This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Glenn P. Booth will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
What is the favorite book you remember as a child?
As a child, “Freddie Goes to Florida”. As a teenager, “Lord of the Rings”.
What is your favorite book today?
“Where the Crawdads Sing”. Lyrical, dreamlike, but earthy.
Tell us about your current book in 10 words.
“An homage to the suffering of Ukrainian settlers in Canada”
What are you reading right now?
“All the Seas of the World” by Guy Gavriel Kay, “Clearing the Plains” by James Daschuk
E-Reader or print? and why?
Mainly e-reader for convenience, portability when travelling and less environmental impact.
One book at a time or multiples?
Usually one fiction and one non-fiction.
Least favorite book you've read this year?
“Another Kind of Eden” by James Lee Burke
Favorite book you've read this year?
Ambrose Parry’s medical mystery / historical fiction series in Edinburgh, including “The Way of All Flesh”, “The Art of Dying”, and “A Corruption of Blood”
When do you do most of your reading?
In the evenings.
Favorite place to read?
On the couch in the living room with the fireplace on in the winter, or outside on my deck in the summer.
Favorite genre?
Historical fiction
Re-reader or not?
Occasionally, but not very often
What would make you not finish a book?
Bad prose, convoluted, story is leaving me with bad feelings.
Sofiya, a young Ukrainian immigrant, experiences all of this and more. It could be 2022, but it's Manitoba in the early 1900s.
Sofiya is the third consecutive girl born on a poor homestead near Gimli in 1903. She is bright and feisty but nothing more is expected of her than to be a domestic, and at age thirteen she is sent to be a maid to a wealthy family in Winnipeg. There, she experiences the condescension of the English towards the 'Bohunks', while her half-brother is interned during WW1, deemed an enemy alien.
While the Great War is raging in Europe, an undeclared war between the classes is being fought at home. This conflict comes to a head in the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 when the working classes rise up against their English masters, shut down the city and demand a better deal. The city is divided and everyone must choose a side.
Them Days takes you on Sofiya's journey, as she discovers what it means to be an immigrant and a woman, struggling to find love and her identity – at the same time that Canada is breaking free from Mother England's apron strings.
“Frank, get off your rear end and get a coupla buckets of water for me,” Mama barked.
“Yeah, yeah, don’t get yourself all hot and bothered, woman,” my half-brother muttered.
“What did ya say?!” Mama cuffed him on the head. “Get the water now.”
Frank reluctantly raised himself off the rough wooden bench at the kitchen table and shuffled to the door. I sat eating my oatmeal with my older sister, Beatrice, and my younger sister and brother, Helen and Mikey. It was cozy in the warm kitchen as Mama kneaded the bread dough, and I nestled between my siblings.
Frank opened the door, and a blast of cold air came in, accompanied by a blinding shaft of sunlight. It was late March 1909, and the winter snows still covered the farmyard, but we were getting more sun every day. He trundled outside, grumbling all the way, while we girls stretched our necks to get a glimpse of him walking across the yard to the well.
“Stop gawking and eat your breakfast,” Mama told us.
We did as we were told and, when I had finished, I got up to put my bowl in the washbasin. There was no sink and no running water, and the tin washbasin just sat on a long wooden work counter. As I put my bowl into the basin, I looked into the eyes of baby John, who was snuggled in a sling wrapped around Mama’s chest. He stared at me with big eyes, drool running down his cheek, and I smiled at him.
I heard Frank approaching the outside door, and, thinking to be helpful, I ran and pushed it open.
“What? Jesus!” Frank yelled as the opening door caught him by surprise.
He tried to stop, but his feet slipped out from under him. The day before, the sun had melted a lot of the snow and it had refrozen overnight, creating a treacherous ice slick just outside the door. The buckets of water flew into the air, and Frank fell hard on his back.
“Aaah!” I screamed as I was doused in ice water.
“What the…!” Mama yelled, waddled over, and grabbed me roughly under my arm.
“I swear trouble follows you like your shadow!” she said as she yanked me away from the door.
Glenn attended the University of Manitoba and the University of Alberta where he respectively obtained his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts (Economics) degrees. Among other jobs, he subsequently worked with Canada’s National Energy Board, where he held positions including Chief Economist, Executive Director of Corporate Planning and External Relations, and Executive Director of Communications and Human Resources.
Glenn has published one other novel, Demons in Every Man, a murder mystery set in the Calgary oil patch, published by Friesen Press in 2019.
The author lives in Calgary with his Brazilian-born wife of 36 years, Elisabeth. Glenn and Elisabeth have two grown sons who are now successfully making their way in the world. Glenn enjoys returning to Winnipeg every summer to visit with his cousins and old friends, and to enjoy cottage life on Lake Winnipeg. While in Calgary, he loves scrambling and hiking in the Rockies, as well as mountain biking and X-country skiing with friends. Of course, Glenn is also an avid reader.
WEBSITE https://glennpboothauthor.com/
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INDIGO CHAPTERS https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/them-days/9780228878452-item.html
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ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeletefyi, the early chapters follow Sofiya as she is growing up on the homestead. Once she turns 13, she is sent to the city to be a maid and her story gets more interesting.
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt and giveaway.
ReplyDeleteinteresting
ReplyDeleteThem Days sounds like a wonderful read, reminding us that discrimination, a war in Europe, and a pandemic are not just part of 2022 - they have happened before .
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Totally agree. What really struck me as I did my research was the degree of condescion people of 'English' descent had towards eastern Europeans. As the Canadian Encylopaedia states in its article on the internment of the Ukrainians in Canada during WW1 - "They were subjected to racism from White society, which generally viewed them as dirty, indecent, inferior peasants who resembled “animals.” These prejudices were expressed openly, as newspaper articles as early as 1899 attest."
ReplyDeleteSadly, we have a long history of discrimination and prejudice in our country that many of us are unaware of.
This sounds like an excellent read.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds very intriguing. They had trouble in the past, with racism. We haven't come as far as we should have.
ReplyDeleteYep, I believe we have come a long ways from 'them days' when English Canadians were rabidly racist against other white people from eastern Europe. My oldest son's girlfriend is ethnically Indian, as is my nephew's fiancée. I'm married to a Brazilian, my best friend's daughter is marrying a Brazilian, and a very good friend's son just married a black Brazilian... all this was unthinkable not so long ago. But, I agree we still haven't come as far as we should have - lot of resistance by certain groups. (sorry for the late late reply)
ReplyDelete