RECOMMENDED BOOKS

QUICK READS

In this anthology, the authors of Ottawa Independent Writers explore the many ways we experience connection, a basic human  need that is all the more appreciated in our post-pandemic . Vivid stories and poems illustrate the love and pain of family, casual assignations that grow into friendships, connections to the earth, windows into the past, spiritual connections, attachments to robotic companions, and even otherworldly encounters.  We all have connections to the past and to those we have lost, which resonate today and  throughout our lives.  We invite you to feel the joy, humanity and humour expressed in this diverse collection  of prose and poetry, and discover something meaningful to you. Bobbi's contribution is a short story called Coming Storm, about a couple dealing with climate change.

The Ottawa Independent Writers Anthology roars back to life after a pandemic hiatus. Dive into creative stories  of hope, redemption, humour and rebirth. This anthology salutes our city and its people—from a moonlit skate on the canal to a dystopian Experimental Farm, slushy downtown streets to glorious green spaces—tales of young and old, meaningful awakenings, far-off places  and much more. Meet an insightful robotic janitor, enter a portal to a mirrored world, admire artistic greats, journey to an idyllic  Greek childhood or a musical Irish pub! Indigenous peoples, embattled Ukrainians and immigrants to Canada  are all honoured here. Bobbi's contribution to this book describes the Beacon Building in Ottawa, which is houses the Aga Khan  cultural centre and is open to the public for many events, as well as for tours by appointment. In 1972, then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau welcomed thousands of Ismaili Ugandans to Canada, thanks to his  friendship with the Aga Khan, who asked him to save his people, who were being persecurted and expelled,  some of them executed. One Ismaili couple was befriended by Bobbi, and their story is told in this piece.   available on Amazon and from the OIW website: https://www.ottawaindependentwriters.com

Bobbi Linkemer's new book answers the ten most pressing questions older adults ask to help them live well now and prepare for the years ahead. Most of us don’t envision the inevitable changes that come with aging. One day, they just seem to appear, bringing with them a host of concerns. While there are no magic answers to these questions, the more we understand, the better able we will be to answer them. Each chapter answers one question thoroughly; and each is both personal and practical, explaining the subject  clearly, sharing the author’s experience, calling on the knowledge of many experts, and offering scores of suggestions on how to prevent or deal with the issue. Bobbi Graham contributed the final chapter to this book, as she and "the other Bobbi" have been long-distance  friends for many years. Their careers have been parallel, and Bobbi's satirical piece, My Kick the Bucket List, seemed to Bobbi Linkemer to be the perfect ending.   Buy from Amazon, or from the publisher, https://henschelhausbooks.com/product/how-to-age-with-grace/

Crooked Lane Books

In her decades as a journalist, Gwen Florio told stories from places as diverse as Afghanistan and Somalia to Lost Springs, Wyoming, population three. She mines some of the same ground in her award-winning crime fiction that explores issues in the  contemporary American West. Gwen (whom I'm happy to call a cousin) is one of those writers who regularly publish series and stand-alones that leave a lasting impression. Her latest  book is The Least Among Us, which the New York Times included in its list of new crime novels deserving attention, the second book featuring the Duck Creek public defender Julia Geary, up to her neck in trouble. Consider what she’s contending with: a relationship that’s on the rocks thanks to her boyfriend’s child custody issues; a loathsome  intern who’s been foisted upon her; and the imminent need to find a new place to live when her mother-in-law, widowed like Julia, announces her husband-to-be is moving in. Then there’s her new client, Ray Belmar, whom she’s defending on a public indecency charge. (He interrupted Duck Creek’s raucous St. Patrick’s Day parade wearing just a sock, which wasn’t on his foot.) When Ray is inexplicably charged in the death of a homeless man, Julia knows he’s not guilty. But she’s on the case for all of a few hours before her boss summarily removes her from it, making vague excuses. It’s a lot to handle, though Julia does — even when things turn scary. Very scary: There’s a denouement straight out of a horror flick. Do check Gwen's website for all her award-winning books.