We have all suffered from trauma in our lives though to varying degrees. Some traumas may seem incredibly insignificant but can rear their ugly heads without warning, others are so profound that they can negatively impact the day-to-day life of an individual. I can honestly say that I have been untouched by significant trauma, and for that I am grateful. Play by Jess Taylor has been eye opening for me because I cannot always relate to the struggles of others. I can feel compassion and offer assistance, but I never completely understand what they are going through. If you are like me, this nove ..read more

A story of scientific discovery, complicated by family, complicated by a codependent relationship with decades of history — that is Sadie X, by Clara Dupuis-Morency, and translated from the original French by Aimee Wall. This is a tense character sketch taking place over a series of a few weeks, Sadie’s contained life unspooling rapidly in ways she hadn’t imagined prior to a few chance decisions. After a cold childhood and a detour into philosophy — a disappointment to her physician parents — Sadie pivoted to virology, obtaining her PhD in the field, and a close personal and working relationsh ..read more

While travelling, a pleasurable way for me to spend time in a new place is to visit a local gallery. Something small and community-centric. If you’re lucky, the artists may even be on site, offering classes or working away in nearby studios. If I’m not travelling, I find that local farmer’s markets and summer arts festivals present a boon of creativity served up by friends and neighbours. In both cases, to me, the art is accessible. The artist is present physically or represented with great care; I can hear the stories behind their work, why they chose a specific medium, which painting, sculpt ..read more

This novel was hard to put down and is proving even harder to forget … RJ McDaniel has created something unique and powerful in All Things Seen and Unseen. It has been a few weeks since I finished reading All Things Seen and Unseen and my head is still spinning. This novel was hard to put down and is proving even harder to forget. Something about the pain and confusion portrayed in the story has stuck with me. I catch myself staring into the distance wanting more and wondering what ever became of Alex.   This modern gothic horror follows Alex as she attempts to find peace in a worl ..read more

Ars Poetica   They asked me how long I’d been in salvage-espionage and hullaballoo sign repair. Take some time, I mean, give or take, it’s all in your head, right? Realism beckons. All you need is  a laptop, a manipulative childhood and a bag of sizzling thunderclaps. A satisfactory soundtrack. The talkative and unraveling brain’s             a baggage carousel. Decorative tinder. An invasive plant called complicity. A voice-over mentioning what remains to be said isn’t done much any more. Afterthoughts of what will have happened. And behind which d ..read more

The Little Church Beside the Sea is a gently rhyming story about the power of faith. The little church in the story maintains faith and learns just how strong the power of faith can be in the face of a seemingly hopeless situation. The Little Church Beside the Sea is the story of the St. Peter’s by the Sea Anglican Church in Sandy Point, Nova Scotia, the community the author grew up in. This heartwarming picture book begins when the church was first built in 1888. Written in verse, Lana describes the life of the church, its beautiful stained glass windows and tolling bell, its congregations ..read more

A beautifully honest narrative, not of arriving, but of becoming … A truly worthwhile read. Why I’m Here by Jill Frayne is a compelling story about two damaged souls finding a way to endure. This story reflects life, and in life there rarely are neatly packaged endings. This novel is a beautifully honest narrative, not of arriving, but of becoming. The action begins without preamble, when fifteen-year-old Gale arrives in a counselor’s office in Whitehorse following a series of severe panic attacks. Gale has been relocated to Whitehorse to live with her birth father and his wife when her moth ..read more

An empowering read for young readers while also greatly appealing to an audience of all ages. Pet Tales is the story of eleven-year-old Penny, of a dog named Sally, and of identifying and living with anxiety and the ways to manage it, all wrapped in a tale of love for animals, friendship and growth. Through love, kindness, and honesty, the tale unfolds layers of important topics in a meaningful and heartfelt way that made it enjoyable to read. Introverted Penny prefers to talk to animals, write their stories and be alone but finds courage in speaking her truth, even if quietly and to only a fe ..read more

I met Carla Stein at a poetry course, our instructors two laureates. A classroom of talent with creative and artistic passion. I was impressed by the dedication and commitment by Carla, as she was commuting from Vancouver Island to Vancouver. The value of the course was never in doubt: the sessions, the teachers, the class, from which friendships evolved — a remarkable bonus — along with a growth of personal output and calibre of craft. Yet Carla’s work stood out. The nuance of a multidisciplinary artist, one whose voice speaks in mixed-media, which emerges in breadth — heightened perspective ..read more

Cosmic Wonder: Our Place in the Epic Story of the Universe, written and illustrated by Nathan Hellner-Mestelman, undertakes an ambitious project: to explain complex theories and facts about our universe and ourselves in an entertaining and relatable way. Cosmic Wonder is billed as young adult nonfiction, and perhaps part of the motivation for writing the book was Hellner-Mestelman’s observation, stated in the book’s preface: In the past, when classmates have told me that they hate science, it’s occurred to me that they probably didn’t hate science itself, just the abstractness of the way it w ..read more