KATAPULT
"Katapult" is a fast-moving cautionary tale that delves into the chaotic life of Kat, the daughter of a wealthy Canadian businessman whose entanglement in the Iran Contra Affair casts a long shadow over her upbringing. To the outside world, Kat seems to have it all, but by thirty-five, she has lived nine different lives, taken five names, and witnessed a wide range of human experiences. Her journey includes the highs of wealth, the dangers of arms deals, and the tragedies of murder, addiction, and abuse. Along the way, she faces the complexities of love and personal loss, eventually becoming drawn to Orthodox Judaism.
Through all the chaos, Kat's resilience and determination show a woman who refuses to let life's harsh lessons define her. This is her honest story—a cautionary tale about the costs of recklessness, the search for meaning, and the struggle to understand oneself.
Once you start, you can't stop reading, so clear your schedule before opening! The plot propels forward at high speed, while the voices of different characters flesh out the complexities underlying this story of a life far off the beaten path. Tamara Williamson does it again! Patty Ewaschuck
I’ve read the book and wow! What a cautionary tale about the importance of trusting your gut. Audrey McClellan
MIRROR HORSE
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"An engaging and endearing book that is ideal to read over multiple sittings with much to offer both horse enthusiasts and a wider audience."
Horse & Hound
Mirror Horse is an immersion into not only the equestrian world, but also the heart and soul of the author. It’s an exploration of one woman’s passion and determination, to excel at everything from dressage to music to painting to relationships. It was a journey to find herself. Fascinating and heartwarming true story. *****
Good Reads review Lyn Campbell.
70 works of Canadian nonfiction to check out in spring 2023
English/Canadian indie musician Tamara Williamson offers an unbridled account of a life in the world of horses.
From her first clever little bay pony, Stroller, to brilliant ribbon-winning Fletcher, Tamara Williamson recalls the many significant horses in her life, grappling with what it means to be horse-obsessed and what drives this desire to connect with horses. As Williamson discovers, during the tumultuous years of relationships with people and horses, these complicated equine creatures reflect back to us our best and worst selves.
Woven throughout the stories of individual horses in Williamson’s life is her own story of a creative, chaotic, challenging and adventurous life. Raised by an eccentric family, with a distant mother who disappeared into alcoholism and a charismatic father who left one sunny morning with a younger woman, Williamson struggles with dyslexia and a sense of increasing detachment. Horses, and the exacting sport of dressage, provide her with opportunities to connect, sometimes imperfectly. Her drive for accomplishment in equestrian sports, whether as a trainer or a rider, is regularly at odds with the fear that lingers from a traumatic childhood riding accident.
While reckoning with the financial and psychological expense of training and competition, and with the multitude of industries that benefit from horses, Williamson never loses sight of the enormous burden of responsibility she feels toward horses and the respect she has for their individual characters, memories and instincts. On the surface, The Mirror Horse is a book about horses—but beyond the bridles and braided manes, Williamson crafts a complex story about courage, family, and the unexpected places where we find a reflection of our souls: As a rider you can confuse yourself with being the teacher, but horses are constantly showing us something important. They are holding up a mirror.
THE BREAK-UP DIET
All it takes is one nice juicy betrayal. This is a book about love, loss, plenty of mistakes, online dating and dogs. It's a self-depreciating journey told by a rather hopeless, dyslectic, Brit musician. It's honest, blunt and ridiculous. A few people have said that It's terribly written but they all finished it, and a lot of people used the word love by the end. "The tale of infidelity, breakup, denial and recovery (as well as the ensuing weight-loss indicated in the title) is gripping. It belongs with Nora Ephron's Heartburn as a great work of art about splitting up." NOW MAGAZINE. TORONTO The Break-Up Diet is also an award-winning musical.
This book was not edited. It has some holes... but it is what it is and many people have said they read it in one sitting.
"Tamara Williamson bares her soul in this honest memoir.
Half of a golden couple with careers, a farm, a multitude of friends and a young child, she is blindsided by a sudden betrayal. The next phase of her life is harrowing but artistically productive as she takes stock and struggles out of the ashes.
Written with raw emotion, wise self-examination, and deadpan humour, The Break-up Diet serves up a close portrait of a chaotic passage in Tamara's life. A natural storyteller, she has spun it into gold."
