Books & Lit

Review by Susan Taylor Meehan: find her on LinkedIn and, occasionally, Twitter – or check out her website for information on her latest projects. Robin Riopelle‘s Deadroads is a gripping murder mystery wrapped in a tale of family breakup, individual tragedy and eventual redemption. The story opens in New Orleans, where the Sarrazin children – Sol, Baz […]

Jessica Green is a book addict and library card holder since the age of 3. She’s a librarian at the Ottawa Public Library and currently the Apartment613 Librarian-in-Residence, sharing a compendium of literary thoughts and tips. “Better a witty fool than a foolish wit” – Celebrating Shakespeare 400 Mention “Shakespeare” to most people and they […]

Kristopher Waddell is our newest fellow. A longtime member of Ottawa’s comic book scene, Kristopher has been involved with all aspects of the trade – from creating comics to publishing books. In regular weekly installments, Kristopher presents his take on the life and times of Johnny Vegas, who has been performing in this city for […]

Filled with a sense of national pride and duty, when the war effort for WWI calls for nurses to work on the front lines, Maggie O’Conner answers. However, as she watches the war exact it’s price from friends, family, and John Hardie, the socialist recruit she falls in love with, she comes to realize that […]

We’re delighted to have Kristopher Waddell as our newest fellow. A longtime member of Ottawa’s comic book scene, Kristopher has been involved with all aspects of the trade – from creating comics to publishing books. In regular weekly installments, Kristopher presents his take on the life and times of Johnny Vegas, who has been performing […]

Review by Barb Collishaw Seymour Hamilton’s The Hippies Who Meant It opens at a dramatic confrontation during an anti-war rally, where we meet the three main characters, Dick, Joe and Beth. They come from widely different backgrounds and only chance has thrown them together. A brightly painted VW microbus (definitely another main character) takes them to a […]

In our latest installment of the Apartment613 Fellowship program, we’re pretty dang delighted to have Kristopher Waddell as our newest fellow. A longtime member of Ottawa’s comic book scene, Kristopher has been involved with all aspects of the trade – from creating comics to publishing books. As president and publisher of Winter Star Comics, an […]

Review by Jennifer Carole Lewis, who you can find online and on Twitter. The Doubting Heart, the second in Brenda Gayle’s Heart’s Desire series starts off with a bang and doesn’t let up until the final page. Murder, intrigue and intimidation balance loyalty, romance and some pure old-fashioned grit in a race guaranteed to get […]

Jessica Green is a book addict and library card holder since the age of 3. She’s a librarian at the Ottawa Public Library and currently the Apartment613 Librarian-in-Residence, sharing a compendium of literary thoughts and tips. Ottawa is a very crafty place and only seems to be getting more so the longer I live here. […]

Post by Laurie Stewart. Human is the story of Aleksandar Svetoslav, a centuries old vampire from Eastern Europe. He’s sent to America to rebuild the territory of the last Prince and his House, after he and his entire line are slaughtered by vampire hunters. The story begins with Aleksandar’s rescue and conversion in the face […]

Review by Molly O’Connor. A fast paced mystery with likable characters, Journey of a Thousand Steps is a valiant effort as a debut novel. Naya, the protagonist, immediately grabs the reader’s attention: she is an unusual sleuth, since she has mobility issues. Author Madona Skaff-Koren, and her protagonist, Naya, both have multiple sclerosis (MS).  Skaff-Koren describes the […]

Review by Molly O’Connor. In his book Dam Builders, Michael Runtz brings the world of beavers into sharp focus.  Dam Builders is a narrative, a documentary, a photo essay and a testament to his passion for his industrious subject. Right from the introduction, the reader becomes aware that this is more than a biologist conveying his knowledge […]

Review by Greg Guevara, a human being who wastes the majority of his time and money in university. He has what could hypothetically pass as a blog at Inbreak. The teenager. A fascinating yet oft-misunderstood creature ruled, some say, by 1 part logic, 2 parts emotion, and 3 parts hormones. It is difficult to find a […]

Review by Rem Westland. Amazing. For fifteen minutes or so I tried to think of something deeper to say, more reflective of – and complimentary towards – the sober and rational mind I believe myself to have. I kept circling back to that single word. I was stuck on it. Christian McPherson’s latest novel, Saving […]

A local writer with over twelve books in her bibliography, Ruth Latta is no stranger to the literary arts. And, perhaps taking the advice of that old chestnut “write what you know,” Latta’s latest novel Most of All deals primarily with the challenges of writing. Set in Ottawa, the narrative describes the chance meeting and […]