I Remember Nonna is a collection of several Vignettes of my childhood experiences with Nonna during my pre-teen years, when my sister and I went to live in the small hamlet in Pennsylvania called Old Boston in the fall of 1941. Moving from a small town to a farm environment made every aspect of our daily life, from that point, a learning encounter. The most trying part was the very beginning when we had neither understanding of Italian nor any clue at all what to expect in Old Boston. It was those stark beginnings with Nonna that have made such an impact on my thinking later in my life. For the first several months, almost every moment with Nonna was a learning experience. It was years later when I began to look back and saw the comical side in each of these incidents. When I related these events to other members of the family, they found them very funny and thought them so typical of Nonna. I knew then that these were moments that had to be remembered and passed on by the family.

In Lori Lansens’ astonishing second novel, readers come to know and love two of the most remarkable characters in Canadian fiction. Rose and Ruby are twenty-nine-year-old conjoined twins. Born during a tornado to a shocked teenaged mother in the hospital at Leaford, Ontario, they are raised by the nurse who helped usher them into the world. Aunt Lovey and her husband, Uncle Stash, are middle-aged and with no children of their own. They relocate from the town to the drafty old farmhouse in the country that has been in Lovey’s family for generations. Joined to Ruby at the head, Rose’s face is pulled to one side, but she has full use of her limbs. Ruby has a beautiful face, but her body is tiny and she is unable to walk. She rests her legs on her sister’s hip, rather like a small child or a doll. In spite of their situation, the girls lead surprisingly separate lives. Rose is bookish and a baseball fan. Ruby is fond of trash TV and has a passion for local history. Rose has always wanted to be a writer, and as the novel opens, she begins to pen her autobiography. Here is how she begins: I have never looked into my sister’s eyes. I have never bathed alone. I have never stood in the grass at night and raised my arms to a beguiling moon. I’ve never used an airplane bathroom. Or worn a hat. Or been kissed like that. I’ve never driven a car. Or slept through the night. Never a private talk. Or solo walk. I’ve never climbed a tree. Or faded into a crowd. So many things I’ve never done, but oh, how I’ve been loved. And, if such things were to be, I’d live a thousand lives as me, to be loved so exponentially. Ruby, with her marvellous characteristic logic, points out that Rose’s autobiography will have to be Ruby’s as well — and how can she trust Rose to represent her story accurately? Soon, Ruby decides to chime in with chapters of her own. The novel begins with Rose, but eventually moves to Ruby’s point of view and then switches back and forth. Because the girls face in slightly different directions, neither can see what the other is writing, and they don’t tell each other either. The reader is treated to sometimes overlapping stories told in two wonderfully distinct styles. Rose is given to introspection and secrecy. Ruby’s style is "tell-all" — frank and decidedly sweet. We learn of their early years as the town "freaks" and of Lovey’s and Stash’s determination to give them as normal an upbringing as possible. But when we meet them, both Lovey and Stash are dead, the girls have moved back into town, and they’ve received some ominous news. They are on the verge of becoming the oldest surviving craniopagus (joined at the head) twins in history, but the question of whether they’ll live to celebrate their thirtieth birthday is suddenly impossible to answer. In Rose and Ruby, Lori Lansens has created two precious characters, each distinct and loveable in their very different ways, and has given them a world in Leaford that rings absolutely true. The girls are unforgettable. The Girls is nothing short of a tour de force.

"Featuring the nonnas' classic recipes."

This book is intended for anyone who has been through any kind of tragedy in your life and are continually victimizing yourself because of that tragedy. My desire is for you to read my book and understand that if I could have gone through everything I've been through in my life and still remain sane, so can you. I am a survivor and I want you to realize that you are too. Writing this book was very therapeutic for me; it was a way for me to release it. I hope reading it becomes very therapeutic for you as well. There is a bit of comedy and sarcasm in it that will make you laugh. However, I do use some adult language, so if you have a teenager whose perhaps been raped that you want to read it, please be sure you supervise them. I am who I am and don't pretend to be anyone else. Enjoy!

The book contains collective memoirs about family traditions, memories, travel stories and special Italian American memories. It is a keepsake for future generations. Also, the book shows the ways in which we remain connected to our Italian traditions and memories.

Inna Wolkovich Gardner Nichols' story is not a recount of the horrors of war - for those stories have already been written. Her story is a true personal recollection based on her memories as a young orphan girl caught up in the ravages and consequences of World War II as so many thousands endured. Her saga continues as she recounts the enormous challenges she faced as a Non-English speaking immigrant living in the United States. What is written by the author is primarily based on Inna's personal accounts. At this point in her life of eighty plus years, the events described in this story stand out very clearly in her mind. Inna's inspiring story is a testimony that the human spirit has the capacity to survive and receive God's grace, no matter what the difficulties and struggles in life might be.