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: Blue Ticket by Sophie Mackintosh
Motherhood is such a hot topic in fiction these days, and why shouldn't it be? There are lots of feelings and events to muddle through in this time of life, and like parenting in general, the capacity and opportunity for trauma is endless (LOL). One aspect that seems...
Book Review: The Sow’s Ear Cafe by Holly Quan
It's been ages since I reluctantly agreed to accept a copy of The Sow's Ear Café by Holly Quan. My review policy states I no longer accept unsolicited books, and I typically hold true to that rule, but I received such a persuasive email from Alberta author Quan I...
Books I’ve Read in 2020
What to say about this past year that hasn't already been said? As an avid twitter lurker, I've seen mostly negative things written about these past 12 months, and it's no secret why this was the worst year of many people's lives. My family has muddled through these...
Book Review: The Finder by Will Ferguson
I'm a proud Calgarian and the fact that Giller Prize winning author Will Ferguson also lives in Calgary is just the tip of the iceberg of our wonderful writing community. I've been posting lots of local book reviews lately for good reason, we have a wealth of...
Book Review: Group by Christie Tate
If you had the chance to secretly sit in on someone's private therapy session, would you? Does hearing about the drama and disappointments of someone else's life make you feel better about yours? I would personally answer 'yes!' to both those questions, but I may be...
IveReadThis Jr. Edition: A Cozy Canadian Christmas
How did we get here so quickly? I know everyone may not feel the same way, but this year flew by for me and my family. My kids are near to bursting with excitement for Christmas so I'm trying to calm them down by doing some quiet reading with them. And what better to...
Ivereadthis Jr. Edition: Christmas Across the Ages
I've got an almost 6-year-old, and an almost 3-year-old, and luckily they both enjoy sitting and listening to me read books that suit both age groups, but I do realize there will come a time when my oldest may not want to sit through the same books my youngest does....
Book Review: The 19th Christmas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
This is the first (and most likely the last) James Patterson book I'll ever read. It's not that I didn't like it, in fact I enjoyed it, it was highly entertaining and I flew through the pages. Still, I finished the book and thought, what was the point of this? The...
IveReadThis Jr. Edition: Happy Hanukkah
Most of my readers are probably aware of this by now, but I'm not Jewish. Still, I like to read my kids books about Hanukkah because I think it's important they understand that not everyone celebrates Christmas, there are other holidays that happen around the same...
Book Review: God Loves Hair by Vivek Shraya
I've raved about Calgary author and artist Vivek Shraya on this blog before, so when given the chance to review the 10th anniversary edition of her first book God Loves Hair (previously self-published) I was excited to dive in and witness the evolution of her writing....
Book Review: The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson
Historical fiction isn't typically a genre I get excited about. It's one of those things that I tend to enjoy once I've been forced into it, but don't actively seek it out on my own (I also feel this way about travel, and I blame my father for this general...
Book Review: Vermin by Lori Hahnel
As the economy continues to take a nose dive here in Alberta, I'm becoming more and more determined to read local and encouraging others to do the same. When possible, buying locally-authored books from an independent book store is even better because it keeps the...