READ: Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng (Penguin Press, 2017) This book wasn't at all what I expected but it was so much better. Such a compelling read and Ng nails so much of what is wonderful and terrifying about motherhood. Highly recommended. Our Animal Hearts - Dania Tomlinson (Anchor Canada, 2018) Full review here. The Silmarillion -… Continue reading What I Read – June 2018
Many years ago Dania Tomlinson and I worked together at a bookstore. So when I learned that she was publishing her first novel I made sure to order a copy. I like to support authors I know, plus, based on the books I'd seen Dania read and recommend, I felt like we have somewhat similar… Continue reading Book Review: Our Animal Hearts by Dania Tomlinson
The Alice Network tells the story of two women and two world wars, connected by one profiteering villain. We meet Charlie St. Clair in 1947, newly arrived in Europe with her mother in order to take care of her Little Problem/unwed pregnancy. Charlie has her own plans though and soon escapes from her mother in… Continue reading Book Review: The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Read: The Boat People - Sharon Bala (McClelland & Stewart, 2018) (Read my review here.) The Redress of Poetry - Seamus Heaney (Faber and Faber, 1995) A Grace Disguised - Jerry Sittser (Zondervan, 2004) Loss is loss, whatever the circumstances. All losses are bad, only bad in different ways. No two losses are ever the same. Each loss… Continue reading What I Read – May 2018
I received this book as an Advanced Reading Copy. It will be available for sale September 25, 2018. Most of what I know about leprosy comes from the Bible. That might sound like the set-up for a joke but it's true. Leprosy seems like one of those old-timey diseases that only people in Biblical times… Continue reading Book Review: Confessions of a Teenage Leper by Ashley Little
I almost didn't finish this book. It is well-written, well-researched, and compelling. It was shortlisted for the most recent Canada Reads competition. I'd read several very positive reviews. (Anne's over at ivereadthis.com forced me to move the book up my To Read list.) I did finish The Boat People and I'm glad I did but it was… Continue reading Book Review: The Boat People by Sharon Bala
This was the fourth book I've read by David Mitchell and his work surprises me each time. If you've read Cloud Atlas then you may know Mitchell as an author who isn't afraid to play with form. But what really impresses me about Mitchell's novels is how entirely different they are from one another. Black Swan… Continue reading Book Review: Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
READ: Mysterious Fragrance of the Yellow Mountains - Yasuko Thanh (Hamish Hamilton, 2016) I went to school with Suko and so was familiar with her unique style and had an idea of where her interests lie. This historical novel set in Vietnam lined up with my expectations and I love her short stories (Her collection Floating Like… Continue reading What I Read – April 2018
I've had David Chariandy's Brother on my To Read list since it made the Canada Reads list but when FictionFan reviewed it I knew I needed to bump it up the list. (FictionFan's review here.) Brother is set in Scarborough, in the 1980s/early 90s. Scarborough was incorporated into Greater Toronto in 1999 but at this time it was… Continue reading Book Review: Brother by David Chariandy
I read Claire Fuller's most recent novel, Swimming Lessons, (review here) last year and was intrigued enough by her writing to seek out her previous book at the local library. I'm glad I did because I actually liked Our Endless Numbered Days quite a bit more than I liked Swimming Lessons. A book part of that is the… Continue reading Book Review: Our Endless Numbered Days – Claire Fuller
Karissa Reads Books 