Every Little Scrap and Wonder - Carla Funk (Greystone Books, 2019) When I was in university, I had a professor with whom I took several poetry workshops. These were three hour workshops, often full of intense conversation. Sometimes they began at eight in the morning and we dragged ourselves out of bed, barely dressed, and… Continue reading Book Review: Every Little Scrap and Wonder by Carla Funk
Here I Am! - Pauline Holdstock (Biblioasis, 2019) I received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book. All opinions are my own. I didn't initially plan on reading Pauline Holdstock's latest novel because, hey, I've The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and I felt like I'd heard this story before. Quirky, child… Continue reading Book Review: Here I Am! by Pauline Holdstock
The Innocents - Michael Crummey (Doubleday Canada, 2019) Michael Crummey is an absolutely beautiful writer. His prose is evocative and thoughtful and unique. He does description of place in fresh and fascinating ways. His books are usually quite character-driven while also maintaining a certain distance between reader and character. His protagonists are eery, otherworldly, a… Continue reading Book Review: The Innocents by Michael Crummey
October has not had a great start in either the book review or the book reading department. I've completed 3 books and DNFed 2 others and am contemplating abandoning a current read. In an effort to break the cycle, I'm sharing a bit of what I've read so far as well as some recent life… Continue reading Mid-Month Check-In and Happy Thanksgiving!
Lampedusa - Steven Price (McClelland & Stewart, 2019) Lampedusa is a quiet, contemplative novel about a man close to death. It opens in Sicily, in Palermo, as Giuseppe Tomasi, the last prince of Lampedusa learns that he is dying of emphysema. Giuseppe is an older but not old man, prematurely aged by both his smoking… Continue reading Book Review: Lampedusa by Steven Price
Rose is 2! We ended September with a party and a birthday to celebrate another whole year of our Rose. I'll admit, I'm sort of in shock over this one because how can my baby be entirely out of babyhood and into toddlerhood? Rose doesn't yet say her own name but refers to herself as… Continue reading Rose is 2!
The shortlist for the 2019 Giller Prize was announced yesterday. This is, arguably, the most prestigious of awards for Canadian literature. The announcement yesterday narrows the playing field from twelve to six. This year I've decided to read as many as I can. As it turns out, I've already read 4 of the shortlisted titles… Continue reading The Giller Prize 2019: Shortlist
Read: The Fall - Albert Camus (Alfred A. Knopf, 1957) To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (Warner Books, 1982) Go Set a Watchman - Harper Lee (HarperCollins, 2015) The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? - F.F. Bruce (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1981) Everything Under - Daisy Johnson (Jonathan Cape, 2018) Milkman -… Continue reading What I Read – September 2019
My Sister, the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite (Anchor Books, 2018) This book was not what I expected. For some reason, I thought the serial killer sister was more of a metaphor but no, our main character and narrator's sister is, in fact, a serial killer. A serial killer, we learn, is defined as someone… Continue reading Book Review: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Half Magic - Edward Eager (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016) This is a sweet, old-fashioned story about four siblings who discover a magic coin. The eldest, Jane, picks it up on the sidewalk one day and quickly discovers it grants wishes. Except that it only grants half the wish. So when Jane wishes for a fire,… Continue reading Book Review: Half Magic by Edward Eager
Karissa Reads Books 