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…
My latest segment for the CBC focused on memoirs, two in particular. You can listen to it here. Bleaker House by Nell Stevens (which Smokey has read and adored) and You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie. After listening to the recording just now, I’ve realized how depressing these two books…
Wowza, this book packs a punch. Sherman Alexie‘s memoir You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me is full of so many things: anger, humour, poetry, confessions, racism, rape, even a brain tumour. It’s hard to believe that one man has experienced such highs and lows in his life, yet even though he freely admits…
I’ve always wanted to be a book reviewer, but when I was younger I saw this as an unattainable goal, like being a celebrity or something. I thought to myself “who cares what I think about books? Just because I read a bunch of them doesn’t mean I’m in any position to give a critical…
A fellow book blogger had reviewed a ‘Bob the Cat’ book a few weeks ago (sorry I can’t find the post again!), and it prompted me to track down The World According to Bob, The Further Adventures of One Man and His Street-Wise Cat by James Bowen. This memoir is the sequel to Bowen’s first…
I knew reading this book would be difficult for me, it would be for anyone, but especially for a parent. I almost wished I was reading it before I had become a mother myself because it would have been less painful to read. Although, it would have had less impact too, I don’t think I…
With the Canada Reads competition wrapping up a few weeks ago, I decided it was the perfect time to read Unflinching which is Jody Mitic‘s story of becoming a soldier and his subsequent injury (one of the judges from Canada Reads 2017). I’m sorry to say I didn’t really like this book, and I feel…
I am most definitely not a dog person. I don’t have anything against them, in fact I love petting dogs when I see them on a walk, playing with my friends’ dogs, and giving a nice golden retriever a good belly rub when the opportunity presents itself. But you see, it’s impossible for me to…
Before I dive into my review, I should come right out and say that the author Glenn Dixon is a friend of mine. I met him shortly after I moved to Calgary and I don’t know exactly how we came to be friends, but I do know that I would see him out at numerous…
Memoirs from female comedians seem to be coming fast and furious these days. Books by Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey, Anna Kendrick, etc. are all examples of this extremely popular trend in books right now. Personally, I hate trends, I’m the person with a giant scowl on my face as people tell me all about this…
It was only a matter of time until I reviewed a book about cancer on this blog. It’s such a pervasive disease; everyone knows someone else with cancer, many people have experienced it in their immediate family (myself included) and many others have gone through it themselves. The big ‘c’ is something that everyone dreads,…
A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes on the radio. Yes, that Shonda Rhimes: the one who writes fabulous television shows like Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy. So now that I’ve declared on-air to the world that I really enjoyed the book, I feel as though I need to justify my…
