Victorian Literature – All My 5-Star Reads My 5-Star Victorian Reads Confession: I don’t remember which Victorian novel I read first. This question often comes up during Victober, and I never know how to answer it. I was always that precocious kid trying to read all the books that people said would be “too hard”…
She’s a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock: REVIEW Synopsis Jessamyn St. Germain is sick of being an aspiring musical theatre star. At 26, she knows time is running out to get her big break, so she convinces herself that the role of Maria in a local production of The Sound of Music is going to be…
Useless Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds by Jess Zafarris: REVIEW Synopsis Proud word nerd Jess Zafarris takes us on a fun ride through the origins and evolutions of everyday English words and phrases. My Review I’ve had SO much fun with this book. So much word-nerdery! So many fascinating factlets about language! Don’t…
On the Ground: My Life as a Foreign Correspondent by Brian Stewart: REVIEW Synopsis Brian Stewart talks about his experiences as a foreign correspondent for CBC and NBC from the 1970s to early 2000s. My Review I’ve seen Brian Stewart’s face on my TV my whole life, coming from an avid CBC-watching household, so I…
How To Survive a Reading Slump The Monster Every Reader Fears: The Reading Slump Guys, I’m heading into a reading slump. Victober is the worst possible time for this to happen! My plan required over 100 pages of Victorian reading per day!! PLUS extra reading on top of that for reviewing NetGalley ARCs and new…
A New New Me by Helen Oyeyemi: REVIEW Synopsis Kinga’s just a girl trying to make it through the week, but it just so happens that a different Kinga alter wakes up every morning. As each Kinga leaves a diary entry of her day for the other Kingas to read, it becomes apparent that at…
The Giller Prize Shortlist – My Thoughts The Giller Prize Hi everyone! The Giller Prize shortlist came out today, and I feel like talking about it. In case you aren’t familiar with the Giller Prize, or The Artist Formerly Known As the Scotiabank Giller Prize (more on that in a sec), it’s the most prestigious…