Book Reviews
I typically post between two and three book reviews a week. Please refer to my review policy if you’d like to submit a book for consideration. I invite you to subscribe to my newsletter to get a summary of my reviews once a month.
Book Review: All the Quiet Places by Brian Thomas Isaac
These past few weeks I've been checking my news feed every few hours, hoping for a break in the case of missing author Dawn Dumont and her son, and I'm happy to report she has been found safe with her son, in the U.S. There will be some difficult times ahead for them,...
Book Review: This Strange Visible Air by Sharon Butala
The subtitle of Sharon Butala's latest book This Strange Visible Air is: Essays on Aging and the Writing Life. Maybe it's because I'm keenly aware that my forties are now in my sights, or maybe it's because I recently discovered I may have trouble digesting gluten and...
Book Review: The Swells by Will Aitken
I save all my ‘summerish’ books for reading in July and August, and because The Swells by Will Aitken takes places on a boat, I figured it would be a great novel to dive into while at my family cottage. At first glance I thought this book would make for great dockside...
Book Review: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
While on vacation I indulged by reading my favourite author of all time, David Sedaris. I picked up this quirky little collection of animal-themed stories Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk at the Calgary Reads book sale a few months ago, and because this is a departure from his...
Book Review: The Birds That Stay by Ann Lambert
I'm finding it harder and harder these days to find a simple mystery among the new books released each month. So many big publishers seem to be churning out a never-ending barrage of thrillers, yet the good ol' fashioned mystery seems to be falling out of style. This...
Book Review: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
I'm in the midst of preparing my 'hot summer fiction' segment for CBC Calgary, and I knew as soon as I read the first review of Every Summer After by Carley Fortune that I'd have to include this novel in my annual round-up. Canadians are buzzing about this one as it's...
Puzzle Review: Book Nerd by Holly Maguire
Perhaps I’ve unlocked some sort of new book blogger level once I’ve been sent a puzzle for review, or maybe the good folks at Thomas Allen just know I’m the type of person that wants to sit at home by myself for long periods of time, but either way, I’m excited to...
Book Review: The It Girl by Ruth Ware
When a Ruth Ware books lands on my doorstep, I get excited. I've read every single one of her books published, and really enjoyed all of them. Because she's writing in such a crowded genre, I'll recognize certain tactics of suspense, or a stretch in truth or reality...
Book Review: The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner
The blurb on the cover of Jennifer Weiner's latest book The Summer Place reads "The undisputed boss of the beach read" (The New York Times), and based on the drawing of a woman lazily floating around in a hot pink inflatable doughnut on the water, all signs point to...
Book Review: Honor by Thrity Umrigar
This is a story that will stay with me for quite awhile. The details, setting, and circumstances may fade from my memory, but I'll always remember the protagonist Meena - the woman who sacrificed her body for those she loved. Honor by Thrity Umrigar* is a bestselling...
Book Review: The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick
It's a great title, right? It's definitely one of the reasons I picked up this book about books, but I was quite pleased that this work of contemporary women's fiction held my attention to the very end based on the character development alone. The Messy Lives of Book...
Book Review: People Change by Vivek Shraya
About a year ago I reviewed a work of fiction called The Subtweet by multi-disciplinary artist Vivek Shraya, and along with many other critics I really enjoyed it, so I was excited when another one of her books People Change landed on my doorstep a few months ago....