Where White Sand Water Meets Water of Aching Blue: Glorious Frazzled Beings by Angélique Lalonde

December 14, 2021 ~ lindsayehobbs ~ Leave a comment

Some books feel perfect for the time and place. Angélique Lalonde's Glorious Frazzled Beings has been one of those books for me. In the middle of a hard few weeks, when I was overwhelmed and grieving and anxious and in pain, this collection of short stories was exactly what I needed. A quote on the … Continue reading Where White Sand Water Meets Water of Aching Blue: Glorious Frazzled Beings by Angélique Lalonde

Mixed Feelings about Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

September 26, 2021September 27, 2021 ~ lindsayehobbs ~ 1 Comment

A little cozy noir for your autumn reading pleasure, anyone? I feel like fall is the perfect time for this particular genre, with its leanings towards the shadowy, the subversive, the underworld. Even the name noir feels like it pairs well with shorter days and the smell of woodsmoke and decaying leaves. With that in … Continue reading Mixed Feelings about Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Something Old, Something New

June 6, 2021 ~ lindsayehobbs ~ 2 Comments

I’m a discerning reader. Well, okay, some might call me picky. For many years I maintained that I didn’t like contemporary fiction at all, and I only read old books (not always classics—I had, and still have, a deep love of the so-called "middlebrow" novel). Of course, I was simply looking in the wrong places. … Continue reading Something Old, Something New

Salt Water, Myth, and Memory: The Speed of Mercy by Christy Ann Conlin

May 23, 2021June 6, 2021 ~ lindsayehobbs ~ 1 Comment

Going to the Maritime provinces is a long-held dream of mine. Since my childhood introduction to L. M. Montgomery, I have been convinced that Prince Edward Island must be the pinnacle of beauty, and, by extension, the rest of Atlantic Canada can't be far behind. And so I was extremely happy to immerse myself in … Continue reading Salt Water, Myth, and Memory: The Speed of Mercy by Christy Ann Conlin

Isabel, Isabel, didn’t worry. Isabel didn’t scream or scurry: The Adventures of Isabel: An Epitome Apartments Mystery by Candas Jane Dorsey

April 20, 2021April 20, 2021 ~ lindsayehobbs ~ 3 Comments

I don't often find a contemporary mystery novel that hits the spot. As I've mentioned before, I think that contemporary mysteries swing too far either to the cozy or the bleak. This is why, when I want a mystery fix, I always reach for the detective fiction from the Golden Age (the 1920s-40s). The authors … Continue reading Isabel, Isabel, didn’t worry. Isabel didn’t scream or scurry: The Adventures of Isabel: An Epitome Apartments Mystery by Candas Jane Dorsey

Canada Reads 2021: Team Francesca Ekwuyasi

March 10, 2021March 10, 2021 ~ lindsayehobbs ~ Leave a comment

Are you following this year's Canada Reads competition? It's down to the wire! With two books left out of five, I have to say that I am rooting for Francesca Ekwuyasi's Butter Honey Pig Bread. I loved, loved, loved this book—it was a real standout novel for me this year. Full of colour and warmth … Continue reading Canada Reads 2021: Team Francesca Ekwuyasi

Ideas and Revolutions: I Hope We Choose Love by Kai Cheng Thom

December 19, 2020December 19, 2020 ~ lindsayehobbs ~ Leave a comment

I used to say, only sort of in jest, that I was in favour of public shaming. I didn't mean that I thought we needed to bring back the stocks or anything like that (okay, okay, I may have joked that we needed to bring back the stocks), but I had an idea that people … Continue reading Ideas and Revolutions: I Hope We Choose Love by Kai Cheng Thom

Culture-Making, Dirty Dancing, and #MeToo: Waiting for a Star to Fall by Kerry Clare

November 11, 2020November 11, 2020 ~ lindsayehobbs ~ 1 Comment

Well, here I am writing another post about another brand new book, in spite of my previous assertion that is something I rarely do. But sometimes you go where the wind blows, and this October it floated me over to Waiting for a Star to Fall by Kerry Clare. I am a big fan of … Continue reading Culture-Making, Dirty Dancing, and #MeToo: Waiting for a Star to Fall by Kerry Clare

Little Press Love

October 21, 2020October 21, 2020 ~ lindsayehobbs ~ 2 Comments

Did you know that there's a whole world out there beyond Harper Collins and Penguin? (If you're reading this blog, chances are that you do.) But just in case, consider this post your friendly reminder that small press publishers are out there, getting books out into the world that are unusual, or subversive, or just … Continue reading Little Press Love

The Subtle Magic of The River Midnight

October 14, 2020 ~ lindsayehobbs ~ 2 Comments

I do love a book full of magic. And perhaps especially so when the magic is not so showy and centre-stage. Don't get me wrong—I'm not opposed to a romp filled with wizards and dragons—but sometimes when a story very subtly weaves in a few strands of the magical or the otherworldly, it makes those … Continue reading The Subtle Magic of The River Midnight