This weekend, I got a full on literary experience, compliments of the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts. This is the longest running Canadian Festival of its kind (this weekend marked 32 years) and features a wonderful line-up of Canadian authors. It's always a delightful mixture of big name writers and up and coming… Continue reading Celebrating the Written Arts
Author: Karissa
Book Review – The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
I was about halfway through The Bluest Eye (Plume, 1994) when a friend asked me what I was currently reading. "It's pretty heavy, right?" she asked. I glanced at her little girl, munching apple slices next to me at the kitchen counter. "Yeah. It is." Racial tensions, domestic abuse, poverty, incest. Yeah, pretty dark. While… Continue reading Book Review – The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Backyard Harvest
With a very warm July and early August, our backyard is bursting with fruit. Yesterday was the first cooler day with a little bit of rain and so I decided to devote myself to dealing with some of this. Those are yellow plums, figs, and apples from our yard and a zucchini from our neighbours'.… Continue reading Backyard Harvest
Hello August
Last weekend, Peter and I took a long weekend trip south of the border - down Seattle way! We headed over Friday evening after work and made it through the Peace Arch by sunset. We were in Seattle together at this same time three years ago so we knew some of the places we wanted… Continue reading Hello August
Book Review – The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
This is one that's been on my To Read list for a long time. The Shadow of the Wind (Penguin Books, 2001) takes place in Barcelona, following the Second World War. Daniel is ten years old, living with his father, the owner of a bookshop. As the story opens, Daniel is taken for the first… Continue reading Book Review – The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Hike at Francis Point
A year ago, I was swimming in this river: But summer locally is not too shabby either: This past weekend, Peter and I explored an area neither of us had previously been to. Francis Point has been a Provincial Park since 2001. A trail takes you along the water and through the trees. Walking through… Continue reading Hike at Francis Point
Book Review – The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
If you love a good mystery novel - with a private eye who smokes too much, drinks too much, likes to comment on a lady's legs (and calls them "gams"), but always gets the job done - you owe a debt of gratitude to Raymond Chandler. The Big Sleep is Chandler's first novel, published in… Continue reading Book Review – The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Book Review – All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
Some books should come with a warning. Something like, "You're probably going to cry before this book is through. Even if you think you're not a crier." All My Puny Sorrows (Knopf Canada, 2014) is Miriam Toews' sixth novel. Like the first five, this novel involves Mennonite characters. Though while being Mennonite is key to… Continue reading Book Review – All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
Lately (+ a bonus dress!)
This past weekend, Peter and I had a whirlwind city trip to attend a wedding. And by whirlwind, I mean that we totally had time to stop for donairs when we stumbled across the Vancouver Latino festival. (Not that donairs are Latino...) A wedding gave me a chance to wear one of my fancier dresses… Continue reading Lately (+ a bonus dress!)
Book Review – Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
I'm rather inclined to think of Tell the Wolves I'm Home (Dial Press, 2013) as a young adult novel. That's certainly not a bad thing, I just think teenagers would benefit from reading this one. June is 14-years-old and her favourite person in the world has just died. Her uncle Finn, a talented artist, her… Continue reading Book Review – Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
Karissa Reads Books 