Another book about books – my favourite! Although I should mention that the titular book is a plot device, rather than a major theme. But this reference certainly piqued my interest, which shot this novel to the top of an otherwise teetering pile of historical fiction. The Lost Chapter by Caroline Bishop is a pleasant,…
In 2021, people got excited about this book; A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa was declared brilliant and unique by many book critics and bloggers alike. I had it on my shelf from an early stage as Biblioasis was kind enough to send me an ARC, but it wasn’t until this week…
Without fail, almost every man that has stood in front of my bookshelf in the past few months has commented on this Jeffrey Archer book. Over My Dead Body is the latest in the William Warwick series, and because Archer is a bestselling international sensation, I figured I better give it a read and see…
Right off the bat, just want to warn you all this book is NOT about candy, or treats of any kind (disappointing, I know). The Candy House by Jennifer Egan is a warning wrapped in multiple layers of story. The candy house in the title is referring to a few different things, mainly the promise…
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…
It’s not often you read a book written by two different authors, especially when the authors are black and white and writing about an act of racism in modern-day America. We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza is a novel about an unarmed, 14-year-old black boy shot by two white police…
Alexander MacLeod and his father, celebrated canlit icon Alistair MacLeod are two writers I’ve always felt I should read more of – this is partly due to the wonderful book reviews of Alistair’s writing that can be found on the fabulous book blogs Consumed by Ink and Buried in Print, two book reviewers I follow…
I had been reading a string of heavy books lately, and felt as though I deserved a little indulgent reading, which for me can be a cozy mystery, or a domestic thriller. I leaned into the thriller/suspense category and picked up Would I Lie To You? by Aliya Ali-Afzal, which lands squarely into the domestic…
I won’t say my reading is influenced by awards, because it rarely is – quite often, my book choices depend on the themes I’ve come up with for my monthly radio segment, and the books that land on my doorstep for review. But every so often I break out of this pattern and pick up…
When I originally received this book for review, I dismissed it thinking it was YA, which I don’t normally read except under special circumstances. But after seeing it appear on more than one ‘notable spring books’ list, I thought I’d give it a try, knowing at the very least that it was written as a…
Sometimes it feels good to just have a little cry, and you’ll have to keep the therapeutic benefits of sobbing in mind if you plan on reading If You Hear Me by Pascale Quiviger, translated from the French by Lazer Lederhendler. It’s a daunting read knowing it centers on the fracturing of a family’s life…
When I saw the cover of this book I was intrigued (and mildly grossed out?), but when I read the description of it, and the promise of sex scandals with professors on campus, I thought – sounds spicy! Perfect for this time of year when everything is melting, muddy, and generally dingy outside of my…
