I spent much of the weekend bemoaning the fact that I was unable to partake of the Half Price Books 20% off sale since I live in Canada, and we don’t have Half Price Books here. I watched, half of me happy for the fortune of others, half of me incredibly jealous, as you READ MORE
BBC BOOK CHALLENGE
Who’s not a sucker for a good list? And this one is pretty darn good. You might have seen this circulating on Facebook (where I lifted it from). Apparently the average person will only have read six of the books on this list of books compiled by the BBC. I was pleased to discover that READ MORE
GOOD NEWS FOR VANCOUVER BOOK LOVERS
If you live in Vancouver and are an avid reader, chances are you’ve spent many a blissful hour perusing the shelves of one of the many Book Warehouse locations scattered throughout the city. With a wide range of new books at bargain prices, it has long been a favourite book shopping destination. A couple READ MORE
WHAT THE @#$% ARE YOU READING?
You may or may not have seen the article in US News last week about whether or not Young Adult books should have some sort of rating system on them. This discussion is largely centred around a study that was done revealing that much fiction intended for a youth audience contains profanity to various READ MORE
BIRTHDAYS AREN’T ALL BAD…
As those of you who read my other blog, Mpirical, will know, it was my birthday a few days ago. Thank you, thank you, yes, I had a wonderful day. But more importantly, what is a birthday without books? J. got me this little gem – very recently released, it is the (sometimes true) READ MORE
TBR | SUMMER READING!
There’s something special about reading in the summer. Maybe it’s the warm breezes and cool beverages, maybe it’s just that the days are longer and slower. But whatever it is, it makes selecting a big ‘ole pile of books to read over the next months even more exciting and satisfying. This is mine (so far): READ MORE
BOOK SERIES REVIEW | THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY – SUZANNE COLLINS
(Please note: Because this review covers a trilogy of books, it required spoilers. Please read at your own risk!) I came late to the Hunger Games. I am one of those who watched the movie – then figured maybe I’d give the books a go. But once I got started, I proceeded to zip through READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | BOSSYPANTS – TINA FEY
Tina Fey is one funny lady. But more than that, she’s an incredibly smart one. It’s not easy to be as humorous, self-deprecating, inspirational and charismatic as this lady. (Trust me; I’ve tried.) So I was intrigued at the prospect of learning more about the lady behind the laughs. Though I’ve never been READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | MY LAI 4: A REPORT ON THE MASSACRE AND ITS AFTERMATH – SEYMOUR M. HERSH
War is a strange concept. It has rules. Certain populations are off limits, and certain acts are prohibited. And yet, the purpose of a war is to take human life on a mass scale. It seems inevitable, then, that lines become blurred, that war is the cause of (or sometimes a haven for) atrocity. In READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | IF YOU ASK ME (AND OF COURSE YOU WON’T) – BETTY WHITE
I have so much respect and admiration for Betty White. Let me just say that up front. Not only has she molded an ever-growing and -changing career during a time in life when many performers are withdrawing from the public eye and enjoying the fruits of their years and years of hard work, but she READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | THIS IS A CALL: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DAVE GROHL – PAUL BRANNIGAN
It is because of Dave Grohl that I began reading again. At the end of last year I was lucky enough to attend a Foo Fighters’ concert. And I gotta tell ya – if you’re not a fan of the Foos, you’re missing out big time. These guys get up there and give it their READ MORE
UPDATE | THE BIG COMEBACK!
Clearly this blog has been somewhat neglected for awhile now, but it’s time to see about getting it going again! I graduated from university at the end of 2010, and ended up accidentally taking a break from reading books – that lasted a year. Actually, to be more accurate, I took a break from FINISHING READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | TRAVELS – MICHAEL CRICHTON
You might not think so to see his books gracing the illustrious wire racks of grocery stores and newsagents, but Michael Crichton is an amazingly talented writer. I will argue this point with anyone who dares contradict me. He had me cowering under my blanket as a teenager when I was reading Jurassic Park READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | SEXUALLY, I’M MORE OF A SWITZERLAND: MORE PERSONAL ADS FROM THE LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS – DAVID ROSE
I must admit, this book’s title is what grabbed my attention. And how could it not? Turns out, the inside of the book is just as interesting. We all (or at least most of us) know what it’s like to be single and wonder if we’re ever going to find someone we can be READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | EVERY DAY IN TUSCANY: SEASONS OF AN ITALIAN LIFE – FRANCES MAYES
When I was in high school my mother left her copy of Under the Tuscan Sun lying around the house. On a whim one Saturday afternoon, I picked it up and started reading. The next thing I knew, I was immersed in Italian culture, fascinated to discover with Mayes the joys (and many frustrations) READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | BOWIE: A BIOGRAPHY – MARC SPITZ
David Bowie is much more than a famous musician – he is a cultural icon. His approach to showmanship, song writing, performance – even fashion – have inspired his own and every subsequent generation. Not only that, but he is an articulate, intelligent man whose appeal and charisma extend well beyond his musical talent, READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | THE WAYFINDERS: WHY ANCIENT WISDOM MATTERS IN THE MODERN WORLD – WADE DAVIS
“…[R]emember the central revelation of anthropology: the idea that the social world in which we live does not exist in some absolute sense, but rather is simply one model of reality, the consequence of one set of intellectual and spiritual choices that our particular cultural lineage made, however successfully, many generations ago.” A friend READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | PARIS TIMES EIGHT: FINDING MYSELF IN THE CITY OF DREAMS – DEIRDRE KELLY
Paris is probably the only city in the world that is dreamed about by such a wide variety of people – romantics, historians, artists, fashionistas and jet-setters alike. It is a city that is famous not only for notorious home-grown figures like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Victor Hugo, but also for READ MORE