out of, but that’s part of the thrill.

The second section jumps to 1983 and focuses on Pepper, Carney’s longtime friend and “business” associate. Pepper deals with the bodies. He’s a heavy, but age is pulling him down. His body hurts, he likely has stomach cancer, he’s not had a job go right for awhile, but he comes back into the game as a favour to Elizabeth, Ray’s wife. Elizabeth is unaware of her husband and Pepper’s criminal work. She runs a successful travel agency and has a client who needs a bodyguard for an art deal. Turns out the deal is not above board and Pepper finds himself in an East Village club scene with a deal gone bad, a beat up client, and a lost/stolen briefcase of money. Pepper has to tap into all his reserves and against the odds manages to save his own skin, and the client’s.

The final section is set in 1986 and Carney and Pepper are forced out of retirement to protect Carney’s late cousin Freddie’s son Robert. Robert has been working as a driver for a man doing deals with the mob bosses. When Robert witnesses his murder, the murderer is keen to finish the job with no loose threads. Robert is a loose thread. Carney has to decide just how much he’s willing to risk to help Robert.

The three stories feel like they could stand alone but the through-thread is the city. Whitehead’s New York is filthy, corrupt, and in constant flux. But this is also story about Harlem, and ambition, class and race and money, and how those climbing the ladder gain or demand respect.

If you enjoyed Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad or The Nickel Boys, then this is similar yet different. The Harlem trilogy is funny, pulpy, and entertaining, a true thrill ride, while each also stands as a great American novel full of historical and racial observations that provide grit and depth.

A gem.

Land by Maggie O’Farrell | Book Review

September 8, 2026 / Monique

Land by Maggie O’Farrell is a devastatingly beautiful story about an Irish family struggling to survive in the 1800s. Tomás and his young son Liam are working for the British on their great Ordnance Survey, a project to map the whole of Ireland. It’s 1865, the Great Hunger has destroyed families, villages, and ways of life. Tomás is a skilled surveyor and mapmaker, and he’s keen to chart the losses and name changes in a way that honours the past. Liam is his reluctant chainboy.

Tomás calculations are accurate and his illustrations a work of beauty. But he’s seen as a labourer, a British superior puts his name on Tomás’s work and dismisses him until the next project starts.

What we learn through the novel is that Tomás is an orphan. His family died in the famine. He was sent to a workhouse and only escaped by demonstrating his skill in reading and writing. He’d love to pass on his passion for maps to Liam, but Liam is young, he has other interests, and he’s tired of standing in the wet and cold, holding the measurement chains for his father.

Everything gets much worse for Liam though when Tomás has an incident of madness after entering an enchanted copse and drinking from a fabled pool of water. Liam is afraid. He watches the village priest perform an exorcism, and Tomás is never the same. They return to their tenement in Dublin where Tomás stabilizes and is eventually forced back to work by his loving wife Phina who cannot support the family on sewing and laundry alone. She’s also pregnant with their fourth child Eugene, plus the third-born Rose is still small and underfoot.

Liam’s other sister Enda is a fire cracker. She is confident, self-assured, keen to help their father with his work, she’s educated, and a leader in her neighbourhood. All of that is uprooted when Tomás decides to sell everything and move the family to a small, run-down, rental cottage on the wild southwestern coast where he had his psychological breakdown. Nobody is happy about this. They all leave or runaway due to various circumstances.

Maggie O’Farrell is a master of emotionally driven narratives. There is so much sorrow, mixed with joy, in this story. She explores the pains of colonialism, land ownership, and the stripping and renaming of places and how memories haunt a place. It’s a story of ancient woodlands, lost treasure, Irish mythology, and the bonds that hold families, even when they are pulled apart.

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim | Book Review

August 14, 2026 / Monique

The Enchanted April is a charming book set in the 1920s about four women who decide to lease a medieval castle in San Salvatore, Italy. Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot are at their ladies club one dreary London day when they both spot an advertisement about an Italian castle for rent and the beautiful wisteria and sunshine to be had during the month of April.

Mrs. Wilkins is the wife of a solicitor and simply cannot be the good wife any longer. She is fed up. Mrs. Arbuthnot is the wife of an author, whose books would not be seen well in the eyes of God, and this bothers her very much. For different reasons, these two strangers agree to write to the owner to inquire about the cost.

The response is quite a bit more than they anticipated and although Mrs. Wilkins has been hiding a nest egg from her husband, and Mrs. Arbuthnot’s husband will willingly give her the money, the two decide that they should invite more women to join.

Four very different women, each desiring an escape from their lives, arrive to a delightful castle and are pleased to find the wisteria, as described, and the sunshine as promised. All of them, except for Mrs. Wilkins, who instigated the whole thing, are reticent to give into themselves. The elderly Mrs. Fisher wishes to remain a crusty old bat. The bewitchingly beautiful Lady Caroline wishes to hide herself from everyone. Mrs. Arbuthnot is determined not to accept how much she wants her husband’s affections. And dear Mrs. Wilkins, who desperately needed to escape her demanding husband, finds on day one that she must invite him to join her because it is just too lovely to not share. She thinks she was a “mean, old dog” for wanting to get away.

There are many laughable moments, and it is a charming novel. It was published in 1922 and is surprisingly relevant today. These are four women who learn to strip away their old habits so they can enjoy themselves. Being in nature and surrounded by its beauty is restorative. They are liberated from men, their friends and family, and societal expectations. It’s freedom they didn’t know they needed. And sharing the space leads to transformative friendships that would not have otherwise formed.

I heard about this book from a North Vancouver librarian and am pleased that I picked it up. I see there was a movie made a few years ago, and the book has been revived through several editions. Although this is not Regency England, it has a Jane Austen vibe so if you like Austen then give this a read. Or if you were a fan of Eat Pray Love this has a similar vibe of women escaping unhappy or stifled circumstances, and using Italy (or travel) as a catalyst for healing.

The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr | Book Review

August 7, 2026 / Monique

Set in the 1920s, The Sleeping Car Porter follows Black railway porter Baxter, along several routes, notably Toronto to Vancouver. Baxter is a closeted gay immigrant, trying to save money for dentistry school, and he must follow a series of rules about engaging with the white passengers, cleaning the car, keeping his uniform tidy, and polishing shoes. It’s exhausting, especially when Baxter must also mind a little girl who refuses to sleep and he loses out on his own quick naps.

Overall I enjoyed this book, especially learning more about the labour conditions of these men and the racism they experienced. The pace is slow, like a train, and that’s part of the charm of the writing. You get physically tired. When Baxter’s eyes start to droop, so did mine. Hah. But I mean that as a compliment.

There’s a dream-like quality to the writing as well. A bit of magic realism? Baxter seems to see a man huddled on the floor frequently, but the hallucinations are likely part of his sleep deprivation.

The setting of the train also makes for a wonderful cast of characters. There’s a film star, a medium, a granny and child, a mother and daughter, a couple, two business men, a doctor … plus the various porters and their boss. Each one becoming more memorable and complex as the journey wears on.

An artfully constructed story, with a bit of a history lesson, and a lot to say about the social constructs that prevent us from understanding and appreciating those around us.

Liberty Street by Heather Marshall | Book Review

August 2, 2026 / monique.trottier

Liberty Street by Heather Marshall follows female stunt-reporter Emily Radcliffe into the notorious Mercer Prison for women. It’s 1961 and Emily is an editorial assistant at Chatelaine magazine, who is looking for a big break that will lead to an author byline. Emily’s father is a well-known journalist and she’s always wanted to follow in his footsteps. Her mother, on the other hand, wants Emily married off and safe at home.

Chatelaine is breaking social barriers with articles about domestic abuse and the contraceptive pill. They have to do so with a bit of subtrafuge because the public (in particular men) are not ready for women’s independent. The social problem is writ large in this novel. There are social expectations placed on women, lack of awareness about postpartum and other mental health issues, institutional powers that allow any woman under 25 to be brought before a judge and jailed for being incorrigible and then a release that hinges on a doctor’s judgement. This is historical fiction but the basics of the magazine’s direction, Canadian law and the Mercer prison are true.

Emily purposely gets herself jailed, with the help of her father, only to learn how harsh penal institutions can be. The prisoners are injected with trial drugs, face venereal diseases, rat and lice infestations, and malnutrition.

A parallel story set in 1996 follows Detective Rachel Mackenzie who is investigating female remains in an unmarked grave. Despite being an excellent detective, Rachel faces sexism and discrimination. She’s on the other side of the bars, and health-care standards have improved, but she’s shortchanged all the same. The female remains are eventually connected to the prison and Emily’s story.

Overall this is a haunting exposé of Canadian law, its institutional disregard for women, and the systemic bias faced by women. It’s certainly historical fiction but it’s a dark story that, like so many others, doesn’t make it into common knowledge of Canadian history.

This wasn’t my favourite read. I found it ghastly and I’m too aware that “difficult women” are still fighting the “rules.” I wasn’t in the mood for such a grim story but there are good female characters and it has a mystery, twist element. If you like shows like Midsomer Murders then it has that vibe.

The Mad Wife by Meagan Church | Book Review

July 26, 2026 / Monique

The Mad Wife is billed as a psychological historical fiction. It’s not really a psychological thriller but there is some uncertainty about the fallibility of the narrator. This is the story off Lulu Mayfield, a 1950s mother and housewife who is struggling with a newborn and 5 year old. The expectations and suburban rigidity of her life is killing her. The ladies on the block all grocery shop on one day, have a cleaning schedule they adhere to religiously, and all have husbands who are absent at work and expect the perfect life at home: drinks ready after work, table set, home-cooked meal, dishes and laundry down, quiet well-behaved children, and admiration from the neighbours. Perfect is hard to do when you have (unrecognized) postpartum depression.

Lulu was raised on a farm and feels penned in by the limitations of her life. She doesn’t follow the cleaning or shopping schedule, and initially it seems like quiet rebellion but as insomnia and dark thoughts grip her, the question becomes whether she’s postpartum or slipping into a deeper mental health crisis.

The twist here is that, before being sent away to get her nerves in order, Lulu has become fixated on Bitsy, who’s just moved in across the street. Bitsy is dour but welcomed easily into the fold by Lulu’s friend Nora. As Lulu investigates the new neighbours, Bitsy’s husband endears himself to Lulu’s husband. They work for the same architect firm. He wants a good word put in from him. They are both vying for the same promotion. But this man is the fox in the henhouse as far as Lulu is concerned. When she discovers Bitsy was given a lobotomy, approved by her husband, the tides turn in how she relates to Bitsy.

The challenge in this read is that what we understand today was not recognized in the 50s. Lulu’s doctor dismisses her postpartum struggles and diagnoses hysteria. He prescribes pills, the defacto way to return an obedient wife to her husband, and eventually it escalates to Lulu being institutionalized. The question is how far will Lulu’s husband go to re-establish his ideal household.

If you like The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, this is a modern writer casting back to the 1950s domestic gaslighting many women faced.

Some People by Parini Shroff | Book Review

July 26, 2026 / Monique

Some People by Parini Shroff is a sad yet hilarious story about a soon-to-be-divorced man who has to tend to his ornery mother-in-law after she has a fall. Her daughter is away in India and he’s called as the next-of-kin medical contact. The situation is bad for everyone, and as a result it’s pretty funny.

Malti is the sharp-witted and sharp-tongued mother (mother-in-law). She immigrated to the US from India when she was young and raised Kavya alone. Malti was over protective and a workaholic (by necessity, not by choice). Kavya is successful by all measures but unhappy. She’s quit her high-paying job and gone into the non-profit sector. Now she’s quit that job to return to school, but not in America, in India. Maybe it’s to spite her mother who never wanted to return or connect to family there or maybe it’s to reconnect to her Indian heritage and language.

It’s midlife crisis time for Kavya, and that puts her marriage to Nathan on the rocks. Nathan is no saint in this. He’s a white guy who has never actively participated in Kavya’s family or traditions. He’s emotionally unavailable, a bit of a neat freak, and tapped into the stereotypical Californian, tech/engineer/video gamer, foodie persona.

The mutual hostility between Nathan and Malti runs its course through the book as Nathan nurses Malti back to health and keeps Kavya at bay in India. But the close quarters forces these two, who both deeply love Kavya, to deal with their cultural misunderstandings, emotional barriers, and past grievances.

The story covers a seven day period that feels like years of therapy baked into a quiet, bittersweet, yet redemptive story.

The Bandit Queens was a riot compared to this, but Parini Shroff knows how to write about strong women who are short changed and underestimated, yet rise above the patriarchy–or at least get their head above it. There are some very funny moments.

If you like dry wit, dark humour (not too dark), flawed characters and unconventional family dynamics, this give this a read.

Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry | Book Review

July 18, 2026 / Monique

Shield of Sparrows is the first in a trilogy by romance author Devney Perry. This is her first go at romantic fantasy and it seems to draw on familiar romantasy tropes. Specifically, there’s the arranged marriage between royals that slowly turns into true romance. Enemies-to-lovers tropes abound here.

The general plotline is that Princess Odessa Cross of Quentis is married to Prince Zavier of Turah in an unexpected turn of events. Odessa’s sister was groomed to marry Zavier as part of the Shield of Sparrows, which is a treaty between kingdoms, enforced by a magic blood oath. Prince Zavier comes to Quentis at the King’s request. They need a bunch of monsters killed and Turah is a monster haven so Prince Zavier and his troops are called in. Zavier kills 7 monsters, which entitles him to a bride prize. He picks Odessa.

Suddenly wild and untrained Odessa is shipped off to Turah with her silent husband and his right-hand man and bodyguard “the Guardian”.

The first part of the book is Odessa travelling with her lady’s maids through the treacherous lands of various kingdoms. She learns along the way about the various monsters, the struggles of different kingdoms, and the betrayals and true motives of her father. Odessa hates the Guardian, and of course ends up with him. I don’t want to offer any spoilers on how that happens but the plot will feel familiar to romantasy readers, which is not to say this isn’t worth the read.

First, there’s the enemies-to-lovers angle between the Odessa, the Sparrow, and the Guardian. They literally fight each other as the Guardian trains Odessa in swordfighting. Second, there’s the forced proximity in that they are locked together frequently. Sometimes hiding from monsters, most of the time because the Guardian doesn’t trust Odessa and thinks she’s spying for her father (true). Third, this is not exactly Romeo-Juliet forbidden love but these are people from different kingdoms with different cultures and traditions. And Odessa is married to the Prince, not the Guardian.

While Odessa is the seemingly fragile heroine, the Guardian is the “Shadow Daddy” in that he’s powerful, morally ambiguous, and dangerous. He’s sworn to protect the Sparrow by a blood oath so despite the monster fighting, you know with a trilogy that these two will survive.

Both characters have hidden powers, again Odessa appears weak or ordinary, but actually she holds rare and massive powers that are alluded to in book one and become clearer in book two and three.

If you liked A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah J. Maas then some of the setup and story will feel familiar, yet different enough. We have a hunter who kills magic monsters, a young woman dragged into a treacherous land, a creeping sickness among the magical creatures, maybe a curse or something has been set up on the lands, a romance that evolves between captor and captive, and a pending war or breakdown of alliances between kingdoms.

I thought it was a fun read and book 3 is out in Spring 2027.