It's been a while.  Three years to be exact.  When I started this blog, Simply Books, I wanted to create a space where I could unapologetically gush about books, my love of reading, words and more. Unfortunately, due to this thing called 'adulting', I got a little distracted. I have still been reading, lots! In fact, I even started a digital magazine with a friend because we both love reading and realized that there was not any quality, relatable content out there that one could devour. This project unfortunately only produced one issue and it was really in part to my friend an ..read more

After hearing about The Wrath and The Dawn / The Rose and The Dagger duology by Renee Ahdieh on book-tube, I was very excited to read this series. The Wrath and The Dawn is the first book and follows Sharzad post-death of her friend at the hands of the supposed boy-King, Khalid.  Khalid has killed every bride the morning following their wedding night and Sharzad is set on living to avenge her friends death. Her plan is to kill Khalid. Quickly she arrives at the palace and becomes accustomed to life with her new husband. Through several ..read more

I remember grade ten history in high school and how boring it was. I don't think it was the teacher's fault or the actual history of Canada and its impact in WWI and WWII, but I do think that it was in the way that it was conveyed. I also remember not doing too well in that class. This is something that shames me as I love history and actually can remember dates and places quite well. When I picked up my first couple of historical fiction novels, (Jennifer Robson and Beatriz Williams are just a couple off the top of my head), they transported me. They took me into the pages and with their de ..read more

It should be known that I have never been a big fan of book series, probably because I have never found one that I really loved, with the exception of Harry Potter (of course).  The Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard is one that surprised me.   With the fourth and final book, War Storm out this month, you better believe that I pre-ordered a copy via Indigo Chapters online. They always discount the pre-order copy online so it's a great deal! Warm Storm will put everything to a close in the Red Queen series, but due to the fact that I read the three previous books so long ago, I ..read more

This month I had a wonderful opportunity to see one of my favourite Canadian authors, Jennifer Robson at my local library. Getting another chance to listen and chat with Jennifer was a real treat and to do so at my local library was an added bonus! We were called her "super fans" at the reading and had our picture shared in the library's e-newsletter. My coworker and I (see image below), really enjoy Jennifer's books and we had previously met her at the Word on the Street Festival in Toronto a few years ago.  Me (left), with Jennifer Robson (middle) and my coworker, Lorene at the ..read more

I'm known for my random book finds and off-beat title choices. At work, the ladies are always interested in what I'm reading and always say that I find the books that no one has ever heard of.  So here are ten books that you probably haven't heard of or read ... yet. He Said / She Said was a recent find for me that I purchased via Book Outlet. This story was creepy and captivating and I couldn't put it down. Think of it like a HBO TV mini-series that keeps you on the edge of your seat. This story follows a couple post-dramatic past and how they reflect on the choices made ..read more

Wow! Simply Books has been an idea that I wasn't sure that I wanted to pursue. There - I said it. If you're reading this, then a) thanks for reading this and b) this is my very first blog post for Simply Books. Blogs and blogging have long been a favourite platform of mine and I'd be lying if I said I haven't attempted this before.  But this time, I have a good feeling. Simply Books was a blog name that came to me while I was pondering the idea of starting a blog. I wanted to keep it simple, try not to bite off more than I could chew and really use this as a platform for bei ..read more