It's rare that I really neglect my child in order to read a book, but I came pretty close while reading The Secret History. Tartt provides all the suspense of a good mystery, mixed in with a lot of thoughtful philosophy, strong characters, and great writing. Our narrator is Richard, a young man who… Continue reading Book Review: The Secret History by Donna Tartt
As a parent, I look forward to the day when I can tell my kids that I remember the world before the Internet. That I can remember the first iPads, the days before everyone had an e-mail address, or the time when - if you wanted to have a telephone conversation - you had to… Continue reading Book Review: Telephone Time – A First Book of Telephone Do’s and Don’t’s (Reading with Pearl)
There's a lot to applaud in Sunil Yapa's debut novel. He combines words and creates scenes in unique ways, blending words unexpectedly to create a moment or invoke a sense. His descriptions are detailed without tipping over to the realm of overkill and the results are characters and scenes that are easy to visualize. The… Continue reading Book Review: Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa
Check out Day #1 and Day #2, as well as Judith's original challenge to find out what this is all about. My third and final quote comes from C.S. Lewis. I could probably share C.S. Lewis quotes all day long but since I'm sticking to things I've read this year, I'm sharing a quote from… Continue reading 3 Day Quote Challenge: Day #3
(Check out Day #1 and Judith at ReadandReview2016 to see what this is all about.) My quote for Day #2 comes from Don Quixote. If you've been reading along here then you know that I (finally) finished Don Quixote in March and that it was a long time coming. For such a big book, I… Continue reading 3 Day Quote Challenge: Day #2
When I read a book and I come across a line, a phrase, or a paragraph I like, I copy out the quotation in my journal. (And, I confess, if the book belongs to me I fold down the page and/or underline the part I like.) Sometimes I share these quotations when I write my… Continue reading 3 Day Quote Challenge: Day #1
The convergence of literature and religion is something that has long interested me as a reader, a writer, and a Christian. It's rare that I'm quite satisfied with the way Christianity and the Christian life and walk is portrayed in art (this was one of my primary complaints with such books as Good to a… Continue reading Book Review: The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene
I was really excited about this book when I first heard about it. A modern day animal story, an adventure and a journey to reunite between a boy and his fox. I expected something like The Incredible Journey or The Trumpet of the Swan. I hadn't read Sara Pennypacker before but I love Jon Klassen's… Continue reading Book Review: Pax by Sara Pennypacker (Reading with Pearl)
A Separate Peace is one of the more unusual books about World War II that I've ever read. Set in 1942, it begins in the summer term at Devon, an upscale boys' prep school in New England. Our narrator is Gene Forrester. Quiet, smart, a little awkward. Summer term at Devon is a lull in… Continue reading Book Review: A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Flanagan's novel of Australian soldiers in World War Two is well-written. I wouldn't say too well-written but the detail of certain horrors it describes is hard to take. I don't know that I've ever felt so physically ill while reading a novel before. Reading this was often like someone - Flanagan, I suppose - holding… Continue reading Book Review: The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
Karissa Reads Books 