Halloween read: Pam Smy’s Thornhill

Pam Smy's Thornhill ($27.99, Raincoast Books, Roaring Brook Press) is a perfect read on dark and stormy days, Halloween or any other time when you want to feel anxious with a strong sense of foreboding. Through her journal entries from...

Learn The Key to Happiness with Ashley-Ann Pereira

Self-help book from Upon A Star Books geared to young adults There are some great things to think about while reading The Key to Happiness by Ashley-Ann Pereira ($17.95, Upon A Star Books), a self-help book for young adults. The...

Elephants, rhyming oranges, hockey and other picture books reviewed

As mentioned here, I received so many beautiful picture books, I had to divide my reviews into two posts. I am not sure if I could pick just one favourite as they were all great for various reasons. The Elephant...

Speaking with Toronto book publisher Jessica Alex about entrepreneurial spirit and Moving Mountains One Page At A Time

Toronto resident Jessica Alex is “Moving Mountains One Page At A Time”. Alex is the owner of Upon A Star Books Inc., a publishing company with a mission of producing children's and young adult books that “educate and inspire”, as...

Adam Bunch’s The Toronto Book of The Dead is an amazing must-read about Toronto’s history

The Toronto Book of The Dead by Adam Bunch ($16.99, Dundurn) was an amazing read and one I would highly recommend for history lovers, Torontonians and any one else who claims Toronto isn't interesting. The book is written by Bunch,...

Quick read in Sara Leach’s Slug Days about a girl with Autism Spectrum Disorder

I was only a few pages into reading Slug Days by Sara Leach ($17.95, Pajama Press) when I knew the main character, Lauren, has Autism Spectrum Disorder, but what I didn't realize was my eight-year-old son not only knew the...

Beautiful photographs found in Firefly Books The Spirit of the Mountains coffee table book

From a 13-century Armenian monastery, considered a Unesco World Heritage Site, to views above the clouds and a sulfuric lake situated in an active volcano, Firefly Books' The Spirit of the Mountains ($40) is a beautiful coffee table book that...

Beautiful, but heartbreaking story in Jaya and Rasa: A Love Story

I found Sonia Patel's Jaya and Rasa: A Love Story (PGC Books, Cinco Puntos Press) beautiful, but also absolutely heartbreaking. Each chapter offers a look at Jaya Mehta, a 17 year old who detests wealth, secrets and privilege although he...

Samantha Verant talks about How to Make a French Family in this memoir

Review of Samantha Verant's How to Make a French Family memoir about love, family and French cooking.