Pages & Co. #1: Tilly and the Bookwanderers - Anna James If you are or know a book-loving kid between the ages of 9 and 12 then I can highly recommend this series to you. The first two books (of what I believe are to be a trilogy) are fun and full of bookish references.… Continue reading Book Review: Pages & Co. by Anna James
Author: Karissa
Book Review: Strange Hotel by Eimear McBride
Strange Hotel - Eimear McBride (McClelland & Stewart, 2020) I received an Advance Readers' Copy of this book. It will be on sale May 5, 2020. All opinions are my own. This is a strange little book. If you've read Eimear McBride before that might not surprise you. (And if you haven't previously read McBride… Continue reading Book Review: Strange Hotel by Eimear McBride
2020: Bookish Goals
At the beginning of 2019 I set myself the goal of reading 100 books. It felt like an ambitious and perhaps foolhardy goal but I was able to accomplish and even surpass it. (104 was my final number.) I'm pretty proud of that. More than that though I appreciate that this goal made me think… Continue reading 2020: Bookish Goals
What I Read – 2019
Over the month of December I shared some of favourite reads of 2019 in my Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards, so feel free to glance back over those posts if you're curious about what I enjoyed reading this year. This post will focus on my overall reading statistics and at the end I'll share a… Continue reading What I Read – 2019
Merry Christmas to All!
Hello and Happy Holidays! It's the night before Christmas Eve and life is a little chaotic in our house. This is a busy season for me at work and Peter and Rose are both battling illnesses. Presents are wrapped and stockings ready to be filled tomorrow night. There won't be homemade cinnamon buns on Christmas… Continue reading Merry Christmas to All!
Best Book Published in 2019
Here we conclude The Second Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards. Thanks for following along! I have loved hearing everyone else's opinions and picks for the categories and it has definitely expanded my TBR for 2020 (not that I particularly needed help in that area)! Finding a balance between new and old books is always… Continue reading Best Book Published in 2019
Best Fiction Book
Despite my sporadic posting, two more categories remain in The Second Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards. Today we focus on the Best Fiction Book read in 2019. This is a big category because fiction makes up the largest chunk of what I read. I started out with a list of 15 books and have… Continue reading Best Fiction Book
Best Non-Fiction
If you follow along here, you might notice that most of my reading is fictional. That said, 2019 has seen me reading more non-fiction than I ever have before. In fact, looking at the numbers, I've almost doubled the amount of non-fiction compared to 2018. Part of this is because of my Writers' Fest Challenge,… Continue reading Best Non-Fiction
Best Book by a Canadian
Welcome back to the next segment of the Second Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards! Again, this is a highly subjective award, based only on what I've read in 2019 and my own preferences. I really wanted to make today's category Best Canadian Book. Meaning, the best book that expressed something of what Canada is,… Continue reading Best Book by a Canadian
Best Short Stories
The Second Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards got off to a great start this week - thank you to all who shared their picks for best translated work! Today I'm focusing on short story collections. I love short stories. It wasn't until university that I really began to appreciate them - before that my… Continue reading Best Short Stories


