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I liked the concept. Atwood is a master of dystopian fiction, after all. However, I found the characters too stereotypical, especially Charmaine. I didn't feel this was up to Atwood's usual standards, but it was still an interesting tale.

This is non-fiction--not my favourite genre--but I loved this book because a) it is written in an accessible fashion, even though it's a sociological study, and b) as an urban Cree person who was not raised with my culture or language and who does not have the stereotypical looks, I could really relate to the people and issues in the study. Their stories are my story.

This is the tale of two brothers, orphaned and raised by their grandparents, coming of age during the Second World War and the subsequent occupation of Japan. One brother is artistic and the other is athletic. Their close bonds with their grandparents and with one another see them through much danger and difficulty.

I love historical fiction, and I enjoyed this book up until about the point at which the US occupation of Japan ends. After that, I felt the story fell apart. It seemed almost as if the author didn't know how to end it, so she kept on writing, heaping more and more tragedy on the characters, without adding any value to the story.

Well written, but these short stories about "love", usually between older, married men and younger women, are depressingly pessimistic.

This is a book geared toward young adults. It deals with bullying, not fitting in, poverty, and abuse, through the development of an unlikely romance. There is plenty of humour to make the negative stuff more palatable, and the characters are likeable, believable, and interesting. However, the story really started to drag towards the end. My family was listening to this audio book on a long car trip, and everyone was really enjoying it for the first two-thirds but wishing for the author to get on with it during the last third. The printed version might not have seemed as dragged out, though, especially for a fast reader.

I don't like detective or mystery novels, and I read this only because JK Rowling is the author.

It was all right. It captured my interest and kept me reading, but at the end, everything seemed to fall into place too neatly without enough clues (for me, anyhow), about some of it. Maybe that's the way these novels usually work, though.

I didn't like the subject matter (domestic abuse), and I didn't like the characters (not even the victims), but Badami's writing was strong and compelling enough that I stayed up late to finish reading this book.

This isn't my usual genre of choice, but I enjoyed this book, mainly due to Bradley's writing style, which is rich in imagery. The main character, a precocious 11-year-old girl, is likeable, too, and I love that she is a stereotype-buster, in addition to being a super sleuth, chemist, and generally warped human being. I stayed up late to finish this book--something I rarely do any more, in my dotage.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author. This autobiographical (I think) novel examines life on the rez and the challenges and joys that entails with sharp wit and a good dollop of compassion. Dawn's resilience, imagination, and sense of humour see her through some pretty horrifying experiences, and usually leave the reader laughing at circumstances that would otherwise be shocking and sad. As such, Dawn could be a symbol for Aboriginal people on Turtle Island, who have survived the horrors of colonization and attempts at cultural genocide through resilience, community and family support (broken as that might be), and humour.

More than once, this book brought to mind my favourite Miriam Toews novels, such as The Flying Troutmans. A reader who enoyed that book would also enjoy this one by Dumont.

I heard this will be Anne Tyler's last book. That's a shame, since I love her writing.

That said, I liked this book less than most of her others. The characters were less likeable, and it was hard to decide what the story was about, really. I didn't start to get into the book until Part 3. The storyline of Junior and Linnie's unusual courtship was interesting, and I wish the book had focused more on them and their marriage and less on the other characters.

Overall, the different storylines didn't hang together very well. The book felt disjointed, although that might be, in part, because I started reading it and put it aside while I was travelling for over 3 weeks, so it was a bit difficult to pick up the thread again (pun intended).

I would still recommend this book for Tyler fans. There is enough in it to like, especially her descriptions of some of the little details about the characters and their lives. Tyler's forte is those details, and it's what I love about her writing. Her books are not about earth-shattering events, but explore the lives of ordinary people and small pleasures and kindnesses. However, I felt this book meandered a little too much.

This is going to be my new textbook for Native Studies.

Every Canadian should read this book. Darrell Dennis discusses Aboriginal Issues in an engaging and straightforward manner, laced with humour. He was the host of CBC's RevisionQuest, also, which is another excellent resource.

From stereotypes to funding and accountability to residential schools to identity and more, this explores many of the issues plaguing Canada's indigenous people today and examines the history of these issues. It's not the only such book to do so, but it is one of the more accessible and appealing ones, in my opinion.

This book has an environmental message and lacks some of the humour King is known for. It does leave the reader with a sense of hope, but also with a sense that the powers-that-be haven't really learned anything or changed.

It is not my favourite King novel, but it's still worth a read.

I loved the writing but didn't give this 5 stars because I didn't love the story. Ms. O'Neill writes about people who live very difficult lives and struggle with homelessness, addiction, violence, mental illness, etc. I understand this was her own experience, and I know many people who have had this experience. They are important subjects to write about. However, the main character in this novel and her brother and husband were so off the wall, I found it hard to relate at times or understand their actions, even though I work with people in similar circumstances. Still, this book is definitely worth a read, and if I could have, I probably would have given it 4 1/2 stars instead of 4.

I enjoyed this look at the ugly side and the beautiful side of rez life, from an insider/outsider's point of view. It's a good read.