Book Review: Womb by Leah Hazard

The subtitle of Womb proclaims "The Inside Story of Where We All Began". Leah Hazard, with a background in both journalism and midwifery, delves into the sometimes taboo topic of women's anatomy. What is a uterus? What role does it play in women's health? What do we know and what do we not know? She… Continue reading Book Review: Womb by Leah Hazard

What I Read – April 2023

Read: Two-Part Invention - Madeleine L'Engle (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1988) Notes from Underground - Fyodor Dostoevsky (Vintage Classics, 1994) (translated from Russian by Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky) Instructions for the Drowning - Steven Heighton (Biblioasis, 2023) The Memory of Animals - Claire Fuller (Tin House, 2023) Shrines of Gaiety - Kate Atkinson (Little,… Continue reading What I Read – April 2023

What I Read – November 2021

Read: Nostalgia is Heartless - Sarah Lahey (She Writes Press, 2021) We Run the Tides - Vendela Vida (Ecco, 2021) I hope this finds you well - Kate Baer (Harper Perennial, 2021) Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch - Rivka Galchen (Harper Perennial, 2021) Out of the Sun - Esi Edugyan (Anansi, 2021) Obasan… Continue reading What I Read – November 2021

Book Review: We Run the Tides by Vendela Vida

We Run the Tides - Vendela Vida (Ecco, 2021) We Run the Tides is set in San Francisco, the wealthy neighbourhood of Sea Cliff, in 1984-1985. This is San Francisco pre-tech boom, a place of wealth but also a hippy city set on the ocean, where the inhabitants have acquired their wealth in a variety… Continue reading Book Review: We Run the Tides by Vendela Vida

Book Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller (Ecco, 2012) The story of the Trojan War has been told countless times and in countless ways. It's amazing that a tale so old and so familiar can still be compelling and yet Madeline Miller had me rushing through this novel to find out what happens. (Warning: This… Continue reading Book Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

What I Read – August 2021

Read: What Strange Paradise - Omar El Akkad (Penguin Random House Canada, 2021) Interior Chinatown - Charles Yu (Pantheon Books, 2020) A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (Bantam Book, 1989) The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller (Ecco, 2012) Blanket Toss Under Midnight Sun - Paul Seesequasis (Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2019) Front… Continue reading What I Read – August 2021

Book Review: Just Kids: Illustrated Edition by Patti Smith

Just Kids: Illustrated Edition - Patti Smith (Ecco Books, 2018) Before I started reading Just Kids I didn't know much more about Patti Smith or Robert Mapplethorpe than that Patti Smith was a musician and Robert Mapplethorpe was an artist of some sort. Looking up his artwork later, I realized I did recognize Mapplethorpe's flower photos. I… Continue reading Book Review: Just Kids: Illustrated Edition by Patti Smith

What I Read – September 2017

(My dad felt that my summer reading level had dropped off so I have done my best to boost my numbers this September. However, please keep your expectations low for October.) The Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters: The Jolly Regina - Kara LaReau (Amulet Books, 2017) The Good People - Hannah Kent (Little, Brown,… Continue reading What I Read – September 2017

Book Review: The Wind is Not a River by Brian Payton

In this novel, Brian Payton explores a lesser known portion of World War II history - the Japanese invasion of Alaska. At least, this was unknown to me and I consider myself decently informed. Our main character is John Easely, a journalist who has snuck his way into the Aleutian Islands where the native peoples… Continue reading Book Review: The Wind is Not a River by Brian Payton