There is some seriously creepy stuff going on in this book. Rise the Dark by Michael Koryta is the latest in his Mark Novak series, which features a private investigator by that very name, hell bent on finding revenge for his wife’s murder. It’s a great premise for any mystery thriller, but what this Canadian…
It was a coincidence that I read this book at the same time my 92 year-old Grandfather was staying with me for the week. He was born in Ukraine and sent to a work camp in Germany during WWII when he was a teenager-he has the numbers tattooed on his hand to prove it. We…
It was only a matter of time until I reviewed a book about cancer on this blog. It’s such a pervasive disease; everyone knows someone else with cancer, many people have experienced it in their immediate family (myself included) and many others have gone through it themselves. The big ‘c’ is something that everyone dreads,…
What do you think of, when you think of Canmore, Alberta? Mountains most likely, lots of tourists, old white people in hiking boots, etc. Do you ever think of graphic novels? Or kids books? Well you should start, because Canmore is not only home to Olympic athletes, it’s home to the publisher Renegade Arts Entertainment…
Most people have heard of Lisa Moore. She’s an extremely well-known Canadian writer because she’s been on almost every book prize list at least once AND won Canada Reads a few years ago. She’s one of those literary stars we love to boast as our own, so it’s not surprising she’s taken the plunge into writing…
A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes on the radio. Yes, that Shonda Rhimes: the one who writes fabulous television shows like Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy. So now that I’ve declared on-air to the world that I really enjoyed the book, I feel as though I need to justify my…
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 week, I spoke about the genre of autobiographies on The Homestretch. I like to shake things up every once in awhile, so I chose two VERY different books to talk about. The first made me cry, literally. The second made me laugh because its numerous Beyonce references were fabulous. A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue…
So this isn’t technically a book I would normally read. Celebrity culture is a low priority topic for me; I don’t read tabloid magazines (where the hell would I find the time?), and I avoid looking at blogs that focus on famous people. I will state up front that I don’t judge other people who…
Here’s a good book buying tip for you: when a major actress like Reese Witherspoon has blurbed a book, you can generally assume it’s going to be worthwhile. Now I know what you’re thinking; “But Anne, aren’t we just buying into the publicity plan that the publisher has laid out for us?”. The answer is…
