I’m really torn between my conflicting thoughts on this book. Into the Sun by Deni Ellis Bechard is extremely ambitious, it goes into many in-depth descriptions of various people’s lives, starting from their childhood and ending with their deaths, all within a somewhat convoluted plot that attempts to explain their connections with each other. But,…
So, I don’t normally review ‘coffee table’ books but I made an exception for this one because it’s a picture book of cats on outdoor adventures. Yes, you read that right, cats are in canoes, hiking mountains and perching on paddle boards in the great white north that is the Canadian wilderness. Bolt and Keel…
I’ve been reading more non-fiction lately…not for any particular reason other than publishers just seem to be churning out more these days so I’m receiving more for review. Although I read far more fiction than non-fiction, I find real-life stories stick with me for longer, probably because the people are real and truly endured what…
My Canadian readers will probably be familiar with this latest can-lit thriller: Hysteria by Elisabeth de Mariaffi. It’s just come out, and it’s getting a hysterical amount of press (obviously I had to use that adjective somewhere in this review, but I promise I won’t do it again). Is this book a page-turner? Yes. Is…
So I’ve never really watched the television show Murdoch Mysteries, but of course being Canadian and a long-time devotee of the CBC I had certainly heard about it, so it’s definitely on my Netflix list of ‘to be watched’. Because of this, when I was given the chance to review a forthcoming Murdoch Mystery book…
My Canadian readers won’t be at all surprised to see I’m reviewing Bellevue Square by Michael Redhill because it won the richest literary prize in Canada back in November: the Giller Prize. I’ll be honest though, I had no intention of reading it until my book club chose it. I’m glad I did because first of…
It doesn’t take much to please me these days, as you’ll hear on my latest radio segment with the CBC Homestretch. I admit to wanting to take a vacation on my couch, but don’t we all? An uninterrupted stretch of reading time is all I need for my ‘paradise’, although I realize some people may…
This is the perfect book to read in the dead of a Canadian winter. Fly Me by Daniel Riley is a novel that’s set mostly in the beach community of Sela del Mar, California in the year 1972. Think bell bottoms, big sunglasses, surf culture and young kids unconcerned about skin cancer. Sounds quite heavenly,…
I was hesitant to pick up this book knowing it begins with the grisly discovery of a newborn’s bones, simply because I’m a) pregnant right now, therefore very emotional and b) already a mother of one child, which means I’m much more sensitive to stories that include any harm coming to kids of any age….
I think Will Ferguson is hilarious, in person and in writing. Full disclosure; he’s a Calgarian, so I get to see him around quite a bit, which is why I know he’s funny on and off and page. We’re not buds or anything, but I would comfortably call us literary acquaintances here in the city,…
I adored this book. I found it difficult to read, and when I finished each chapter I had to put it down and sigh out my emotions, but I already know this will be one of the best books I read this year, if not THE best. And yes, I’m aware this year just started. The…
I’m a fan of the occasional cozy mystery, although I only read them every once in awhile because they can be a bit slow. The Missing Guests of the Magic Grove Hotel by David Casarett is a perfect example of the cozy mystery; it’s slow, very slow, in fact the ‘mysteries’ that came to light…
