Canada – Reading While Fat

A Grandmother Begins the Story

A Grandmother Begins the Story (2023) by Michelle Porter is an inventive, beautifully-written book that tells the story of five generations of Métis women and the bison and the land they live on. The audiobook is read by a full cast of 16 different actors, who read the chapters written from the perspectives of theContinue reading “A Grandmother Begins the Story”

The Library of Flowers

The Library of Flowers (publication day May 3, 2026) by L.C. Chu (aka Lily Chu) has a little bit of everything. This hard-to-categorize, enjoyable fantasy/historical/ romance/family drama/coming of age features Lucy Hua, the latest in a long line of Hua women perfumers who can create perfumes that can affect emotion or even summon true love–calledContinue reading “The Library of Flowers”

Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead

Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead (publication day April 14, 2026) by Mai Nguyen is a well-written, funny book about a subject that is the furthest thing from funny–getting through the loss of an infant. So be warned if you want to stay far away–I wouldn’t blame you for not feeling up to it. ButContinue reading “Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead”

Is This a Cry for Help

Is This a Cry for Help? (publication day January 13, 2026) by Emily Austin was so, so good! This is the third book of Austin’s I’ve read and reviewed (Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead, and We Could Be Rats), and it lived up to my already-high expectations! Darcy, a queer librarian whoContinue reading “Is This a Cry for Help”

Detective Aunty

Detective Aunty (publication day May 6, 2025) by Uzma Jalaluddin is a satisfying cozy mystery featuring the widowed Kausar Khan, who is called back to Toronto, from her home in North Bay, Ontario, by her adult daughter who is a suspect in a murder. Kausar and her late husband, Hassan, had fled Toronto fifteen yearsContinue reading “Detective Aunty”

We Could Be Rats

We Could Be Rats (publication date January 28, 2025) by Emily R. Austin (Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead) is a uniquely-told literary novel about two sisters, Sigrid and Margit, who still both have significant trauma and mental health issues from growing up in a conflict-ridden home. The title comes from a storyContinue reading “We Could Be Rats”