The Seaboard Review of Books September 24, 2025
Volume 2, Issue 39 of The Seaboard Review of Books, September 24, 2025
In this issue:
Terminal Solstice by Sean Minogue
Looking for Cornelius: a Novella by Diana Hayes
Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon by Lisa de Nikolits
Children’s Books:
Earhart: The Incredible Flight of a Field Mouse Around the World by Torben Kuhlmann
Beverley, Bat Your Service by Kelly Collier
Fiction
Children’s Books
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. Support your local bookseller or independent publisher if you can.)
Open Heart, Open Mind, by Clara Hughes
Like many people, I was already familiar with some of the cyclist and speed skater Clara Hughes’ athletic achievements before I read her memoir, Open Heart, Open Mind. Hughes represented Canada at the Summer and Winter Olympics, as well as World Championships and other events, winning numerous medals along the way.
In Open Heart, Open Mind, Hughes provides a look at the behind-the-scenes work required to excel at the highest levels of sport. She shares her high points and her lows, her injuries, and her efforts to push through fatigue and pain. Hughes also discusses her dysfunctional upbringing and her struggles with mental health issues, including depression and self-loathing. In later chapters, we learn about Hughes’ involvement with Right to Play, the Bell Let’s Talk initiative, and other ways of giving back to the community.
When I’ve watched high-performance athletes in the past, I’ve had some basic understanding of the amount of effort and dedication required. Hughes’ book shows that there may be much more than we know going on beneath the surface. In discussing mental health issues, as well as life stages like adjusting to retirement, Hughes transcends sport, moving into territory we can all identify with. Hughes is very up-front about her struggles and vulnerabilities. It’s this forthrightness that makes Open Heart, Open Mind an interesting and compelling read. (Contributed by Lisa Timpf)
Bon Voyage, Heather!
Heather McBriarty, a TSR co-admin and her husband have just set sail from Saint John for the Caribbean on her boat, Kismet 2.0! We wish them “fair winds and a following sea”!
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Thanks for reading this issue of The Seaboard Review of Books!
James M. Fisher, editor-in-chief