Being a member of a book club is an excellent excuse to escape everyday life where you have to deal with everything from toddler tantrums to tween drama time and teen tribulations. As a mom, I know this strategy first hand! As the host of both virtual and real life book clubs, I also know how important it is to mix things up and bring some variety to the book club table. A book club is the perfect opportunity to add some history, mystery, and romance to your reading list through historical fiction novels. Why not have your book club venture into this genre?
Marriage is a union that promises a mental, physical, and spiritual connection for the couple hoping to live "happily ever after." This may be true in the beginning during the hormone-crazed honeymoon phase. Love is called a drug after all, but what happens after the flames of desire start to flicker? How do you rekindle that spark, fan the flames and keep the embers burning?
What does it take to love another person for the rest of your life? This is the question Marissa Stapley set out to explore in her novel, Mating for Life.
October is Autism Awareness month in Canada. This yearly campaign puts a spotlight on autism which is a cause that is near and dear to my heart as a parent to a child on the autism spectrum. One of my favourite authors Lisa Genova, has created a new work of fiction that tackles yet another mystery of the human brain.
The title puts it right out there, How Can I Be Your Lover When I'm Too Busy Being Your Mother? and it speaks volumes, especially if you recognize the relationship role where the woman acts as a mother to her man. Sara Dimerman and J.M. Kearns have some advice on how to prevent or get out of the pattern they call the Mother Syndrome.
Jennifer Weiner's experiences as a television sitcom writer and her short story Swim inspired her latest novel, The Next Best Thing. Read on to find out more about Jennifer's story behind the story in my interview with the author and make a mental note to check out the wonderful contests mentioned below. You can enter for a chance to win some awesome prizes!
One of the perks of working with publishers, is having the awesome opportunity to give away books to ardent readers. Another bonus as a book blogger occurs when I get feedback in the form of a wonderful book review. Read along, as self-confessed bookaholic and budding teen writer Alex shares her thoughts on the charming new YA novel, Between The Lines, by Jodi Picoult and her teenage daughter, Samantha Van Leer.
French Canadian Bern Fortin is a young retiree at 45. Bern cut short his military career as a Canadian Forces commander to become the coroner for a small mountain town in BC. Bern's history in war-torn counties still haunt his everyday, but he escapes his symptoms of PTSD by burying himself in his gardening hobby. Evie Chapelle just turned 40 and buries herself in her job as the safety manager for Kootenay Landing's main employer Bugaboo Brewery.
