Category Book Reviews
I’m not sure what initially drew me to this short novel (probably the tattoos), but I remember my friend/colleague (and author) Cathleen With was reading at the book launch last autumn at The FALL Tattoo & Piercing (side note: I’ve… Continue Reading →
The cover art of The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel caught my eye at the library and the back cover copy intrigued me: He holds the secret that can end the world. The truth: Nicholas Flamel was… Continue Reading →
Grant Lawrence recounts his childhood memories and family’s history at their Cabin in Desolation Sound. Mixed in are historical accounts from Captain George Vancouver, who gave the area its name, and tales of adventure and tragedy of the pioneers and… Continue Reading →
I received this book from work shortly after it was published in 2010, and I can’t believe I waited until this summer to read it. Christopher Meades weaves a unique and interesting tale with Henrik Nordmark and his quest to… Continue Reading →
Although Terry Goodkind said he wouldn’t be writing any more Sword of Truth books, he sort of slipped up with The Law of Nines. I’m guessing that book received a lukewarm review and thus The Omen Machine: A Richard and… Continue Reading →
As an editor and a student of Communications, I was intrigued by the hype around Nora Young’s new book. Unfortunately, I had to force myself to continue reading The Virtual Self: How Our Digital Lives Are Altering the World Around… Continue Reading →
I borrowed three books last semester from the Women’s Centre at SFU Burnaby: Body Drama, The Fat Girl’s Guide to Life, and Desire in Seven Voices. I don’t feel the need to do full review posts for them, so I’ll… Continue Reading →
Christopher Moore is one of my favourite humourists for his satirical wit, wry tone, and intelligent material. When I first read A Dirty Job about death and soul-collecting in San Francisco, I laughed myself to tears. Since then (2008) I… Continue Reading →
I don’t often read non-fiction, but every so often a gem of narrative non-fiction comes along that sparks my interest. The Discovery of Jeanne Baret: A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe… Continue Reading →
The second book in the Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is Beautiful Darkness, which I read back in April of this year (oops). It’s a great second novel (published in 2010); a compelling young adult fantasy series… Continue Reading →
City of Bones is the first book in Cassandra Clare‘s “Mortal Instruments” YA series. It sets a fast-paced, engaging tone with strong characters, a fascinating urban fantasy world, and a very thorough back-story. The Paranormal world is hidden in plain… Continue Reading →
C by Tom McCarthy was a finalist for the 2010 Man Booker Prize, listed as a National Bestseller, shortlisted for the Galaxy National Book Awards – Waterstone’s UK Author of the Year. Touted as “fascinating”, “extraordinary” and “brilliant” by well-known… Continue Reading →
I read these three books in quick succession (March/April 2012), and greatly enjoyed the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater. The writing is simple, straightforward, yet poetry, and the characters are well-rounded. The plot is a little predictable,… Continue Reading →
I wanted to read Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones because of the movie adapted by Hayao Miyazaki. Terrible, I know, but I’m a huge Miyazaki fan and now I want to read more by Diana Wynne Jones, so… Continue Reading →
Drums of Autumn is the fourth book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, starring Scottish Highlander Jamie Fraser and time traveller Claire. Warning – Even the synopsis has spoilers. It’s difficult to discuss a book in a series without spoilers. It… Continue Reading →
I finished this book in December, and it was the perfect thing to read on cold, wintery nights. The fourth installment of the Buckshaw Chronicles—I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley—opens with Flavia de Luce in full form. It’s… Continue Reading →
I have wanted to read Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs since the book trailer was released last year. I watched the trailer and read the synopsis probably six months ago but resisted buying it several times… Continue Reading →
I read Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett more than four months ago, in early November. I’d had the book for more than a year, borrowed from my friend Chelle and due to the length of time I… Continue Reading →
“[Giller] judges said the novel “charts the painful search by a dutiful daughter to learn – and more importantly to learn to understand – the multi-layered truth which lies at the moral core of her dying father’s life”.” wrote The… Continue Reading →
I read Angel Wing Splash Pattern, a short story collection by Richard Van Camp, during last semester. Van Camp is now a Vancouver resident, but grew up in the Northwest Territories as a member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation. The… Continue Reading →
I read Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway last semester for an English course focusing on First Nations fiction. I also wrote my term paper for the course on the novel, exploring how redemptive arts expression can be… Continue Reading →
This is the first book of fiction by Stuart Clark, a well-known UK astrology journalist and astophysicist professor. The Sky’s Dark Labyrinth is the first of a trilogy of novels inspired by the history of trying to understand the Universe…. Continue Reading →
Kynship is the first book in The Way of Thorn and Thunder series by Daniel Heath Justice, published by Kegedonce Press, an Aboriginal owned and operated publisher. The Everland has been home of the forest-dwelling Kyn and the other Eld-Folk… Continue Reading →
The Next Sure Thing is published by Orca Books, a local BC publisher with a lot of unique lines of books. A couple years ago I read First Time by Meg Tilly which was from the Orca Soundings imprint. The… Continue Reading →
And so A Song of Ice and Fire series continues with the third installment, A Storm of Swords. I finished this book in late August / early September and—without going bit by bit through the novel—let’s just say I enjoyed… Continue Reading →
