Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
janeycanuck

janeycanuck

Joined February 2016

I work full-time to support my addictions to reading, travelling, and my pug, Penelope.
reading now icon
Jane Austen's Letters by Jane Austen, Deirdre Le Faye
review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

A busy summer has left me SO behind in my book journaling! Happily, Agatha Raisin kept me company as I try to start to catch up.

The beginning of this DID NOT age well. But I enjoyed the new scenery and am delighted that James Lacey may not be the centre of Agatha‘s world anymore!

I‘m also delighted that I have space on my audio book dance card to jump back into this series for #SeriesLove2023!

Andrew65 Excellent. This is a very enjoyable series 👏👏👏 2w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag Here‘s to James Lacey losing his shine in Agatha‘s eyes! 2w
TheSpineView Fantastic!😍📖📚 2w
38 likes3 comments
review
janeycanuck
I'm Not Done with You Yet | Jesse Q. Sutanto
post image
Pickpick

Jesse Q. Sutanto does dark as well as she does funny.

review
janeycanuck
The Reading List: A Novel | Sara Nisha Adams
post image
Pickpick

Kinda like if Phaedra Patrick and Beth O‘Leary teamed up - heartwarming & gut punching all in one book.

Book 10 for #14books14weeks2023 (and I did get it finished before the end of the 14 weeks. This might be the best I‘ve ever done!)

29 likes1 stack add
review
janeycanuck
The Good Place and Philosophy | Steven A. Benko, Andrew Pavelich
post image
Pickpick

A really interesting book of essays but I don‘t recommend listening to it straight through because there‘s a lot of repetition. It was good company while I canned a bushel of tomatoes, though.

Roll 66 for #Roll100

wanderinglynn I loved the show. I might have to see if my library has this one. 3w
PuddleJumper 🌞 🌞 3w
46 likes2 comments
review
janeycanuck
The Count of Monte Cristo | Alexander Dumas
post image
Pickpick

You‘d think since it took me 4+ months to read, this wasn‘t one I was too keen on but I really enjoyed it. I found the audio needed a lot of concentration, though so it wasn‘t what I turned on most days. I wish I had made a point to go for a walk for an hour every days to stay focused on it but maybe next time!

Thank you to @AllDebooks for motivating me to finally pick this up!

AllDebooks So glad you stuck with it. It is an extraordinarily plotted story. 3w
janeycanuck @AllDebooks Yeah, I am, too! I was hoping to wrap up with a good adaptation but apparently, they all change the ending!! 3w
36 likes2 comments
blurb
janeycanuck
Roll the Dice | Wayne Avrashow
post image

My #Roll100 for September. Subs for the re-roll of 4 and for 79, which I have already read from my list. We‘ll see how this goes…

PuddleJumper Looks great! 4w
27 likes1 comment
review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

Three POVs and letters from the past was a lot to keep track of and Feeney overhyped at least one thing that she was trying to plant seeds for but enjoyable nonetheless

Book 9 for #14books14weeks2023

ShyBookOwl I keep starting and stopping this one within the first chapter 😕 4w
janeycanuck @ShyBookOwl the first couple of chapters aren‘t great, everyone feels like sullen teenagers 😬 4w
ShyBookOwl @janeycanuck 🤣 That must be my problem with it! 4w
43 likes3 comments
review
janeycanuck
The Road Trip | Beth O'Leary
post image
Pickpick

Not my favourite Beth O‘Leary - there should have been less time on the early days of the relationship and more on when it started to break down - but damn, she can rip your heart to shreds!

Book 8 for #14books14weeks2023

BittersweetBooks What a fantastic candle name 🤣 I bet it smells pretty good too 1mo
janeycanuck @BittersweetBooks it does! I would eat it, if I could!! 1mo
42 likes2 comments
review
janeycanuck
Tom Lake: A Novel | Ann Patchett
post image
Mehso-so

I usually love Ann Patchett but this one didn‘t do it for me. It felt a little scattered and disjointed with the way the shifts happened back and forth in time. There was just something off to me in the current timeline with the daughters but I can‘t put my finger on it.

DivineDiana Oh no! One of my most favorite authors. Just bought the book yesterday as a gift for my niece. 1mo
janeycanuck @DivineDiana I think I‘m in the minority on this one. And even if I wasn‘t, the worst Ann Patchett is still better than most books!! 1mo
DivineDiana Good point! ❤️ 1mo
52 likes3 comments
review
janeycanuck
Advika and the Hollywood Wives | Kirthana Ramisetti
post image
Pickpick

Not quite the Evelyn Hugo comp I had heard it was but enjoyable enough. I think Ramisetti rushed through the wives a little too quickly, I‘d have liked more there.

Sub for Roll 4 for #Roll100

PuddleJumper Brilliant+ 1mo
38 likes1 comment
review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

There‘s something about QEII solving murder mysteries that really tickles my fancy. Rozie is a great investigator alongside the Queen and I like what Bennett does with the real people we all know.

Book 7 for #14books14weeks2023

review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

I love this series and I really enjoyed spending more time at the Mistry home in this instalment. I don‘t think I understand why the person who committed the murder did it. I totally get the overall motive but it didn‘t seem like it connected as well to the murderer compared to other characters. Maybe I missed something…

review
janeycanuck
The Good Father | Wayne Grady
post image
Mehso-so

I much preferred the first part over the second half and I would have liked more about the time Daphne was in Toronto with her father. This is a hard book to say one enjoyed because there‘s some tough stuff around Daphne‘s drug addiction and Harry‘s alcoholism but the writing was good and the character development was very strong.

My August #DoubleSpin

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 1mo
39 likes1 comment
review
janeycanuck
post image
Mehso-so

I kept hearing about this book and every time I did, I thought “oh, that sounds fun” and would go to put it on hold at the library and discover I already had.

All that to say, this did live up to the hype. It was fine but it was a little much. Too many quirky characters, too many jokes, too many weird things that didn‘t seem to tie in to the story (I still don‘t understand the frogs.)

review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

This is book is a balm for the soul. It‘s sweet and kind and lovely and a little sad and wistful. It‘s the kind of book that makes me fall in love with books all over again.

44 likes1 stack add
review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

There were times this felt a little over-the-top and was veering into the wrong side of farcical but either I got used to it or the author toned it down because the ending was so great!!

Roll 85 for #Roll100

OriginalCyn620 Love the mug! 🤣 1mo
PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 1mo
39 likes2 comments
review
janeycanuck
A Twisted Love Story | Samantha Downing
post image
Pickpick

I think Downing should have rewritten this - the first half was unnecessarily slow and the last third was dizzyingly fast. And that‘s typical of a thriller but first, Downing is known for fast from page 1 and second, the slow was really slow. I did like the story, though, it just needed some more editing.

review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

I‘m so pleased that Shari Lapena has found an outlet for her insane twisted thoughts through writing, cause if this woman didn‘t get these thoughts onto paper, there would be a lot of chaos in her life.

Cinfhen 😂😂😂🤣 1mo
44 likes2 comments
blurb
janeycanuck
Birnam Wood | Eleanor Catton
post image

I have been SUCH a good girl about not buying books but no one is perfect.

Ruthiella That teeny tiny pile? It‘s practically NOTHING compared to all the books you didn‘t buy! 😂 1mo
marleed I agree with @Ruthiella. Btw, her logic works well for me when applied to cinnamon rolls, as well! 1mo
Amiable @marleed Ha ha! I like the way you think! 😀 1mo
janeycanuck @Ruthiella @marleed @Amiable I have found my people. 1mo
46 likes4 comments
review
janeycanuck
Death Comes to Marlow | Robert Thorogood
post image
Pickpick

What a delightful little cozy mystery. I‘m still not a fan of Suzie but I‘m loving all the other characters and REALLY loving how Thorogood constructed the mystery. I hope there‘s more!!

review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

This is a DEBUT?! HOW?!

Thai packs so much into its 325-ish pages and it‘s beautifully written. It is one of my top reads of the summer, if not the year.

Megabooks Okay I‘ll bite!! 😁😁😁 2mo
janeycanuck @Megabooks I hope you enjoy it!! 1mo
42 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

An all-around winner at #mummydaughterbookclub! Was this predictable? Yes. Was it more about the how than the what? Yes. Was the part with the FBI confusing and none of us understood the point? Yes.

AlaMich I love the 🍍 glass! 2mo
janeycanuck @AlaMich isn‘t it fun?! 1mo
38 likes2 comments
review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

I enjoyed this second instalment so much more than the first! I think it worked much better to not bring all of Austen‘s characters together and that we saw more new characters than the first instalment. The mystery was well put together and getting to know Jonathan and Juliet more was enjoyable.

blurb
janeycanuck
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
post image

I‘m feeling particularly smug because not only am I getting my #bookspin list before the numbers have been drawn, I also finally got my first bingo of the year last month.

Will August treat me as well? No. It‘s canning season. I‘ll just be happy if I keep up with my library books.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! I'm with you on canning season!!! I need to make pickles before bad things happen with these cucumbers all over my counter! 😂 2mo
LiteraryinLawrence Congrats on the bingo! 2mo
MatchlessMarie I love your realism! I choose to live in denial 😝 2mo
32 likes3 comments
blurb
janeycanuck
Roll the Dice | Wayne Avrashow
post image

Oh man… so late with my August #Roll100 books! I‘ve already read 2 of the 3 rolls so I‘m subbing in other picks from the same categories. I‘m so excited for all 3 of these. Will this be the first month I read all 3 rolls in the month they were rolled?! I‘m not the betting kind but if I was, I would not put money on it!

PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 2mo
25 likes1 comment
review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

Not what I was expecting!! The format of alternating between a short mystery and conversation between author/editor was an interesting one but really took off in the last 1/3 or so.

Book 6 for #14books14weeks2023

ShyBookOwl Sounds different 2mo
janeycanuck @ShyBookOwl It really was! 2mo
42 likes2 comments
review
janeycanuck
Before Your Memory Fades | Toshikazu Kawaguchi
post image
Pickpick

This is such a wistful, contemplative, yet ultimately heartwarming book, just like the others in the series. It always takes me a few minutes to sort out the characters but that never lasts long.

Book 5 for #14books14weeks2023

45 likes3 stack adds
review
janeycanuck
Who Is Vera Kelly? | Rosalie Knecht
post image
Mehso-so

I had really high hopes for this but it did not meet them. I found the beginning really slow and somewhat confusing. While it picked up, I didn‘t ever really feel like I knew what was going on. Maybe I needed to be better versed in the real life history? But I don‘t want to have to read a bunch of history books to enjoy fiction.

Excitedly, though - with this, I finally got my first bingo of the year in #bookspinbingo!

TheAromaofBooks Yay bingo!!!! 2mo
janeycanuck @TheAromaofBooks it‘s a book spin miracle!!! 2mo
TheAromaofBooks The BookSpin fates smile on whom they will smile 😂 2mo
44 likes3 comments
review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

A nice change from the typical WWII historical fiction and while I found it engaging overall, I found some of the details difficult to follow (could not keep ages straight…) and there was a bit of drama for the sake of drama, which never works for me.

Also, the end papers on this book!! Stunning!!!

review
janeycanuck
Girls and Their Horses | Eliza Jane Brazier
post image
Pickpick

Who knew I‘d find a book about girls and their horses so enthralling?! I should have known - I love a story about rich people problems and this one was so satisfying.

41 likes3 stack adds
review
janeycanuck
post image
Mehso-so

I don‘t understand the title of this - the girls were from London. They weren‘t sent to Paris. My fixation on this tells me the story wasn‘t strong enough for me to overlook this oddity.

My #doublespin for July

TheAromaofBooks Oh my goodness, that kind of thing drives me crazy! 2mo
40 likes1 comment
review
janeycanuck
Summer Stage: A Novel | Meg Mitchell Moore
post image
Pickpick

What a sweet little gem of a book. This was my first Meg Mitchell Moore but I think I need to make time to read more.

review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

The was SO atmospheric!! It had the same dark feeling as The Thirteenth Tale with a Lizzie Borden-esque setup. Great summer thriller!

jlhammar Yes, definite Thirteenth Tale vibes! I hadn‘t thought of that. Great review! 2mo
43 likes1 comment
review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

Fiona Davis is just so good at writing the setting as a character! I really enjoyed the psychological profiling aspect of this one and Davis balanced all the competing aspects of this novel really well (friendships, family, relationships, the mystery)

46 likes2 stack adds
review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

I‘m really enjoying getting to know a different Austen relative in each book! And I really liked how this one resolved, Barron is doing such a good job of keeping this series from becoming formulaic.

#janeandtheexcellentreadalong (many months late!)

Crinoline_Laphroaig I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Pop in anytime to #JaneAndTheExcellentReadalong. 😊 3mo
janeycanuck @Crinoline_Laphroaig I need to go back right to Book 1 on those posts!!! 3mo
41 likes2 comments
blurb
janeycanuck
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
post image

As per usual, I am late with my #bookspin list! Will this finally be the month I get my first bingo? I wouldn‘t put my money on it, if I were you.

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! Looks fantastic!!! 3mo
32 likes1 comment
review
janeycanuck
The Deadly Disguise | Nora Valetta
post image
Mehso-so

Valetta writes strong emotion very well but as a whole, this was stilted. It‘s a good effort as a debut but she needs a stronger editor and given how well she carried off the emotional scenes, I think she should look outside of mystery/thriller as a genre.

Book 4 for #14books14weeks2023

review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

This has gotten so many comparisons to Daisy Jones and sure, it is - on the surface. But this has more depth and deals with more complicated issues. Such a great book!

Thank you to @Librarybelle for hosting this #literarycrew buddy read!

Book 3 for #14books14weeks2023

Librarybelle Completely agree - lots of Daisy Jones vibes but much deeper. Thanks for joining! 3mo
LaraReads Yes! Totally agree! I had no idea going in how deep it was going to be. I hadn‘t really been excited about it for that reason. Thought it would be another Daisy Jones. But it was so good! @Librarybelle thanks again! 3mo
Sargar114 Agree! It definitely starts with that feeling but it delves much deeper into racial and political issues. It was very good! 3mo
34 likes3 comments
blurb
janeycanuck
Roll the Dice | Wayne Avrashow
post image

My #Roll100 for July. 25 was a TBA so I took the next closest number. Looking forward to rushing through 1/3 titles in the last 5 days of July when I realize once again that I had another month monopolized by library holds!

PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 3mo
32 likes1 comment
review
janeycanuck
post image
Panpan

For me, this was definitely a pan because of the sort of supernatural demon element - I‘d have enjoyed this a lot more without it. But I also found the writing inconsistent. Sometimes it was short & choppy, sometimes it was more meandering and that just made it hard for me to really stay in the groove of the story.

Roll 18 for #Roll100

review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

My loathing of MLMs already runs deep and man, this just fuelled that fire. It‘s definitely more about spilling the tea than thoughtful analysis, which is what I was in it for, so I loved it.

Chelsea.Poole I love this title! And I‘ve been eyeing this one, glad to see it worked for you…makes me want to give it a go. 3mo
Christine Yay! Glad to know it delivered for you. 😁 (edited) 3mo
45 likes3 stack adds2 comments
review
janeycanuck
Zero Days | Ruth Ware
post image
Pickpick

What a page turner, exactly as you expect from Ruth Ware. While I thought it was pretty obvious who was connected to the whole mess, that actually made it a stronger pull for me to get to the end and see how everything came together.

Oh, I could have done with a little less description of Jack's cut, though 🤢

46 likes1 stack add
review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

This was a roller coaster of a family drama with secrets coming out left, right & centre. Bouncing between joy and sadness, this had some great one-liners that had me laughing out loud and feeling ready for a cry.

Megabooks This was such a fun one. 3mo
41 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

So… I couldn‘t really keep the characters straight and the first 1/3 or so left me wondering how this has gotten such good buzz but I really loved the last 1/3. This is a strong first book for a series, I think I‘ll get to know the characters better over the course of the series and so, I‘m overlooking that confusion for now!

My #Bookspin for June
Book 4/4 for #JoysOfJune
Book 2/14 for #14Books14Weeks2023

kspenmoll I enjoyed this series! 3mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3mo
Andrew65 Sounds an excellent series. Well done 👏👏👏 3mo
38 likes3 comments
review
janeycanuck
The Right to Be Cold | Sheila Watt-Cloutier
post image
Mehso-so

Watt-Cloutier is an amazing woman but honestly, this a slog to get through. The early chapters covering childhood and the bit after her time in politics were more narrative in nature but the political years are very factual streams of meetings and organizations with very little colour or emotion. So it was dry, often hard to follow (because of acronyms) and sadly, boring.

Roll 40 for #Roll100 and Book 3/4 for #JoysOfJune

PuddleJumper Brilliant! 3mo
Andrew65 That‘s excellent. 👏👏👏 A shame the book wasn‘t better. 3mo
46 likes2 comments
review
janeycanuck
Rogue Justice: A Novel | Stacey Abrams
post image
Pickpick

Damn, Stacey Abrams is brilliant.

This is a continuation of her first novel under her name, which I didn‘t realize and there were enough references that I wish I had read a good summary before starting this one. But it worked okay as a standalone. There‘s a lot going on here and a lot to keep track of but DAMN it comes together in a satisfying way. And I‘m thinking we haven‘t seen the last of Avery Keene yet.

Book 2/4 for #JoysofJune

Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 3mo
Hooked_on_books I‘m waiting (im)patiently for my hold on this one to come in. Book one is great! 3mo
46 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

By far, this is the book that has sucked me in the fastest in the series. I really enjoy Jane and Lord Harold‘s partnership, too. It‘s my favourite part of the series. This did drag a little in the last third but resolved nicely.

#janeandtheexcellentreadalong

Book 1/4 for #JoysofJune

Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 4mo
Crinoline_Laphroaig It's one my favorites. Especially for the Chatsworth setting. 4mo
38 likes2 comments
blurb
janeycanuck
post image

Between work schedules and previous plans and travels, we were only able to have our annual #MummyDaughterBookClub book choice unveiling this past weekend. This is the first year I‘m excited for every choice - usually there‘s one that I‘m not super keen on!

review
janeycanuck
post image
Pickpick

This isn‘t as funny as I expected it to be and the mystery wasn‘t as good as I expected it to be but for some reason, the whole “breaking the fourth wall” really tickled my feathers and that made it work for me.

43 likes2 stack adds
review
janeycanuck
The Last Animal: A Novel | Ramona Ausubel
post image
Pickpick

This has such an odd premise but the book isn‘t about the wooly mammoth. It‘s about a woman overlooked at work and struggling as a single mom, her relationship with her daughters, and their relationship with each other.

I had a hard time with the first chapter feeling very, very slow but that seemed to be limited to the first chapter only.

Cinfhen Good to know…I‘ve been on the fence 4mo
41 likes1 stack add1 comment