This is Rebecca Makkai's third book, following two novels. This short story collection is cohesive, yet diverse. There's reality television and professional musicians and family legend. Indeed, fact and fiction are mixed together here. Spliced in between the fictional stories, Makkai includes interludes of her own family history, namely that of her grandparents. Her grandmother,… Continue reading Book Review: Music for Wartime by Rebecca Makkai
A few years back, during the cold and snowy Chilliwack winter that Peter and I first subscribed to Netflix, I watched the first two seasons of Mad Men. Everyone seemed to be telling us that we had to watch this show. How clever it was, how realistic, how engaging. In the end, I don't think… Continue reading Book Review: The Company She Keeps by Mary McCarthy
After standing strong for many days, I've finally succumbed to the cold Peter's had for the past couple of weeks. I could feel it coming down on me while at work yesterday. Today's a home day for Pearl and I so while it isn't exactly a "day off" for me, I do get to stay… Continue reading Sick Days, Sunny Days, Fort Days
Let the Great World Spin was the best book I read in 2013. The next book I read by Colum McCann (later that same summer) was Zoli, which I also enjoyed a lot. Thirteen Ways of Looking and Transatlantic are McCann's most recent novels, from 2013 and 2015 respectively, and while they're both solid, well-written… Continue reading Book Review: Two Books by Colum McCann
Life After Life was probably my favourite read of 2014 so I was excited and nervous to find that Kate Atkinson had written a sequel to the novel. Excited because Life After Life was so rich and unique and enjoyable. Nervous because I wondered if a sequel was necessary and if Atkinson could recapture the… Continue reading Book Review: A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. Two years ago, I wrote this post to mark Ash Wednesday. It was a time of great personal sorrow in my life. When I was really struggling with the question of, Why would God allow this to happen? Lent isn't exactly the answer to… Continue reading Beyond the Fire
In the age old question of cats versus dogs, I definitely fall in the dog category. (This was true even before I developed a cat allergy.) I've spent my fair share of time around dogs in the past thirty years but I'm looking at them a little differently after reading Fifteen Dogs. In the vein… Continue reading Book Review: Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis
This past weekend was a long one around here, thanks to the made up holiday of Family Day. (Hey, I'm not complaining. We now get a day off in February.) Our weekend was a lovely blend of friends, outdoors, down time, and good food. (Pearl loves this book of farm animals and now goes, "Mmmm"… Continue reading February Long Weekend
This book is ridiculous. And I mean that with great affection - the way a small child might tell you an outrageous story. That kind of ridiculous. Charming and more than a little crazy. Our narrator (unnamed) is an alien. He's arrived on Earth to take over the life and body of Andrew Martin, a… Continue reading Book Review: The Humans by Matt Haig
In the womb, you hear people talking and their voices sound like someone you're in love with talking in their sleep. from "Heaven" Heather O'Neill excels at creating metaphors that are both etirely unique and powerfully, strangely accurate. This skill - seen in her novels (Lullabies for Little Criminals and The Girl Who Was Saturday… Continue reading Book Review: Daydreams of Angels by Heather O’Neill
Karissa Reads Books 