by Hillary Jordan – $19.99

Hillary Jordan has written a fast paced thriller, an ‘unputdownable’ novel.

The book opens with the main character, Hannah Elizabeth Payne, being found guilty of the crime of murder and hearing that she is to go to prison for 30 days where she will become a Red for a period of sixteen years. The next thing she knows is that she is waking up and discovering that she is red, the solid red of a stop sign, the colour of newly shed blood.

When Hannah is released from the prison, where she had seen no one and talked to no one for thirty days, she realizes that she is free but is still filled with trepidation. Where can she go? Certainly not home. Her mother had made that clear. She would be shunned by the community as a Chrome, a Red.

It is revealed that Hannah loves a married man named the Reverend Aidan Dale. Hannah’s love for this man is so great that she chose prison and ‘chroming’ (becoming red) rather than give his name as an accomplice to the charge of ‘murder’. The reader wonders what kind of man lets someone he professes to love sacrifice her life for him…and that is just one of the many provocative questions raised by this novel.

Feeling she has no choice, Hannah begins a journey towards freedom in Canada. Her journey is filled with terrifying dangers and she has to decide who can be trusted and who is will betray her. Through all these challenges, Hannah discovers her inner strength and her true self.

When She Woke shows what can happen with a totalitarian government and how society behaves towards people who are “judged ” to be of a lesser moral standard by leaders in the community. This book is a gripping read and raises many questions about the effects of narrow values and unforgiving judgements.

The next book is an international bestseller, titled “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin – $17.99

by Lawrence Scanlon – $19.95

This book chronicles Lawrence Scanlon’s real life experiences, living and helping volunteer organizations in different parts of the world, a month at a time. While some chapters are a bit longer than necessary to make his points, this book is an inspiration, an insight into different opportunities; a starting point for anyone interested in volunteering their time and energy for the benefit of society.

The January chapter recounts Scanlon’s volunteer work at the St. Vincent de Paul Society-Loretta Hospitality Centre in Kingston, Ontario, feeding, housing and clothing, men, women and children. Scanlon gets to know daily visitors and he tells us about Judy, a middle aged woman from a middle class background. Then after twenty years of marriage every thing fell apart in Judy’s life. Divorce led to depression and self-medication with alcohol and drugs and within three years Judy was living on the streets.

A chapter that provoked a great deal of discussion was Scanlon’s time volunteering at the Kingston Penitentiary. He asked one of the older inmates, “What is it like inside?”. The inmate answered, “I can tell you about the rapes, especially of the young. Going inside a Mr. Tough Guy attitude doesn’t cut it in prison because there is always someone tougher than you.” And when he asks how prison personnel work daily with the incarcerated, dealing with the risks and enforcing the rules, he is told they form an impersonal, remote, protective shield.

September is a chapter at The Onguanada Resource Centre in Kingston where no one uses language to communicate but all communicate in their own way. All at Onguanada are profoundly challenged in mind and body.

October chronicles a stint with Habitant for Humanity in New Orleans.

In December, Scanlon spends the month in Dakar exploring the obstacles to improving education of females, and coming to understand the prevalence of poverty, deep and widespread corruption on all levels, and the uncertain economy. But he also talks about his appreciation of the Senegalese tight and meaningful family ties, their neighborhood connections and their generous hospitality.

Every chapter in Lawrence Scanlon’s, A Year of Living Generously provides eye-opening insights into the world of philanthropy and the rich returns to those who choose to give of their time to help others.

by Rebecca Hendry – $19.95

Grace River is set in a smelter town in interior British Columbia. In this fast-paced novel, the author takes the reader on a journey into the lives of four friends.

(a) Jessie: she lives with her husband Daniel and daughter Lily and works at Nick’s Diner, a cafe frequented by workers of Axis, the town’s smelter plant.
(b) Jackson: he is a smelter worker and is married to Caroline. Jackson and Caroline have two boys, Travis and Brooks.
(c) Kali: she is a newcomer to Grace River, having moved there with her daughters (following a break-up with their father) from Vancouver Island. Kali works part time at Earth’s Bounty Health Foods and has a boyfriend Mike, who works at the smelter plant.
(d) Daniel: he is the husband of Jessie and is also a smelter worker.

Grace River is a small town, full of redneck workers. The town is unhealthy and polluted, largely as a result of the Axis Smelter Plant, the main source of income for the town.

Life is going on as usual on a hot summer day; men go to work or hang out at Nick’s Diner, the local bar and home for lives which revolve around the plant workers’ shifts. Axis runs twelve-hour shifts, day and night, seven days a week.

One early morning at Nick’s Diner, a newcomer shows up. Immediate speculation begins: who is he and why is he in Grace River? It turns out his name is Liam and he is an American environmentalist. He is in town to take samples from the Grace River. Lead pollution from Axis is a grave concern.

The four friends are also concerned about pollution from the plant but the plant also their source of income. Axis routinely does blood testing for toxins on its workers but it is suspected that the blood test could be skewed in the plant’s favour. Jackson gets tested at another location and finds out that his toxic levels are high.

Then there’s an incident at Axis, which results in a worker being hospitalized with what could be a life threatening sickness caused by exposure to the toxins. As well, Mike starts to act strangely and his friends are worried about him.

With the intrusion of Liam, the environmentalist, into this close-knit community, life in Grace River takes a turn to drama and violence. Insecurities are revealed and in some cases acted on, fueled further by toxic poisoning.

This is a powerful novel, which explores the damage we all do to our environment and the damage, unintentionally, we do to our families and friends.

by Gillian Deacon – $26.00

This readable and informative book by author Gillian Deacon provides well-researched knowledge about many popular beauty products that contain toxins. A very helpful list of the most used toxic substances in personal care products is provided for quick and easy reference as well as a chapter on Label Reading 101. (For those who want details on every cosmetic and how safe it may or may not be, the Cosmetic Safety Database can provide this information – www.cosmeticsdatabase.com.

A chapter on Greenwashing discusses one of the author’s pet peeves. Many well-intentioned consumers buys products because they have been led into believing they will be better for the planet and their family’s health. Greenwashing is corporate trickery. Many companies (a) make claims that mean nothing; (b) commit the sin of omission; and/or (c) create fanfare over certain ingredients while omitting others.

The P’lovers Book Club compared notes about how each of us have been mislead by reading a list of ingredients, believing we were purchasing ‘green’ ingredients, only to find, in small print at the bottom, a list of toxic elements. The author tells consumers to be vigilant about label reading.

Another chapter on ‘Pinkwashing’ is very disturbing! Popular and longtime cosmetic companies put out information about giving part of their profits to Breast Cancer or other cancer groups for research and yet, all the while, their products contain toxic, and often cancer-causing substances.

On a practical level Gillian Deacon gives us recipes for non-toxic and effective products we can make in our home. She reminds us that there is no need to buy overpriced and dangerous products. Also included is a list of safe green companies and products that can be purchased locally.

The book gives a comprehensive overview of what lies beneath the gloss of the beauty industry and how we can reduce the chemical burden on our bodies and the bodies of our loved ones and on our planet.

P’lovers’ next book is ‘Grace River’ by Rebecca Hendry, a novel about the people of a smelter town in the interior of British Columbia and what happens when a young environmentalist arrives in town to investigate the toxin levels in the river.