Long before I did any traveling in person, I traveled through the books I read. In fact, one of the big reasons I wanted to go to Australia in 2005 was that I’d enjoyed reading some books set there. And when I arrived, one of my first questions to the locals I met was about […]
Best Books of 2015
Ah, it’s that time of year again—time to look at the books I’ve read and think about which ones I’d like to read again someday. That has become my marker of a “good book,” because there are always so many more books to read! The ones that I really like end up on my bookshelf, […]
My Favourite Genre is Fiction
Fiction is my first love, whether I’m reading or writing. In any given week, I may or may not be reading a nonfiction book, but I always have a novel on the go. I’ve dabbled in writing poetry and creative nonfiction, but fiction is the genre that has always commanded most of my attention and […]
The Unfinished Child by Theresa Shea
Last semester during my creative nonfiction class, my professor invited the publisher of Brindle & Glass to speak to us. It was fascinating to hear from an industry insider and to learn more about publishing in BC. At the end of her talk, the publisher passed around a few of her recently released books for […]
To Know You by Shannon Ethridge and Kathryn Mackel
Julia McCord knows the power of forgiveness. She’s experienced it in her life, found the healing power of redemption, moved beyond her past. But her teenage son is dying. The only chance to save him is to find the daughters whom she gave up for adoption at birth and ask them to consider being living […]
Best Books of 2013
It was difficult to pick my top books from among those I reviewed in 2013. I read a lot of good books by some of my favourite authors, but which of those good books was the best? I feel like I’d make a different fiction list on another day, but here’s the best books […]
Book Review: Singularity by Steven James
When I finished reading Steven James’ novel Placebo before Christmas last year, I said I’d pick up the next novel just to meet Jevin, Charlene, Fionna, and Xavier again. That’s what I did this month. Singularity takes illusionist Jevin Banks and his friends on a new adventure as they search for the man responsible for […]
Book Review: The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
Most nineteenth century authors wrote with the motto “to teach and to entertain.” They knew the power of a story to draw their reader in and instruct better than any lecture could. They were social reformers as well as authors, but their novels are also entertaining and touching. Although the social conditions have changed (in […]
Book Review: The Offering by Angela Hunt
I love fiction that delves into motherhood and tackles all the emotions we feel as moms—or the issues we face. Some of my favourite novels about moms include Come Sunday, which looks at the loss of a child, and The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, which tackles the issue of special needs children. Angela Hunt’s latest novel […]
Take a Chance on Me by Susan May Warren
“Ivy Madison would do just about anything to stay in the secluded, beautiful, innocent town of Deep Haven. Even if she had to buy a man.” Susan May Warren hooked me with the opening sentences of Take a Chance on Me and kept me turning pages right until the end. Even when it seemed like […]
