LET’S TALK BOOKS
I love reading books. I’ve always loved reading books. I think this love came from my mother who taught me to read before I went to school. She had a bookcase headboard crammed with yellowing thrift store paperbacks—some you wouldn’t expect your mother to read like Messalina and Peyton Place—along with fat, hard-cover, Reader Digests. My mother was an armchair adventure who got “tight” after one glass of wine, giggled, and crossed her legs. Sorry, Mom, but I love that memory of you.
My criteria? If I like a book, I write about it. So, naturally, my reviews and musings end up here. I know what it takes to write a book, the endless hours, the sleepless nights; so I don’t write about a book if I don’t connect with it.
I’m a proud Canadian and have been writing reviews of fellow Canadian authors for the Ottawa Review of Books for the past few years. This has allowed me to discover some brilliant writers. They may not be New York Times Bestselling authors—because Canadian publishers cannot submit to the NY Times—but they’re wonderful just the same. So, if you like to discover new authors too, read on. Oh, interspersed you may find some superstar authors, like Maggie Stiefvater, who lives in the state of Virginia, and I read just because I wish I could write like her. Literary Envy. Argh!
November Sizzles with the Release of JP McLean’s Dark Dreams Sequel!
Just released November 1st! Covers to Die For Screenwriter Blake Snyder claims there are only ten types of stories, and I believe him. Given the vast amount of books and films being launched today, that makes it nigh impossible to create an original concept. But JP...
1970s Dublin Returns in Fenian Street by Anne Emery
A great cover! In the twelfth installment of the Collins-Burke Mystery Series, Halifax author, Anne Emery, brings us an unforgettable hero in the guise of Seamus Rynne, or Shay, as he’s known to the lads. If you’re an armchair traveler, this book will sweep you up and...
A Wild Life Beautifully Inked
It might seem unusual to be publishing a memoir in your mid-forties but when you’re an old soul with miles of experiential wisdom to impart, it works beautifully. This is a genuinely inspirational story of perseverance and resilience. Chris MacDonald is a Toronto...
Wicked Werewolf Horror by Joel McKay
Once upon a time in a house deep in the woods of Northern BC, a strong, thoughtful woman invited all her family and friends to Thanksgiving dinner—her parents and in-laws, convict brother-in-law, divorcing neighbours, and her two children: ten-year-old Tommy and his...
Thumps & the Gang are Back
Fans of Thomas King and his serene, sensible, and sly, alter-ego, Thumps DreadfulWater, will be delighted to know his latest DreadfulWater Mystery is out, and it’s one of the best yet—a mischievous, slow-paced, cozy, infused with King’s trademark comedic wittiness,...
Holly Black’s Back with a New Adult Fantasy
I’ve been hooked on Holly Black since I first read her Young Adult fantasy series in 2002. That’s when Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale was published. She followed that up with Valiant in 2005 and completed the trilogy with Ironside in 2007. If you’ve never read these...