The Seaboard Review: May 5th, 2025
Volume 2, Issue 18
May Days!
The first week of May is off to a beautiful start here in Miramichi, New Brunswick. The lawns are greening up, and the buds are on the trees. Soon, the first intrepid ruby-throated Hummingbirds will appear at my feeder, typically by Mother's Day.
This issue is packed with some fiction reviews that were awaiting the end of Poetry Month, such as Wane Ng’s Johnny Delivers, Vanessa C. Hawkins’ suspenseful A Child to Cry Over, and We Are Dreams in the Eternal Machine by Denis Ellis Béchard.
As golf season is upon us, we have 101 Fascinating Golf Facts by David McPherson.
Lastly, the time of Covid-19 was definitely a low point for publishers and authors with books to be released/launched during the height of the pandemic. Heidi Von Palleske’s Two White Queens and the One-Eyed Jack, reviewed here by Emily Weedon, is a fine example. Emily’s own debut novel, Autokrator, suffered the same fate. Both titles are definitely worth a look for fans of literary fiction.
Enjoy the nice weather, wherever you are!
Review of the Week
Other Reviews
Poetry
Fiction
Non-Fiction
Michael Greenstein Reviews:
Hot Takes: Brief Notes on Books Present & Past
(Note: clicking on the underlined link takes you to the book’s publisher page or Amazon.ca for more information or for purchasing purposes)
Grady Hendrix returns with Witchcraft for Wayward Girls set in a time when unwed mothers were hidden away to have their babies in secret. It’s the summer of 1970 when fifteen-year-old Fern is dropped off at Wellwood House, one of 190 homes for unwed mothers across the United States. As her father drives off leaving her behind without even saying goodbye, Fern is terrified, but she is not alone. She meets twelve other girls staying at the home and they all have the same “problem.” With every move they make watched by Miss Wellwood, life at Wellwood House is not enjoyable. Then one day the bookmobile arrives at the home and the librarian gives Fern a book about witchcraft. The girls begin dabbling in small spells and discover that they have powers, and that witchcraft is real, but they could have never prepared themselves for the events that unfolded after opening that book.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls was a slow burn and while I did not enjoy the first half of the novel, the second half was much more entertaining. Even thought this novel is categorized as horror, I did not find it scary, but more of a thriller with a bit of gore thrown in once in a while. In the end I found the story quite juvenile, but it did shed light on some very important history such as the homes for unwed mothers, forced adoption, and the poor treatment of innocent girls who became pregnant most times because they were uneducated and unprotected. If you’re looking for a little bit of witchy gore and a history lesson mixed together, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is the book for you. (Laura Patterson)
Book News
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For folks out Toronto way, once a month The Caledonian Pub at 856 College St is home to Drunk Fiction, an irreverent night of readings, where readers, listeners, authors and those who love them can gather, drink and nosh! May 27 is Dennis E Bolen touring his new book amaranthine chevrolet, along with Marianne Miller, Aviva Rubin and Sydney Hegele. Check in at https://emilyweedon.com/drunk-fiction for more info!
Congratulations to Anne Smith-Nochasek for winning our poetry giveaway sponsored by Goose Lane Editions’ icehouse poetry imprint. Enjoy, Anne!
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Thanks for reading this issue of The Seaboard Review!
James M. Fisher, editor-in-chief
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