I’ve squirreled away David Sedaris books in my home, ready to read when I feel I need them most. As I’ve said many times on this blog, David Sedaris is my favourite writer, and I savour his stories like a delicious chocolate bar I’ve been pining for. I don’t read his books in order so…
It’s been awhile since I read Canadian author Claire Cameron. I last read and reviewed one of her books of fiction, The Last Neanderthal in 2019 and I recently picked up her memoir How to Survive a Bear Attack with an open mind because it’s a work of non-fiction, so very different from what I…
I’ll admit to picking this book up in the first place because it seemed juicy. A tell-all memoir about a woman discovering her recently deceased husband was hiding a bunch of things? Give me the tea! But The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards by Calgary author Jessica Waite wasn’t a simple look at how terrible…
I always regretted not attending this one book event; it was a snowstorm here in Calgary and no one was on the roads, so as the consummate rule follower I am, I stayed home from seeing Kate Beaton speak about her new book Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands back in 2022. I saw…
Addiction is a popular topic these days, with no shortage of narratives, both fiction and non-fiction, detailing the rise of highly addictive drugs. The opioid crisis is one that most of us are familiar with now, and if you live in an urban area like I do, you’re likely used to seeing people suffering on…
Last month I had the pleasure of seeing Dave Hill perform in person at Wordfest. I vaguely remembered him from an earlier appearance in Calgary a few years ago, but for whatever reason, this most recent show of his really impressed me; he was absolutely hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing, and when he spoke as…
I originally chose to read Skid Dogs by Emelia Symington-Fedy now because it referenced the murder of a young woman on Halloween night, so I thought this would be perfect for my October reading…until I realized it was a) non-fiction and b) not really about Halloween at all. Yikes! The fun of being scared on…
At first glance, Ordinary Wonder Tales by Emily Urquhart may seem like a book appealing to only academics. It’s a book of essays, a notoriously challenging genre that rarely hits the bestseller list unless it’s written by a celebrity or David Sedaris, but this collection focuses on a somewhat obscure topic too; folklore. However I…
In honour of Father’s Day this month, I’m reading and reviewing books that feature father figures for my upcoming radio segment. The Boy and the Mountain; A Father, His Son, and a Journey of Discovery by Torbjørn Ekelund and translated by Becky L. Crook fit the bill perfectly. It’s a slim work of non-fiction that…
What feels like ages ago now, when I worked at the literary festival here in Calgary we hosted Wayne Johnston, a bestselling Canadian writer. If I had known then what I now know about him, I would have likely seen him in a whole different light when we met in person. He’s been writing for…
Do you ever see a book and immediately realize it’s written just for you? Seeing the title and cover on this one was an instant hit of recognition for me; Send Me Into the Woods Alone, Essays on Motherhood by Erin Pepler made me feel like I was its ideal audience. It’s a very short…
Some of my Canadian readers will recognize my next title. Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart by Jen Sookfong Lee has gotten lots of recent and positive coverage in the media, and I tend to enjoy non-fiction essays with a lighter touch, so I opted to give it a try when the publisher sent…
