The Schumann Proof by Peter Schaffter

Mystery

Vikkan Lantry is returning to the music world after taking a leave and mourning the loss of his lover. He doesn't have the desire to be famous, he just wants to play his music. With a famous musician coming to town, a fame-hungry singer asking for his accompaniment, and a friend trying to get Lantry odd music jobs, he is slowly getting sucked back in to the music world. A newly found Schumann is found and competition to sing and play it is so high than two people are murdered. Lantry knows the victims and the music and tries to determine who could do such a thing.

This book takes place in Toronto and for those not local, probably goes in to way too much detail about the city. Detailed descriptions of which streets Lantry is on, which restaurants he goes to, and the area around the University of Toronto music department and Royal Conservatory of Music. Too much detail for anyone not aware of the city, but interesting for those of us that are.

There's an interesting mix between music and murder in this book. The crimes don't actually take place until about 1/3rd the way through the book so there's a lot of story set-up but that back story is quite interesting.

If I had any complaint about this book, it would be about the seemingly unnecessary (and oddly explained) relationship between Lantry and the police officer. It comes out of no where and fades in to nothing very quickly.

First Line: "I released the Steinway's pedal slowly."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Fantasy

Elena didn't choose to be like this. She fell in love with the wrong guy, who happened to be a werewolf and decided she needed to join the pack. She's harboured resentment towards Clay since that time and had tried to lead a normal life, with a normal boyfriend, in a normal town. Except she needs to go out about once a month to change. When she gets a call from pack leader Jeremy, she knows something is terribly wrong. Even though she doesn't want to head back, she does and finds an all out war going on with werewolves that aren't part of the pack.

I'm not usually a fan of werewolves, zombies, or any of those types of fantasy books but this one is pretty good. Armstrong captured interest quickly and built suspense throughout the book so you wondered how the pack was going to pull it off. Of course, you have a pretty good idea of who will survive and who won't so none of the deaths come as much of a surprise, but it's more about the story and characters.

At times I found Elena annoying. Most of the time I found Clay annoying and yet this didn't stop me from enjoying the book.

It's not usual that a book is set in Toronto. I enjoyed that aspect of the book and the parts of Toronto that I recognize. Including how werewolves don't like taking the TTC (though who does?).

First Line: "I have to."

Rating:
(4/5)

The Night Shift by Dr. Brian Goldman

The Night Shift by Dr. Brian Goldman
Non-Fiction

Dr. Brian Goldman works the night shift in the ER at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and has been doing so for more than 20 years. With another career as a radio broadcaster, Goldman uses his journalistic skills to take the reader through his 11pm to 7am shift and showcase some of the cases he has seen. This includes a woman who was in labour yet didn't realize she was pregnant, a suicidal elderly man, and a victim of a bar fight. This book shows you what kind of people and problems an ER sees, how doctors and nurses work together, and what doctors think about when they diagnose patients.

Interestingly, Goldman views his job as a part time job. He works more than 8 hours, as he often stays past his shift to make sure he doesn't leave any patients on the next doctor's plate (a very important item for him as he mentions it multiple times throughout the book). He describes how fatigue can affect doctors and nurses who work these hours and yet he still has a job as a radio show host. One wonders how he finds the time and energy to do this.

The most endearing part of this book, however, is how humane and honest Goldman comes across. You often think of doctors as being egotists that think they can never make a mistake or admit to making one. Goldman makes it clear that he is always afraid of making a mistake and hearing the three dreaded words "Do you remember" which usually implies a patient has died after being treated by the doctor. Goldman is also honest about how he selects cases not always based on how long the person has been waiting in the ER, but on how much the case interests him (let's hope that when I go to the ER, I'm considered interesting enough to be seen more quickly!).

I notice with non-fiction reads I really enjoy that I commonly say "I'm reading this book about ..." and mention some interesting fact about the book. I've done that a couple times while reading The Night Shift. This book looks at not only a Toronto ER, but our overall health care system and how doctors perceive their roles. A very interesting read!

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First Line: "Some people choose to work nights."

Rating:
(4.5/5)