A Literary Christmas: An Anthology This lovely volume from the British Library is filled with Christmas tidbits. Poems and songs and short stories, as well as snippets from larger works. There are some of the expected authors - Christina Rossetti, Charles Dickens - and some less so, such as D.H. Lawrence or the forgotten (by… Continue reading Book Review: A Literary Christmas
Just Kids: Illustrated Edition - Patti Smith (Ecco Books, 2018) Before I started reading Just Kids I didn't know much more about Patti Smith or Robert Mapplethorpe than that Patti Smith was a musician and Robert Mapplethorpe was an artist of some sort. Looking up his artwork later, I realized I did recognize Mapplethorpe's flower photos. I… Continue reading Book Review: Just Kids: Illustrated Edition by Patti Smith
Kens - Raziel Reid (Penguin Teen, 2018) This book was not for me. I mean that in two ways. One: I didn't really enjoy it and found myself aggravated by the characters and their actions. Two: I'm not at all the target audience of this book. Kens takes place in some sort of alternate universe in… Continue reading Book Review: Kens by Raziel Reid
We are two weeks away from Christmas and excitement is growing in our house. This past weekend we drove out on the logging roads and cut down a Christmas tree. Our house is lit with candles and smells like Douglas fir. We have a very excited three-and-a-half year old. The Great Christmas Tree Hunt of… Continue reading Advent
Since I read primarily fiction, I feel that this category is similar to picking my favourite book of the year. Which is really hard for me and is something I've pretty much avoided doing in previous years' recaps. When listing the books I've read and loved in 2018, I came up with ten so a… Continue reading Best Fiction Book
My reading list is definitely dominated by fiction. I'd go so far as to say that I'm fairly selective about what non-fiction I read. This seems to be reflected in this category because although I only read 15 non-fiction books in 2018, four of them are highlighted below. The non-fiction I read this year was… Continue reading Best Non-Fiction Book
Hey there! Welcome to the next installment of The First Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards. One of the things I like about books and reading them is that there are always more. Always something new to read! Always something new and exciting being published! I used to keep a list of books I wanted… Continue reading Best Book Published in 2018
Initially, when I put together my (almost entirely arbitrary) categories for the First Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards, I called this category Best Book From a Canadian Author. But as I looked over the titles I had nominated I realized that a lot of them were showing up in other categories and that Warlight and Washington Black were… Continue reading Best Canadian Book
This category came to life when I was looking over the books I read in 2018 and realized how many were written by people I knew in real life. Having done a Writing degree and worked in the book industry I've worked, learned, and been taught by some fantastic writers. I did not include writers… Continue reading Best Book Written by Someone I Know
Today's category is the opposite of yesterday's. These are books from authors I've read and (obviously) enjoyed previously and so searched out further writing from them. Honourable Mention: Lila- Marilynne Robinson (Harper Collins, 2014) Rules of Civility - Amor Towles (Penguin Books, 2011) Indian Horse - Richard Wagamese (Douglas & McIntyre, 2012) Washington Black - Esi Edugyan (Patrick… Continue reading Best Book From an Author I’ve Read Before
Karissa Reads Books 