Washington Black has not even been available for a month but it's already showing up on all sorts of award lists for the year, including The Man Booker Prize and the Giller Prize. (Edugyan won the Giller Prize for her last novel, Half Blood Blues.) I know Esi slightly in real life, back in my Victoria days. She… Continue reading Book Review: Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Author: Karissa
Held Fast
It has been two years since my second miscarriage. I doubt that I will ever watch the season turn from summer to fall without remembering those days in the hospital. I have gone back and forth over what to talk about. Whether to talk about it. Sometimes I think I talk about miscarriage too much.… Continue reading Held Fast
Book Review: Motherhood by Sheila Heti
Very early on, I wondered if I would finish this book. It aggravated me almost immediately but I pushed on, wondering what I was missing. In the end, I skim read through to the end since I was curious to find out what the narrator's final decision would be. The question that she chases throughout… Continue reading Book Review: Motherhood by Sheila Heti
Camping with Kids – Part 2
At the beginning of the summer, I shared our first experience of camping with two kids. Now I'm sharing what we've learned after a summer of camping and outdoor adventures with our kids. (Read Part 1 here.) We camped a total of four times this summer (not including the two times Peter camped out in… Continue reading Camping with Kids – Part 2
What I Read – August 2018
READ: The Boat Who Wouldn't Float - Farley Mowat (McClelland & Stewart, 1974) Farley Mowat is a difficult author to categorize because he covers such a wide variety of topics. This book was pure fun - a bit of adventure and lots of humour. A perfect book to take along on our island camping trip at… Continue reading What I Read – August 2018
Summer in (sort of) Review
Summer isn't exactly over but the end is creeping nearer. And with the smoke and haze we're currently experiencing it doesn't feel very summery now. (The smoke is from the 500+ forest fires in BC right now and much of the province is in a state of emergency so I know I can't complain just… Continue reading Summer in (sort of) Review
What I Read – July 2018
It's been a great month for books around here! Often the summer is a slower reading time for me but this year I've been able to read more than ever. I even managed to read two books while on holiday at the beginning of the month - something I haven't accomplished since before I had… Continue reading What I Read – July 2018
Book Review: A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
I know someone who moved to Australia, married an Australian, and named her daughter Alice. She's a big fan of this book. With an endorsement like that, I've been meaning to read this novel for years. When I finally got my hands on a copy, it took me only days to make it through. The… Continue reading Book Review: A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
Book Review: Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson
I read Be Frank With Me in a couple of days while away on the island. It was a fine vacation read - easy and entertaining. It had been recommended to me by an acquaintance when it first came out and so I was happy to find a secondhand copy recently. It is the kind of… Continue reading Book Review: Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson
Island Adventures
We're packing as much fun as we possibly can into summer around here. After our test camping trip, we hopped on two ferries and visited Vancouver Island for a few days. We went to Victoria first - one of my favourite cities and the place I lived for seven years. We still have a few… Continue reading Island Adventures






