I’ve squirreled away David Sedaris books in my home, ready to read when I feel I need them most. As I’ve said many times on this blog, David Sedaris is my favourite writer, and I savour his stories like a delicious chocolate bar I’ve been pining for. I don’t read his books in order so…
It’s been awhile since I read Canadian author Claire Cameron. I last read and reviewed one of her books of fiction, The Last Neanderthal in 2019 and I recently picked up her memoir How to Survive a Bear Attack with an open mind because it’s a work of non-fiction, so very different from what I…
Many Canadian book-lovers will be aware of this latest release: The Knowing by Tanya Talaga hit store shelves at the end of August, is currently on the bestseller list, and will likely remain there for the next few months. A documentary by the same name (trailer below) was released at the same time as the…
I’ll admit to picking this book up in the first place because it seemed juicy. A tell-all memoir about a woman discovering her recently deceased husband was hiding a bunch of things? Give me the tea! But The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards by Calgary author Jessica Waite wasn’t a simple look at how terrible…
I always regretted not attending this one book event; it was a snowstorm here in Calgary and no one was on the roads, so as the consummate rule follower I am, I stayed home from seeing Kate Beaton speak about her new book Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands back in 2022. I saw…
I’m a little late to the party on this one, as Lean In; Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg came out in 2013, and I’ve been meaning to read it since then. This may not seem like a long time, but in non-fiction book years, this is a very long time!…
As I continue to read and review self-help books in anticipation of my January radio segment for the CBC, next up is Dialed In, Do Your Best When it Matters Most by Dr. Dana Sinclair. This is a book that focuses on advice for those who want to perform better during high-pressure situations, and although…
Addiction is a popular topic these days, with no shortage of narratives, both fiction and non-fiction, detailing the rise of highly addictive drugs. The opioid crisis is one that most of us are familiar with now, and if you live in an urban area like I do, you’re likely used to seeing people suffering on…
I know I’m not alone when I say the ocean is endlessly fascinating. With so many undiscovered species living right on our planet, it’s a wonder why we are pumping so much money into space exploration, when the ocean is right here, home to millions of secrets. Susan Casey, the author of The Underworld, Journeys…
I originally chose to read Skid Dogs by Emelia Symington-Fedy now because it referenced the murder of a young woman on Halloween night, so I thought this would be perfect for my October reading…until I realized it was a) non-fiction and b) not really about Halloween at all. Yikes! The fun of being scared on…
At first glance, Ordinary Wonder Tales by Emily Urquhart may seem like a book appealing to only academics. It’s a book of essays, a notoriously challenging genre that rarely hits the bestseller list unless it’s written by a celebrity or David Sedaris, but this collection focuses on a somewhat obscure topic too; folklore. However I…
If you’ve ever wished yourself out of a conversation at a social event, try bringing up the colorful subject of personal wealth – and watch people disperse immediately! On Class by Deborah Dundas is the seventh in the Biblioasis Field Notes series. In this short, pamphlet-like book, Dundas explores the complicated world of class; the…
