MY AMERICAN CHAIR, by Elizabeth Smither (AUP, $24.99)
In her 19th collection, Elizabeth Smither traverses much territory – the urban scene, music, children, grandchildren, trees, flowers, furniture, ageing, hospitals and the literary life.
Always an acute observer, she has no axes to grind. Her tone is benign when and funny moments bordering on the grotesque in “Cat sick” and “Lambs’ brains in white sauce”.