It was almost too late for this season when Around the Year with the Malagawatch Mice arrived.
It's written and beautifully illustrated by Caroline Stellings and published by Cape Breton University Press at $11.95.
At first it seemed to be a calendar, and there is, in fact, a small monthly calendar on every other page - which won't intrude if you don't need it.
On alternate pages, there is a little sketch of what these Celtic mice do each month and especially what they celebrate. This is in both Gaelic and English versions. On the opposite pages, a detailed watercolour shows something of what the mice do that month.
Is this a children's book? Not really. It's for everyone who can look at a picture with seeing eyes. Is it a Christmas and/or New Year's book? You must look at the December and January pages to decide. It can just as well be a March or July or September book. Its unwritten theme is: "Life is lovely all the year."
The other two books reviewed here are not specifically about the new or old year but contain a miscellany of persons, stories and events that seem suitable for the time of year.
First there is Prose to Go, a collection of short essays by 23 professional writers who have known each other for many years, hence "Private List" in the subtitle. Most are funny, a few are very sad, even tragic, (Funny Men Blues by Fred Desjardins, About Joanna by Lorri Benedike). A few are neither, but still worth reading (Today I Let Go of the Wall by Julie V. Watson and Places of the Heart by Irene Davis).
Island writers are represented by Watson and Debbie Gamble, but most of the writers live in Ontario. However Helena Katz (Driving Alpacas and The North Becomes Her) lives in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories.
It's good, not-too-light reading for the time of year or for people who think even a 100-page book is too long. Prose to Go is published by Bridgeross Communications, Dundas, Ont., and sells for $17.95.
Inside the Game by Chris Cochrane, a well-known sports writer (Nimbus, $17.95), is a collection of 10 most remarkable stories, featuring boxing, curling, hockey, swimming and more.
Most of the stories are so gripping that you do not have to be a sports fan to enjoy them.
Some of the most remarkable include the short but brilliant career of the trotting horse known as Somebeachsomewhere, Ken Shea, one of the world's best snooker players, and a pro boxer who was promising but quit because he wanted to keep his family secure through his day job of firefighting.
Others are about Andrew Haley, the gold medallist with only one leg, and Colleen Jones, the skip of the No. 1 women's curling team and world champions.
All are people to emulate in your own field in the New Year.
Elizabeth Cran is a freelance writer who writes a book review column for The Guardian. To comment or to send her books to review, write her at 111 Sydney St., Apt. 17, Saint John, N.B., E2L 2L8, or call her at 506-693-5498.
