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…
Pretty sure I’ve mentioned that I’m a nervous flier before on this blog before. I wouldn’t call myself a bad flier, because I do it quite often (one of my life’s greatest ironies unfortunately), but I’m a white knuckler for sure. I care how big the plane is, I refuse to sit in the back…
Wow, I’ve made a big mistake. I waited way too damn long to read this book. Fishbowl by Bradley Somer came out in 2015, has won a bunch of awards since then, and I still didn’t read it until last week, right before I was slated to talk about it on the radio. What was…
I had never read anything by Olive Senior before, but I had heard of her, and I knew she was a good writer, so picking up The Pain Tree was an easy decision for me. As was recommending her, and gushing about her publisher Cormorant Books on the radio last week. If you’re looking for…
My fixation on Alberta writers comes with good reason. I’m on the board for the Writers’ Guild of Alberta yo! Their mission is to connect, encourage, inspire, promote and support Alberta writers and their writing, so it would be a down right travesty if I didn’t feature them on one of my radio segments this…
Is this book literary? Yes. Is this book a thriller? Yes, of sorts. Is this book a worthwhile piece of historical fiction? Definitely! The Butcher’s Hook by Janet Ellis is a lot of different things, it’s very unique in so many ways that it will appeal to many different audiences. But before I get into…
All summer long, I’m appearing weekly on CBC’s Homestretch to talk about new books worth reading this summer. Each week, I’m focusing on a different genre, and yesterday I spoke about historical fiction. You can hear the segment here if you are interested. I don’t intend on listening to it myself, because hearing your voice…
