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: From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle
You know how people joke they are addicted to something? I regularly claim I'm addicted to chocolate, and those of you who know me well know this is a fairly accurate statement. I almost always have it in the house, and when I go a full day without having any of it...
Video Book Review: Short Story Advent Calendar Re-Cap
Some of you may be wondering where my reviews of the 2019 Short Story Advent Calendar are, because in years past, I've posted a review every single day from December 1 to December 25. Well I've smartened up because it was just too time intensive to make a youtube...
Book Review: 24/6, The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week by Tiffany Shlain
It's not a groundbreaking statement to say you should get off your phone more often. We are all (mostly) aware of why staring at a screen is bad for us, mentally, physically and emotionally, and yet we just keep coming back to them. For many, this is because we have...
Book Review: Chasing Painted Horses by Drew Hayden Taylor
I'm a big fan of Drew Hayden Taylor's writing. His words are funny, empathetic, and entertaining all at the same time. Every book of his I read, I'm more hopeful that Canada's indigenous population, colonizers and immigrants will one day live in harmony, a mutually...
Ivereadthis Jr. Edition: Christmas Board (and Box!) Books
What do you do with your holiday books between January and November? Do they live on your bookshelf with your other kids books, or are you like me and pack them away with your decorations, ready to be discovered each year? It may seem like a strange habit to get into,...
Book Review: White Elephant by Trish Harnetiaux
What's better than reading a book that takes place at a Christmas party in front of your very own Christmas tree? How about if that book contains a devious murder plot too? Reading a holiday book during the holidays certainly ratchets up the tension and the dark...
Book Review: The Reality Bubble by Ziya Tong
If you want to read a book that will truly horrify you, I recommend The Reality Bubble by Ziya Tong. It packs a scary punch, and not the kind of spooky Halloween-y read I typically recommend to frighten people. No, this book will terrify you because it highlights how...
Book Review: Calgary Through the Eyes of Writers by Shaun Hunter
Calgary Through the Eyes of Writers by Shaun Hunter isn't a book I'd typically read; it's an anthology of writing about Calgary, so it's not meant to be read all the way through, which is pretty much the ONLY WAY I read books. But, I did just that, read it all the way...
Book Review: Dual Citizens by Alix Ohlin
Did you watch the Giller awards on Monday night? I was glued to the television screen, strangely nervous to see who the winner of Canada's biggest book prize would be. As you no doubt realized already, Dual Citizens by Alix Ohlin did not win, but I really enjoyed it,...
Book Review: The Innocents by Michael Crummey
Let me set the scene for you: two kids live in an extremely isolated cove, their parents die, and they are forced to harvest and catch their own food as a means of survival. That's it. That's the book. And in the words of the author-who would want to read about that?...
Book Review: Small Game Hunting At the Local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles
Long title, long book. Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles may scare off people for a few different reasons, one of them being the warning issued at the beginning: "This might hurt a little. Be brave." But those who are brave will be...
Book Review: Reproduction by Ian Williams
Reproduction by Ian Williams, winner of the 2019 Giller Prize is a quirky read. Aside from this book being PAINFULLY LONG, I enjoyed it. It plays with lots of things: format, timelines, even phrasing. That being said, I'm a reader who doesn't like freaky-deaky...