Author Monnibo
I finished my fingerless gloves a few weeks ago. I had a big issue with the sewn bind off because I thought it looked sloppy. I got really picky about the finishing techniques on the gloves since they’d be under… Continue Reading →
I’m not sure if it was the melancholy tone, the lack of plot, or the fact that the main character is a writer writing about writing… but I had a lot of trouble getting into the book. Fortunately, I persevered… Continue Reading →
I’ve been craving carrot-orange muffins since I saw them at Tim Horton’s a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, everything at Tim Horton’s seems to be loaded with sugar, so I decided to make my own. These carrot-orange muffins are made with… Continue Reading →
Literally. Today was the day — the official yarnbombing of Joy Kogawa’s cherry tree. I contributed about 100 blossoms and arrived this afternoon to help install the yarn blossoms (and bark!) on the tree. The executive director of the Historic… Continue Reading →
Did you know1 that: Among working age Canadians, 3 million (14.6%) struggle with very serious literacy challenges. They have difficulty with even the most basic written materials. Another 5.8 million (27%) can work with print information but not well. More… Continue Reading →
Incite: An Exploration of Books and Ideas is a new reading series curated by the Vancouver International Writer’s Festival and hosted by the Vancouver Public Library. It takes place every second Wednesday evening at 7:30pm in the downstairs rooms at… Continue Reading →
I was a little apprehensive when I first read the jacket copy for Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. But the book came highly recommended by a bookish friend, so I plunged ahead. Initially I was concerned my… Continue Reading →
So I began playing around with GoodReads. Several of you may notice I tried to add you. I have to say though, I’m not that impressed. First of all, GoodReads didn’t recognize nearly 100 of my books from LibraryThing. Now… Continue Reading →
I first learned about Michael Christie’s book, The Beggar’s Garden, at the inaugural Incite reading series programmed by the Vancouver Writer’s Festival and hosted by the Vancouver Public Library. Michael read an excerpt from the first short story in his… Continue Reading →
February 20-26 is Freedom to Read Week 2011 — the Canadian version of Banned Books Week. I like Freedom to Read Week’s message: positive, open, and cheerful. Every year I say I’m going to read a challenged/banned book but never… Continue Reading →
I was shocked as most people to find out that Essex County by Jeff Lemire, a graphic novel, made the Canada Reads list this year. Canada Reads has strict criteria — no short stories, no poetry, fiction only. I was… Continue Reading →
A couple months ago I saw a tweet from Leanne Prain, one of the authors of the book Yarn Bombing: The Art of Knit and Crochet Graffiti. The tweet linked to the yarn bombing website and said they were organizing… Continue Reading →
Originally published in 2007 by NeWest Press, The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou is currently a contender for CBC Canada Reads. I love that Canada Reads exposes me to authors and books that I wouldn’t have initially picked out —… Continue Reading →
I was having difficulty putting my thoughts and feelings into words when it comes to Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards. It’s a darkly depressing book but weaves a tale that really makes you feel compassionate towards the… Continue Reading →
I picked up a gorgeous skein of Malabrigo Rasta from Three Bags Full’s January post-Boxing Day sale. It was 10% or 15% off so I saved a couple dollars after taxes. I’ve been lusting over the Rasta colours for a… Continue Reading →
I’ve been using LibraryThing for a couple years now. I started with Shelfari but didn’t like the interface or widgets and quickly switched to LibraryThing. I enjoy the Early Reviewers program, although as of late haven’t had anything appeal to… Continue Reading →
I will admit I was a bit apprehensive about this book initially because I am not well-versed in politics — nor do I want to be. However, Terry Fallis managed to make the political observations, proceedings, and commentary manageable enough… Continue Reading →
The thing that makes this cookbook, Canadian Living: The Vegetarian Collection, so accessible for non-vegetarians, is that (I believe) these are all recipes originally published in Canadian Living magazine, which is not a strictly vegetarian audience. I am no master… Continue Reading →
I absolutely fell in love with The Birth House and couldn’t put the book down. I pretty much read it in just two sittings. Dora is a fantastic character with honest opinions, flaws, and wisdom beyond her years. The Birth… Continue Reading →
My initial musings on my Sony eReader were not very positive due to technological issues. However, I do have some good news, some improvements, adjustments, and (of course) bad news. Problem 1: Calibre did not work on my Macbook (Calibre… Continue Reading →
As soon as I read the back cover copy for Sub Rosa by Amber Dawn, I knew I wanted to read it. The themes and character setting sounded a bit like Lullabies for Little Criminals, which I really enjoyed. In… Continue Reading →
So last time I blogged about knitting, I had not finished Gnome for Festivus, I was planning to frog Argante, start Gaenor, and cast on for some fingerless gloves. I still haven’t finished Gnome. Here is how much I’ve knit… Continue Reading →
I’ve been meaning to read The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon since it came out last year. The Golden Mean got tons of great reviews, nominated for the 2009 CanLit triple crown (the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Governor General’s Award… Continue Reading →
I don’t want to call this a review, because the opinions I’m going to express are personal and relate mostly to my trials, errors, and experiences. In the spirit of full disclosure, I received this ebook device as a gift… Continue Reading →
I loved The Innocent Traitor and recently finished The Lady Elizabeth, both by historian-turned-author Alison Weir. I’ve noted before that Alison Weir’s writing gets a bit slow in places, and I think it’s the historian in her that needs to… Continue Reading →
