This short novel is a sort of throwback to Golden Age mysteries. Set in the late stages of the Second World War, in a small English community outside of London, we have the usual odd assortment of characters. A foreign vicar who probably drinks too much. His ne'er-do-well son, the young mute Jewish refugee who… Continue reading Book Review: The Final Solution by Michael Chabon
Month: January 2023
2023 Highlights: Weeks 3 & 4
Girls started their swim lessons again, which is always fun. This time they are both on Saturday…but 2 hours apart. Which is not ideal for having family swim time. So far, we are taking a Divide and Conquer approach and hope to use it as an opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with them. Manicures… Continue reading 2023 Highlights: Weeks 3 & 4
Book Review: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel (Harper Collins Publishers, 2022) ...this is what the Time Institute never understood: if definitive proof emerges that we're living in a simulation, the correct response tothat news will be So what. A life lived in a simulation is still a life. -Emily St. John Mandel, Sea of… Continue reading Book Review: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Book Review: The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester
The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre - Natasha Lester (Forever, 2023) I received an Advanced Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own. This was a fun historical fiction that blends secret service and fashion along with romance and some real-life historical characters. Alix St.… Continue reading Book Review: The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester
(Audio) Book Review: Classic Crime Short Stories
This was an excellent collection of 10 short crime stories. There were mostly names I recognized, such as Ruth Rendell and Grahame Greene and G.K. Chesterton and others that I probably would recognize if I read more mysteries. I'm not sure that audio is the right format for me when it comes to short stories… Continue reading (Audio) Book Review: Classic Crime Short Stories
2023 Highlights: Early January
This has been a beautifully normal week. No one has been (newly) sick. We were able to resume/continue our regularly scheduled activities. I feel like I'm doing decently well at spending my time the way I want to spend my time. Here are a few highlights: Pearl got to have a friend over to play… Continue reading 2023 Highlights: Early January
(Audio) Book Review: The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
Set over three days in a maternity word for pregnant flu patients in Dublin in 1918 - there’s a LOT going on here. And yet this isn’t a book that feels overwhelming. It feels steady. You feel swept up in the unceasing action of a busy hospital. Rarely a moment to rest, life and death… Continue reading (Audio) Book Review: The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
Book Review: The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
The End of the Affair - Graham Greene (Heinemann, 1966) Maurice Bendrix's affair with Sarah Miles has been over for a couple of years when he unexpectedly runs into her husband, Henry, one evening. Bendrix reluctantly agrees to have a drink with Henry, only to find all his love and hate of Sarah reignited when… Continue reading Book Review: The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
Winter Break 2022
This is already feeling like a long time ago but I hate to skip over our Winter holidays. We had a lovely 2 weeks off from school for the girls and Peter. Working retail as I do, the weeks leading up to Christmas are some of my busiest. Peter and the kids got out pretty… Continue reading Winter Break 2022
Book Review: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
The Marriage Portrait - Maggie O'Farrell (Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2022) Lucrezia is the youngest daughter of Medicis of Florence. Raised in luxury but strictly watched over by her mother and father, her life as a young girl in the 1550s is dictated for her from birth. Yet there is a wildness to her, something… Continue reading Book Review: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
Karissa Reads Books 