Hekla’s father named her after a volcano. Four years after she was born, the volcano after which she was named erupted, and her volcano-obsessed father took Hekla in his Jeep to see the eruption. The sight forever stoked a burning fire in her, turning Hekla into a young woman who wanted nothing in the world …
For the past several years, there have emerged many successful films and books – both fiction and not – that have endeavoured to sing for the unsung voices of women throughout history. Women of science, mathematics, literature, politics, music, and more who, until now, were nameless and faceless – unmentioned in the male-dominated history books. …
With the Normal People TV series out now and Sally Rooney’s phenomenally grounded, honest, and cutting novel almost two years old, it’s time to look at the best books like Normal People for readers who have recently rediscovered the novel or viewers who have been entranced by the Normal People TV series. Normal People is …
Any and all poems can seem daunting to those wishing to dip their toe into the vast and deep waters of poetry. There is so much nervousness and intimidation to feel, and the same questions are asked over and again: Where do I begin? Will I understand it? What am I supposed to feel? Is …
For more than a decade now, mythology has had a colossal resurgence in popular culture. From the God of War video games to Thor: Ragnarok, kids and adults around the world are devouring every movie, TV show, and video game based in mythology. But, for those of us wanting to dig a little deeper, there …
We’re living through a turbulent and unknowable time where all aspects of life are shifting. What was once clear is now murky, and nothing is certain anymore. For many of us, the first thing to go was our enjoyment of simple pleasures like reading (myself included). Where did all that happy reading go? Many of …
Post-apocalyptic novels and pandemic literature (which I’ve now decided is its own genre because there’s so much of it) is all the rage right now thanks to the good old c-virus. Even though the world isn’t ending, we are in uncertain times and people like to know they’re not alone. Or maybe they just want …
Body swap stories are a dime a dozen, from Freaky Friday to Your Name. But how about a story of three girls who discover the power to turn into boys for a short time? Girls Lost is the tale of three teenagers, exhausted and confused by the system that divides boys and girls and the …
No genre has a more succulent, oppressive, delightfully absorbing atmosphere than gothic literature does. The off-kilter strangeness and bleak yet sublime landscapes of gothic stories seep into every nook and cranny of your soul and cling like talons. I bloody love it with a real passion. And when a collection of rare English translations comes …
Snow, Dog, Foot is an absolute delight. Let’s start there. This book is Cormac McCarthy with a sense of humour. It’s a novel that traverses the entire landscape of human emotion with a talking dog in tow. It demands a little excited imagination from you and, in return, offers a strange and endearing tale that …
