by Doug Diaczuk I honestly can’t get a lot of writing done in three days. (It probably took me about that long to write this review.) And here comes Diaczuk, the show-off. Not only did he write a book over that period, not only did that story win the 38th 3-Day Novel Contest, but that…
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by Douglas Livingston If you’re anything close to a regular reader of my reviews, you probably caught a bit of my love of Beat literature, and you can probably imagine my excitement when I discovered that we had something of a Beat poet right here in Thunder Bay. Of course, while I have had the…
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by Dave Eggers Let’s talk briefly about gender in writing. (I’m hoping I can broach this subject in a way that doesn’t sound ignorant.) At this time, I’m specifically concerned about how the gender of the author relates to narrators and protagonists. You see, whether an author focuses on characters who share their gender or…
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by Agatha Christie This is the first book in quite some time that I really find myself struggling to comment on. I definitely enjoyed reading through it, devouring it in a day, in fact, but I’m just as positive that Murder on the Orient Express has some major issues plaguing the story. I guess part…
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by Stephen King I really don’t know how I feel about sequels. I sometimes feel as though it would be great if authors were able to just let stories end, to move on to new, unique things, but I understand the draw of providing more of something you love. And then there’s the business side…
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by Alexander Kosoris On the two-year anniversary of the publication of Lucifer, I thought it would be fun and at least a bit interesting to offer some thoughts on my book and attempt a hopefully impartial review at the same time. I suppose it can also be considered an informal foreword of sorts, one that…
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by Adam Foulds While I still probably consider poetry the writing form for which I know the least, I’m slowly stepping in and getting some basis of understanding. But let the previous statement context for the following one: I’ve never encountered anything like The Broken Word before. This isn’t to say that Foulds necessarily does…
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by Mark Bourrie In The Killing Game, Bourrie attempts to explain how ISIS so successfully got its foothold in the region of Syria and Iraq it currently occupies, and how the organization has been effective in attracting foreign fighters. He goes on to show historical similarities to the tactics employed by the self-described caliphate––how its…
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by J. J. Sherwood When Sherwood approached me to read and review Kings or Pawns, I remember immediately thinking––judging the book by its cover––that it wasn’t something that I would have normally picked up on my own. This is concerning on one hand, from the reviewer’s perspective, as I probably find myself outside the target…
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by Stephen King This wasn’t my first time reading The Shining but, my goodness, it’s been a long time. My original encounter with the story was back in Grade 8, and it sure left an impression on that younger version of me. I distinctly remember being super excited upon finishing it. I almost immediately ran…
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