Jan 13, 2010 Posted by Kim Werker

What All Went Down in ‘09

photo credit Môsieur J. (version 3.0b) I thought a couple weeks into 2010 I’d do a little wrap-up of 2009. It was, after all, a fairly unusual year for me. Also, I’ve neglected my pal the bulleted list and I feel I owe him a big one. (Wee note: I’ve gone and put a new theme on the blog, so poke your head in for a peek, hey? I hope you like it.) My far-and-away favourite part of 2009 was... read more

Dec 27, 2009 Posted by Kim Werker

Book Review: Darwin’s Radio, by Greg Bear

Darwin’s Radio by Greg Bear My rating: 4 of 5 stars Darwin’s Radio might be the most engaging sci-fi book I’ve read in months or possibly years. Although I had to fight my inclination to edit the book as I read (Bear gives lots of extraneous details that hinder rather than help, and has some clunky habits), the story was compelling enough to keep me reading at a rapid clip. In... read more

Dec 2, 2009 Posted by Kim Werker

Partial Book Review: The Echo Maker, by Richard Powers

The Echo Maker: A Novel by Richard Powers My rating: 1 of 5 stars I couldn’t finish this slow, overly descriptive, not-at-all intriguing, boring novel. It was a book-club pick and only two people finished it, one kicking and screaming. The book is about a man in his mid-20s who’s in a car accident and spends two weeks in a coma. When he wakes up and begins his recovery, he accuses his sister... read more

May 20, 2009 Posted by Kim Werker

Literary Genres and Gender: Discuss!

It took me a long time to write yesterday’s book review—partly because it was my first from an advance copy, partly because I didn’t like the book, and partly because I wasn’t sure how much my dislike of it was due to the book itself and how much was due to the type of book it is. On the heels of seeing the “Designer’s Edition” of Scrabble, with its pink letters and... read more

May 19, 2009 Posted by Kim Werker

Book Review: The Girl Next Door, by Elizabeth Noble

A couple of months ago, Penguin Canada put out a call for bloggers interested in receiving advance copies of upcoming releases. I signed up and a couple of weeks ago received my first two review copies. I might not get through one, but here’s what I think about the other. The Girl Next Door is by Elizabeth Noble, who is a bestselling British author whom I hadn’t heard of before. The Girl Next... read more