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: Ghostly, A Collection of Ghost Stories introduced and illustrated by Audrey Niffenegger
Happy Halloween everyone! I wanted to dash out this post to you in time for the big night tomorrow to help you get into a spooky mood. I'm back from my European tour, and this was the last book I finished on my travels. There's a photo of its final resting place (a...
Book Review: The Wrong Cat by Lorna Crozier
I don't typically read poetry, but I always make an exception for the wonderful Canadian poet and icon Lorna Crozier. The Wrong Cat is her latest collection of poetry, and 'spellbinding' is one of the best words I can find to describe it. * Obviously I'm going to like...
Book Review: The Mountain Can Wait by Sarah Leipciger
So I'm back in Germany (Berlin actually) and I've just finished Sarah Leipciger's The Mountain Can Wait. Before we dive in I should mention that this book came out in summer 2015, so many people have already read it, but if you haven't you'll probably want to pick it...
Book Review: The Mystics of Mile End by Sigal Samuel
As I continue my journey through Europe, I continue my reading adventures as well. Next up is newcomer Sigal Samuel's The Mystics of Mile End; a book I started in Switzerland and finished in France (and a side note to the author and publisher: after finishing the book...
Book Review: Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller
So I'm still in Europe, Switzerland actually, so reading a book that takes place in the German countryside had a particularly relevant angle for me, as I had just come from that wonderful country, and will return to it in a few short weeks. Our Endless Numbered Days...
Book Review: Honeydew by Edith Pearlman
I started reading this book in Canada, and I finished reading it in Germany. This doesn't really have anything to do with the way I enjoyed it, I just wanted to brag about the fact that I'm travelling to fun places right now. Instead of taking pictures of books with...
The Literary Festival Season Has Begun!
So with the onslaught of Fall book awards come the annual procession of literary festivals. Canada is lucky enough to have quite a few of them, although there is always room for more! As you all know, I used to work for Wordfest, so this is a topic near and dear to my...
Book Review: Close to Hugh by Marina Endicott
As the countdown to the Giller Prize ticks along, I'm reading and reviewing as many nominated books as I can. Next up on my list is Marina Endicott's Close to Hugh. I have a soft spot in my hardened little heart for Endicott. She splits her time between Toronto and...
Book Review: Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum
Anna Benz, the protagonist of Hausfrau (meaning "housewife" in German), is living in Switzerland after moving there with her husband Bruno from the United States. They have three young children, live in a nice home in a respectable neighborhood, and appear to be 'the...
Book Review: The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald
An homage to the wonderful world of books! I dare any book lover to read The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend and not fall in love. As you can tell by the title, this novel is about reading for pleasure. So, obviously I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am highly...
Elizabeth Hay is coming to Wordfest and I Love Her
I recently finished reading Elizabeth Hay's new book His Whole Life. And I loved it. Obviously, because Elizabeth Hay is great. I've also been helping the wonderful Shelley Youngblut program the 20th anniversary of Wordfest this year. So...they filmed me (nervously)...
Giller Longlist Announced!
Well the Giller Longlist has been announced, and it's a good one! I may be a bit biased, simply because I've read and loved many of the books on the list, but it's also pointed to a few I need to hurry up and read. You all know by now that I loved Patrick deWitt's...