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.
Double Advent Calendar Unveilings-Follow Along with Me!
It's getting to be that time of year folks! December starts tomorrow, and I've got my advent calendars (yes, that's plural) locked and loaded. To mark this special time of year, I'm going to be posting a video each day on my youtube channel until Dec. 25. They'll be...
Book Review: The Usual Santas, Foreword by Peter Lovesey
If the title of this book is confusing, the subtitle will make everything clear: A Collection of Soho Crime Christmas Capers. As you can see by the cover of the book, it's all about 'Christmasy' stories of crime, and who doesn't love to read a holiday-themed book at...
Book Review: Jesus on the Dashboard by Lisa Murphy-Lamb
I've got strange reading habits and preferences, I'm totally aware of that fact. One of these unique tendencies is the fact that I love coming-of-age books, but I don't read a lot of YA (young adult). 'When else are people coming of age?' you might ask. Well, the...
Book Review: American War by Omar El Akkad
I loved this book. I didn't think I would, because it's about two things I don't typically enjoy reading about: American politics (ugh) and dystopian futures (double ugh). I picked up American War by Omar El Akkad despite these hesitations because I had read some...
Radio Segment: Read These Even Though You May Not Have Heard of Them
I've always followed Canada's annual book awards, enjoyed reporting on them, etc. But sometimes we miss out on some amazing titles that don't make it on these lists, so for my most recent book segment on the CBC I wanted to draw attention to the hidden gems that are...
Book Review: Ten Dead Comedians by Fred Van Lente
Ten Dead Comedians by Fred Van Lente is a fun murder mystery based on Agatha Christie's most popular book And Then There Were None. According to Christie's 'official' website, And Then There Were None is the best-selling crime book of all time, and it's no wonder...
Short Story Review: Remembrance by Alistair MacLeod
I can't remember ever reading a book or story by Alistair MacLeod before today, but I do know I should be ashamed of this fact because he's one of Canada's greatest writers. Although he died in 2014, his legacy still lives on in his writing, as well as through his...
State of the ARC Meme
I rarely do meme's (or it is memes?) on this blog because my reading is typically dictated by the book events or author interviews I'm scheduled to do. However, this seemed like a really easy one to join in on, and it appears other book bloggers are having so much fun...
Killer Crime Club 3 Book Giveaway!!!
I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing three amazing women last week, each just happened to be successful crime writers, and wonderful people to boot. As part of HarperCollins's Killer Crime Club, they brought Rene Denfeld, Mel McGrath (pronounced McGraw!) and...
Book Review: Darwin’s Moving by Taylor Lambert
I had requested a few books from NeWest Press awhile ago, so I had Darwin's Moving by Taylor Lambert on my shelf for at least a few weeks, if not months. Then, at my most recent Wordfest event, I came across someone who looked vaguely familiar to me, although I wasn't...
Wordfest 2017 Recap!
Well my Wordfest 2017 experience was WAY better than my Wordfest 2016 experience which was basically non-existent due to the fact that I contracted hand foot and mouth during last year's festival (the joys of having young children in daycare never end!). But I was...
Book Review: Norma by Sofi Oksanen, translated by Owen Witesman
It's hard to imagine a woman named "Norma" as exotic (sorry to all the Normas out there, but you know it's true), but the latest release from famed Helsinki-based writer Sofi Oksanen features just that: a "Norma" with a fantastic secret. Oksanen's Norma has hair that...