Following yesterday's post, here's something else I tend to award myself points for: totally mundane household chores. This was a small project I'd intended to work on for a while so I'm feeling good about getting it done. At some point between 1989 (when our house was built) and now, someone added on a little… Continue reading Spring Cleaning and the Lean-To
Since around the time Pearl turned one (i.e. hit the toddler stage), I have been awarding myself mental merit badges. Basically, when I do something as a parent that I feel a sense of accomplishment about, I give myself a merit badge to pin on my imaginary parenting sash. (I was never a Girl Guide… Continue reading Parenting Merit Badges
I've read three books by John Green before this one (see my reviews of The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska) so it's safe to say that I enjoy his writing. Green captures teens well, finding that balance between realism and fiction to keep the story interesting. Our main character here is Quentin,… Continue reading Book Review: Paper Towns by John Green
This isn't a book review for the simple fact that I didn't finish reading this book. About halfway through, the main character is the victim of an act of horrific violence and I just couldn't continue. I've never read Edna O'Brien before so I have no idea if this, her first novel in years, is… Continue reading Not a Book Review: The Little Red Chairs by Edna O’Brien
If you're not familiar with Miroslav Sasek's travel books for children, you should be. Filled with colourful pictures and facts about cities around the world, the books are beautiful and interesting. And not just for children. But children do enjoy them! A Czech writer and illustrator, Sasek was first inspired to write about Paris, condensing… Continue reading Book Review: Children’s Travel Books by Miroslav Sasek (Reading with Pearl)
I'm about six years late to the party but I'm on Instagram now! You can find me @karissareadsbooks if you're into that sort of thing. The weather around here has been so good! (Have I mentioned that? Are you tired of hearing it?) I feel like I take more photos when the weather is good.… Continue reading Sticks and Stones
How much devastation can you pack into 100 pages? A lot. Even more when every word is true. In the vein of Night by Elie Wiesel or Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, Marceline Loridan-Ivens recounts her years as a slave (her word) in several prisons and concentrations camps. Loridan-Ivens was arrested with her… Continue reading Book Review: But You Did Not Come Back by Marceline Loridan-Ivens
There are books that, once you read them, change your view of literature and what it can be. One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of those books for me. This was the first I'd read from Gabriel Garcia Marquez, on an island in the Philippines, more than ten years ago, and the first example… Continue reading Friday Favourite: One Hundred Years of Solititude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
...with some playground thrown in. (Fair warning: this is mostly pictures of my kid. I think she's cute.) Spring is showing up around here and I love it. We moved last summer but the first time we viewed our house was in the spring and the green backyard full of flowers was one of the… Continue reading Garden, Forest, Beach
People love others not because they are lovable necessarily but because it takes such a weight off the heart. Having read one previous novel by Elizabeth Hay (Alone in the Classroom), I began to read her latest book expecting a decent read. I'm happy to report that Hay blew my expectations out of the water.… Continue reading Book Review: His Whole Life by Elizabeth Hay
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