When a book opens with a family tree, you can expect a few things; there will be many characters, there will be drama, and you will have to refer back to said family tree throughout the book to ground yourself in what’s going on. If any of those things intimidate or bore you as a…
I’m reminded of a particular quote: “This might hurt a little. Be brave.” when I think of The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. That sentence appears at the beginning of Megan Gail Coles’ book Small Game Hunting, but it’s all too applicable to this novel as well because Reading Nickel Boys will be painful. I…
Mystery readers are a picky bunch, and I’m allowed to say that because I count myself as one of them. The pacing needs to be tight but not rushed, the detective needs to be believable but not unlikable, and the solution better be conclusive but not obvious. And don’t get me started on too many…
Yes you read that right, I’m reviewing a ‘classic’ work of literature, one that was published back in 1959! As a book blogger, I’m always following other book blogs that review older books in addition to new releases, which always made me jealous. So instead of being a slave to the towering pile of review…
Let me set the scene for you: two kids live in an extremely isolated cove, their parents die, and they are forced to harvest and catch their own food as a means of survival. That’s it. That’s the book. And in the words of the author-who would want to read about that? I would actually,…
So I know Halloween is over, but I’m the type of person who likes to read spooky stories all year around, especially in the winter when I’m curled up by my fireplace. Agnes, Murderess by Sarah Leavitt landed on my doorstep unexpectedly, so the good folks at Freehand Books must have known how much I…
Dear reader; I wanted so much to like Lampedusa by Steven Price. At the time I’m writing this, it was announced as a shortlist contender for the Giller Prize, and because so many people in Canada are forming their reading lists based on this prize alone, I may be one of the few who are…
I’ve always been aware of Ernest Hemingway’s ‘not-so-positive’ reputation. I studied him in school, and was vaguely aware he had a bunch of marriages and an obvious drinking problem, so I had always thought of his personal life as a bit dark. Reading Love and Ruin by Paula McLain, a work of fiction based on…
I love the suspense that a storm brings to the fore in a fictional book; as the winds change, so do our expectations as a reader. This story begins with a storm, and ends with the same storm, pushing the reader in all different directions and time periods, raging through each character and their own…
Has anyone else noticed the spate of ‘women in war‘ books lately? Not that I’m complaining, but when you read a few novels that are all very similar in topic, you tend to judge them a little more harshly without intending to. I wasn’t ‘wowed’ by The Huntress by Kate Quinn, but I definitely enjoyed…
How do you feel about books that jump from one time period to another? Is it jarring? Does it annoy you when it’s in a suspense novel especially? Of course it does, when you’re on the cusp of a cliff (hanger), you want to leap to the next page as quickly as possible to find…
I love a good work of fiction that focuses on marriage. Do I want to read a true story about marriage? Not particularly. But do I want to read about a fake couple and all the trouble they have without feeling guilty or voyeuristic? Absolutely. This is one of the reasons why I loved Dear…
