Arts & Culture
That Stevie Nicks might really be onto something
It has been a long and strange week. Carney went to Washington, a new Pope was named, Sean Avery wrote a hockey romance, and on social media a debut author managed to alienate pretty much everyone with this one post:
I killed a dog in my book & said there’s no afterlife. Then I watched a writing video that said pets can have big roles in books so be careful. & a beta reader asked me if a dog dies & said she checks a site with a list of books to avoid. Then a dating app guy said my afterlife rule was a “hard pass” & dipped. Damn, people. Dog culture is dire. They’re a great pet, but stop acting like they have little moons orbiting them. Your behaviour is raising our vet bills. They’re not a child. Chill.
-Erin Lee Author, May 8th, 940k views as of this writing
My consumption of media has been equally chaotic. Of course my instinct after the new Pope was named was to watch Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons but I couldn’t find it streaming anywhere. And I don’t want to hear it. I know people hate Dan Brown books but I will read/watch anything that involves a puzzle to be solved.
Then again I’ve also been mainlining the final two seasons of Riverdale in which one season splits into the multiverse of Rivervale and the next season takes place in the 1950s. So… take my personal taste with whatever amount of salt you need.
~Katherine
Books
I’ve always wanted to start a book club. They seem like a good time. For a while I tried to follow along with The Social Chapter, but my frustration was that by the time my library hold for the book came up it would be long past when they discussed it. Buying every book for a book club makes it inaccessible for a lot of people (I was very broke at the time) and book clubs never seem to make their announcements far enough in advance for those that use the library system.
All that to say this week my recommendation is actually a pre-order. I haven’t read this book and I don’t know the author personally, but I do follow him on TikTok. Jinwoo Park’s debut novel will be coming out September 2nd, 2025. It’s called Oxford Soju Club and I just have a feeling it’s going to be good.
Here’s the blurb:
The natural enemy of a Korean is another Korean.
When North Korean spymaster Doha Kim is mysteriously killed in Oxford, his protégé, Yohan Kim, chases the only breadcrumb given to him in Doha’s last breath: “Soju Club, Dr. Ryu.” In the meantime, a Korean American CIA agent , Yunah Choi, races to salvage her investigation of the North Korean spy cell in the aftermath of the assassination. At the centre of it all is the Soju Club, the only Korean restaurant in Oxford, owned by Jihoon Lim, an immigrant from Seoul in search of a new life after suffering a tragedy. As different factions move in with their own agendas, their fates become entangled, resulting in a bitter struggle that will determine whose truth will triumph.
Pre-order sales make a big impact for authors, and I would guess that goes double for debut authors. So if you are in a place to purchase a copy that’s great, and if not maybe put in an early request that your local library gets it in. Canadian authors get paid every time their books are checked out from a library so it’s still supporting them financially.
Also, let me know what you think of a Canadian book club. Maybe one that comes with a heads-up on which books will be read so you can get a chance to put your holds in. I’m thinking not just new releases but maybe digging into the back catalogue as well.
Documentary
Billionaire Murders
I was watching the latest episode of Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent last night. You know it’s going to be a good episode when they put up a huge “THIS IS NOT BASED ON ANY REAL PEOPLE” disclaimer ahead of the DUN DUN sound. And sure enough the second it started I knew the episode was inspired by the murders of Barry and Honey Sherman.
It has been 8 years and still they have not solved the case. New evidence came out in April that the Toronto Star’s Kevin Donovan reported on. He’s been the journalist on this case since the very beginning. He’s also the driving force of the 2023 documentary series Billionaire Murders. Only 4 episodes long it’s a must watch if you want to catch up on everything that has happened so far.
TV
Which leads me to the obvious recommendation of Law & Order: Toronto Criminal Intent. Have you watched it yet? If you can make it past the opening credits where they pronounce it Tor-on-Toe you’re in for a great show. I have watched Law & Order in every iteration I have found since 1990. Original, SVU, Organized Crime, Criminal Intent, UK, Los Angeles, Trial By Jury (yes I remember them all). The Toronto series is right up there with the best spinoffs they’ve done. Honestly, it’s better than the original Law & Order post-Jack McCoy.
Then again I might just be biased because they’re actually focusing on really Canadian specific storylines. The series kicked off on Lake Ontario, there was an episode about grocery chains price fixing, a hockey player hazing scandal, and fake universities that prey on international students. It has such diverse representation across storylines and a justice system that follows Canadian procedure. If you haven’t watched it yet you should give it a shot. Each season is only 10 episodes long and next week will be the season 2 finale.
Music
I don’t know how I found this video, what I could have been typing into YouTube that the algorithm thought I would love it, but I did. After I felt about a million years old.
This is Isaac Brown. A Gen-Z (that’s under 28) music producer that has been working for a decade… AND HAD NEVER HEARD FLEETWOOD MAC.
Yes. Let that sink in. Feel your hair turning white. Now hear me out.
Isaac has done something really brave. He’s admitted that he has a blind spot. He didn’t grow up with music from before the 80s. So he’s trying to fix that. And interestingly he doesn’t even know where to start. He makes videos of himself listening to artists for the first time ever and giving his honest reaction. The Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Elvis, the Eagles, the Beatles. Honestly the list is so long I am so curious to know what exactly he did listen to growing up.
The one that really hit me was when he sat down to listen to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. Knowing nothing about the band he casually says that he heard they were going through a little drama when making the album. Later on he thinks Christine McVie is a man. And he thinks Lindsay Buckingham’s guitar playing is multiple tracks layered together. Oh, and that Stevie Nicks could really go somewhere as a singer.
Before you roll your eyes too hard give it a watch, because he is so genuine and enthusiastic in his reaction. And seeing someone fall in love with what you have listened to hundreds of times is so interesting.
This week’s CanCon Quota: 75%