Frazzled Everyday by Booki Vivat is a fun, quick read about one girl’s look at middle school

Every once in a while I impress my son. It doesn't happen that often, but when it does it's worth it. I am talking about wide eyes and a big 'wow'. The most recent bit of wowing happened when I...

Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined is a fabulous book, and one that needs to be read again

It's amazing how much damage we can do to those people who need us the most – our children. I understand depression – as much as someone who, thankfully, doesn't suffer from it can understand. I have been told when...

Toronto’s Barbara Moses talks about executive directors and the pressures they face in Canada’s current job market

Anyone who is an executive director understands two things about today's workplace – it's tough out there, and people are struggling. As leaders, executive directors need to be mindful not only of the pressures their staff is facing, but also...

The Land of Nod by Robert Louis Stevenson and other bedtime stories

Bedtime stories are a big deal at our house. It doesn't matter how late it is, there is always time for at least one story and it doesn't take much convincing to make that two, three or five. We have...

Annick Press’ About Phoenix is about about adults failing to protect those who need help the most

About Phoenix by Nastasia Rugani ($12.95, Annick Press) might just be about adult fails. One could say the first fail was by Phoenix and her sister Sasha's adored father, who mysteriously vanished one day and left them in the care...

Q&A with Vancouver author Janie Chang about Dragon Springs Road, family history and her writing process

Vancouver author Janie Chang's latest book Dragon Springs Road came out in January. Set in the early-20th-century Shanghai, two girls - one a Eurasian orphan, the other a daughter of privilege - are bound together in a friendship that will...

Talking about Black History Month and wondering if In Plain Sight, Mae and June and the Wonder Wheel and I, Too, Sing America, Three Centuries of African American Poetry make the cut

February is Black History Month. I have problems with Black History Month, and most months that celebrate one group of people over another. It's not to say that I don't understand the importance of celebrating a group of people's past,...

DK Books’ Walking For Fitness offers everything you need to know about power walking

I haven't found my exercise passion yet. I used to have one. It used to be swimming. I used to swim two laps per minute every day before work. And I loved it. When I started working from home, I...

Rules to live by courtesy of The Playbook by Kwame Alexander

Rule No. 19 – When you're hot. Shoot. When you're not. Pass. Champions hide their weaknesses with their strengths. Rule No. 38. The first step in achieving positive results is planning to achieve positive results. The Second step is actually...