The Savvy Reader

Ancestral Voices by Janie Chang

Janie Chang’s debut novel is filled with people she’s known all her life but never met. Here’s how her grandmother’s story inspired Three Souls, a novel set in the afterlife and in the real world of 1930’s China (more…)

50 Book Pledge Featured Read: The Black Widow

The Black Widow by Daniel Silva is the 16th novel in Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series  – and yet, it’s been hailed his most timely and most powerful novel yet. Below I will explain why, but first, some context: Gabriel Allon is the protagonist in Silva’s internationally bestselling thriller and espionage series. Allon works for Israeli intelligence on international missions. His ancestors are…

The #50BookPledge is back!

In 2015, the #50BookPledge community read 130,000 books. This year, we’re challenging you to read 150,000! Sign up for the 50 Book Pledge at http://50bookpledge.ca and pledge to read anywhere from 12 and 200 books. Your books will count towards the community goal of 150,000. Plus, we’ll help you reach your personal goal with fun incentives like badges, contests and giveaways! Returning to the 50…

Welcome to The Savvy Reader, Colin! *Giveaway*

Colin, HarperCollinsCanada’s #HCCElf, is here to make gift giving easy! This holiday season, Colin is giving away 12 great gifts to help readers decide which books to share with their loved ones. TODAY, we’re so excited to offer our Savvy Readers and #50BookPledge-ers the opportunity to win two great fiction books (with some of our favourite new characters from 2015). To enter to win copies of…

Carrying Albert Home: A Review

It didn’t take me long to fall in love with Carrying Albert Home by Homer Hickam, and with my own trip booked to Florida, I knew this was going to be the perfect vacation read. Have you ever heard of the right book at the right time? For me, this was it. Carrying Albert Home fit perfectly into my life. Like Homer Hickam Sr. I too come from a small town, and like Elsie Lavender I’ve always craved…

#HCCFirstLook: What Did Readers Think of Where They Found Her?

Last month, we brought back a program called #HCCFirstLook.

What’s #HCCFirstLook? Well, it’s a special opportunity to give keen readers an early look at an upcoming book we’re all excited about.

We chose Kimberly McCreight’s Where They  Found Her as the first #HCCFirstLook pick of 2015 because so many of us loved her first novel, Reconstructing Amelia.

And, spoiler alert, we loved this one too.

Quotes about Books & Coffee

This week’s 50 Book Pledge Featured Read is Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe by Max Lucado. In Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe, protagonist Chelsea takes a bold step out of the limelight and behind the counter of the Higher Grounds Cafe, an old-fashioned coffee shop in dire need of reinvention. Coincidentally Chelsea is also in dire need of reinvention: she’s starting over after a very…

Katherine Heiny’s short story collection Single, Carefree, Mellow arrived at my desk one day after an endorsement from Lena Dunham made a coworker think of me. She was right to pass it along. I enjoyed this collection more than any I’ve read before (and I’m a huge fan of short stories) because I felt like, for the first time, it was a collection written for me.

Infidelity is a theme that is woven…

If You Loved 50 Shades of Grey, We Think You’ll Love…

Sorry winter, February is HEATING UP! The 50 Shades of Grey movie is premiering this weekend (Hellooo Christian Grey!) and we can’t wait. If you’ve already finished the 50 Shades trilogy we have a few reading suggestions for you… (Something to read while you wait for the movie, perhaps!)

Introducing, the SR Hot List! 10 Hot Books to Read If You Loved 50 Shades:

1, Keep Me Safe by Maya Banks When…

Watch that? Read This.

How is your 50 Book Pledge going, readers? Admittedly, mine is off to a slow start. I just moved into a new apartment and finally set up my own Netflix account. Unfortunately, this means I’ve spend too many cold winter nights binge-watching television shows instead of reading. Yikes!

That being said, some of the shows I’ve been watching have inspired me to add new books to my To Be Read shelf!…

Bad Sentences: A Guest Post by Shaena Lambert

Shaena Lambert is a novelist, short story writer and teacher. Her fiction has been nominated for The Rogers Writers’ Trust Award, The Ethel Wilson Prize and been published to critical acclaim in Canada, the UK, Germany and Australia. Her upcoming collection of short stories, Oh, My Darling, will be available in September 2013. Of Oh, My Darling, Lisa Moore, author of February, says “Shaena…

Below are 10 books to help kick start your New Year and help create a new and improved you this year.

My Year of Reading Dangerously

My Year of Reading Dangerously is the perfect ‘New Year, New You’ book for Savvy Readers. In this laugh-out-loud memoir, working father Andy Miller attempts to improve his life through reading and, in doing so, discovers the transforming powers of great (and downright terrible) literature.

The Happiness Project

Now in a beautiful, expanded edition, Gretchen Rubin‘s bestselling self-help book The Happiness Project aims to help readers appreciate and amplify the happiness that already exists in their life through achievable and fun monthly goals.

Pretty Honest

Pretty Honest is more than just a chic and adorable coffee table book: it’s a witty, wise and truthful beauty handbook for real women on what works in real life from Sali Hughes, beloved journalist and broadcaster.

13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do

Expanding on her viral post that has become an international phenomenon, Amy Morin, a psychotherapist, offers simple yet effective solutions for increasing mental strength and finding happiness and success in life.

Clean Gut

For those who want to improve their health from the inside out, Dr. Alejandro Junger‘s Clean Gut program will put an end to everyday ailments, reverse chronic disease, and help you achieve true, long-lasting health.

The Ultimate Diet Revolution

#1 New York Times bestselling author and fitness expert Jim Karas reveals the surprising truth about your metabolism, and how you can change it forever, following the radically different weight loss and fitness plan he calls The Ultimate Diet REVolution.

10% Happier

In 10% Happier, Dan Harris explores an effective way to rein in the incessant, insatiable voice in his head: meditation, a tool that research suggests can do everything from lower your blood pressure to essentially rewire your brain.

The Everyday Supermodel 

Discover The Everyday Supermodel inside you this year! In this fun and practical guide, Molly Simms interweaves stories from her life with her own tried-and-true tips, best-girlfriend advice, tell-it-like-it-is honesty, and insider insights from the best in the business of beauty, health, fitness, and fashion.

The Bulletproof Diet

Dave Asprey‘s The Bulletproof Diet isn’t just about losing weight and feeling great–it is about bulletproofing your body and your mind from the inflammation and guilt that often comes with high expectations, high performance and high stress.

Wheat Belly Total Health

With over a million copies sold, Dr. William Davis‘s Wheat Belly  called modern wheat the worst possible thing to promote in the human diet. In Wheat Belly Total Health, he outlines the simple and effective ways you can feel even better, be even better and get even better in your life after wheat.

If your New Year’s Resolution is to read more, don’t forget to sign up for the 50 Book Pledge at 50bookpledge.ca. Wishing you a safe, happy, and delightfully bookish 2015!

Kaiti

Follow me on Twitter @ktvncnt and @SavvyReader.

Unlike One Day, which relies heavily on the sentimental idea of soulmates, the strength of Us lies in its painfully honest representation of relationships. Nicholls explores the complexity of marriage and the very real, undesirable reality of “failed” loved (also begging the question: is there such thing as a failed marriage?)

This is an unforgettable novel that is at once heartbreaking, funny, and profound.

Intrigued? Click the thumbnail below to start reading Us.

Us is this week’s 50 Book Pledge Featured Read! Add it to your To Read shelf now.

Kaiti

Follow me on twitter @SavvyReader and @ktvncnt

Excerpt from US by David Nicholls ©2014. Published by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

Gifts For Fans of John Green

One of the (many) great things about John Green’s The Fault in Our Starsis that it encouraged not-so-savvy readers to pick up and fall in love with a really great book. This, to us, is an important job of writers, and one that John Green does impeccably well with his compelling novels and engaging podcasts.  If you know a reluctant reader (or an I’ll read-the-book-before-the movie reader, or a…

This year’s jury is made up of Canadian author Shauna Singh Baldwin, British novelist Justin Cartwright, and American writer Francine Prose. Each jury member read over 160 books and eventually narrowed down the list to 12 exceptional titles. The Giller Prize will present its shortlist at a special event in Toronto on October 6th.

To celebrate having FOUR titles on the longlist, HarperCollinsCanada has offered an ebook promotion on their previous Giller recognized titles! Visit hccdeals.ca to get Giller-nominated novels for as little as $2.99, or download this year’s nominees: The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O’Neill, The Betrayers by David Bezmozgis, American Innovations by Rivka Galchen and Tell by Frances Itani.

See all 12 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlisted novels below, and tell us who you’re hoping to see on the shortlist on Twitter @SavvyReader.

Happy reading!

Kaiti

Follow me on twitter @SavvyReader & @ktvncnt See my 50 Book Pledge profile here.

As a Savvy Reader, do you sometimes feel as if reading books does not offer enough book-related goodness? Do you feel like there is not enough books in your day? Do you have an insatiable love of all things literary? If so, Bookmarks is the post for you! Here, we round up articles, photos and links from the web to appease your bookish soul!

If you’re simply too busy, “bookmark” each link and save…