Reviews

Check out this stellar review of Lloyd Ratzlaff’s Walking Upstream on the SaskBooks Reviews website: https://reviews.skbooks.com/walking-upstream/ “Ratzlaff possesses a gift for evoking emotion in just a few poignant lines—some might consider this poetry’s raison d’être—and his poems reflect that over a lifetime, the former counsellor’s mastered the oft-ignored art of listening.” —Shelley A. Leedahl, SaskBooks […]

“[Wallace’s] final lecture, if you will, is both a roadmap to and a celebration of a life well lived. It is also a mature and moving meditation on mortality.” —Theresa Shea, Alberta Views Theresa Shea wrote a lovely review of Jo-Ann Wallace’s A Life in Pieces in Alberta Views Magazine! Click here to read the

“Vanderhaeghe is an award-winning historical novelist who has managed to bridge the tricky gulf between populist appeal and literary fiction — and here we’re seeing how it all began. This is a book of many rewards.” Thank you to Jamie Portman from Postmedia Network for the excellent review of Because Somebody Asked Me To by

“Readers will become engaged with all the quirky characters in this easy-flowing story about friendship, family, and self-worth.” Thank you to Calgary Herald for featuring The Genius Hour Project in the January 2025 Children’s Books list! Read the full review and see the rest of the list here.

“I have written this in the spirit of whimsy, one of Wallace’s more captivating themes. Whimsy also combines with pluck and candour to render her distinctive voice. I’m aware, of course, that my existence is separate and apart from Wallace’s. I sit here, at my desk, while she writes no more. A Life in Pieces

“. . . a feast of compelling material, a peeling back of the curtain sure to enthrall existing fans of Vanderhaeghe, CanLit enthusiasts, and general readers.” “The subjects of this collection truly are his obsessions. The voice in these pages really is his voice. Because Somebody Asked Me To is Guy Vanderhaeghe: wise, wry, authentic, and principled.”—Brandon

“Who is – was – Jo-Ann Wallace? A Life in Pieces tells us. Eloquently. Enjoyably. Who are we, the reader? A Life in Pieces tells us. . . In the ultimate goal of memoir, resonance and relevance, it is a success.” Read this beautiful review of A Life in Pieces by Jo-Ann Wallace here.

“Splendid on all levels—and a satisfying ending—The Genius Hour Project deserves a gold star.” —SaskBooks Reviews Check out the full review of Leanne Shirtliffe’s The Genius Hour Project here.

“Marlis Wes­sel­er . . . has paint­ed a sen­si­tive por­trait of a mid­dle-aged woman in cri­sis. Despite the gen­er­a­tions of trau­ma and alien­ation that rever­ber­ate through both Lisa’s and Ben’s fam­i­lies, Wesseler seems to sug­gest that rec­on­cil­i­a­tion and redemp­tion are possible.” —Jewish Book Council You can read the complete review for Marlis Wesseler’s The Beech

The Miramichi Reader reviews Rita Bouvier’s a beautiful rebellion! “I feel like a witness, an audience member at the theatre to see the performance of embodied wisdom verbalized in A Beautiful Rebellion . . .” Read the full review here.

“The Beech Forest is a very timely read. At a time when global conflict ignites old animosities, societies grapple with shameful pasts, and individuals are increasingly taking it upon themselves to learn about – and from – historical injustices, this novel shows us that we can see ourselves, warts and all, and continue to go on.” —SaskBook Reviews

“The Rasmussen Papers shows us that there is more to life than writing, but sometimes, writing is the way through.”—Brandon Fick, SaskBook Reviews  Read the full review here!

Labelled both a “heady and exhilarating historical adventure” and “a densely layered and immaculately paced escapade,” The Heathens and the Dragon: A 13th-Century Adventure by Kate A. Boorman received a starred review on Publishers Weekly! Read the full review on the Publishers Weekly website here. Grab your copy of The Heathens and the Dragon here!

We have a new review of Nikki Vogel’s Silencing Rebecca! Read the full review here. “I have no idea how to categorize this book. It is a coming of age story for sure but it also has touches of horror, fantasy, and dramatic fiction, among other genres. I love that it broke through so many

Check out this lovely review of Thomas Trofimuk’s The Elephant on Karluv Bridge written by Kerry Clare on the Pickle Me This blog! “Thoughtful, artful, playful . . . Thomas Trofimuk’s latest novel, The Elephant on Karluv Bridge, is an absorbing literary puzzle and truly a delight to encounter.”—Kerry Clare, Pickle Me This

“Dear Peter, Dear Ulla will fill the reader’s heart and emotional toolbox in the best ways, in the ways literature does. I’ll not use the word ‘should.’ This is not a didactic story. It’s a real and human story, and timeless.”—Alison Acheson, The British Columbia Review Read the full review here!

“Carpenter’s a bonafide storyteller & and a ‘rabid conservationist,’ & his entertaining stories & mind-broadening research into ‘this ancient cafeteria called nature’—& who and what threaten it—is an epiphanic read.” —Shelley A. Leedahl, SaskBook Reviews You can read the full review here.

“Like so many stories that have withstood the passage of time, the story of the Golem included, Rebecca’s journey is a universally relatable one – one of self discovery. Silencing Rebecca is a fun and engaging read that fuses contemporary narratives with pious tradition and stirring folklore.”—Regan Treewater-Lipes, Alberta Jewish News You can read the