I’ve known of Ivan Coyote for years now. I saw them speak when I was in college, an experience that was deeply impactful and that created in me a lifelong fan. But, much to my shame, this is the first book of theirs that I’ve actually finished reading – and I finished it in READ MORE
Category: Features
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | FACTS ABOUT MY PETS
I’ve had a fair number of pets over the years and they’ve all been pretty awesome. I had a goldfish who used to enjoy it if I propped picture books up against his tank for him to “read” (I was 4 at the time, so he probably didn’t actually even notice). I had a READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS I HAVEN’T REVIEWED
This week’s prompt is a hard one, because mostly I have mentioned books by this point. But there are several that, while I may have mentioned them, I didn’t actually write reviews. So here are a selection of them. Some of these I haven’t reviewed yet. READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE BEST, MOST AWFUL JOB – KATHERINE MAY (ED.)
There are as many ways to experience motherhood as there are mothers. Motherhood encompasses everything from pregnancy to miscarriage to abortion to birth to adoption to caring for grandchildren. And yet, there are elements to it that are universal. I’ve yet to meet a mother who doesn’t feel judged for her choices, like she’s READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | WHAT I LEARNED LAST YEAR
So my first response to this is probably fairly obvious. Because it’s the same for all of us. We are all so consumed by COVID-19, that it feels like there’s little space for anything else. What did I learn last year? I learned that the vaccines we waited so long for wane significantly after READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | DYNAMIC DUOS
This is one of those prompts I expect to have a really hard time with. I’m sure there are tons of books with amazing dynamic duos. But I can’t think of any right now. So this is one of those posts that I’ll be slowly (hopefully) adding to as new books pop into my READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND – RUMAAN ALAM
This has probably been one of the more divisive books of the past year. It seems that some people love it, others really don’t. It’s an odd story. Amanda and Clay take their two kids for a vacation in a rental home on Long Island. The house they rented is idyllic and offers an READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | FAVE GENRE(S)
Most of the books I’ve read fall into literary fiction, which is kind of a genre, but also not as it encompasses SO MUCH. I guess if I had to pick one to read for the rest of my life, it would be that, precisely because it has such range. However, especially in recent READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS TOO GOOD TO REVIEW PROPERLY
This is SUCH a good prompt. There are so many books I didn’t review yet because I just can’t figure out how to do them justice, and others that I reviewed, but felt really nervous about posting! Here are some of them. A few I haven’t reviewed yet (or haven’t published reviews of): READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE – TIA WILLIAMS
Romance is not my jam, as anyone who’s been around here for a while knows. If I’m honest, I didn’t know this was a romance when I went into it. I had seen the cover around and it was available from my library, and I decided to give it a try. So it was READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | WAYS TO SHOW YOU LOVE SOMEONE
I like this prompt, but it’s a bit of a tough one to actually write. I think that feeling loved is such an important part of establishing value as a person, and it is one of the best ways to help those around you, especially kids, feel secure. I’m a big fan of both READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | LGBTQIAP+ LOVE STORIES
Well, it’s that time of year again! Flower shops selling out, chocolate wrappers scattered throughout the entire house, and, Omicron permitting, forced dates going either extremely well or horribly wrong. It’s not a holiday I care much about, but this year I decided to lean into it with a list of LGBTQIAP+ books that READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME – TA-NEHISI COATES
This book is short but will turn your worldview on its head, shake it up and set it decisively to rights. It follows in the tradition of James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time, a book so short but with such power that it is still one of the most important books on race in READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | THEME SONG FOR 2022
Well, it’s a fairly obvious choice, but…. And then there’s this one that I shared as my theme song this time last year, but is depressingly still extremely apropos: There’s also this one, mostly just because I like it and it cheers me up some: And finally READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS WITH CHARACTER NAMES IN THE TITLE
This is a really interesting prompt. I don’t really notice when character names are in the title, but I probably will now! These aren’t necessarily my favourites that fit this prompt, just ones that I’ve either read recently or have sitting on the shelf in front of me! READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE – BENJAMIN ALIRE SÁENZ
Dante and Aristotle are two characters who will leap off the page and act out their story vividly in your mind. And they will be as real to you as the people you share your life with. They’re flawed but beautiful, vulnerable but strong, scared but loyal. When we first meet Ari, he is READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | BEST BOOK/MOVIE/TV SHOW OF 2021
This week’s prompt is basically the best of last year. Books are easy, but I didn’t really keep track of which movies and TV shows I watched actually came out last year, so it’s a bit more of a challenge! Best books: I have a whole post about the best books I read in 2021, READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | NEW TO ME AUTHORS I DISCOVERED IN 2021
I had an amazingly good reading year in 2021. A lot of the rest of the year sucked, but that part worked out okay. So there were more authors I became acquainted with this year that I’m sure I’ll revisit, and some of these books are not favourites. READ MORE