I received a significant haul of books this Christmas, with a nice combination of subjects and approaches. I’ve received novels and short story collections, fiction and non-fiction, advice on life choices and help on my golf game, books related to sports, to entertainment and to writing itself. An amazing collection.

I make it a policy to read every book I receive as a gift and I’m not changing that this year, even though I’m a bit overwhelmed at this point.

First up was Bury Your Dead, a mystery by Canadian author Louise Penny. Since I received it early, before Christmas, I got a chance to read it from start to finish in the days leading up to the big celebration. And, wow, was it fantastic. I had never heard of Penny before receiving this novel but I enjoyed it so much I actually bought it for several other people as Christmas gifts this year.

And I’m planning to pick up more by her as soon as I finish reading my Christmas book list.

There are so many things to like about Bury Your Dead that I’m not sure where to begin. Most impressive, perhaps, is the fact that Penny weaves not one, nor two, nor even three plots throughout this book but a whopping four! And she keeps each one interesting and moving. Set in Quebec in the middle of a cold, snowy winter, the book is part mystery, part history, part psychological study. The pace is fantastic and the main character a fascinating study.

If I have one criticism it is that there are no really strong, interesting female characters in this book. Yes, there are a couple who make appearances but they are never really allowed to develop and take up a significant role in the novel. Penny’s major characters are all men.

I also read a football book called Blood, Sweat and Chalk by Tom Layden of Sports Illustrated. Intended to be a fascinating look at the creation of important tactical trends in American football, this book unfortunately delivers little more than a “wikipedia”-like article on each trend, filled with names and places but little actual substance. Even worse, Layden’s writing is surprisingly weak, rife with awkward passages, creaky connections and unfortunate comparisons. He desperately needs a strong editor but, since Sports Illustrated itself published the book, he didn’t get one.

I did come away from this book with a much stronger appreciation of the amount of work that goes into coaching football at any level in the United States but also with an increased unease over what appears to be a popular obsession with the sport among our neighbours to the south.

I am currently enjoying Not Safe After Dark, a collection of short stories by Canadian mystery writer Peter Robinson. Known for his Inspector Banks novels, Robinson brings together a series of unrelated stories he’s written over his career into this single collection, with an interesting introduction in which Robinson touches on the challenges posed to a novelist in attempting to write in the short story form.

I’m only part-way through so I will save any further comment until I’ve finished the book. Then it will be on to the rest of my Christmas stash!

Tags: Louise Penny, Peter Robinson, Tom Layden, Sports Illustrated, Bury Your Dead, Blood, Sweat and Chalk, Not Safe After Dark