If you ever thought that the Scooby Gang probably needed therapy as adults, this book is for you. Set in the 1990s, the action of Meddling Kids takes place a decade or so after the final case of the Blyton Summer Detective Club. Four kids (and their dog) foil the plans of a grown man… Continue reading Book Review: Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero (Blumhouse Books, 2017)
Author: Karissa
Book Review: Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
I really enjoyed this novel from first time author Ayobami Adebayo. Stay With Me is set in Nigeria, beginning in the early years of marriage between Yejide and Akin. They meet in university and have an instant connection. Despite polygamy being a common occurrence in Nigeria at this time, they agree that this will not be the… Continue reading Book Review: Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
What I Read – July 2017
Woefully lately but in the interests of keeping track (for myself because I'm sure no one has been waiting with baited breath), here is what I read in July: The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill (Harper Collins Publishers, 2017) Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo (Knopf, 2017) Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero (Blumhouse Books, 2017) Himself by Jess… Continue reading What I Read – July 2017
Book Review: Teardown by Clea Young
My boss handed me a copy of Teardown after I detailed my weekend to her recently. Namely that, while in Vancouver, Peter and I went to IKEA with Pearl in tow. We hadn't been since I was about seven months pregnant with Pearl and had looked forward to the visit. We smugly wandered through the living… Continue reading Book Review: Teardown by Clea Young
Book Review: The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
I've long been told that I should read Isabel Allende so I happily picked up this second hand copy at Powell's Books when in Portland. The Japanese Lover wasn't exactly what I expected but Allende didn't disappoint. Her writing is effective, dense, and infinitely enjoyable. Allende packs a lot into this book. The story encompasses a lot… Continue reading Book Review: The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
Book Review: Autobiography by G.K. Chesterton
I've previously read Chesterton's The Man Who was Thursday (review here), Orthodoxy, and some of his Father Brown mysteries and generally enjoyed Chesterton's writing. So I thought it might be interesting to read his autobiography, first published in 1936. Autobiography is, perhaps, a misleading title. What this book really is is a series of essays,… Continue reading Book Review: Autobiography by G.K. Chesterton
Book Review: The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill
I've read all of Heather O'Neill's published work and reviewed two of them here. (Daydream of Angels and Lullabies for Little Criminals) Obviously, I enjoy her work and thankfully her latest novel didn't disappoint. If you like O'Neill's previous work, then I think you'll be pleased with The Lonely Hearts Hotel. Using Montreal once again as her setting,… Continue reading Book Review: The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill
Book Review: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
I was inspired to re-read Agatha Christie's famous mystery novel And Then There Were None after reading FictionFan's book review. I'd read this short mystery story a couple of times before, years ago, but it had always stuck in my memory as one of the finest mystery novels I've read. Years ago, reading it for the first time,… Continue reading Book Review: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Canada Day 2017
This year Canada celebrated 150 years of existing as Canada. We are obviously a young country and we would do well to remember that culture existed and people lived on this land for many, many years before European settlers arrived. In 150 years, we as a nation have made a great many mistakes and we… Continue reading Canada Day 2017
What I Read – June 2017
This felt like kind of a strange reading month for me. I started off by reading Alexie's memoir and Verghese' back-to-back, while also working my way through Chesterton's autobiography. While I enjoyed each one, it also felt like a lot of male experiences and I was itching for some feminine perspective to balance it out.… Continue reading What I Read – June 2017






