When Zak Darke’s parents die of supposed food poisoning while on a business trip, Zak is left an orphan. Reluctantly taken in by his aunt and uncle, the only person left in the world who cares about Zak is his cousin, Ellie. He doesn’t even have very many friends at school, where he spends
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BOOK REVIEW | THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE – JENNIFER E. SMITH
The story begins with a mis-typed email address that leads two strangers into an online correspondence that lasts for months before they ever have a chance to meet. The girl, Ellie, lives in a small town in Maine whose only claim to fame is an over-abundance of lobster. She lives with her mom
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BOOK REVIEW | ELEANOR & PARK – RAINBOW ROWELL
The GoodReads description for this book reads: Set over the course of one school year in 1986, Eleanor & Park is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. Which, if weren’t for the cover, would have made me
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BOOK REVIEW | BEAUTIFUL CREATURES – KAMI GARCIA AND MARGARET STOHL
Lately I’m finding myself embroiled in a lot of stories that take place in the Southern US, an area of the world known only to me through books and movies. In my mind I can feel the oppressive humidity, the mercurial weather, the misleadingly murky swamps that mask hidden dangers with sharp teeth. In my
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BOOK REVIEW | THE ROSIE PROJECT – GRAEME SIMSION
Don is a professor of genetics whose life follows a very structured routine – he gets up at the same time every day, shops at the same markets, eats the same meals and goes to bed at the same time. Everything in his life makes sense. Everything is rational. Until he meets Rosie. Rosie
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BOOK REVIEW | PAPER TOWNS – JOHN GREEN
After finishing The Fault In Our Stars (aka The Blue Book) enveloped in a blizzard of Kleenex, I wanted more of John Green’s writing. So I moved on to Paper Towns looking for more of the poignant and humorous narrative. The first thing I’ll say is this definitely is not The Blue Book. Don’t
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BOOK REVIEW | DASH & LILY’S BOOK OF DARES – RACHEL COHN & DAVID LEVITHAN
First thing to say about this book is that it was written by the same duo responsible for Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (yeah, the one that was made into a movie with Michael Cera and Kat Dennings). So that gives you an idea of the sort of story it is. Cute and quirky.
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BOOK REVIEW | THE NAME OF THE STAR – MAUREEN JOHNSON
This book grabbed my by the throat and just wouldn’t let go. It’s the story of Rory Devraux, a Louisiana teen whose parents relocate to Bristol (in England), giving Rory a choice of schools for her senior year of high school. She picks Wexford, a boarding school located in London – right in the
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BOOK REVIEW | THE FAULT IN OUR STARS – JOHN GREEN
Better known amongst my group of friends as “The Blue Book” (for obvious reasons), this book took me completely by surprise. A friend of mine recommended it, saying that he loved it, that it made him all emotional and that I should definitely read it. So one Sunday when I was recovering from a
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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
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BOOK REVIEW | JULIET, NAKED – NICK HORNBY
At some point in our lives most of us (if not all of us) have become infatuated with someone famous. We have collected all their albums or every movie they’ve ever been in – even the ones that weren’t very good. We’ve spent hours daydreaming about what it would be like to meet them
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BOOK REVIEW | THE MAN WHO LOVED BOOKS TOO MUCH: THE TRUE STORY OF A THIEF, A DETECTIVE, AND A WORLD OF LITERARY OBSESSION – ALLISON HOOVER BARTLETT
Anyone who is a bibliophile (and let’s face it, most of us who review books are) will be able to relate to the subject matter of Allison Hoover Bartlett’s book, The Man Who Loved Books Too Much. As someone who collects books as much for their aesthetic appeal as for their content, I can understand
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BOOK REVIEW | FALL – COLIN MCADAM
“We were boys who wore suits, monkeys with manners. We didn’t have parents but were treated like babies. We were left on our own but had hundreds of rules to abide.” Fall is one of this year’s Scotiabank Giller Prize finalists. It is the coming of age story of two young men in their
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BOOK REVIEW | TRAVELS WITH MY AUNT – GRAHAM GREENE
My parents, thus proving how cool they are, read this book to me when I was a child. I can’t remember exactly how old I was, but since I was still young enough to be read to, I’m guessing I was not yet into double digits. So reading this book always makes me feel as
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BOOK REVIEW | NERVE: THE FIRST TEN YEARS – EDITORS OF NERVE.COM
It has been said that you should never judge a book by its cover, but as soon as I saw this book I fell in love with it. On the cover lounges a mesmerizing woman whose eyes beckon to you through a transparent hot pink vinyl cover with the word “NERVE” etched across it. Then
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BOOK REVIEW | I CAPTURE THE CASTLE – DODIE SMITH
Dodie Smith is best known for her children’s book, 101 Dalmations, but I Capture the Castle is by far my favourite of the two. I first read this book when I was about 14 years old. I remember abandoning reality and diving into it every afternoon after school for as long as I could
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BOOK REVIEW | STUPID AND CONTAGIOUS – CAPRICE CRANE
This book surprised me. I picked it up at my favourite local used book store one afternoon, and thought it would be one of those chicklit books I guiltily read and then dispose of in the hopes that I’ll never have to admit to having read them, nevermind having bought them. Instead it turned
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BOOK REVIEW | ALL FAMILIES ARE PSYCHOTIC – DOUGLAS COUPLAND
I have often wondered what would happen if you took every sort of mishap and cliche you could dream up, created a cast of characters and threw the mishaps at them like rotten tomatoes at a stage show. This book is the answer to that query. It features a thalidomide baby, AIDS, a kidnapping,
