Well, I finished it. I took my sweet time but I finished reading Don Quixote. I made my first attempt at Don Quixote in 2008, on the recommendation of someone whose book taste I usually agree with. I think I read most of the Part I before I sheepishly returned his copy and promptly left… Continue reading Book Review: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
I have to confess - I'm not a fan of Margaret Atwood's writing. I tell people this like I'm confessing a guilty secret. Something a little dirty; certainly not something a good Canadian feminist reader and writer should think. But there it is and it's the truth. Don't get me wrong, I fully appreciate that… Continue reading Book Review: The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
Reading a book that you end up not enjoying is disappointing enough but it feels extra disappointing when you're able to see the possibilities of how good that book could have been. The God of Small Things was that kind of read for me. The story follows twin brother and sister, Estha and Rahel, and… Continue reading Book Review: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
As you may be aware, March 8th is International Women's Day. A couple of years ago, I shared about the books by women that I have on my shelves. (That list could use a bit of an update, to be honest, but there are still lots of great women writers there.) Today I thought I'd… Continue reading International Women’s Day
This is a unique little book in that it isn't quite a Biblical lesson, it isn't quite a story. It's a retelling, of sorts, of the stories of Saul, David, and Absalom, particularly as relates to David's connections with each. Saul was the first king of Israel, chosen by God when the people demanded they… Continue reading Book Review: A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards
I'm trying something new here and (at least for the next little while) will be devoting the first Friday of every month to sharing about one of my favourite books. I love talking about and reviewing new (to me) books, but I don't often get to talk about books I've read in the past and… Continue reading A Friday Favourite: In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje
I wasn't familiar with Jenny Lawson before I read this book but she is best known for her website, The Bloggess. This is her second book and largely consists of personal stories, focusing on her own struggles with mental illness. I really applaud Lawson's honesty and her work to mitigate much of the stigma surrounding… Continue reading Book Review: Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
Music for Wartime - Rebecca Makkai (Viking, 2015) The Givenness of Things - Marilynne Robinson (HarperCollins, 2015) (Truth be told, I only read half of this before I had to return it to the library. But I really enjoyed what I read and I hope to borrow it again.) When panic on one side is… Continue reading What I Read – February 2016
If you're familiar with Yann Martel's work (and you probably are, because he wrote Life of Pi), you know that he does things a little unusually. He writes books with taxidermied animals as the main characters (read my review of Beatrice & Virgil) and he leaves you wondering about the truth of that tiger in… Continue reading Book Review: The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel
We spend too much time teaching girls to worry about what boys think of them. But the reverse is not the case. We don't teach boys to care about being likeable. We spend too much time telling girls that they cannot be angry or aggressive or tough, which is bad enough, but then we turn… Continue reading Book Review: We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Karissa Reads Books 