Books
On reading Dostoevsky
July 3, 2025By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer I have read a significant amount of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s work and found myself both exhausted and enlightened. His book Notes from Underground (1864) is hailed as the first existentialist novel, exploring the depths of an ill man’s psyche as he loses his sense of purpose. Crime and Punishment (1866) tackled intertwining themes between social inequality and crime, while The Brothers Karamazov (1880) told the sprawling tale of one of the most dysfunctional families in literature. Dostoevsky, who was born in Moscow, Russia in 1821 lived till the age of 59. He was involved in an…
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Brighter Side: a love letter to children’s books
June 15, 2025By: Ashima Shukla, Staff Writer I first met The Little Prince as a child, but it feels more accurate to say the book met — and saw — through me. It told me that imagination was not foolish, that love…
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Six non-fiction books that ask you to feel deeply
June 3, 2025By: Ashima Shukla, Staff Writer and Michelle Young, Co-Editor-in-Chief I love books that breathe — that smile gently at me and invite me into their orbit; that ask, “Will you join me? Will you look at what you’ve been avoiding?”…
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Personal reflections on the launch of Elegy for Opportunity
May 30, 2025By: Alex Traynor, SFU Student On May 10, I ventured down to SFU Harbour Center in Vancouver for the first time to attend the official book launch for Elegy for Opportunity, written by the award-winning poet and SFU English alum…
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Brighter Side: Romance novels
March 24, 2025By: Dani Santos, Peak Associate There’s nothing like being engrossed in a good romance novel. One minute, I’m on chapter one, and the next, the author is concluding the characters’ story in an epilogue — time can go by really…
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The Book Nook: 100 years of literature on Black liberation
March 10, 2025By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer Content warning: this piece centres around racial segregation and systemic oppression. Over the past century, Black writers have produced some of the most impactful works of non-fiction examining race, prejudice, and oppression. The three books…
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Postcards from Congo is an artful graphic history
February 27, 2025By: Petra Chase, Editor-in-Chief Content warning: brief mentions of slavery, child soldiers, and war. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the second largest country in Africa, yet its rich, enduring history is often overlooked. Postcards from Congo is an…
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What Grinds Our Gears: Non-removeable promotional stickers on books
January 13, 2025By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer While it’s important not to judge a book by its cover, the consumer has every right to be upset by non-removeable promotional stickers. These stickers usually advertise an accomplishment the book has achieved, like an…
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In case you missed it: 2666 is a telling tale of unresolved violence
September 26, 2024By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer Content warning: descriptions of femicide. Roberto Bolaño was a novelist, essayist, and poet who later proclaimed he should have been a detective instead. He was diagnosed with liver disease in 1992 and, knowing that his…
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The Book Nook: A collection of queer literature to buy at Cross & Crows
August 2, 2024By: Izzy Cheung, Arts & Culture Editor Nestled in a quaint corner south of Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain station is Cross & Crows Books. This cozy haven is “the friendliest, queerest bookstore in East Van,” and features a variety of queer literature…
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