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: In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
Here's a good book buying tip for you: when a major actress like Reese Witherspoon has blurbed a book, you can generally assume it's going to be worthwhile. Now I know what you're thinking; "But Anne, aren't we just buying into the publicity plan that the publisher...
Radio Segment: Focus on the “Thriller”
Yesterday I spoke with the lovely Judy Aldous about one of my favourite genres of books: the thriller. We discussed The Fall by Noah Hawley and In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. Obviously, I loved both these books, and I knew I would, based on the extraordinary...
Book Review: Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
Pretty sure I've mentioned that I'm a nervous flier before on this blog before. I wouldn't call myself a bad flier, because I do it quite often (one of my life's greatest ironies unfortunately), but I'm a white knuckler for sure. I care how big the plane is, I refuse...
Book Review: Fishbowl by Bradley Somer
Wow, I've made a big mistake. I waited way too damn long to read this book. Fishbowl by Bradley Somer came out in 2015, has won a bunch of awards since then, and I still didn't read it until last week, right before I was slated to talk about it on the radio. What was...
Book Review: The Pain Tree by Olive Senior
I had never read anything by Olive Senior before, but I had heard of her, and I knew she was a good writer, so picking up The Pain Tree was an easy decision for me. As was recommending her, and gushing about her publisher Cormorant Books on the radio last week. If...
Radio Segment: Focus on Alberta Writers
My fixation on Alberta writers comes with good reason. I'm on the board for the Writers' Guild of Alberta yo! Their mission is to connect, encourage, inspire, promote and support Alberta writers and their writing, so it would be a down right travesty if I didn't...
Book Review: The Butcher’s Hook by Janet Ellis
Is this book literary? Yes. Is this book a thriller? Yes, of sorts. Is this book a worthwhile piece of historical fiction? Definitely! The Butcher's Hook by Janet Ellis is a lot of different things, it's very unique in so many ways that it will appeal to many...
Radio Segment: Focus on Short Stories
I love reading short stories, and because they're not as popular as they deserve to be, I'm always taking advantage of a little air time to talk about how great they are. You can click here to listen to my latest segment on CBC's Homestretch. For those of you who...
Radio Segment: Focus on Historical Fiction
All summer long, I'm appearing weekly on CBC's Homestretch to talk about new books worth reading this summer. Each week, I'm focusing on a different genre, and yesterday I spoke about historical fiction. You can hear the segment here if you are interested. I don't...
Book Review: White Elephant by Catherine Cooper
This is one effed up family. White Elephant by Catherine Cooper follows mother Ann, father Richard and son Tor as they struggle to navigate their new world in Sierra Leone at the beginning of the civil war there. I found this a really fascinating premise for a novel;...
IveReadThis is back on the radio-again!
Well folks, people don't seem to be getting sick of my voice yet, because I've been asked to return CBC Calgary as their summer books columnist again. Many of you will recall me doing this a few years back, which was a ton of fun. And then last year I was on CKUA a...
Book Review: Still Mine by Amy Stuart
The mountain landscape pictured on Amy Stuart's breakout thriller Still Mine has crossed my computer screen many times this year-it was a buzz book for 2016, so I was super excited to crack it open. Apparently it isn't available in the U.S. until August, so my...