NMLCT: Poems by Paul Vermeersch (ARC Review)

January 19, 2026

Fables and fairytales collide with virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and monstrous myths in a world where no one knows what to believe. In his eighth book of poems, Paul Vermeersch responds to the increasing difficulty of knowing what is real and what isn’t, what is our genuine experience and what is constructed for us by The Algorithm. In a “post-truth” society rife with simulations…… Read More NMLCT: Poems by Paul Vermeersch (ARC Review)

— ARC review, book review, nonfiction —

It Can’t Rain All the Time: The Crow by Alisha Mughal (ARC Review)

December 25, 2025

Released in 1994, The Crow first drew in audiences thanks to the well-publicized tragedy that loomed over the film: lead actor Brandon Lee had died on set due to a mishandled prop gun. But it soon became clear that The Crow was more than just an accumulation of its tragic parts. The celebrated critic Roger Ebert wrote that Lee’s performance was “more of a screen achievement than any of the films of his father, Bruce Lee.”

In It Can’t Rain All the Time, Alisha Mughal argues that The Crow has transcended Brandon Lee’s death by exposing the most challenging human emotions in all their dark, dramatic, and visceral glory, so much so that it has spawned three sequels, a remake, and an intense fandom. Eric, our back-from-the-dead, grieving protagonist, shows us that there is no solution to depression or loss, there is only our own internal, messy work. By the end of the movie, we realize that Eric has presented us with a vast range of emotions and that masculinity doesn’t need to be hard and impenetrable.

Through her memories of seeking solace in the film during her own grieving period, Alisha brilliantly shows that, for all its gothic sadness, The Crow is, surprisingly and touchingly, a movie about redemption and hope… Read More It Can’t Rain All the Time: The Crow by Alisha Mughal (ARC Review)

— ARC review, book review, nonfiction —

Ugh! As If!: Clueless by Veronica Litt (ARC Review)

December 25, 2025

Ugh As If! uncovers the complex layers beneath the glossy surface of the 1995 classic film Clueless. Litt investigates not just the Austen satire but the film’s deeper ethical questions about femininity, innocence, bias, and inequity.

A sweet and sly exploration of the Jane Austen–inspired teen movie and its evergreen imperative to be kind, do better, and find the activist within

We are totally butt-crazy in love with Clueless. Since the movie’s premiere in 1995, pop culture has mined Amy Heckerling’s high school comedy for inspiration, from Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX’s “Fancy” music video to Cher’s iconic yellow plaid suit appearing at every Halloween party.

In Ugh As If!, Veronica Litt argues that this seemingly fluffy teen romp is the quintessential thinking woman’s movie, one in which the audience is asked to seriously consider the beauty and power of naïveté. Cher Horowitz’s gradual pivot from oblivious it girl to burgeoning activist is a powerful reminder that even the most unlikely people can change for the better and contribute to their communities. In this bright, shiny film, pursuing a more just society isn’t just possible — it’s enjoyable. This fun, feminine, feel-good movie is a counter-narrative to nihilism, a refusal to give into cynicism, hopelessness, and passivity. Almost without viewers noticing, Clueless teaches Cher, and us, how to become better. Like the film it examines, Ugh As If! nudges even the most jaded viewer into feeling hopeful about the future… Read More Ugh! As If!: Clueless by Veronica Litt (ARC Review)

— Adult, ARC review, book review, nonfiction —

Your Brain on Pregnancy by Dawn Kingston (ARC Review)

March 8, 2025

For women who are expecting, pregnancy can be a time of excitement, but it also comes with the expectation that they are supposed to feel happy and joyous—that they must be “glowing.” The truth is that many women who are pregnant experience troubling anxiety, depression, and stress, accompanied by feelings of guilt, shame, and inadequacy. They are often ashamed to seek help, chalking up their feelings to changing hormones, lack of sleep, or a phase that will eventually go away.

In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Dawn Kingston, world-renowned expert on mental health and pregnancy, reveals that more women are affected by mental health issues during pregnancy rather than…… Read More Your Brain on Pregnancy by Dawn Kingston (ARC Review)

— book review, nonfiction —

The Fright Before Christmas by Jeff Belanger & Terry Reed (Review)

December 5, 2024

Step into the dark roots of Christmas past where the Krampus punishes the bad boys and girls.

Christmas time is truly the darkest and creepiest time of the year filled with devilish creatures lurking in the shadows waiting to get us. Best known is the Krampus who has been the subject of films and songs. There was a time in the late 1800s when people sent Krampus cards, not holiday greetings. There are other violent and dangerous monsters from all over northern climes who have been hunting naughty children for centuries. From shapeshifters to mountain trolls, to elves, to heavy-handed cohorts of Saint Nicholas, the Christmas holiday has been filled with ghosts and monsters ready to dole out punishment to those who need it.

The Fright Before Christmas will delve into the folklore of Krampus and his friends with the elf-like Tomten and the goblinesque Karakoncolas. The Belsnickel is ready to hit us with his switch of sticks and Gryla may drag you back to her mountain lair. And watch out for the Yule Cat ready to pounce! These are just a few of the yuletide beasties coming for us in The Fright Before Christmas in the hope they can save us from ourselves.

The folklore roots of Christmas under its many other guises (Yule, the Winter Solstice, Saturnalia) is examined in a different, darker light. The Winter Solstice is a time to be afraid. It’s the shortest day of the year. The longest night. In some parts of the world, the sun doesn’t rise at all. It’s dark, and we have to wonder if the sun will ever come back at all. Christmas has always been creepy and with The Fright Before Christmas you’ll see the other side. This is a book for everyone who loves a little darkness around the holidays.

Be good or the Krampus will get you!… Read More The Fright Before Christmas by Jeff Belanger & Terry Reed (Review)

— book review, nonfiction —

Clever Girl: Jurassic Park by Hannah McGregor (Review)

October 21, 2024

A smart and incisive exploration of everyone’s favorite dinosaur movie and the female dinosaurs who embody what it means to be angry, monstrous, and free

The Jurassic Park series is one of the most famous and profitable movie franchises of all time — an entire generation of people has never known life without these CGI dinosaurs. The movie spectacle broke film and merchandising records, pioneered special effects, and made Jeff Goldblum into an unlikely sex symbol, and now it has also been re-envisioned as a classic of queer feminist storytelling.

In Clever Girl, Hannah McGregor argues that the female-only dinosaurs of Jurassic Park are stand-ins for monstrous women, engineered by men to be intelligent, violent, and adaptive, and whose chaos resists the systems designed to control them. As they run wild through their prison, a profit-driven theme park, they destroy the men and structures who mistakenly believed in their own colonialist and capitalist power, showing the audience what it means to be angry, monstrous, and free. The velociraptors were not just jump scares for children, but also revelatory and predatory symbols of feminist rage. Clever girls, indeed.… Read More Clever Girl: Jurassic Park by Hannah McGregor (Review)

— book review, nonfiction —

The Time of My Life: Dirty Dancing by Andrea Warner (Review)

August 19, 2024

An engaging exploration into the enduring popularity of Dirty Dancing and its lasting themes of feminism, activism, and reproductive rights When Dirty Dancing was released in 1987, it had already been rejected by producers and distributors several times over, and expectations for the summer romance were low. But then the film, written by former dancer Eleanor Bergstein and starring Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze as a couple from two different worlds, exploded. Since then, Dirty Dancing ’s popularity has never waned. The truth has always been that Dirty Dancing was never just a teen romance or a dance movie ― it also explored abortion rights, class, and political activism, with a smattering of light crime-solving. In The Time of My Life , celebrated music journalist Andrea Warner excavates the layers of Dirty Dancing , from its anachronistic, chart-topping soundtrack, to Baby and Johnny’s chemistry, to Bergstein’s political intentions, to the abortion subplot that is more relevant today than ever. The film’s remarkable longevity would never have been possible if it was just a throwaway summer fling story. It is precisely because of its themes ― deeply feminist, sensitively written ― that we, over 30 years later, are still holding our breath during that last, exhilarating lift… Read More The Time of My Life: Dirty Dancing by Andrea Warner (Review)

— book review, food & drink, nonfiction —

Asian Vegetables by the Wang Sisters (Review)

March 24, 2024

While bok choy is now a staple on Western grocery store shelves, other Asian vegetables remain unknown―even though they’re delicious, nutritious, and easy to grow in northern climates. Caroline, Stéphanie, and Patricia Ho-Yi Wang, three sisters of Cantonese descent, have made it their mission to introduce gardeners, cooks, and vegetable lovers of all flavours to wider sources of sustenance. Organized around fifteen Asian vegetables that are presented according to the rhythm of the seasons, this lush, full-colour book offers advice on growing and harvesting organic crops intended for both weekend and commercial gardeners, along with a host of ideas to preserve and prepare them, including forty or so recipes, some of which have been developed by renowned chefs. The Wang sisters complement the book’s practical advice by offering thoughts on Asian vegetables from a cultural point of view and sharing the importance of these foods within their own family, members of whom left China to immigrate to Madagascar before settling in Québec. Asian Vegetables is a generous and gorgeous tribute to good food, to the land, and the importance of strong roots… Read More Asian Vegetables by the Wang Sisters (Review)

— book review, nonfiction —

Good Sh*t: Your Holistic Guide to the Best Poop of Your Life by Julia Blohberger and Roos Neeter (Review)

July 21, 2022

It’s time to talk sh*t—literally—with this relatable and humourous interactive handbook that will help you conquer the (ceramic) throne so you can conquer your life. If you grew up in the Western world, you were probably taught that poop is gross. Unspeakable, even. But it’s a waste to think of poop as a waste. Bags under our eyes tell us we’re not getting enough sleep. Sallow skin, thinning hair, and brittle nails tell us if our diets are imbalanced or if we’re overstressed. Poop tells us all of that—and much more… Read More Good Sh*t: Your Holistic Guide to the Best Poop of Your Life by Julia Blohberger and Roos Neeter (Review)

— book review, food & drink, nonfiction —

Carpathia: Food from the Heart of Romania by Irina Georgescu (Review)

December 21, 2021

Romania is a true cultural melting pot, rooted in Greek and Turkish traditions in the south, Hungarian and Saxon in the north and Slavic in the east and west. Carapathia, the first book from food stylist and cooking enthusiast Irina Georgescu, aims to introduce readers to Romania’s bold, inventive and delicious cuisine. Bringing the country to life with stunning photography and recipes, it will take the reader on a culinary journey to the very heart of the Balkans, exploring it’s history and landscape through it’s traditions and food… Read More Carpathia: Food from the Heart of Romania by Irina Georgescu (Review)