I almost didn't finish this book. It is well-written, well-researched, and compelling. It was shortlisted for the most recent Canada Reads competition. I'd read several very positive reviews. (Anne's over at ivereadthis.com forced me to move the book up my To Read list.) I did finish The Boat People and I'm glad I did but it was… Continue reading Book Review: The Boat People by Sharon Bala
This was the fourth book I've read by David Mitchell and his work surprises me each time. If you've read Cloud Atlas then you may know Mitchell as an author who isn't afraid to play with form. But what really impresses me about Mitchell's novels is how entirely different they are from one another. Black Swan… Continue reading Book Review: Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
I've had David Chariandy's Brother on my To Read list since it made the Canada Reads list but when FictionFan reviewed it I knew I needed to bump it up the list. (FictionFan's review here.) Brother is set in Scarborough, in the 1980s/early 90s. Scarborough was incorporated into Greater Toronto in 1999 but at this time it was… Continue reading Book Review: Brother by David Chariandy
My disclaimer: I know Bill Gaston in real life. He was one of my profs in university and taught one of my favourite workshops. He was a great prof and an all-round good guy. When he was a featured writer at our local Writers' Festival a couple of years ago I was asked to introduce… Continue reading Book Review: A Mariner’s Guide to Self-Sabotage by Bill Gaston
My brother, who knows the author, gave me a copy of Your Heart is the Size of Your Fist, for my birthday. My big brother and I have similar taste a lot of the time, especially in books and music, and he's one of the smartest people I know so I'm always happy to receive a… Continue reading Book Review: Your Heart is the Size of Your Fist by Martina Scholtens
My main problem with The Luminaries was that it was too big. Not too long - I definitely could have read more from Catton. The book is over 800 pages and in hardcover it was just too large for me to hold with one hand. And since I do much of my reading these days while… Continue reading Book Review: The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
I read Wonder and The Lifters back to back and so it's hard not to compare them in my mind. While they are two very different books, they are geared toward the same age. The key difference that stands out to me in this regard though is that while The Lifters has an appeal likely… Continue reading Book Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio
