I find myself reaching for ‘important’ books these days. ‘Important’ in the sense that I know they will be difficult to read, but I feel as though I have to read them any way, because I’ll gain perspective into a difficult world that more people should be aware of. Fifteen Lanes by S.J. Laidlaw is…
Aren’t human voices annoying? I feel the exact same way, which is why I am so delighted to talk about The Wildings by Nilanjana Roy, a book that includes NO HUMAN DIALOGUE whatsoever. So what does it include then? Cat dialogue of course (which sounds very similar to human dialogue, but obviously much cuter, and…
Clearly I’ve been missing out on a well-known fact; Ami McKay is an amazing writer. Many people are already aware of this, she’s a popular Canadian author, and has won lots awards for her previous books. I’m not sure why it took me this long to discover her, but I’m so glad I did. In…
It all starts with a little lab rat named ‘Buddy’. And this little rat appears in very unusual places, including a few pages of Jay Hosking‘s debut novel Three Years with the Rat. But what’s shocking about this rat is the fact that he disappears for a few weeks at a time, but then appears…
Well I’d like to claim that I read this book already because I knew it would be an award contender, but alas I cannot lie-I read it because I’m hosting an event with Michael Helm and his new book After James for Wordfest. As as event host I was given an advanced reading copy with…
Like many other book bloggers out there, I choose to pick up scary (ish) books during the month of Halloween to help me get into the spirit of things. The spooky season was a great excuse to finally read The Girls by Emma Cline, which has been staring out at me on my book shelf…
I realize I keep stating that I’m reviewing books I don’t typically read, but this is yet another case of that happening. I have the CBC Homestretch to thank for pushing me out of my comfort-reading zone, and what an adventure this has been! I had to stop and start Guy Gavriel Kay‘s latest Children…
I reviewed Terry Fallis’s last book on this blog a few years ago, it was called No Relation, and I really enjoyed reading it. No surprise then, that I really enjoyed his latest, Poles Apart. Similar to my last review, my only quibble with Fallis remains the same; his protagonists are basically the same guy,…
Never have I read a book that has brought me to tears. I’ve been close, my eyes have maybe even welled up a few times in the past, but A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue Klebold put me right over the edge, forcing me to lie awake thinking of what I just read long after I…
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…
All summer long, I’m appearing weekly on CBC’s Homestretch to talk about new books worth reading this summer. Each week, I’m focusing on a different genre, and yesterday I spoke about historical fiction. You can hear the segment here if you are interested. I don’t intend on listening to it myself, because hearing your voice…
Oh jeez guys, oh jeez. I seem to have been on a streak lately, reading books about children dying, being kidnapped, and other horrible things. Billie Livingston’s The Crooked Heart of Mercy continues this terrible theme as it begins with the accidental death of a two year-old, while he is at home with him Mom…
