Sarah Butland's Blog, page 10

Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult – My Review

Set primarily in 2000 this story is timeless which is terrifying. Salem Falls is where Jack St Bride escapes after spending time in prison for a crime he swears he didn’t commit but will live with him for a life time.

Rape of a minor.

An accusation a year earlier changes this man from a “favourite teacher” to a man to be afraid of. A young girl who wishes her own life was different writes a journal entry that sets a scene that scars many for life. When Jack is released and winds up in a diner, his life seems to be easier as he vows to start fresh and do the right thing – always.

Until the community unveils his history and then it all spirals out of control again, like a ribbon in a tornado. This time, however, he sees the eye of the storm and holds onto the calm that could be the love of his life.

Picoult, as always, enveloped me into the story life a hot chocolate on a cold day. Sometimes the sips burn and scorch but warmth of the characters, the raw truths revealed in the decisions and the hope throughout fills my soul from the inside out.

For anyone who has experienced any form of sexual assault, this book may still add a new perspective on the situation, not necessarily to make things better but to allow for healing and growth. Any fictional book that allows for growth and change should be read by all.

If you haven’t read this one yet, please consider purchasing it through this link: Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult. And when you do, please tell me what you think.

Thanks for reading and thinking,

Sarah Butland

My Review of Some Good Sweet Treats by Jessica Mitton

A lot of the recipes appeal to me from this cookbook and I have made two so far – Snowballs and Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies. Some Good Sweet Treats by Jessica Mitton is loaded with goodness!

The Snowballs, a chocolate macaroon type sweet covered in coconut, were extremely easy to make and the healthy ingredients fairly easy to find and weren’t crazy expensive. The best part, even though I’m not a huge fan of coconut – these are delicious!

I was able to quickly find the coconut sugar and cacao at my local Atlantic Superstore though, have to admit, to save money I replaced the cacao with cocoa instead, using a bit more than the recipe called for but they were delicious and quick to make.

I also loved that the recipe was basic, straight forward and easy to follow even in a rush.

The Pumpkin Oatmeal cookies, while just as straightforward, were a little drier than my family likes a cookie to be. Again, super easy and quick to make and the dryness may be my fault but they turned out ok. I did have a harder time finding the brown rice flour but was able to find it in my local Sobeys and it wasn’t too highly priced.

The photos were excellent and appealing, the ingredients are pretty consistent throughout the book so you won’t buy something that goes to waste.

Published through Breakwater Books, this light weight but heavy impact cookbook is written by a Culinary Nutrition Expert, Award-winning Holistic Nutritional Consultant who definitely knows what she is doing – satisfying the sweet tooth and the healthy diet! Bonus points for being a New Brunswick resident!

Thanks for reading… and cooking!

Sarah Butland

Throw Down Your Shadows by Deborah Hemming

I blindly picked up this book, with no pretense or idea what it was about or who it was targeted towards. I admit this because I hesitated reading in but am so very glad I did!

Sometimes new books and new authors can surprise you and Deborah Hemming did just that with Throw Down Your Shadows. A young adult book, this story touches on some pretty sensitive topics as it’s told from Winnie’s perspective as a 16 year old living in rural “wine country” Nova Scotia. Life as a teenager is never really easy but it was for Winnie until someone shook up her world as if she was in a snow globe.

Having a group of four good guy friends and no real girl friends, Winnie thought her life was complicated but somewhat predictable. With many traditions including a trip to the market with her single mom and nights alone while her mother tried to find ‘the one’, lazy summers with her friends who were dependable and didn’t always need to speak to understand, until they met Caleb.

It really just takes one pin to make a balloon pop and the world you’ve known comes crumbling down. It’s up to all of us to pick up the pieces and make something new but how will Winnie manage without her safety net of 16 years?

Set just outside of Wolfville, Nova Scotia, the characters are strong, relatable and weave a mystery that is sure to shock and awe the reader throughout. This story could be great for middle grades but there are some scenes and situations that make it a definite young adult/ adult read.

The only gap I see is that I want to know about the man at the fireworks but the rest of the fireworks and smoke distracted me and ensured it was a fast read!

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

Buy your own copy today to support a local author, reader, publisher and story!

Throw Down Your Shadows by Deborah Hemming and published by Vagrant Press (a Nimbus imprint)

Find this and other amazing books at Nimbus.ca!

Dirty Birds by Morgan Murray

What a story! Filled with loops and cliff hangers and the beloved art of poetry, sort of!

Morgan, raised in Alberta and now settled in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia makes a splash with his first novel and a tale surrounded by poetry, music and romance plus some heart ache. This all pales in comparison to a different look at the late, great Leonard Cohen in a work of fabulous fiction and meaning.

Milton Ontario, the character, not the place, can’t find himself in Bellybutton, Saskatchewan so takes himself to Montreal in hopes of finding himself, his idle Leonard Cohen and a career in poetry.

What he found instead was a whirlwind of new friends, enemies and some substance for his writing. Oh, and some bird shit.

Dirty Birds, the title is explained quickly enough, is filled with substance, pictures, an escape plan and a return home. A weird and wonderful novel with two pages of – you caught me, I’m speechless and need to read this again and again – wisdom (page 488 if you’re interested) that makes the whole story so poignantly beautiful that it will live on in my heart for many, many years.

PS: It was super fun to have Morgan himself make an appearance, in a strange manner, in the story, too.

A literary mix of romance, confusion, mystery and wonder, Dirty Birds had characters I grew to love and sympathize with as they lay on their bare mattress in Montreal, using winter coats as blankets but the warmth actually came from the people themselves.

Published by Breakwater Books in July, 2020, buying this book supports local in many ways! Let me know what you think once you read it.

Also check out Atlantic Book Reviews on Facebook for Lana’s views on the book.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

Jack Fitzgerald’s Treasury of Newfoundland Stories

Published by Creative Book Publishing in Newfoundland, Canada, Fitzgerald dives deeply into the mysteries an mayhem of the province before it was a part of this country as well as after with his collection of stories in Treasury of Newfoundland Stories True Crime & Adventure Volume I.

Mayhem described was caused both by people and weather and takes us as far as Japan and as far back as the 1800’s. While Newfoundland is described as picturesque and serene by most, Fitzgerald tells of darkness and murders plus hangings and avalanches.

This book would appeal to anyone who loves history, murder and, sometimes, the unsolved. It’s obvious the Canadian author did his research and enjoyed the process as he uncovered gems and confessions not readily accessible and sometimes not even know.

A perfect gift for any Newfoundlander or history buff, Treasury of Newfoundland is sure to impress your desire for shock and awe!

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Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

Sleeping With the Elephants by Anne Louise O’Connell

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Anne Louise O’Connell has seen the world and lived in some places a lot of us only dream of visiting and she then she wrote about it, actually, she wrote during it as well.

O’Connell, a Canadian from Nova Scotia and now living back in Nova Scotia, spread her wings and abilities to live the life of an expat while freelance writing. From hiking cliffs paths less traveled, and commonly avoided after a rain storm, O’Connell and her partner have as many stories as they do footsteps walked through Asia and beyond.

I did wonder why she didn’t include pictures in the book but quickly realized she painted pictures with words, taking me along on many of her adventures from the comfort of my own home.

O’Connell’s sense of adventure, and abandon, has taken her to places not usually found without a tour guide and donkey to take one there. Determined, dedicated, devoted and daring, Swimming With the Elephants and Other Adventures if a great read for those who choose to only dream of traveling and for those who want to visit different lands. It offers tips and insight into how your trip can be made more memorable while staying safe and it’s obvious she would accompany you in a heart beat if you invited her back.

Read this book again and again for the chance to escape and have your heart race while sitting comfortably in your own home!

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

Minute Moments of Wonder and Joy

Minute and minute are spelled the same but mean different things. I point this out because of the giggle it gave me to read it when I was gifted a moment to myself. A moment to breath and not be expected to find something or do something. A minute to write.

So I opened my copy of Write Yourself Happy for topic three and smiled when it asked me to write about a moment of present joy. Being gifted this chance to write is joy for me. I’ve been writing Haiku’s all day in effort of inspiring my son and smiled, felt joy, when I posted it publicly and received a Facebook like. It really is the tiny things that can help warm a heart.

I got a note just now from a friend who I mailed a postcard to as a surprise. These days, tiny surprises can mean so much! And a message from a fellow author thanking me for writing a book review of someone else’s book! It’s so wonderful to connect with fellow writers who are supporting local talent in anyway they can.

I just came inside from taking a video of my son reenacting a part of Little Red Riding Hood with our dog as the wolf. Our dog should be an actress as she played her part perfectly and I felt joy hearing my son speak French with such ease. He could also be an actor as he loves being in the spotlight and his memorization skills are spot on!

Joy is knowing who you are and finding time in a day to be that person without all the drama and expectations society may put on you. Wonder is being able to be you.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

Future Joys

In Write Yourself Happy the next topic is to write about something you’re looking forward to. Hard to do when everything is so chaotic and you don’t know what the new normal will look like, or when, yet but I’ll do my best.

Just yesterday I thought back to a monthly smoothie date I had with a friend. We never knew how we would fill the time or what we would chat about but it was natural and fun and we always filled two hours with stories and laughter. That’s what I am looking forward to. Being able to sit across the table from a friend and try a new smoothie, or maybe the usual, but always with spinach.

And to travel to New Brunswick to see family again to catch up. To roam the stores and shop for deals on things we don’t really need but bring a smile to our face. I will feel joy when I can meet up with a good friend and give her a hug.

Joy has always been found in the little things, the brief moments that seem to last forever but once this is over with, joy will be found in everything. In the freedom of going up the aisle at a grocery store without having to look at the ground for directions and buying craft supplies without having to plan in advance and knowing what you need instead of browsing and being inspired.

Joy will be the new normal, whenever that may be.

Thanks for reading,
Sarah Butland

Moments Of Joy

In all this turmoil, recognizing and highlighting moments of joy is more important than ever. Admittedly not being myself for the last two months, if not longer, I am diving into a book title “Write Yourself Happy” and dedicating at least 15 minutes a day to do just that.

That may be easier for some than others but finding time to sit down and not feel guilty about not doing the other stuff that needs done is hard for me. Not impossible but so hard it’s rarely done and I regret that. We’re supposed to not live with regrets but I do.

The first prompt, if you will, is to write about joy. Something that is bringing you joy in whatever moment you find yourself in. Today, I notice it a lot more. The sun shining down on my arms, wearing a t-shirt for the first time in many, many months. Breathing in fresh air while the birds chirp and my dog sits stoically beside me.

I found joy in rescuing a slug from drying out on this hot day. Joy in the happiness my photo of a visiting owl is bringing fellow nature loves. So much joy in listening to my husband patiently teach our son something he is passionate about and the ahha! moments my son is realizing. Joy is in the moment of finding and listening to a great book (Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty) while the breeze lifts leaves and drops them silently.

Joy today is fitting into a sweater I haven’t been able to wear for a year or more. Joy is breathe and reminds me of a wonderful book by a beautiful person – Kiss the Joy As It Flies by Sheree Fitch. And the progress my son is making with his YouTube channel for book reviews, and

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Wild Willie Celebrates!

My son, William, AKA Wild Willie is celebrating his second year anniversary with a Rafflecopter giveaway! I hope you’ll enter and support his Book Review channel today.