Book Review: The Nest by Maria by Cynthia d’Aprix Sweeney

The Nest seems to have been one of the more hyped books of Spring/Summer 2016 and so it's disappointing that, in the end, it was only kind of mediocre. It's an easy read - something to pick up on a long weekend or a couple of days at the beach - but there's no real… Continue reading Book Review: The Nest by Maria by Cynthia d’Aprix Sweeney

Book Review: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

When The Goldfinch was first released in 2013, I heard many excellent reviews of Donna Tartt's work. Having never read her before though, I was reluctant to commit to nearly 800 pages. It wasn't until I read Tartt's early novel, The Secret History, that I became excited to read more from her. Thankfully, The Goldfinch… Continue reading Book Review: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Book Review: The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Sometimes I read books and wonder if maybe I'm not quite smart enough for them. The Vegetarian is a short but complex novel. It's beautiful and brutal and I was left feeling like there was a lot more to it than what I was picking up. The Vegetarian is divided into three parts - moving… Continue reading Book Review: The Vegetarian by Han Kang

What I Read – August 2016

The Nest - Cynthia D'Aprix-Sweeney (Harper Avenue, 2016) The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt (Back Bay Books, 2013) Today Will Be Different - Maria Semple (Little Brown, 2016) Currently Reading: Rumours of Another World - Philip Yancey The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah

Pearl’s First Camping Trip

Peter and I have camped several times together in the years that we've known each other. We've camped with friends or just the two of us but we've never camped with a toddler. Until now! When it comes to parenting, I'm learning that often you simply have to take the plunge. We've always known that… Continue reading Pearl’s First Camping Trip

What I Read – July 2016

Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates (Vintage Contemporaries, 2008) A Tangled Web - L.M. Montgomery (Bantam Books, 1989) The Painted Kiss - Elizabeth Hickey (Atria Books, 2005) The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers - Elizabeth Pantley (McGraw Hill, 2005) Six Walks in the Fictional Wood - Umberto Eco (Harvard University Press, 1994) The Vegetarian… Continue reading What I Read – July 2016

Book Review: The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers by Elizabeth Pantley

In sixteen months of parenting, this is the first parenting book I've read. While I've definitely been guilty of the middle-of-the-night-google-search (Always a bad idea. Always), my parenting resource so far has been friends. I have a few trusted friends who are slightly further along the road on this gig than I am and whose… Continue reading Book Review: The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers by Elizabeth Pantley

Reading with Pearl: The Ferryboat Ride by Robert Perry, illustrated by Greta Guzek

This is a thoroughly West Coast book. All about riding the B.C. Ferries, an experience well known to anyone who lives on our little peninsula here. Pearl rode the Queen of Surrey for the first time when she was just three days old, on her way home from the hospital in Vancouver. Fittingly, we barely… Continue reading Reading with Pearl: The Ferryboat Ride by Robert Perry, illustrated by Greta Guzek

Book Review: Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

Unhappy suburban families in the 1950s has become something of a cliche, but it's easy to imagine that Richard Yates before the cliches began. He certainly is able to avoid them. Frank and April Wheeler are in their late twenties, have two children, and live in Connecticut. Frank works in New York City and April… Continue reading Book Review: Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

Reading with Pearl: Janet & Allan Ahlberg

One of the fun things about being a parent is getting to re-discover things you yourself loved as a child and being able to introduce them to your own kid. The books of Janet and Allan Ahlberg definitely fall into this category for me. My favourites by the Ahlbergs were the Jolly Postman series -… Continue reading Reading with Pearl: Janet & Allan Ahlberg