This book had been pitched to me a long time ago, and I remember thinking at the time that it was a work of horror, or maybe even dystopian fiction (the eyes on the cover are creepy, no?). When Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper finally arrived on my doorstep, I realized it wasn’t any of…
Addiction is a popular topic these days, with no shortage of narratives, both fiction and non-fiction, detailing the rise of highly addictive drugs. The opioid crisis is one that most of us are familiar with now, and if you live in an urban area like I do, you’re likely used to seeing people suffering on…
I’m not going to make a habit of reviewing middle grade fiction but I’ll admit to being convinced into reading The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett by a very persuasive pitch from a publicist at HarperCollins Canada. She said it was fantastic, and she was right (give this woman a raise!). Plus Everett is…
I’m curious if any of my readers have come across this book before, and I’d say it’s likely many of you have. I was sent the 30th anniversary edition of The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans for review, and according the internet, has sold over 8 million copies since its release in 1993. It’s…
I know I’m not alone when I say the ocean is endlessly fascinating. With so many undiscovered species living right on our planet, it’s a wonder why we are pumping so much money into space exploration, when the ocean is right here, home to millions of secrets. Susan Casey, the author of The Underworld, Journeys…
Even though I don’t read many romance novels, I’m always up for one, especially a holiday-themed book. So when Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun landed on my doorstep I was excited to read it. I was also curious about it, as it’s the first queer romance I had ever read, but I’ve…
The name of the book may be a mouthful, but The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships by Ali Bryan is well worth the effort. I’ve spoken of my love of Ali Bryan books on this blog before, and lucky for me, she published two different books with two different publishers this year. Like her other books,…
I had the pleasure of seeing Karma Brown speak about her latest book What Wild Women Do a few weeks ago, and lucky for me, I already had it on my bookshelf, so as soon as I got home, I cracked it open. A mixture of literary fiction, suspense, and even a dash of ‘contemporary…
Last month I had the pleasure of seeing Dave Hill perform in person at Wordfest. I vaguely remembered him from an earlier appearance in Calgary a few years ago, but for whatever reason, this most recent show of his really impressed me; he was absolutely hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing, and when he spoke as…
A trigger warning before I launch into this review; for those who have struggled with getting pregnant, give this novel a pass. Magpie by Elizabeth Day is a domestic thriller with a shocking plot twist, but it also offers an incredibly detailed and realistic accounting of infertility, and its affects on a relationship, and the…
Longlisted for the Giller Prize this past Fall, I was delighted to see my fellow Calgarian Deborah Willis recognized for her latest book, Girlfriend on Mars. I’ve read and enjoyed her short story collections, in fact my review of her last collection highlights one of my favourite short stories which was the basis for this,…
Although I don’t consider myself a huge horror fan, I’ve been reading lots of it this past October, and I’ve now read the first and second in the Indian Lake Trilogy by Stephen Graham Jones. Don’t Fear the Reaper is the second in the series, returning to the site of the bloodbath from the first…
