Canada Reads 2018 is now well underway! The first three days of debates are behind us, and with them three books have already been voted off (amidst a lot of drama and controversy), and we are down to our two finalists. Here’s what happened, in case you missed it! If you have no idea READ MORE
Year: 2018
TOP TEN TUESDAY | READING THE WORLD
This week’s topic is “Books That Take Place In Another Country.” I haven’t historically done the best job of reading my way around the world, and it’s something I know I need to work on (I also need to read more from my own country). But over the years I have read a selection READ MORE
CANADA READS REVIEW | FORGIVENESS – MARK SAKAMOTO
This is the true story of Mark Sakamoto’s grandparents’ experiences during WWII and how those experiences shaped their lives – but also how they chose to take back control in spite of them. The first section of the book alternates between two stories. His maternal grandfather’s experiences as a young soldier sent to Hong READ MORE
CANADA READS REVIEW | THE MARROW THIEVES – CHERIE DIMALINE
This is a post-apocalyptic young adult novel that takes place in a world where climate change has destroyed the land. The coastlines have moved inwards, waterways have become polluted, and populations have become more and more dense as people were forced to migrate inland. In this world, white people have lost the ability to READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS ON MY SPRING TBR
Right now I’m still trying to read as many of the Canada Reads 2018 contenders as I can before the debates that start March 26th (for more info on the 2018 picks, go here, for more info on Canada Reads, go here), so those are top of my list. Swiftly followed by the books READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS THAT WEREN’T WHAT I EXPECTED
I’m tired and very behind this week, so without any further preamble, I’m going to jump right into it. Here are the books that surprised me (for better or for worst) the most: Another Brooklyn was far more poetic and deeply emotionally affecting than I had expected it to be. Though it deals READ MORE
WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION | 2018 LONGLIST (AND HOW MY GUESSES STACKED UP)
The Women’s Prize for Fiction 2018 Longlist has finally been announced! Without any further ado, here it is: H(A)PPY by Nicola Barker The Idiot by Elif Batuman Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon Miss Burma by Charmaine Craig Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar Sight by Jessie Greengrass Eleanor Oliphant is READ MORE
CANADA READS | 2018 PANELLISTS, LONGLIST AND SHORTLIST
It’s that time of year again! Canada Reads 2018 is just around the corner. There’s just enough time left to dive into the books you want to read from the shortlist before tuning in for this year’s debates, but first, let’s take a look at the longlist and get to know this year’s panellists. Canada READ MORE
WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION | 2018 LONGLIST PREDICTIONS
As most of you out there in book world are well aware, this Thursday (March 8th) is the announcement of the 2018 Longlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction (formerly Bailey’s Prize, formerly Orange Prize). It’s a well-loved prize amongst book bloggers and booktubers because it features books by women, and it often features READ MORE
CANADA READS | AN OVERVIEW & LINKS TO PREVIOUS YEARS’ DEBATES
I’ve never really felt all that Canadian. My parents came to Canada just a year before I was born, and didn’t really take to a lot of the quintessentially Canadian pastimes and cultural touch points. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot I love about my country. It’s beautiful, diverse, full of opportunities READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS I WOULD TAKE TO A DESERT ISLAND WITH ME
This week’s topic is books I’ll never get sick of re-reading, and in order to really consider this prompt, I imagined a situation where these are the only books I have, possibly for the rest of my life. Would I still feel that they stood up to that kind of deep reading? Would they READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | HUNGER – ROXANE GAY
I’m a little ashamed to admit that this was my first foray into the work of Roxane Gay. I don’t know how, but I have somehow managed to miss her previously published works – though they all sound like they are exactly my kind of books. I was drawn to this because of the READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS I’M JUST NOT THAT INTO
There are so many books out there waiting to be read. SO MANY. And they all have devoted fans, many of whom share that fandom in public forums – like book blogs and BookTube. And the problem with that is that if I hear one person enthuse about a book that just isn’t really READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | A FEW TAKES ON LOVE
As you know if you’ve been around this neck of the woods for any length of time, I’m not really much for romance. So asking me to share my favourite romantic books is an exercise in futility. So instead, I’m going to do a few different riffs on the general theme and see where READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | SLOUCHING TOWARDS BETHLEHEM – JOAN DIDION
This was my first foray into Didion’s writing, and now I’m wondering what took me so long. Slouching Towards Bethlehem seemed to be a good place to start, comprised as it is of a selection of short essays on various topics. She covers everything from a murder case to hippies in San Francisco to READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | ANOTHER BROOKLYN – JACQUELINE WOODSON
I’ve been meaning to read Jacqueline Woodson for a very long time. Her memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming, has been sitting on my shelf, waiting for me to get around to it, for years. I’m very grateful that this book was on sale, and that I decided to pick it up one day because of READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | BAD BLOOD – JENNIFER LYNN BARNES
I’m a huge fan of the TV show Criminal Minds, and this book is like a YA cross between that and The Mentalist. It’s about a group of teenagers with “special” talents – reading people, profiling, analyzing information and detecting lies. It’s a premise I absolutely love and the plots have been real page-turners. READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS I DIDN’T GET TO IN 2017 (BUT TOTALLY WILL IN 2018… MAYBE)
Well this week’s topic should be easy, considering the massive TBR I amassed in the past 6 months! Catch me another day and this list might be totally different, but these are the ones that stand out from a quick glance at my shelves tonight! READ MORE