I’ve only read one other Celeste Ng book, you can find the review here. I don’t mind remember being wowed by it, but her latest release, Our Missing Hearts is definitely a new favourite of mine. There’s good reason why this book is yet again a Reese Witherspoon book club pick, and I’m sure this…
Just in time for Christmas, I received the third and latest installment in the Paradise Café Mystery series, Cold Snap by Maureen Jennings. Although not truly a holiday tale (it’s quite dark) it does happen to take place right before Christmas, and as I read it, Calgary was experiencing its own cold snap, so it…
Reading holiday books as Christmas draws nearer is a tradition I truly cherish with my kids. We all get excited to pull out the favourites from the years before, and discover the new gems that publishers send my way for review. I didn’t receive as many as I typically do this year, which I’m grateful…
I was at a book event a few weeks ago chatting with my bookish friends (usually a mix of publishers, authors and librarians, the best kind of people) when I was introduced to a local author. She pitched her new book to me, which I just had happened to have on my shelf anyway, (one…
I came across Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson in a publisher’s catalogue, and requested it for some unknown reason (likely, on a whim). It sat on my shelf until it was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, which prompted me to a) remember I even had a copy of it and b) make a…
I don’t like watching dystopian films – I cringe all the way through the movies that depict our last few days on earth due to some asteroid, climate event, or alien invasion because I’d rather not watch something so hopeless. But I don’t mind reading a dystopian novel, often because the narrative will be focused…
It was pure coincidence that I read this book during a particularly busy time at my day job, but while Careering by Daisy Buchanan is all about a thankless pursuit of a dream career that doesn’t exist, I’m lucky enough to work in the un-glamourous but particularly fulfilling industry of non-profits and charities where I…
One of the reasons I read is to gain new perspectives, and learn about lives I wouldn’t otherwise come into contact with. This can be done by reading both fiction and non-fiction, which is why I reached for The After Party by A.C. Arthur. It’s a mystery novel that takes place in present day Baltimore,…
I had seen brief reviews and mentions of The Sentence by Louise Erdrich around, but never received it from the publisher for review, so accepted the fact I wasn’t likely to read it. But then I read a great review of it by Consumed by Ink which outlined that it was a ghost story that…
Although Possessed by Jowita Bydlowska has ghosts in it, but they are beside the point. Mental health struggles, abusive behavior, and depression are truly at the heart of this book. A work of literary fiction that made me uncomfortable, I found myself moving between episodes of interest and horror, mainly due to the thoughts and…
Before I get any Canlit lovers TOO excited, I should mention straight away that this is a middle grade novel meant for kids aged 9-13, Lawrence Hill has not written another adult book yet. But for those who are fans of his, perhaps reading this book may scratch that itch for a little while. I…
The atmosphere of The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke is a winning combination of ghosts, witches, creepy houses, and eerie secrets that you’re better not knowing. I read this book a few weeks ago and some of the images are still floating through my head, not because I was surprised by them but because the…
