EPISODE · Dec 23, 2025 · 42 MIN
Interview - Liisa Kovala and Like Water for Weary Souls
from Canada Reads American Style · host Canada Reads American Style
Tara has a fascinating chat with Liisa Kovala, a Finnish Canadian author, book coach, and former teacher about historical fiction, cozy mysteries, sisu, her book coaching, podcast, and coffee. Her latest novel is, Like Water for Weary Souls. https://www.liisakovalabookcoach.com/ "In Nolin Creek, the water runs deep and the secrets run deeper. In the harsh landscape of a Depression-era Northern Ontario mining town, Finnish immigrant sisters Hanna and Essi Kivi scrape together a living as domestic workers, sharing a room in a disreputable boarding house owned by a protective madame. When Hanna's body is discovered in the icy waters of Nolin Creek, the police call it a tragic accident. But Essi knows better. Her sister would never have risked crossing unstable ice—not after they lost their youngest sister Martta to drowning years before. Haunted by guilt and driven by loyalty, Essi begins to unravel the secrets Hanna kept hidden. As Essi digs deeper into her sister's final days, she discovers that in a town built on desperation and dreams for a better future, everyone has something to hide. A gripping tale of love, family, sisterhood, and the search for truth." Recommended Reading List: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie https://www.youtube.com/@liisakovala https://liisakovalawomenwriting.substack.com/ https://www.instagram.com/liisakovala/
What this episode covers
Tara has a fascinating chat with Liisa Kovala, a Finnish Canadian author, book coach, and former teacher about historical fiction, cozy mysteries, sisu, her book coaching, podcast, and coffee. Her latest novel is, Like Water for Weary Souls. https://www.liisakovalabookcoach.com/ "In Nolin Creek, the water runs deep and the secrets run deeper. In the harsh landscape of a Depression-era Northern Ontario mining town, Finnish immigrant sisters Hanna and Essi Kivi scrape together a living as domestic workers, sharing a room in a disreputable boarding house owned by a protective madame. When Hanna's body is discovered in the icy waters of Nolin Creek, the police call it a tragic accident. But Essi knows better. Her sister would never have risked crossing unstable ice—not after they lost their youngest sister Martta to drowning years before. Haunted by guilt and driven by loyalty, Essi begins to unravel the secrets Hanna kept hidden. As Essi digs deeper into her sister's final days, she discovers that in a town built on desperation and dreams for a better future, everyone has something to hide. A gripping tale of love, family, sisterhood, and the search for truth." Recommended Reading List: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie https://www.youtube.com/@liisakovala https://liisakovalawomenwriting.substack.com/ https://www.instagram.com/liisakovala/
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Interview - Liisa Kovala and Like Water for Weary Souls
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