My initial reaction and concern upon reading the tagline of this book - "The true story of an 11-year-old panhandler, a busy sales executive, and an unlikely meeting with destiny" - was that it would turn out to be a sort of "white saviour" story. Wealthy white women meets young black boy and his life… Continue reading Book Review: An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff & Alex Tresniowski
I'm not sure that I would have finished The Trees, except that it was loaned to me by an acquaintance and I didn't want to seem like someone who doesn't finish books. (They offered to loan it to me after I commented on how beautiful the cover is. Seriously, that's a lovely cover, isn't it?)… Continue reading Book Review: The Trees by Ali Shaw
Joseph Boyden is easily one of the best Canadian writers currently being published and I'm a big fan. His latest offering is much shorter than his three previous works - I read Wenjack in two sittings over a couple of days - but brings forth all his familiar talent. What sets this brief story apart… Continue reading Book Review: Wenjack by Joseph Boyden
I make no secret of the fact that Ann Patchett is one of my favourite authors. So when I found out she had a new book coming out this fall, I immediately pre-ordered it. I'm happy to report that Commonwealth doesn't disappoint. Patchett's latest novel begins in the 1960s at a christening party. Franny Keating is… Continue reading Book Review: Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
Missing, Presumed - Susie Steiner (Harper Collins, 2016) Rumours of Another World - Philip Yancey (Zondervan, 2004) Commonwealth - Ann Patchett (Harper, 2016) Flight Behavior - Barbara Kingsolver (Harper Perennial, 2012) Currently Reading: Prayer - Timothy Keller The Trees - Ali Shaw
I love just about everything from Oliver Jeffers that I've gotten my hands on. (The Day the Crayons Quit is probably my favourite.) His illustrations are unique and his stories are fun and whimsical and often hilarious. His most recent book, a collaboration with the artist Sam Winston doesn't disappoint. While A Child of Books… Continue reading Reading with Pearl: A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
If you've been reading reviews here for a while, you may have noticed I don't read many mysteries. The truth is, I'm kind of a chicken. I have an overactive imagination and when I read horror or violence I have a hard time keeping my brain from focusing on those mental images. (And it doesn't… Continue reading Book Review: Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner
The Nightingale offers a interesting conundrum to a book reader. It's an engaging, easy-to-read story and so it's not hard to understand why so many readers seem to have fallen in love with it recently. On the other hand, it's also not very well-written. After hearing some rave reviews of Kristin Hannah's latest novel (I'd… Continue reading Book Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Fans of Maria Semple's previous novel, Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, will not be disappointed by her new offering. Today Will Be Different has all the wackiness, sentimentality, family love, and Seattle adoration that Bernadette brought without feeling like Semple treads ground already covered. (Though readers may find some of it familiar.) Eleanor is our eccentric… Continue reading Book Review: Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple
The Nest seems to have been one of the more hyped books of Spring/Summer 2016 and so it's disappointing that, in the end, it was only kind of mediocre. It's an easy read - something to pick up on a long weekend or a couple of days at the beach - but there's no real… Continue reading Book Review: The Nest by Maria by Cynthia d’Aprix Sweeney
Karissa Reads Books 