I hate Americans. I hate the way they think they are (or ought to be) the greatest country in the world. I hate that they define Trump as the leader of the free world and I hate their self-righteousness as liberators of oppressed countries. Which is why I hate The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult. We start off with the blandest of bland protagonist, cookie-cutter pretty girl with a scar and a shameful past. She’s also a baker, because she wants to bake all night to […]
All these years later, I find my anger
When the CBR team talked on Facebook about highlighting Canadian books for Canada Day, I went down a rabbit hole with some of the CanLit on my bookshelves. I have been mired in a Brandon Sanderson behemoth, but decided to quickly write up a review of one that I could both reread relatively quickly and hadn’t read in some time. I sat there, and Unless was right in front of my eyes, having been untouched for probably ten years. So here we are. The interesting […]
Children and War in Afghanistan
This graphic novel was adapted from a film version of Deborah Ellis’ novel The Breadwinner. The novel is actually part of a series much acclaimed in Canada, and based on this graphic novel version of the first volume, I can understand why. It is visually gorgeous, and the story, which is based on things Ellis learned while touring an Afghan refugee camp in Pakistan in 1997, is gripping. The Breadwinner is the story of an 11-year-old girl named Parvana who has to disguise herself as […]
Skillfully tackling serious issues in a YA graphic novel
This short (about 140 pages) graphic novel was created by the same Canadian cousin team that gave us This One Summer. In fact this graphic novel was their first. Nominated for an Eisner (among other awards), Skim is the story of Kim (aka Skim), a Japanese Canadian teen who is struggling with a variety of issues, including matters related to sexuality, depression and suicide. The story is told in three parts. Part I: Fall, takes place in fall but is also about falling. Kim serves […]
It’s good to cry at fiction. It makes it real.
“It’s good to cry at fiction. It makes it real.” A friend once said that to me and like the dweeb I am I wrote it down and saved it. Because I have the coolest friends, #obvs, and because it is good to cry at fiction, it means it’s real. And let me tell you this book is the realest out there. It’s also maybe a kids book? Whatever. Chunky Rice is a turtle who decides to leave his best friend Dandel […]
I don’t want to review this book
Pachinko, Min Jin Lee’s novel following multiple generations of a Korean family through most of the 20th Century, has received a lot of positive attention: finalist for the National Book Award, 10 best books of 2017 for the New York Times Book Review, Roxane Gay’s favorite book of the year (according to the Washington Post). And from what I’ve seen, the reviews here at CBR have been universally positive. So I’m at a bit of a loss, because I really didn’t enjoy it. At all. […]
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