Books You'd Save in a Fire | Top 5 Wednesday

Presumably, there wouldn't be much time to think so I would probably reach for books I've read and loved:

1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Because of the irony.

3. One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak
Read my review here.

4. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

5. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

What book(s) would you save in a fire?

1. Photo by nikkitheknack 2. Photo via Goodreads 3. Photo by nikkitheknack 4. Photo via Goodreads 5. Photo by nikkitheknack

February Book Haul!

 It's been a while since I got this many books in one month! I've been "good" the past couple of months (if you can call not buying books so I can read some books from the list that spans the length of my body "good") but this month, I've been fortunate enough to have these wonderful books come into my life.

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
-His first novel in 10 years, Ishiguro's The Buried Giant combines history and mythology to tell the tale of a couple's journey to find their son.

 The Wild Oats Project: One Woman's Midlife Quest for Passion at any Cost by Robin Rinaldi
-Robin Rinaldi hadn't planned on an open marriage. But when her husband decided to have a vasectomy, she decided to have lovers. This memoir explores sexuality and what it means to love not only others, but also ourselves.

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
[Read my review of the movie adaptation]
-Martin, JJ, Jess, and Maureen meet by chance on the roof of a building on New Year's Eve. They all have the same intention: to jump.

Good Food, Good Life: 130 Simple Recipes You'll Love to Make and Eat by Curtis Stone
-Curtis Stone's latest cookbook is filled with delicious-sounding recipes.

Salad Love: 260 Crunchy, Savory, and Filling Meals You Can Make Every Day by David Bez
[Read my review here]
-Who knew salad could be so interesting? David Bez did. This book is full of great, simple salad combinations meant to be prepared and eaten in your lunch hour.

At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen
-Maddie and Ellis Hyde have been cut off financially by Ellis' father. In an attempt to return to his father's good graces, Ellis realizes he must find the Loch Ness monster - something his father tried and failed at. Left behind in a foreign country, Maddie begins her own journey of discovery - of life, nature, friendship, and love.

The Night Stages by Jane Urquhart
-Tam is leaving her lover, Niall. When her plane is grounded by fog in Newfoundland, she sees a mural and reminisces on the events that led her to her current circumstances. Parallel to Tam's story, we learn about Kenneth Lochhead, the artist who created the mural.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
-Stevens has long been a butler at Darlington Hall. He decides to take a road trip through the West Country. In his travels we learn about major things in his life: how England is changing and his love for his housekeeper.

The Picador Book of Funeral Poems edited by Don Paterson
-A collection of poems from different eras and cultures, all dealing with death, loss, and healing.

The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield

-Adventure and discovery abound in this story meant to make you aware of your surroundings - seen and unseen.

The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart
-Stories parallel each other in this novel: Joseph Becker, a woodcarver, meets his future wife and years later, their granddaughter is a stone carver working on a memorial for those lost to WWI in France.

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
-Here we find ourselves in a community where there is less than a 50 percent chance of "breeding true". Deviations, like David possesses, are destroyed as abominations. David can communicate with other young people through "thought shapes". This ability has gone unnoticed so far, but what will happen when he's discovered?

The Sweetapolita Bakebook: 75 Fanciful Cakes, Cookies & More to Make & Decorate by Rosie Alyea
-From cookies to layer cakes, this book contains 75 recipes for beautiful, colourful desserts.

The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens
-Five days. Four hikers. Three survivors. Need I say more? What a fantastically intriguing hook.

Boo by Neil Smith
-Boo is shot from behind while he's standing in front if his locker one day. In heaven, he and Johnny, who was killed at the same time, try to figure out what happened and who killed them. This novel deals with the difficulty and heartbreak that come with growing up.

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
-In the summer of 1977, Caitlin chose Victoria to be her friend, showing her luxury and privilege, not to mention a vacation on Martha's Vineyard. Years later, after their friendship has faded, Caitlin begs Victoria to be her maid of honour. Despite years of not seeing her, Victoria knows she will go because she wants to know why her summer sister betrayed her that last summer, and why she still holds power over her heart.

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
-This story takes us through three generations of Whitshanks, showing us what their lives are like in the present moment and also recalling their history. We learn their shared stories and their secrets, all the while gaining insights into what it means to be a family.

So many books - and they all sound intriguing! What books did you get in February?

Photos by nikkitheknack

"Salad Love" is diverse and delicious | Book Review

"Salad Love" by David Bez

"This is not a cookbook": the first words you'll read in David Bez's Salad Love: 260 Crunchy, Savory, and Filling Meals You Can Make Every Day. Bez goes on to explain that he's not a chef - he just loves salad and wanted to create lunches that were not only energizing and healthy, but also really darn tasty.

In the nine-to-five workday, there isn't always time to make food, so a lot of people end up grabbing something calorie-filled from the local coffee shop. The recipes in this book were all made and eaten in Bez's lunch hour.

The ingredients are generally very accessible - most are everyday items that are readily available in a grocery store. There are a few exceptions; for example, I'm not sure where to buy bresaola or borage flowers. Some of the recipes require a little more preparation and adventure, which can certainly be exciting!

The salad dressings are wonderfully simple - usually a mixture of oil and vinegar, which I love and think is so yummy while still allowing you to taste the rest of the ingredients.

My attempt at some "Salad Love", recipe p. 212

The photography itself is simple in the best way possible: it's just the salad in its bowl, which allows you to focus on the mouth-watering food you could be eating.

There are a variety of recipes in this book - vegetarian, vegan, raw, pescatarian, omnivore...and for each recipe, Bez suggests a variation, which is so useful because some days you really want to try a recipe but don't feel like having meat or fish or what have you.

The recipes are divided by seasons - this is great because you can eat according to which fruits and vegetables are in season!

In honour of the deep freeze we're having right now (-33 with the wind chill, yay!), I decided to make the Roasted Turkey, Mushrooms, Carrot & Walnuts salad from the Winter section. It was delicious. And filling.

Whether you're looking to eat healthier or you just really like salad, this book will make you want to devour the food on the page in front of you. Salad Love shows how diverse - and delicious - salads can really be!

*This book was sent to me by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.
Photos by nikkitheknack

Books that take place in Canada | Top 5 Wednesday

I love this topic because it's important to me to read things that take place in Canada and close to where I live. Personally, I think it's so cool to be able to imagine the characters in places I've been, or imagine myself in the places the characters are!

1. The Scott Pilgrim Series by Bryan Lee O'Malley

2. The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks

3. Road Ends by Mary Lawson

4. Barnacle Love by Anthony De Sa

5. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

1. Photo via Goodreads. 2.-4. Photos by me. 5. Photo via Goodreads.

"John Wick" Review | Movie Monday

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) receives a package one morning - a puppy from his deceased wife, which she sent him posthumously as a way for him to connect with and love something and move past her death. He grows to love little Daisy, but while they're stopped at a gas station one day, he runs into some Russian gang members who are very interested in his '69 Mustang. When he refuses to sell it to Iosef (Alfie Allen), they follow John home and retaliate by killing Daisy and stealing the car. What ensues is an intense quest for revenge.

John Wick is a fast-paced, action-packed film. So many factors work together to make this film as awesome as it is: the performances, choreography, cinematography...and so much more.

Keanu Reeves gives an excellent performance as the title character. He's really scary and impassioned - the word "intense" is the best word to describe him in this film. Do NOT mess with John Wick. He'll shoot you.

The stunt choreography was fantastic - and there was a lot of it. A lot of the movie involved fight scenes and most of them were so much fun to watch because of the choreography - it's so creative and complicated. A few times, I found myself marveling at how much practice it must have taken for the actors to get the scenes right.

I also love the look of the film - it's very dark and gritty and very much reminds me of a graphic novel. The lighting is really well done - the night scenes (majority of the film) have blue undertones that enhance the grit in the best way possible.

If you're looking for a film with lots of action and intensity, then look no further. John Wick is just what you need.

Photo via Wikipedia

2015 Reading Challenge | Progress Post

A book of short stories - One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak

I love this book of short stories - it's hilarious and each story is written in such a different style that I think there's something in here for everyone. Read my full review here.

Photo Credit: I added text to the original "book sale loot" by Ginny via flickr in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

January Book Haul!

I have a short but sweet book haul for you guys this month!

1. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

I'm currently reading Horns and loving it, so during a Book Outlet sale, I had to pick this one up! I'm a huge horror fan, so even the title of this novel intrigues me.

2. Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden

A map librarian uncovers the mystery of a ship lost at sea. In her determination to find new information, she meets a handsome congressman and together they unravel the mystery. This is another Goodreads First Reads win! Check out the giveaways here.

3. One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak

From a hare bent on vengeance to a recently-deceased man putting off visiting his grandmother in heaven, this book of short stories sounds very promising. The awesome people over at Penguin Random House Canada sent this to me and I'm so excited to read it!

What books did you pick up this month?

Authors you would like to Meet | Top 5 Wednesday

This week's Top 5 Wednesday topic is to discuss the top 5 authors you'd like to meet. These are people I would love to have a conversation with, partially because I think they're awesome people and also because they're great writers and I want to get in their heads and learn about their creative process. These are five authors I would like to meet:

1. Gillian Flynn

Read my review of Gone Girl here.

HOW does she come up with all these creepy, sadistic, psycho/sociopathic characters and stories? It's incredible. She's brilliant when it comes to writing characters that simultaneously repulse and intrigue you, and I'd love to know how she comes up with these things. 

2. Amy Poehler

Amy released her first book last year, but she's been writing for TV and film for years. From SNL to Parks & Rec, she's made me laugh 'til I had tears streaming down my face - I love her humour. Can she just be my friend please?

3. Victoria Schwab (a.k.a. V.E. Schwab)
Read my review of Vicious here.

Another master of writing! At so many points while I was reading Vicious, I seriously wondered which of the main characters I should be rooting for, if any. I love it when an author can make me think a certain way one moment, and then have me questioning everything the next.

4. John Green 

Read my reviews of The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns.

John Green has made me laugh, he's made me cry - ok, mostly cry. And not just cry - he's made me sob giant salty tears of grief. But I digress. He seems to have a talent for creating lovable characters and tapping into readers' empathy. Plus, I love Nerdfighteria and watching the VlogBrothers - DFTBA!

5. Laini Taylor

I just started reading Daughter of Smoke & Bone, and I already love it. The way Laini describes the setting makes me feel like I'm there and it's just beautiful. I'd love to learn some tips from her on how she creates such a vivid world...and how she maintains her gorgeous hair colour!

Which author(s) would you like to meet?

Photo Credits: 1. Photo is cropped. "Local Author Night at The Book Cellar" by Amy Guth via flickr in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License. 2. "You Are Here 01" by GabboT via flickr in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License. 3. Photo via Victoria Schwab's Goodreads page. 4. "John Green" by Gage Skidmore via flickr in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License. 5. Photo is cropped. "Project Book Babe" by TaraRebeka via flickr in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

Re: "Subject Matter" from Padfoot's Library

Hi there! Earlier today, Christine over at Padfoot's Library wrote a much-needed post on genre discrimination and how it affects readers like you and me. She brings up a lot of good points and I wanted to share my thoughts on the topic as well - you can read her post here!

 It's been happening for ages, but it seems there's been a recent surge in intolerance for certain genres. Christine states it in her article - we're talking specifically about the Young Adult, New Adult and Erotica genres. There's this stigma attached to them - that the romances are all ridiculous and unhealthy, the sex scenes too graphic...these statements may be true of some, even many books in a specific genre, but it's unfair to lump them all into one unsavoury description.

Christine touches on the idea of abusive relationships in books and how readers react to these situations. If multiple people think a novel is romanticizing an abusive relationship, I think it's important to take that into account and talk about that aspect of their interpretation. Not all readers recognize abusive behaviour and it's always important to be knowledgeable about that and see the signs. In this sense, I think it's good that people talk about this kind of thing when they read about it. If another reader wants to continue reading the story for their own entertainment (that's what reading is for!), then that's fine - as long as they understand why and how the characters are imperfect and abusive.

At this point, I think it's important to remind you: if a book ever makes you uncomfortable, put it down. You're not obligated to finish reading any book that upsets you or makes you uneasy, unless you want to. And if you do want a book like that, that's totally fine - that's what the horror and thriller genres are for!

I'm glad Christine made a post like this because I think it's really important to speak out when you feel strongly about something, and the disdain that so many people have been expressing for certain genres is affecting a lot of people's enjoyment of the bookish community - which is really sad, because this community is full of awesome people who should be able to enjoy the genres they love without fear of being jeered at.

Books are meant to be enjoyed and to teach you something. Even a situation like this, where there's been a lot of negativity, can produce some good. Let's keep this discussion going!