I had requested a few books from NeWest Press awhile ago, so I had Darwin’s Moving by Taylor Lambert on my shelf for at least a few weeks, if not months. Then, at my most recent Wordfest event, I came across someone who looked vaguely familiar to me, although I wasn’t sure why. After introducing…
It’s hard to imagine a woman named “Norma” as exotic (sorry to all the Normas out there, but you know it’s true), but the latest release from famed Helsinki-based writer Sofi Oksanen features just that: a “Norma” with a fantastic secret. Oksanen’s Norma has hair that grows at an incredible rate, she has to cut…
Gilly Macmillan is a New York Times bestselling author, and her latest book is called Odd Child Out, which I devoured a few weeks ago in anticipation of this interview. Her latest novel features returning detective Jim Clemo who is faced with a difficult case; two young boys were spotted in a remote industrial site…
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted to booktube, so I got my butt in gear and filmed another review full of ‘ums’ for you all to cringe through*. The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld is everywhere right now, I believe it’s currently at the top of the Canadian bestseller list, and I recall seeing a…
I loved this book. Brother by David Chariandy is a must-read, and I completely understand why it’s making all the prize lists this Fall. It recounts the childhood and early adulthood of a sensitive Michael, and his older brother Francis. They live in a small apartment in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough with their extremely…
*Please note the giveaway is now closed, thank you to everyone who entered! In September my book club studied Kate Hilton’s book Just Like Family. Our discussion was passion-filled as always, people arguing to the very end about character motivations, author choices, etc. So, you can imagine my delight when I had the opportunity to interview…
In the past few years I’ve read a handful of books that could be labelled as ‘manly man literary books’. This is of course my highly scientific name for them, which I’m sure will catch on any minute now. What makes these books unique is the writing style which is typically very sparse and straightforward…
It will come as no surprise to anyone that I’m counting down the days until Wordfest 2017. For my most recent trip into the CBC Studios, I gave my ‘insider’ suggestions of which authors to take in while attending Wordfest this year, as well as getting in a little promo to the event I’ll be…
What do you think of when someone tells you a book is ‘ripe for book club discussion’? Does that kind of description make you roll your eyes, or encourage you to dive right in? I personally hate the insinuation that certain books are ‘book club’ books, because it assumes that all book clubs are the…
Oh what, an old book? But Anne you never review those! I know, I’ve shocked everyone by reading a book by a dead author, but I can always make an exception for the wonderful Agatha Christie, the mentor to my idol Jessica Fletcher. I got this book from the library, which was extra fun because…
How do you write a memoir that’s all about love without becoming a cliche? Mandy Len Catron did exactly that by writing an insanely popular essay for the New York Times titled “to fall in love with anyone, do this” which was eventually turned into her memoir/book of essays called How to Fall In Love With Anyone. I have…
Soo….this is a review of a self-published book, which my loyal readers will know I don’t typically do. My reasons for not reviewing self-published books are mainly bound up in the fact that I used to work in the publishing industry, but every once in a while I come across a fabulous self-published book that…
