Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2018

Merry Christmas. Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday filled with magic, family and friends, traditions and memories. While I hope to be reading - a lot - I likely won't be writing for the next week or so....

Richard Hill, author of Finding Family, talks family and DNA testing

7 questions to Hill about the hunt to find his family When Richard Hill was 18, his doctor mentioned his adoption, assuming he already knew about it. He did not. Hill, the author of Finding Family: My Search for Roots...

Everyone should read Katherine Applegate’s Wishtree

Wishtree is beautifully written with a wonderful message Beautiful. That is the only word that can describe Wishtree by Katherine Applegate ($23.99, Raincoast Books, Feiwel and Friends). For the first time in a long time, I actually cried while reading...

Picture book reviews: December picture books include those about Canada’s north, horses and Jumanji

I hope your Christmas includes giving - and receiving - a book or two dozen. Here are a few more for you to enjoy. Elisapee and her Baby Seagull Elisapee and her Baby Seagull by Nancy Mike ($16.95, Inhabit Media)...

Homemade Christmas gift ideas for teachers courtesy of DK Books

Do you buy your child's teacher a Christmas gift? I have always struggle with teacher's gifts and what to do. I asked a teacher friend and she said she doesn't expect anything at Christmas, but offered a number of suggestions...

Beautiful lesson in The Theory of Hummingbirds about embracing your differences and doing your best

A beautiful lesson in Michelle Kadarusman's The Theory of Hummingbirds ($11.95, Pajama Press). The Theory of Hummingbirds tells the story of Alba and Cleo, the name Alba has given to her left foot, which was twisted in the wrong direction...

December Children’s Book Spotlight: Raincoast Book’s Santa’s Magic Key

Santa's Magic Key by Eric James ($26.65, Raincoast Books, Sourcebook Jabberwocky) is a beautifully illustrated book that tells us how Santa gets into houses on Christmas Eve that don't have chimneys. The book tells the story of a little boy...

Interesting, but hard read in Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows

I found Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal ($33.50, HarperCollin) a hard read, but an interesting one. The book is a story about Nikki, a modern young Punjabi, who lives in London, England, where she works at...

Review: Stories about a small-town Christmas and Santa on vacation

The synopsis of Chickadees at Christmas by Carolyn J. Morris ($12.95, Railfence Books ) suggests this is Book 4 in the Spruce Valley series. Despite not reading Books 1 to 3 and reuniting with Billy and Gus, who are now both...