Tag book review
In general, I’m sort of lukewarm on short stories, so I was pleasantly surprised when I read Up Up Up by Julie Booker. I did not want to put it down; Julie Booker’s writing is eloquent, thoughtful, funny, and tight…. Continue Reading →
A Clash of Kings is the second book ins George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series (aka The Game of Thrones). After becoming absorbed in the first book, A Game of Thrones, I picked up a copy… Continue Reading →
The good news is that I didn’t cry as much reading Voyager (book three in the Outlander Series) as when I read Dragonfly in Amber. But I still fell hard for the story and the characters. Diana Gabaldon just has… Continue Reading →
Tangles: A Story about Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me is a graphic novel by Vancouver author and artist, Sarah Leavitt. As the subtitle indicates, it’s the powerful and emotional (true) story of Midge Leavitt’s battle with Alzheimer’s and the effect… Continue Reading →
Nearly immediately after finishing Outlander, the first book in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, I picked up book two, Dragonfly in Amber. [Click here for my review of Outlander] The first book had immediately drawn me in to Claire… Continue Reading →
Off the Highway: Growing Up In North Delta is a memoir by local author Mette Bach and installment 18 in the Transmontanus Series published by New Star Books. The Transmontanus series, edited by Terry Glavin, are “short illustrated books about… Continue Reading →
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is the first in a historical semi-mythical series which includes war and violence, relationships, family and society, questions of morality, honour, and spirituality, love and sex, adventures, journeys, and violence. Truly, this book has everything I… Continue Reading →
Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman hits all the right buttons on the back cover copy and inside flaps. In theory, it sounds like a great coming-of-age novel dealing with race, culture, immigration, acceptance and adolescent violence. However, I had a… Continue Reading →
I picked up this book when I heard about the series HBO was producing and the guy at the till said “your friends won’t see you for weeks.” Confused, I asked why. “You’ll need to catch up on the entire… Continue Reading →
I finished Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid by Evelyn Lau at least a month ago. I’ve had a bit of blogger-block and had difficulties pinpointing my feelings about this book. It’s very strange to read a non-fiction/memoir that takes… 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 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 →
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 →
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 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 →
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 →
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’ve been hearing about Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill for a few years now in the Canadian Lit scene as it was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award and won the 2007 Canada Reads. When it popped… Continue Reading →
I finished The Lady Elizabeth a few weeks ago and haven’t been able to muster a review. I think it’s a little bit of ambivalence; I enjoyed the book, but it lagged a bit in places. I read Innocent Traitor… Continue Reading →
Come, Thou Tortoise is a heart-warming book with really lovable characters. There was subtle humour with a quiet yet engaging plot. Audrey is brilliant, quaint, silly, admirable, and really just honest-to-goodness good. The book jacket blurb doesn’t do the novel… Continue Reading →
I finished the final book of the Hunger Games trilogy in three days, about the same length of time it took me to read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Read: Review for book one of the series,… Continue Reading →
I’ve been a fan of Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe books since I was a kid. I was given Home From the Vinyl Cafe for Christmas when I was maybe 11 or 12. When I found out Stuart McLean also had… Continue Reading →
Book Review :: Better Living Through Plastic Explosives by Zsuzsi Gartner
Zsuzsi Gartner’s writing is witty, wry, satirical, and very intelligent. In her book of short stories, Better Living Through Plastic Explosives, Gartner scrutinizes everyone. From the real estate agent in her Hummer to the homeless person getting publicly funded plastic… Continue Reading →