Collected Tarts and Other Indelicacies

Southey’s clever debut is a collection of more than 100 social and political commentaries drawn mostly from her long-running column in the Globe and Mail. Southey is a playfully cutting writer who uses satire to make provocative points and give readers a laugh. Many of the pieces tilt political. Tongue embedded in cheek, she described the election debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as Trump’s “Lord of the Whinge” trilogy, “an epic tale of a struggle involving a short person menaced by the landlord of some largely vacant tower real estate and his henchmen.” She quickly mocked the world media’s infatuation with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s looks—“For heaven’s sake, world, take a cold shower”—but added, “If, as a nation, we have done something to draw the world’s attention from Shirtless Putin, we have served.” Southey also serves up feminism, parenting, camping, literature, and contempt for jazz in appealing, bite-size portions that can be picked up and read individually, making this a perfect book for readers’ coffee tables or nightstands. (Apr.)