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: Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller
There's something about a book set in a creepy old house. I've read a few of them lately that have really stuck with me, but Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller is different in that the house itself isn't the scariest thing about the book (although it certainly adds to the...
Book Review: Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq
I've been meaning to read and review Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq for awhile now... since October, to be exact. I saw Tagaq perform in Calgary as part of Wordfest, and once I listened to her read it out loud, I knew I'd enjoy reading it myself too. Her throat singing is...
Book Review: The Last by Hanna Jameson
Well I read this dystopian novel in an attempt to get my mind off politics (there was a provincial election going on earlier this year) but I quickly realized this book is mired in them; it's not so subtly hinted at that a certain American President is responsible for...
Book Review: Do This For Me by Eliza Kennedy
There’s a wealth of positive things that have come from the #metoo movement, one of them being a vast improvement in women’s contemporary fiction, aka 'chick lit'. Do This For Me by Eliza Kennedy features wealthy attractive people struggling with domestic issues, but...
Book Review: The Amateurs by Liz Harmer
The Amateurs by Liz Harmer is hard to slot into one category; it’s literary, philosophical, dystopian and science fiction, all within 300-ish pages. Even the publishers had to use other books like The Leftovers by Tom Perotta, The Year of the Flood by Margaret...
Book Review: The Last Resort by Marissa Stapley
When I received this book in the mail for review, I was immediately hooked after reading the premise; a tropical couples retreat headed for impending doom when a hurricane is about to hit? Count me in! As you know, I love reading about marriages (especially those that...
Book Review: French Exit by Patrick deWitt
I adore this book. I knew I would, there's a cat on the cover and I heard Patrick deWitt read from it during his Giller event here in Calgary last year and the section he read was HILARIOUS. Luckily the rest of the book lived up to his stellar performance, and I think...
Book Review: To Me You Seem Giant by Greg Rhyno
I'm making more of an effort to read out of my comfort zone these days, and To Me You Seem Giant by Greg Rhyno is a definitely a great example of this. It's about music and teenage boys, both things I'm not too interested in these days (mind you, it was all I thought...
Book Review: What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About, Fifteen Writers Break the Silence, Edited by Michele Filgate
With thoughts of Mother's Day no doubt swirling around in everyone's minds this weekend, I thought I'd post a review of a book of 15 essays about motherhood. What My Mother and I Don't Talk About, Fifteen Writers Break the Silence are all fairly short pieces written...
Book Review: A Good Enough Mother by Bev Thomas
I originally read A Good Enough Mother by Bev Thomas with the intentions of including it in a mother's day book recommendations wrap-up. I thought it would be perfectly suited for this purpose; it has the word "mother" in the title and it's all about a woman who's a...
Book Review: The Strays by Emily Bitto
Last year, a book called The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman was released, it was all about a famous artist and the people who circled around him. It also had a beautiful cover; a collage of vibrantly coloured paints splashed onto a canvas. Similar to that book, The...
Goodbye Smokey
It's been a rough 24 hours in our house, as we returned home from vacation to find our beloved Smokey had passed away. It feels like just a few short months ago we were mourning the death of her sister Pearl, so I wonder if the loss of her only feline companion...