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

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

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

Book Review: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

I read this book in the hopes of finding a good read to give to my niece for her 11th birthday. (Don't worry, her birthday is past and I don't think she reads my blog anyway so I'm not ruining a surprise!) I wanted to get her something fun, not overly challenging but just a… Continue reading Book Review: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

Book Review: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

I had put off reading Cutting for Stone for quite some time, mostly, I think, from a fear that it couldn't live up to its hype. The good news is, it definitely can and does The book is set in Addis, Ethiopa in the 1950s and 60s. Knowing very little about that time and place,… Continue reading Book Review: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Reading with Pearl: Actual Size by Steve Jenkins

(Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004) Steve Jenkins does all kinds of creative and interesting books for children about the natural world. His book Actual Size lets children get up close and personal with wild animals in a unique way. The premise is simple but fascinating: every picture of an animal in the book is the actual… Continue reading Reading with Pearl: Actual Size by Steve Jenkins