2021 Goals

Bookish: As I've said before, 2020 was not the year for reaching grand book goals. So I'm hesitant to set big goals for this new year. At the same time, setting goals helps me to ensure I'm spending my time the way I want to spend it. In both 2019 and 2020 I set a…

Life Lately: Lockdown Week ???

We're somewhere around 5 or 6 weeks into this current lockdown. About two weeks ago it was extended to January 8th and while I don't believe that the government is (or even has the power to) cancelling Christmas, there have been the ups and downs of emotions surrounding that announcement. We are, however, very fortunate,…

Book Review: Halfbreed Maria Campbell

Halfbreed - Maria Campbell (McClelland & Stewart, 2019) I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Halfbreed is a memoir by Maria Campbell, the story of her life from childhood into early adulthood. Originally published in 1973 this edition was re-released in 2019 with a new introduction and some…

Book Review: It Would Be Night in Caracas by Karina Sainz Borgo

It Would Be Night in Caracas - Karina Sainz Borgo (HarperVia, 2019) This book was translated from the Spanish by Elizabeth Bryer. It Would Be Night in Caracas was a chaotic, difficult read. Many parts felt like they took place in some sort of post-apocalyptic hellscape. There was a constant stress and tension and always…

Plastic-Free in the Time of COVID-19

Girls in the garden Way back in March, I was going to write a post about our family's adventures in composting but when a global pandemic hit it seemed sort of irrelevant. Four months later, in this "new normal" of social distancing and mask-wearing, I'm still figuring out what it looks like to reduce our…

Camping 2020: Klein Lake

This week we had our first stint of camping for the year. Camping is one of our favourite family activities each summer so it's especially nice that it's one of the activities both allowed and encouraged during our current global situation. (To be completely honest, this was technically our second camping experience of 2020 as…

Book Review: God and the Pandemic by N.T. Wright

I received an eARC of this book through the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. God and the Pandemic is on sale now. This short book grew out of an essay by N.T. Wright, expanded into his thoughts and beliefs, based on Biblical study, surrounding Christians and…

Canada Day 2020

Happy Canada Day! This year we celebrated with ribbons in our hair, in our own neighbourhood, and with a small group of family. It was very different than past years but it was still a lovely celebration of our community. Canada Day is THE celebration in our town. You can check out past years here;…

Book Review: On the Beach by Nevil Shute

On the Beach - Nevil Shute (Vintage International, 2005) On the Beach had long been on my TBR list. Choosing it now in the midst of a global pandemic added a strange layer to my reading. The story takes place in Australia, a few months after a brief global war has destroyed the planet. Atomic…

TBR Additions (vol. 3): Listening to the Voices of Others

All week I've been watching the news and social media and thinking about what to say and do. It's horrifying to hear of the violence enacted against an unarmed man in the way that George Floyd suffered and died. It's even more horrifying that this is far from an isolated incident, in the United States…