Can you guess what this book is about based on its title alone? It’s probably the most straightforward (and hilarious) title I’ve seen in a long time, and I’m guessing it’s caught your eye the same it way it did mine a few months ago. When I saw this book in a publishers catalogue, I…
Does anyone have their new year’s resolutions figured out yet? I don’t, and I rarely stick with resolutions anyway, but I like to read self-help books around December and January because I find that’s when an inner focus is really necessary. The Power of When by Michael Breus, PhD is a really fascinating read. And…
I was really surprised to discover that Harmless Like You by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan was her first book ever published. It’s beautifully written in the way that only students of creative writing can accomplish, which isn’t a slight against her, it’s simply an observation that she’s clearly studied literature in many forms. Take this short…
There is some seriously creepy stuff going on in this book. Rise the Dark by Michael Koryta is the latest in his Mark Novak series, which features a private investigator by that very name, hell bent on finding revenge for his wife’s murder. It’s a great premise for any mystery thriller, but what this Canadian…
It was a coincidence that I read this book at the same time my 92 year-old Grandfather was staying with me for the week. He was born in Ukraine and sent to a work camp in Germany during WWII when he was a teenager-he has the numbers tattooed on his hand to prove it. We…
So this isn’t technically a book I would normally read. Celebrity culture is a low priority topic for me; I don’t read tabloid magazines (where the hell would I find the time?), and I avoid looking at blogs that focus on famous people. I will state up front that I don’t judge other people who…
This past week, I spoke about the genre of humour with the wonderful Chris dela Torre on the CBC Homestretch. I would have posted this segment sooner, but a sick toddler has derailed my blogging schedule (among other things) so I’m just getting to this now. But don’t let my tardiness deceive you, this was…
Yesterday I spoke with the lovely Judy Aldous about one of my favourite genres of books: the thriller. We discussed The Fall by Noah Hawley and In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. Obviously, I loved both these books, and I knew I would, based on the extraordinary publicity efforts made by the publishers….
Pretty sure I’ve mentioned that I’m a nervous flier before on this blog before. I wouldn’t call myself a bad flier, because I do it quite often (one of my life’s greatest ironies unfortunately), but I’m a white knuckler for sure. I care how big the plane is, I refuse to sit in the back…
My reading of this book seems to have coincided with a very important milestone in my life: the marriage of a best friend. I find this happens to me quite frequently; I will pick up a book and find it is the perfect thing to be reading at that very specific time in my life….
Ah yes, “women’s fiction”. Dear Emma by Katie Heaney would most definitely fit into this genre of books, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. Yes, I enjoy thought-provoking literature, but I also enjoy reading a book about a fluffy university girl whose biggest problem is getting over some jerk who didn’t text her back….
So I’m back in Germany (Berlin actually) and I’ve just finished Sarah Leipciger’s The Mountain Can Wait. Before we dive in I should mention that this book came out in summer 2015, so many people have already read it, but if you haven’t you’ll probably want to pick it up. Go. Go now and pick it…
