I have a love-hate relationship with post-apocalyptic fiction
I have a love-hate relationship with post-apocalyptic fiction. I love the combination of high-stakes melodrama and practical, earthy problems; I hate how possible it all feels. So I hesitated before...
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REVIEW: THE WITCH ELM BY TANA FRENCH
I’m still digesting this book. It was completely unexpected, which was fantastic because the series (much as I love it) has become predictable. What saves it as a whole is the drastic shifts in...
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Tom Wilson memoir is rough and ready prose
Turns out I do like memoirs. Particularly ones by slightly wild man-boys who were bad news in their 20s. ‘Beautiful Scars’ is Tom Wilson’s straightforward account of a raw, memorable childhood with a...
View ArticleREVIEW: UNREASONABLE DOUBT BY VICKY DELANY
So I’ve read this entire series, and I’ve been lukewarm on it since the beginning. Still am, although a little less luke and a little more warm, after this instalment. I’m a sucker for crime fiction....
View ArticleA second chance at life
REVIEW: THE POST-BIRTHDAY WORLD BY LIONEL SHRIVER I dated someone several years ago. A musician. It didn’t work out, and there’s this one moment that I still think about sometimes because I’d like to...
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Book by Daily Show host ‘absorbing’
Review: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah In the spirit of full disclosure, a confession: I’ve met Trevor Noah. Well, met might be a bit strong. I enjoyed a 30-second encounter with him while he signed my...
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The Imposter Bride is a bit boring
The Imposter Bride, by Nancy Richler, revolves around a Jewish family living in mid-20th century Montreal. The Holocaust casts a long shadow over them, as it does over so many in their social circle,...
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Everyone should read Road Trip Rwanda
What a difference a few books makes. I’ve always been a fan of Will Ferguson’s work – broad, punny humour amuses me, and I like the way he panders to my Canadian-ness. But I would hesitate to...
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Jonasson leaves readers wanting more
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out a Window and Disappeared Jonas Jonasson My problem is that I have no self-control. When I buy a bag of those sour soothers, I eat them all at once. Find a good...
View ArticleSecond Deadly Sin disappointing
I think I expected too much. I remember loving Asa Larsson’s other books – getting totally lost, and devouring them obsessively in two or three sittings. But that was a while ago, a few years, and I...
View ArticleCarol Off’s book is highly recommended
I’m picky about the non-fiction I read. Not much of it tempts me, I enjoy few of the ones that do, and I rave about even fewer than that. This is worthy of a rave. All We Leave Behind tells the...
View ArticleIn Glass Houses, we find Gamache at professional crossroads
I’m always happy to spend time with Gamache eat al. Particularly Ruth. I adore Ruth. I want to be her when I’m old. So I’ve been looking forward to this book for quite some time. From the beginning,...
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REVIEW: CHRISTMAS AT THE VINYL CAFE BY STUART MCLEAN
This is not going to be a very objective review. I loved McLean’s CBC radio show The Vinyl Cafe – listened to it every week, read every book. Followed Dave and Morley and Stephanie and Sam for years,...
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Writerchick on How to be Good by Nick Hornby
Tina Siegal is Writerchick What do you do when you hate your husband, want desperately for him to change, then hate the new version even more? Apparently, you end up trying to end homelessness. I’m...
View ArticleREVIEW: THE UNDERGROUND GIRLS OF KABUL BY JENNY NORDBERG
What a fascinating read! Jenny Nordberg is a Swedish journalist who goes to Afghanistan in search of one story, and finds something completely different. What she uncovers, bit by bit, is an ancient...
View ArticleA second chance at life
REVIEW: THE POST-BIRTHDAY WORLD BY LIONEL SHRIVER I dated someone several years ago. A musician. It didn’t work out, and there’s this one moment that I still think about sometimes because I’d like to...
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Book by Daily Show host ‘absorbing’
Review: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah In the spirit of full disclosure, a confession: I’ve met Trevor Noah. Well, met might be a bit strong. I enjoyed a 30-second encounter with him while he signed my...
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Tales of two worlds fascinating reads
So I don’t often read memoirs. No particular reason – it’s just that they don’t generally call me. But a few weeks ago, I was trolling the Toronto Public Library’s e-books and found two of them. I...
View ArticleLackberg’s short stories are a feast for crime fiction buffs
Confession: I’m an easily courted reader. I knew I was going to pick up Camilla Lackberg’s book of three short stories, for instance, as soon as I saw the title: The Scent of Almonds and Other...
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The Imposter Bride is a bit boring
The Imposter Bride, by Nancy Richler, revolves around a Jewish family living in mid-20th century Montreal. The Holocaust casts a long shadow over them, as it does over so many in their social circle,...
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