My name is Ruth. I grew up with my younger sister, Lucille, under the care of my grandmother, Mrs. Sylvia Foster, and when she died, of her sisters-in-law, Misses Lily and Nona Foster, and when they fled, of her daughter, Mrs. Sylvia Fisher. These first sentences of Marilynne Robinson's novel Housekeeping (aside from being some… Continue reading Book Review: Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
If there's a lesson to be learned from Before the Fall, it might be "Don't be fabulously rich because people will want to kill you." Or, at the very least, "Don't fly on private planes". The characters in Noah Hawley's debut novel (to be released at the end of this month) are rich in a… Continue reading Book Review: Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
I've read three books by John Green before this one (see my reviews of The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska) so it's safe to say that I enjoy his writing. Green captures teens well, finding that balance between realism and fiction to keep the story interesting. Our main character here is Quentin,… Continue reading Book Review: Paper Towns by John Green
This isn't a book review for the simple fact that I didn't finish reading this book. About halfway through, the main character is the victim of an act of horrific violence and I just couldn't continue. I've never read Edna O'Brien before so I have no idea if this, her first novel in years, is… Continue reading Not a Book Review: The Little Red Chairs by Edna O’Brien
If you're not familiar with Miroslav Sasek's travel books for children, you should be. Filled with colourful pictures and facts about cities around the world, the books are beautiful and interesting. And not just for children. But children do enjoy them! A Czech writer and illustrator, Sasek was first inspired to write about Paris, condensing… Continue reading Book Review: Children’s Travel Books by Miroslav Sasek (Reading with Pearl)
How much devastation can you pack into 100 pages? A lot. Even more when every word is true. In the vein of Night by Elie Wiesel or Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, Marceline Loridan-Ivens recounts her years as a slave (her word) in several prisons and concentrations camps. Loridan-Ivens was arrested with her… Continue reading Book Review: But You Did Not Come Back by Marceline Loridan-Ivens
There are books that, once you read them, change your view of literature and what it can be. One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of those books for me. This was the first I'd read from Gabriel Garcia Marquez, on an island in the Philippines, more than ten years ago, and the first example… Continue reading Friday Favourite: One Hundred Years of Solititude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
People love others not because they are lovable necessarily but because it takes such a weight off the heart. Having read one previous novel by Elizabeth Hay (Alone in the Classroom), I began to read her latest book expecting a decent read. I'm happy to report that Hay blew my expectations out of the water.… Continue reading Book Review: His Whole Life by Elizabeth Hay
*I've added a new page on the blog that lists all the book reviews. Currently, it is alphabetical by author's last name. Let me know if you have thoughts on better/additional ways to organize that. Feel free to check out some of the older reviews, including some books I'd forgotten I'd ever reviewed! Did you… Continue reading What I Read – April 2016
It's rare that I really neglect my child in order to read a book, but I came pretty close while reading The Secret History. Tartt provides all the suspense of a good mystery, mixed in with a lot of thoughtful philosophy, strong characters, and great writing. Our narrator is Richard, a young man who… Continue reading Book Review: The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Karissa Reads Books 