A debut novel with a gothic twist, The Cloisters by Katy Hays scratched my itch for a plot-driven story that would offer up some escapism for the snowy March we’ve been experiencing here in Calgary. Taking place in present-day New York City over one hot and sweaty summer, this is a dark look at obsession…
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…
I love a humourous novel – although David Sedaris is my favourite writer, I seek a laugh in both my fiction and non-fiction reading whenever possible. When I came across the 2018 winner of The Stephen Leacock Award for Humour in a Second Story Press catalogue, I requested it right away. Gone to Pot by…
I was put onto this book by a social media post from an old friend of mine who I had lost touch with. She was diagnosed with two forms of aggressive cancer, one right after the other. During her treatments, she spoke highly of the bestselling book Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl,…
The phrase ‘love marriage’ means different things to different people, but in the context of the book Love Marriage by Monica Ali, it refers to the fact that Yasmin’s Indian parents formed a relationship based on love alone; an assumption for many, but a radical idea for some. Is this the goal for everyone: to…
I’m very happy to report that I hunted down this book through the Calgary Public Library system after reading and enjoying a review of it from Marcie at Buried in Print, perhaps one of the best-read people in the world (those of you who follow her blog know I’m not exaggerating, she reads hundreds of…
First in this (admittedly vague) grouping of picture books is My Self, Your Self by Esmé Shapiro. As you can tell by the gorgeous cover above, the illustrations are the true highlight of this book. I can’t quite pinpoint what each creature / character is, but I’m going to guess they are a mixture of…
Happy Valentine’s Day! As I continue my ‘month of love’ reading, this work of non-fiction about the marriage of Rosalie and Issy Sharp, the Canadian founders of the billion dollar hotel chain The Four Seasons, is up next. I expected to read a book about a challenging marriage to a high-powered CEO, but instead A…
Because it’s February, I’ve chosen three books to read that all center on the topic of love and marriage for my latest radio segment (it’s showbiz folks, you don’t need to be that creative!). The first was The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell, which I dug out of my bookshelf after reading a very insightful…
It’s that time of year again: Canada Reads is getting Canadian booklovers all jazzed up about one of the most popular readers’ choice competitions in the country, and it’s the perfect opportunity to get to those backlist books that may have fallen off your radar. Greenwood by Michael Christie is one of five books competing…
After seeing Some Hellish by Nicholas Herring win the Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize late last year, I made the mental note to dig it out of my (rapidly expanding) bookshelves and give it a try. The fact that it didn’t have a clear plot scared me away from it until now, but I…
I’m currently reading my way through a few self-help books in anticipation of my January radio segment, focused on New Years resolutions. It will likely have aired by the time I get around to posting this, but I just finished reading Workday Warrior by Ann Gomez and a few of her tips and tricks are…
