The Second Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards

Last year I started a new tradition of looking back over my year in reading and assigning arbitrary awards. You can check out last year's opening post here. (Again, this idea is blatantly ripped-off from FictionFan who is currently presenting her 2019 awards so you should go check those out too!) The categories, the shortlists,… Continue reading The Second Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards

What I Read – November 2019

Read: Reviving Ophelia - Mary Pipher & Sara Pipher Gilliam (Riverhead Books, 2019) Under the Lilacs - Louisa May Alcott (Nelson Doubleday Inc., 1955) The Silence of the Girls - Pat Barker (Penguin Books, 2018) Frying Plantain - Zalika Reid-Benta (Astoria, 2019) Know My Name - Chanel Miller (Viking, 2019) Emerald City - Brian Birnbaum… Continue reading What I Read – November 2019

Book Review: Emerald City by Brian Birnbaum

Emerald City - Brian Birnbaum (Dead Rabbits, 2019) I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Emerald City is both Brian Birnbaum's debut novel and the first release from a new press, Dead Rabbits. It should be noted that Birnbaum is one of the founders of Dead Rabbits. Both… Continue reading Book Review: Emerald City by Brian Birnbaum

Book Review: Know My Name by Chanel Miller

Know My Name - Chanel Miller (Viking, 2019) Like over fifteen million other people, I read Chanel Miller's victim impact statement when it was first published. Like many others, I wept as I read it. Because even though it wasn't my story, it was the story of so many women around me. A story I… Continue reading Book Review: Know My Name by Chanel Miller

Book Review: The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

The Silence of the Girls - Pat Barker (Penguin Books, 2018) In Silence of the Girls Pat Barker retells the story of the Trojan War from the perspective of Briseis. Once a queen, now the slave of the great warrior Achilles, Barker re-situates this ancient tale with women at the centre. While we get some… Continue reading Book Review: The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

Book Review: All the Forgivenesses by Elizabeth Hardinger

All the Forgivenesses - Elizabeth Hardinger (John Scognamiglio Books, 2019) I received an Advance Reader's Edition of this book. All opinions are my own. In recent weeks, I've been reading the Little House series with Pearl and Rose at bedtime. We're currently reading On the Banks of Plum Creek, the fourth in the series by… Continue reading Book Review: All the Forgivenesses by Elizabeth Hardinger

Book Review: Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher & Sara Pipher Gilliam

Reviving Ophelia - Mary Pipher & Sara Pipher Gilliam (Riverhead Books, 2019) When I first read Reviving Ophelia, I was about five years too late. Or twenty years too early, depending on your perspective. I was in my early twenties, out of the adolescent years that Pipher focuses on. Reviving Ophelia first came out in… Continue reading Book Review: Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher & Sara Pipher Gilliam

What I Read – October 2019

Read: Risen Motherhood - Emily Jensen & Laura Wifler (Harvest House Publishers, 2019) The Innocents - Michael Crummey (Doubleday Canada, 2019) Here I Am! - Pauline Holdstock (Biblioasis, 2019) Every Little Scrap and Wonder - Carla Funk (Greystone Books, 2019) The Blythes are Quoted - L.M. Montgomery (Viking Canada, 2009) Frankly in Love - David… Continue reading What I Read – October 2019

Book Review: Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Frankly in Love - David Yoon (Putnam, 2019) I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Let's start with what doesn't work about this young adult novel. It's way too long. It's over 400 pages and it seems to cover almost everything that could possibly happen to a teenage… Continue reading Book Review: Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Book Review: The Blythes are Quoted by L.M. Montgomery

The Blythes are Quoted - L.M. Montgomery (Viking Books, 2009) As a kid, I loved L.M. Montgomery's books. They were cozy and sweet and always had a happy ending. I read and re-read each one; I owned most of Montgomery's books and got the others from the library. I read the series and the novels… Continue reading Book Review: The Blythes are Quoted by L.M. Montgomery