Author Monnibo
I’m a big fan of historical fiction, but I don’t know what it is about WWII, but I’m continually drawn to books set in and around the Second World War. I picked up Code Name Verity from the library a… Continue Reading →
Every Christmas, my boyfriend and his brothers make chocolates. They make rum balls and Nanaimo Bars, and then Tiramisu and Chocolate Cake with a Rum/Brandy/Coffee-soaked sponge base. This year, I asked to add a new chocolate to the mix: hazelnut… Continue Reading →
Young adult books tread a fine line between sounding believable, being enjoyable for the reader, and appealing to the (mostly adult) purchasers. Unfortunately this can sometimes result in books hitting the reader over the head with morals and lessons. Because… Continue Reading →
Color Affection by kikilemarteau After unravelling this pattern twice already, I have finally completed my Color Affection. I really really liked my friend’s Colour Affection, where she paired similar value colours together. It made it look like it all went… Continue Reading →
I picked this up from the library after seeing it was a Forever Young Adult Book Club pick for July. I knew Rainbow Rowell was a YA author with all the buzz around Eleanor & Park (which is on my… Continue Reading →
I didn’t really intend to read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, as it didn’t really sound appealing to me. But as it became more of the “everyone’s talking about it” type of book, I made an impulse decision. I spotted… Continue Reading →
Vancouver is famous for our temperate rainforest climate, the beautiful mountains and ocean, as well as being called one of the “most liveable cities” in the world. However, the city also has unaffordable housing costs for many residents, is called… Continue Reading →
Rabbit Ears by Maggie de Vries is a gritty YA novel from the perspective of two sisters, one of whom is spiraling into trouble and hiding a painful secret. A brave and unflinching look at one vulnerable young woman living… Continue Reading →
Today is the inaugural BC Book Day, celebrating the achievements and significance of BC’s book publishing industry. As explained in the press release from the Association of Book Publishers of BC, “On April 9th the BC Legislature will celebrate the… Continue Reading →
I’ve been dragging my heels on this review because I feel conflicted. I was excited about the sequel, even though I have qualms about the over-abundance of series, and I was thrilled when the publisher sent me a copy for… Continue Reading →
When the fifth book in Alan Bradley’s Buckshaw Chronicles, Speaking from Among the Bones, ended with a series cliffhanger I was in tatters. The book’s story arch had been resolved and then Bradley threw a curve ball at the de… Continue Reading →
I went to a nearby bookstore (which unfortunately is not an independent) to pick up two books that came out last week. I’ve been anticipating them since before Christmas—The Dead in our Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley and Hollow City… Continue Reading →
Recently I’ve knit a couple hats and an object that looks like a hat but isn’t. So here is a triple FO report! First, the Toque of Secrecy for AW. The pattern is the Bus Hat, a free pattern by… Continue Reading →
The yarn is Seacoast Handpainted Superwash Sock yarn and it was a gift to me from Ruth (aka scrabblequeen) many moons ago. The colourway is “Chocolate & Caramel” and the skein had a whopping 560 yards. I can’t believe how… Continue Reading →
I devoured this book in less than 24 hours during exams and really loved entering the realm of the Seven Kingdoms that author Kristin Cashore has created. Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since… Continue Reading →
I knit this in record speed—at least for me. I watched four seasons of Castle and just knitknitknit. I guess the mojo returned in earnest because I have been chugging away at projects. Here is one of my more impressive… Continue Reading →
I kept getting this niggling feeling that I’d read something like this before, but that could just be that I’d read a number of reviews and/or that I read a preview snippet somewhere. That being said, I was enthralled by… Continue Reading →
Grammarly is an automated online proofreader that calls itself a “grammar coach”. With an account—which does cost a monthly fee—you upload your text and then run a quick scan. There are free 7-day trial memberships, but I was provided with temporary… Continue Reading →
My friend Marina is a movie aficionado and podcaster and invited me to a special press screening for The Book Thief last week. After seeing the movie, we recorded a special podcast for Row Three: After the Credits (Episode 140:… Continue Reading →
We went to go see Ender’s Game on opening weekend and were really pleased that it wasn’t in 3D. We saw it in UltraAVX, which was quite sufficient. Having just finished reading the book, I was really interested in the… Continue Reading →
SPOILER WARNING: Consider yourself fully warned that I will talk about the book in detail. In fact, I will talk about the entire series. If you have not read book one (Divergent) and two (Insurgent) then this review will spoil… Continue Reading →
I love Flavia de Luce! Speaking from Among the Bones is the fifth book in the Buckshaw Chronicles. I’ve read and reviewed the first four books: Sweetness from the Bottom of the Pie (book 1) The Weed that Strings the… Continue Reading →
I jumped on the book-to-movie bandwagon again and picked up a copy of Ender’s Game last month. It originated as the short story published in August 1977, which Card expanded to a book and published in 1985, receiving both the… Continue Reading →
I finished Divergent several months ago, and Insurgent picks up right where it left off, so it took me a little while to get back in the groove. One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice… Continue Reading →
Since the summer, I seem to have been (re)bitten by the knitting bug. Here is an account of my progress. After knitting most of the year on and off on this cowl with lovely silk yarn that Chelle gave me,… Continue Reading →
