For those of you who have read Ami McKay’s first book in this series of sorts, The Witches of New York, you will have undoubtedly devoured her latest, Half Spent Was the Night, which is billed as its sequel. Despite it being so short it packs in quite a bit, furthering the stories of our…
Probably for the first time ever, I spent months reading one book. Many would take that as a sign that I didn’t like it, but in fact it is quite the opposite. Amina Gautier’s collection of stories At-Risk is quite affecting; stark in its unapologetic depictions of young, black, impoverished youth. I savoured each story…
I find the words ‘fed up’ particularly evocative. This may sound sexist, but I think women are pushed to this point much more than men, simply because we (females) take it upon ourselves to make everyone around us ‘comfortable’, whether we realize it or not. It’s not because we think it’s fun, or because we…
Obviously I had a tough time naming this review, because although this book is technically A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the book is part of the Puffin Plated series, which incorporates classic stories with modern-day recipes from famous chefs. If you find something like this too commercial or sacrilegious, you might as well stop…
I’m not sure I’ve ever actually read the classic Dickens story A Christmas Carol from beginning to end. Sure I’ve seen the adaptations, but I’m not as familiar with it as I would like to be. So when Miss Marley, an imagined prequel to A Christmas Carol landed on my doorstep a few weeks ago,…
The Dinosaur Artist by Paige Williams is an in-depth exploration of dinosaur bones; where they are typically found, how they’re formed, the best way to mount them, etc. Thankfully though, the book focuses more on the people behind the bones (or more accurately, fossils) rather than the dinosaurs themselves. Eric Prokopi is at the center…
Full disclosure: Fran Kimmel is a good friend of mine. Luckily, I know she also writes amazing books too, so I was more than delighted to review her latest book No Good Asking. Her first novel The Shore Girl is sort of a cult classic in these parts, I’ve come across many people who list…
I’ve seen this book described as a cozy mystery by some, although I’d have to disagree with their label. Does some awful character die by murder and a lovely but bumbling detective solve the mystery of whodunnit? No, in fact it’s a sad book, a little too melancholy to have given me any ‘cozy’ feelings….
Before I read this book, I had seen a ton of buzz about it on my twitter feed, so I had pretty high expectations going into it. I won’t say I was disappointed by it, because I really did enjoy reading it; it was one of those books you kept wanting to read ‘just one…
The big day is finally here! Halloween; the perfect time to scare yourself silly with a spooky book in one hand and a delicious chocolate bar (or ten) in the other. I indulged in some dark chocolate to accompany my foray into the dark arts with Dracul by Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker. Yes-that Stoker!…
I’m getting into the festive Halloween spirit here by reviewing a ‘spooky’ book by Craig Davidson: The Saturday Night Ghost Club. Notice the extra effort I’ve put into this video-I included Halloween decorations on my bookshelf! That’s about as crafty as I get unfortunately, but nonetheless here it is. I should have mentioned that this…
Us book-loving Calgarians have a major milestone to celebrate in exactly one week: the opening of our new Central Library. It’s a big deal for us because our old central branch was in dire need of a remodel, and this new building is an architectural marvel that’s making headlines all over the world. In honour…
