Along with a successful children’s series, Tish Cohen has written three adult novels: “Town House,” “Inside Out Girl” and “The Truth About Delilah Blue,”
which is coming out in June. All three show Tish’s ability to research and attention to detail. They are very Jodi Picoult-like in that each centres around a character’s mental disorder and the issues that arise because of it. They are different because there are no lawyers or trials involved, and have a less dramatic feel.

“Town House” focuses on Jack, an agoraphobic who
has lived off the residuals of his late rock-star father’s
fame, in his father’s town house all his life. When the
residuals stop coming he is threatened with the loss of his home (which he never leaves), Jack becomes desperate. His relationship with his son suffers, he learns of his ex-wife’s impending remarriage. He is hooked up with a non-stop talker of a real estate agent who has been hired to sell his house out from under him, and his agoraphobia has become worse. His once neatly ordered existence has been turned to chaos. When he meets neglected 8 year old Lucinda, he is forced to re-evaluate his life and
try to do what’s best for him and his son, Harlan. Jack’s attitude and reactions to the chaos that has erupted as a result of the house sale and his agoraphobia are by turns, funny and poignant.

“Inside Out Girl” is the story of a dying father’s search for someone to care for his daughter who has nonverbal learning disorder (a disorder characterized by the inability to “read people’s body and facial language) and is the brunt of school bullying and other misunderstandings. Her innocence and insight provide for some funny scenes as well as some dramatic chaotic ones.

“The Truth About Delilah Blue” is about Lila Mack,
a young woman who earns her living as a nude model for life drawing classes. She is also using this opportunity to provide herself with the art education she can’t afford. She has lived with her father since her mother abandoned them when she was eight. As her father begins to exhibit symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, her mother returns and the truth begins to unfold. What she discovers turns her life upside down. The fact that her father remembers less and less and can’t (or won’t) tell her his truth, creates
an unbearable situation for Lila, which must be
resolved at all costs.

All three adult novels provide good stories based on
some intriguing and somewhat rare conditions. The
social ramifications are explored in detail and the plots offer great opportunities for discussion.

Tish will be appearing at the Bolton branch of the
Caledon Public Library in September. Given the quality of her writing, Tish will surely provide a wonderfully entertaining evening.

Tish Cohen is coming to the Albion-Bolton Branch of the Caledon Public Library, September 30th at 7pm.

A DOG’S PURPOSE
A NOVEL FOR HUMANS
By W. Bruce Cameron
Humour columnist Bruce Cameron, author of “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter” has crafted a beautiful, uplifting story in “A Dog’s Purpose”. Like “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” this is a dog’s story written from the dog’s perspective. The difference is this dog has several lives, and in each life, he remembers what he learned from the prior one.

His first life was very short. He was part of a litter born to a stray mutt who is suspicious of both humans and many other dogs (all for the safety of her pups). He is
strangely drawn to humans even though his suspicious mother tries to teach him otherwise. Though a stray with no permanent home, he makes some close human friends, learns all the rules regarding dog hierarchies, learns to play and hunt and has a fairly good, albeit, short life.

Surprised to be reborn as a puppy with a memory of his first life, “Bailey” is adopted and becomes best friend to eight-year-old Ethan. He helps him through the ups and downs of a growing boy’s life until Ethan
grows up and goes to college. Over the years, Bailey learns to be the “good dog” he’s always wanted to be, but questions what his purpose in life is.

When his life as a family dog ends, Bailey is reborn, this time as a female. Skills she learned as “Bailey” are retained and make her an excellent rescue dog. Even though she’s “the best dog she can be,” Emma (Bailey) still hasn’t figured out her purpose, so returns again as a puppy.

Through his subsequent lives, our friend uses the memories of his previous lives to be the best dog he can until, by chance, reunited with Ethan, now an older man, Bailey discovers his true purpose and can
finally rest.

This is a lovely, sometimes funny, uplifting story about man’s best friend. This book releases in July, making it the perfect summer read for dog lovers of all ages.

THE SPELLMAN FILES By Lisa Lutz
For those who like a fun, quirky read, The Spellman
Files should do it for you. Think Maxwell Smart, Dirty
Harry, or Columbo. The Spellmans are a family of private investigators, who run their own business.

This would be a fairly ordinary mystery if it weren’t
for the hilarious antics of this dysfunctional family.
Izzy, 28 years old, is a self-proclaimed Get Smart
junky who prefers entering by windows rather than
doors. She has a string of poorly chosen ex-boyfriends (most of whom left when they discovered they were being investigated), was in constant trouble in school, was proudly involved in “creative vandalism” and drinks ..a lot. She blames her brother David for her becoming the “bad seed” of the family because he’s “perfect.” The skills she developed sneaking around, getting into and out of trouble, all have made her the good P.I. she is. Rae, her 14 year old sister is addicted to “recreational surveillance”.
Hard drinking Uncle Ray often disappears on “lost weekends.” Her parents are controlling and invasive, but have thrown up their hands in defeat where Izzy’s behaviour is concerned.

To be a Spellman, is to investigate not only the cases you’re being paid for, but, each other as well. In the midst of investigating real cases, they regularly
snoop on each other …whether it’s to discover who Izzy’s new soon-to-be-ex boyfriend is, or where Uncle Ray goes, or why David is being so secretive, or
just to fulfill Rae’s need for recreational tailing. It’s almost as if the need to snoop on each other is a bizarre expression of familial love.

When Izzy’s parents hire Rae to tail Izzy to find out about her latest soonto- be-ex-boyfriend, Izzy decides the only way to lead a normal life is to leave
the family business. She is given permission, but only after she solves a cold 15 year old missing person case. When a disappearance closer to home occurs, Izzy discovers (much to her chagrin) that she is capable of caring and has to drop the tough persona to save someone she loves. She uses all the investigative skills she carefully honed during her “bad years” to solve both cases while avoiding her parental interference in her private life, setting wire taps in her parents’ house and tailing her brother.

The Spellman Files is the first of a hilarious series featuring the Spellman family in all its lovable chaos. This family really puts the fun into dysfunctional. The second, third and fourth books are all available and equally hilarious.