Red Fern Book Review by Amy Tyler

Send us Fan Mail Book blogger Susan Matheson stops by the podcast to talk about her favourite reads for summer. Her selections range from a cozy mystery to a contemporary memoir. Books and Resources discussed: Go as a River by Shelley Read The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bingley Darling by India Knight The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict The Pursuit of Lov...

Send us Fan Mail Amy and Geoff review the popular fiction novel Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson and literary fiction novel Ghost Music by An Yu. Pineapple Street is a bird's eye view into the moneyed Brooklyn Heights family The Stocktons. Sasha, a middle-class New England girl, marries into the family and tries to find her way. Set in Beijing, Ghost Music is a quiet book that examines the s...

Send us Fan Mail Retired English Professor Dr. Mason Harris drops by the podcast to discuss one of his favourite books Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This book combines elements of Gothic, Horror and Romantic literature. Dr. Harris delves in to Shelley's scandalous background and draws parallels between the Romantics and 1960s radicalism. Books and Resources discussed: Frankenstein by Mary She...

Send us Fan Mail We review two of the buzziest books of early 2023: Fast-paced gangster novel set in India Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor and friendship travel story/thriller with Daisy Jones and the Six (by Taylor Jenkins Reid) vibes The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. Age of Vice is a contemporary novel set in India. It is equal parts thriller and family saga and centres around the Wadia crime family. Th...

Send us Fan Mail We review one of our favourite books of last year Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin as well as This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is the story of three friends Sadie, Sam and Marx and their foray into the video gaming industry. It is a campus novel as well as a look at video gaming as high art. This Time Tomorrow is a fun,...

Send us Fan Mail Author Cedar Bowers joins the podcast to discuss her 2021 debut novel Astra. The book follows the life of a young woman who is born on a B.C. commune from the perspective of 10 different people.  Cedar discusses life growing up in a remote community, the failed promise of the back-to-the land movement and if we can ever really know somebody. Books and Resources discussed: Astra by...

Send us Fan Mail I review two novels by current Canadian literary stars Emily St. John Mandel and Heather O'Neill. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel is a science fiction novel about art, time, travel, love and plague that takes readers from 1912 Vancouver Island to a dark colony of the moon 500 years later. The author also incorporates references to her earlier award-winning novels...

Send us Fan Mail Vancouver author Jen Sookfong Lee joins the podcast to talk about her latest book Superfan . Jen uses her lifelong obsession with pop culture as a lens to explore family, grief, the power of female rage, Asian fetish, and what it costs to resist the trap of being a “good Chinese girl.” I pines over Andrew McCarthy and Jen muses over whether Kanye West will get a second chance in t...

Send us Fan Mail Fantasy Fiction lover turned historian David Gates is back on the podcast to discuss two English history books: The White Ship by Princess Diana's brother Charles Spencer and The Splendid and the Vile by journalist Erik Larson. The White Ship is an examination of the 1120 shipwreck that threw the future of the crown into question.  The Splendid and the Vile is a riveting acco...

Send us Fan Mail My dear friend Alison Schmelke joins the podcast, perhaps a bit reluctantly,  and together we interview our idol author and blogger Catherine Newman. We reminisce about Catherine's column Ben & Birdy and how it got us through the early days of parenthood.  Catherine discusses her poignant, hilarious and nostalgic novel, We All Want Impossible Things. It is the story about...

Send us Fan Mail Geoff and Amy's trip to Europe Part Two. They are back home and reflecting on their recent trip to Paris. They discuss four books set in the City of Light including one book that pushes the podcast's PG rating!  Books and Resources Discussed: Ticket to Paradise, movie 2022 Earful Tower https://theearfultower.com/ Marie Antoinette, movie 2006 Henry and June by Anaïs Nin M...

Send us Fan Mail Amy and Geoff discuss their trip to Amsterdam and review books and movies set in this gorgeous, progressive city. Tulip Fever is a historical novel set in 17th-century Amsterdam during the rise of tulip trade. The Dinner is a contemporary domestic thriller that takes place over the course of one meal at a high-end restaurant. Books and Resources discussed: Tulip Fever by Deborah M...

Send us Fan Mail Author Chelene Knight joins the podcast to discuss her debut novel Junie. The book is set in Hogan's Alley, the once thriving Black and immigrant community located in Vancouver's East End. Junie is a creative, observant child who moves to the alley with her mother Maddie who is an aspiring jazz singer and alcoholic.  Chelene discusses Black Joy, Black stereotypes and how...

Send us Fan Mail The summer may be over but British Columbia treasure Grant Lawrence visits the podcast to discuss his latest book Return to Solitude about life in Desolation Sound . It's been over a decade since renowned broadcaster and indie rock musician Grant Lawrence launched his writing career with the award-winning Adventures in Solitude, yet some things never change - including the wi...

Send us Fan Mail Susan Matheson of Bedside Table Books discusses her top reads of the fall season.  Amy and Susan talk about how to match books with your travels Books and Resources Discussed The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier The Snow Goose: A Story of Dunkirk by Paul Gallico Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico Eiff...

Send us Fan Mail Wildfire Lookout Trina Moyles joins the podcast to talk about her memoir Lookout: Love, Solitude and Searching for Wildfire in the Boreal Forest. She joins direct from her remote lookout tower in Northern Alberta. Lookout is a book about isolation, the environment, wildlife and love. The book has been compared the book to Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Trina and Amy are interrupted by th...

Send us Fan Mail Friend and music teacher Cynthia Friesen returns to the podcast to discuss two books by French authors: Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin and Painting Time by Maylis de Kerangal. We discuss the art of translation and whether decorative art is an art or a science. Cynthia pulls up to the piano and plays a song. Listen to my previous episode with Cynthia The Prague Sonata, S...

Send us Fan Mail Season 3 of the Red Fern Book Review kicks off with a review of one of the biggest books of the year: The Candy House by Jennifer Egan. Geoff is back on the podcast with a new job title. Amy and Geoff decide whether or not The Candy House is sci fi and if it surpasses the book's precursor: A Visit from the Goon Squad. Books and Resources Discussed:   The Candy House by Jennif...

Send us Fan Mail Book Blogger Susan Matheson is back to discuss her top picks to stuff in your beach bag this summer. Her selections range from frothy to serious. Amy and Susan discuss the power of book cover art. Books and Resources Discussed: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield Evening by Susan Minot The Dutch House by Ann Patchett Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Harriet the Spy by Lo...

Send us Fan Mail Poet Samantha Reynolds is on the podcast to talk about her practice of writing one poem a day. And that isn't even her day job! We talk parenting, observation, what to share and not share. Sam even fits in a reading or two. Follow Sam: Website: https://bentlily.com/ Instagram: @bentlily Follow Red Fern Book Review: Website and to leave a voicemail: https://www.redfernbookrevi...

Send us Fan Mail Bookstagrammer Danielle Peters joins the podcast to talk about her favourite genre: thrillers. Danielle reviews Rock Paper Scissors and Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney, reveals what she looks for in a suspense novel and how she incorporates reading into her everyday life.  Books and Resources Discussed: The River at Night by Erica Ferencik Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney Somet...

Send us Fan Mail Photographer and friend Brian McConville is back on the podcast to talk about books and  captivity. Amy and Brian discuss Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart. Set in the rolling hills of upstate New York, this satirical novel focuses on a group of friends who gather in a country house to wait out the pandemic. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett is also discussed . This beloved, modern c...

Send us Fan Mail Amy's resident artsy friend Myriam is back on the podcast. This time the topic is screenplays as literature. A screenplay is a cross between a book and a play.  Unlike a favourite book, Myriam says that reading a screenplay is complement to watching a movie. Amy and Myriam both agree that reading about harder topics like fights and violence can be easier to read than watch on...

Send us Fan Mail Best selling author Susan Juby is on the podcast to talk about her delightful murder mystery Mindful of Murder. The novel features Helen Thorpe as a smart, preternaturally calm and insightful butler who uses her sleuthing skills to unravel the mystery of the death of her former employer. Susan talks about the joys of owning her first Instant Pot and how her British Columbian upbri...

Send us Fan Mail Amy interviews bestselling author Katherine Heiny about her hilarious, big-hearted novel Early Morning Riser. The book features a cast of lovable characters in a small town whose lives are forever changed after an accident. Katherine talks about literary influences from Anne Tyler and Stephen King and relives her 20s when she one day wore a bridesmaid dress to work. Books and Reso...