Hello and Happy Holidays! It's the night before Christmas Eve and life is a little chaotic in our house. This is a busy season for me at work and Peter and Rose are both battling illnesses. Presents are wrapped and stockings ready to be filled tomorrow night. There won't be homemade cinnamon buns on Christmas… Continue reading Merry Christmas to All!
Month: December 2019
Best Book Published in 2019
Here we conclude The Second Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards. Thanks for following along! I have loved hearing everyone else's opinions and picks for the categories and it has definitely expanded my TBR for 2020 (not that I particularly needed help in that area)! Finding a balance between new and old books is always… Continue reading Best Book Published in 2019
Best Fiction Book
Despite my sporadic posting, two more categories remain in The Second Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards. Today we focus on the Best Fiction Book read in 2019. This is a big category because fiction makes up the largest chunk of what I read. I started out with a list of 15 books and have… Continue reading Best Fiction Book
Best Non-Fiction
If you follow along here, you might notice that most of my reading is fictional. That said, 2019 has seen me reading more non-fiction than I ever have before. In fact, looking at the numbers, I've almost doubled the amount of non-fiction compared to 2018. Part of this is because of my Writers' Fest Challenge,… Continue reading Best Non-Fiction
Best Book by a Canadian
Welcome back to the next segment of the Second Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards! Again, this is a highly subjective award, based only on what I've read in 2019 and my own preferences. I really wanted to make today's category Best Canadian Book. Meaning, the best book that expressed something of what Canada is,… Continue reading Best Book by a Canadian
Best Short Stories
The Second Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards got off to a great start this week - thank you to all who shared their picks for best translated work! Today I'm focusing on short story collections. I love short stories. It wasn't until university that I really began to appreciate them - before that my… Continue reading Best Short Stories
The Second Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards
Last year I started a new tradition of looking back over my year in reading and assigning arbitrary awards. You can check out last year's opening post here. (Again, this idea is blatantly ripped-off from FictionFan who is currently presenting her 2019 awards so you should go check those out too!) The categories, the shortlists,… Continue reading The Second Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards
What I Read – November 2019
Read: Reviving Ophelia - Mary Pipher & Sara Pipher Gilliam (Riverhead Books, 2019) Under the Lilacs - Louisa May Alcott (Nelson Doubleday Inc., 1955) The Silence of the Girls - Pat Barker (Penguin Books, 2018) Frying Plantain - Zalika Reid-Benta (Astoria, 2019) Know My Name - Chanel Miller (Viking, 2019) Emerald City - Brian Birnbaum… Continue reading What I Read – November 2019