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 every three weeks.
Book Review: The Empress of Idaho by Todd Babiak
A staple of the Alberta book scene, Todd Babiak is a familiar name to most. In addition to his talents as a writer, he is quite simply, a very funny person. He hosted the Alberta Literary Awards a few years ago, keeping the audience laughing throughout, and believe...
IveReadThis Jr. Edition: Bookish Options for March Break
Now that March break is approaching, nervous parents are no doubt asking themselves "what do we do now"? For those who have booked sunny vacations elsewhere, CONGRATULATIONS GOOD FOR YOU but the rest of us need some options so I'm sliding in here to point you towards...
Book Review: Relative Fortunes by Marlowe Benn
Mystery readers are a picky bunch, and I'm allowed to say that because I count myself as one of them. The pacing needs to be tight but not rushed, the detective needs to be believable but not unlikable, and the solution better be conclusive but not obvious. And don't...
Video Book Review: Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter
So I feel quite foolish that this is the first Karin Slaughter book I've ever read. She's an America superstar thriller writer that everyone but me is familiar with, as she's sold over 35 million books and even has a section of her website dedicated to selling...
Ivereadthis Jr. Edition: Unicorn Books
I'm not sure where the unicorn trend started. Was it with the advent of bright colours and sparkly accents to little girl's clothes? Is it an extension of the popularity of My Little Pony? Was it when we started putting blow-up unicorn horns on our cats (or was that...
Book Review: The Farm by Joanne Ramos
I had wanted to read this book for awhile now, and when I saw the author speak at a Wordfest event earlier this year I was struck by how eloquent and honest she was, which finally convinced me to pick it up. Joanne Ramos immigrated to America from the Philippines when...
Book Review: NDN Coping Mechanisms by Billy-Ray Belcourt
It's the inaugural I Read Canadian Day today (February 19), and to celebrate I'm highlighting a Canadian book published by a Canadian press, written by an Albertan. NDN Coping Mechanisms by Billy-Ray Belcourt was published in 2019 by House of Anansi Press. It's a book...
Ivereadthis Jr. Edition: 2020 Valentine’s Day Books
When I was little, every holiday, even manufactured ones like Valentine's Day were exciting, usually because it meant I was going to get something sugary to eat. Only a few things have changed since then; instead of getting chocolate from my parents, I now get it from...
Book Review: Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann
This review has been a long time coming. Not because I've put off writing it, but because it took me so bloody long to read this book: two whole months which is definitely a record for me. At 988 pages, many of those pages including just one long run-on sentence, this...
Book Review: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Yes you read that right, I'm reviewing a 'classic' work of literature, one that was published back in 1959! As a book blogger, I'm always following other book blogs that review older books in addition to new releases, which always made me jealous. So instead of being...
Book Review: Starlight by Richard Wagamese
How do you properly review a book that's unfinished? Starlight by Richard Wagamese is the novel he was writing when he suddenly died, leaving can-lit lovers like myself in mourning. With his death, we lost a compassionate and wise writer who still had so much to tell...
Taking a Second Look at Self-Publishing
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of hearing cookbook author and food writer Julie Van Rosendaal speak about a plate full of things including our relationship with food, book distribution, clean eating, cookbook production, and self-publishing. All the things she...