I always rejoice when I get the chance to read a classic mystery. The Tangled Miracle by Canadian author Bertram Brooker was originally published in 1936 under the pseudonym Huxley Herne, and has recently been re-released by indie publisher Invisible Publishing which has a Throwback Series that re-introduces public-domain books. A locked room mystery of…
Does a book called “Hot Stew” all about a crowded neighborhood kind of give you the willies? Normally I’d say ‘me too’, but because I’ve spent the last two years avoiding people, Hot Stew by Fiona Mozley sounded like something I wanted to dive into immediately. It’s set in the present day (sans Covid) in…
It was only a year ago that I reviewed Stephen Graham Jones’ last book, The Only Good Indians, which I really enjoyed, so I jumped at the chance to read his latest release (just in time for the beginning of the spooky season) My Heart is a Chainsaw. Don’t like blood and guts? You’ll want…
Cats! Books! A woman with glasses on the cover! This book just calls to me, for obvious reasons. Based on the font, colour scheme and title of this book, you would think it’s chick lit. My friends, it is most definitely not. It is quirky, it is funny, but there is no romance in it….
Did you enjoy the book Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple? If the answer is ‘yes’, you will most certainly enjoy How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior. And if you hated Bernadette? You’re going to want to pass on this book, because it’s VERY similar. Prior’s book is an easy, light read…
As in past years, I’m continuing with the short story advent calendar this holiday season. I’ve also decided to go local with my chocolate advent calendar, so I’m highlighting the wonderful treats that Calgary-based The Chocolate Lab has to offer in their advent calendar. It’s worth the price tag of 60 bucks! As you will…
I haven’t actually read a book by Chuck Palahniuk since his 2010 release Tell-All, which is also the year I met him, and helped organized his event here in Calgary. His writing memoir Consider This, Moments in my Writing Life After Which Everything Was Different features many stories of his various book tours because they…
Is the idea of visiting a remote glass hotel off an island a terrifying thought, or a welcome one? Personally, I love immersing myself in nature, so the idea of sitting in a five-star resort with not another soul in sight (other than the staff mixing my cocktails) is immensely appealing to me – even…
Recording these booktube videos is alot of fun, mainly because I’m not required to organize my thoughts in a coherent way (that I attempt to) when writing out a book review. I typically practice what I’m going to say all of once before I hit the record button, but that’s probably quite obvious with the…
Recording a book review for book tube was a great excuse to brush my hair and put on a little make-up, so I did just that for my latest read, This Has Nothing To Do With You by Lauren Carter. I still wore stretchy pants though, there’s no way I’m needlessly wearing jeans while this…
So I feel quite foolish that this is the first Karin Slaughter book I’ve ever read. She’s an America superstar thriller writer that everyone but me is familiar with, as she’s sold over 35 million books and even has a section of her website dedicated to selling t-shirts with her name on them. Where have…
Reproduction by Ian Williams, winner of the 2019 Giller Prize is a quirky read. Aside from this book being PAINFULLY LONG, I enjoyed it. It plays with lots of things: format, timelines, even phrasing. That being said, I’m a reader who doesn’t like freaky-deaky experimentation in my books, but I still found this story readable….
