have heart, my dear.

Next up in books I almost forgot I read this year: Cathy Park Hong’s MINOR FEELINGS, which, I don’t know if stylistically I am supposed to necessarily write in all caps, but between the cover’s design and the way the book made me feel, seems the most appropriate.  Title: MINOR FEELINGS: AN ASIAN AMERICAN RECKONING by Cathy Park Hong  Genre: Non-fiction, personal essays, cultural…

Review – Your Art Will Save Your Life

TItle: Your Art Will Save Your Life by Beth Pickens Genre: Non-fiction, self help, social critique Format read: Soft cover, paper copy Bought or borrowed? Bought at Glass Bookshop! Motivation: I had a gift card from one of my dearest friends to use, and along with Molly and Eli, it seemed like a reasonable non-fiction to balance out the order. I’ve also been trying to return to more art for…

Review – On the Come Up

I am writing this review super late after reading (and discussing it in book club!), but better late than never right? This last few months has been a trip while trying to navigate my mental health management, so stay tuned for more “catchup” reviews coming soon! Title: On the Come Up by Angie Thomas  Genre: General Fiction, Young Adult Fiction  Format read: e-book Bought or borrowed?…

Review: Policing Black Lives

Title: Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present, by Robyn Maynard Genre: non-fiction, social commentary, political commentary Format read: Paperback, hard copy Bought or borrowed? Bought this a year ago, at the height of the overall resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement Motivation: This was at or near the top of almost every list of recommended reads…

Title: The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass by Adan Jerreat-Poole Genre: Fiction, Fantasy  Format read: Paperback book  Bought or borrowed? Bought with a gift card to Glass Bookshop, from a dear friend  Motivation: I have yet to purchase a lot fiction from GB, mostly getting a lot of social commentary and nonfiction from them, and this title just sounded so intriguing! The cover is b e a u t i f u…

Review: The Girl on the Train

Title: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins Genre: thriller/mystery Format read: paperback, physical book Bought or borrowed? Other! I got this from my cousin when he and his partner were culling their bookshelf in preparation to move houses a couple of years ago. I only got around to reading it now this year (and might do something similar and toss it into one of my local…

Review: The Power of Ritual

I can no longer say that I haven’t been #influenced by a podcaster now. Title: The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into … by Casper Ter Kuile Genre: Nonfiction, “self help”, spirituality, self awareness Format read: Hardcover, physical book Bought or borrowed? Bought! Along with a nice new candle for setting quiet, intentional reading time with 🙂 I was too impatient to wait for…

Title: Monsoon Mansion by Cinelle Barnes Genre: Memoir Format read: Hardcover, physical book Bought or borrowed? Picked up at my local library! (I love the “Library Takeout” curbside pickup they are doing to keep people reading and safe in the pandemic!) Motivation: I found this title during my cruise through Arkipelago Books’ website! I love memoir and autobiography as a genre, and I’m still…

Review: Molly of the Mall

This book made me nostalgic for my undergrad in all the best ways. TItle: Molly of the Mall: Literary Lass and Purveyor of Fine Footwear, by Heidi L.M. Jacobs Genre: General fiction, romance Format read: softcover, physical book Bought or borrowed? Bought at Glass Bookshop, after longing for it for many moons Motivation: I love a book set in my very own hometown of Edmonton, and with so much…

Patron Saints of Nothing

Title: Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay Genre: General fiction Format read: ebook, on Libby Bought or borrowed? Borrowed from the library! Motivation: As mentioned in my last post, I’ve been doing some cultural identity explorations in the last few months. I was on Living Hyphen magazine‘s website and found our about Arkipelago Books, a Filipinx-owned bookstore in California…

Ask Baba Yaga (Vol. 2)

Title: Poetic Remedies for Troubled Times from Ask Baba Yaga by Taisia Kitaiskaia Genre: Poetry, advice, fantasy Format read: Physical book Bought or borrowed? Bought this (along with a few other items) from Glass Bookshop in my last order of 2020 from them! Motivation: I’m not going to lie, I liked the look of the cover, and the sound of the title. I mostly saw the “Ask Baba Yaga” part and…

“The hatred of fat people is not limited to fat people — it is directed at fat in itself. … If everyone decided to take one stab at the monster that is fatphobia it would not have to be just up to the fat people to battle it.” (Chapter 8: “How to be a good friend to fat people”) Title: Happy Fat by Sofie Hagen Genre: Nonfiction; memoir, social commentary Format read: ebook Bought or borrowed?…

Title: Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema by Lindy West Genre: Film criticism, humour Format read: Physical book Bought or borrowed? Bought from Glass Bookshop, as part of the ticket to Edmonton’s Lit Fest discussion between Lindy West herself, and Vivek Shraya. Motivation: I love Lindy West’s other books — Shrill and The Witches Are Coming — so I admit this…

Update on my review format

Hello all! I have decided to adjust the template format for my book reviews slightly. I have sort of been tweaking it along the way, but in the interest of consistency and being able to track where I make changes, I thought I’d make a quick post about it (so that you and future-me know that this was ~intentional~). First, I have changed from the self-reflexive question format and just simply…

Title: Okay For Now, by Gary D. Schmidt Genre: General fiction, young adult fiction Format read: Audiobook read by Lincoln Hoppe Bought or borrowed? Borrowed originally as an ebook, but then switched to audiobook, on Libby Motivation: This was recommended by another friend when I was looking for cheery and hopeful fiction to make it to the end of the year. I switched to listening instead of…