• Flashforward

    Robert J Sawyer , Mass Market Paperbound

    Tom Doherty Associates

    List Price: $9.99 irewards Price: $9.49

    Quick, interesting read

    6 months ago

    Read on a recommendation and as far as sci-fi goes, it's a good story. Some of the science went a little above my head (ie. quantum theory, black holes, time travel) but really enjoyed the concept. Interested in how the tv series will pan out.

  • Broken

    Kelley Armstrong , Mass Market Paperbound

    Random House Publishing Group

    List Price: $6.99 irewards Price: $6.64

    Otherworld Women Rock!

    16 months ago

    Really interesting storyline! Only problem I had was getting characters and back stories mixed up a little. Mostly my fault as my concentration wasn't fully into my reading but just a warning that focus may be required since there are quite a few characters involved in the plot.
    As I got over half-done reading the book I realized that this wasn't just a story about a kick-butt female werewolf but all the otherworld females can hold their own. The men really take a back-seat to the women in this book and it's good to read.
    I really enjoyed how Armstrong hits Toronto with a pile of supernatural events and she does a good job giving the reader a sense of how the otherworld and human characters deal with the experiences. And there's lots of supernatural activity loaded into the book (witches, sorcerers, zombies, demons, vampires, necromancers, clairvoyants - werewolves are refreshingly uncomplicated). Packed in with that are Victorian-age health crises hitting Toronto's downtown core and rampaging infected rats. So pay attention!
    Still doesn't quite rank up there with the first book of the series but a very entertaining read and a worthy succession/finale of the trilogy.

  • Ontario Murders: Mysteries, Scandals, and Dangerous Criminals<br>

    Susan McNicoll , Trade Paperback

    James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers

    List Price: $9.95 irewards Price: $9.45

    Quick read

    17 months ago

    I picked this up wanting to get a feel for the mystery, scandals and dangerous criminals that are right here in my backyard. I'm not normally a mystery novel reader but this book has a different feel and comes across more as a documentary of facts than a story. I liked that each of the tales didn't take too long to get through and it was a great history lesson with most of the stories taking place in the late 1800s/early 1900s. In a CSI-culture with modern forensics in the forefront of the average person's mind it is a breath of fresh air to see how crimes were solved without our modern conveniences.
    The writing was at times a little unclear and I'd have to re-read sections to remember who was who and when events occurred. But all in all, it was a quick, enjoyable and informative look at some of Ontario's sordid past. McNicoll did a fine job of researching and putting together this book.
    My favourite was the story of Darcy McGee and I'll be looking at Sparks St a little differently when I'm downtown again.

  • That's Scatterbrain Booky

    Bernice Thurman-hunter , Trade Paperback

    Scholastic Canada, Ltd

    List Price: $4.95 irewards Price: $4.70

    Wonderful book about Depression-era Toronto

    17 months ago

    This book gives a wonderful look at Depression-era Toronto from the perspective of a 10-year-old girl named Beatrice, Booky (pronounced BOO-ky) is her nickname.
    I first read this book as a child in elementary school and at that time all the references to the Depression and the story's Toronto setting was totally lost on me.
    On this reading I was able to appreciate more the effects of the financially troubled times on Booky's family and her life and also to get a feel for the locations and events of Toronto as they would have been in the 30s.
    While a book written about the difficulties of this era might be depressing and sad, Hunter chooses to take a more light-hearted approach to the times by writing from the point of view of a child. Without the political or economical pressures that a book from an adult's point of view would have encompassed, Booky shows us that life still went on. And it's an uplifting look at how life went on for some people at the time.

    This is a reasonable read for kids aged 10+, the same age as Booky, but I would recommend adults helping to explain the time in which the book is set (if the child doesn't know about the Depression) so that a fuller appreciation of the story can be attained by the younger reader.

  • List Price: $7.99 irewards Price: $7.59

    Wonderful kids book

    17 months ago

    I've always heard of this book and the character, a Canadian national treasure, but had never gotten around to reading it.

    Do adults really seem that mean to kids?
    This was a fun story about a kid found guilty in an innocent situation that results in him being locked in a prison guarded by none other than The Hooded Fang.
    Great adventure and easy to read for the 7 and up crowd.

  • Stolen

    Kelley Armstrong , Mass Market Paperbound

    Random House Of Canada

    List Price: $10.99 irewards Price: $10.44

    Good sequel

    2 years ago

    A good sequel to Bitten and as fascinating but in a different way. A lot of new characters were introduced that tended to slow the pace of the story quite a bit. Then all of the action seemed to happen so quickly right at the end of the story.
    Was still a quick page-turner but it didn't grab me as much as Bitten.
    I did enjoy the introduction of several new supernatural races and Armstrong's portrayal of the antagonist, Tyrone Winsloe, is one of the best I've read lately, a character that is really easy to hate.
    While not as catchy as Bitten it's still entertaining and I'd like to check out Armstrong's witch stories.

  • Bitten

    Kelley Armstrong , Mass Market Paperbound

    Random House Of Canada

    List Price: $10.99 irewards Price: $10.44

    Enjoyable read

    2 years ago

    A good bit of entertaining supernatural fluff. A fun quick read, with an unlikely werewolf heroine that I enjoyed cheering for every step of the way. Armstrong's portrayal of Elena had a good balance of biting sarcasm, cynicism and vulnerability making her a believable character (other than the fact she's a werewolf). Armstrong has a well-written chemistry between Elena and Clay and sets a well-paced storyline. Thoroughly enjoyable read that made me want to go out and get the sequel "Stolen" as well as check out Armstrong's other supernatural fiction.

  • Vampyre: The Secret History of Lord Byron

    Tom Holland , Mass Market Paperbound

    Little Brown

    List Price: $9.99 irewards Price: $9.49

    A quick read, entertaining story but a little gruesome

    2 years ago

    This was a little too gruesome for my usual taste in vampire stories. After reading Stephenie Meyer's vampires, Byron's character is horrific by comparison. Even Anne Rice's Lestat doesn't come close to the bloody antics of Byron. And I couldn't stop comparing the beginning of Byron's story to the beginning of Jonathon Harker's story in Bram Stoker's Dracula.
    Overall, the story is still entertaining and I particularly enjoyed the prospect that the famous poet could have been a vampire.

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