After reading The Lotus Eaters (read my review here), it seemed fitting to read something about the Vietnam War from a North Vietnam perspective. The Sorrow of War was written by Bao Ninh, who served as a teenager for North Vietnam. While the book is fictional, it's easy to imagine that it's based on a… Continue reading Book Review: The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh
Reading books for children and youth as an adult means you start to see the same things over and over again. There are tropes common to many books intended for children. So when you read a kids' book with some fresh ideas, you really notice. Adam and Cressida Bloom are brother and sister and, like… Continue reading Book Review: The Talent Thief by Alex Williams (Reading with Pearl)
Although not as widely known as some of other Tolkien's books (have you heard of The Lord of the Rings?), Roverandom is one of my favourite reads on a sick day. So when Pearl recently had her first cold and wanted lots of cuddles, we snuggled up together and I read this to her. It's… Continue reading Book Review: Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien (Reading with Pearl)
Remembrance is a short book, more of an essay, really than maybe even a story. I read it in one middle-of-the-night baby-feeding session. It's the story of three David MacDonalds; father and son and grandfather. The focus is primarily the first David MacDonald, who left his pregnant wife and young daughter to serve with the… Continue reading Book Review: Remembrance by Alistair MacLeod
Sometimes you reach the end of a book and you have to go into the other room and simply sit and stare at your sleeping baby for a few minutes. Yann Martel is, of course, best known as the author of The Life of Pi. A book that powerful is a hard act to follow… Continue reading Book Review: Beatrice & Virgil by Yann Martel
The Lotus Eaters begins with the following quote from The Odyssey: Those who ate the honeyed fruit of the plant lost any wish to come back and bring us news. All they now wanted was to stay where they were with the Lotus-eaters, to browse on the lotus, and to forget all thoughts of return.… Continue reading Book Review: The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli
Let's talk about story. And narration. And unreliable narrators and memory and aging. Each of these subjects is what Julian Barnes' The Sense of an Ending is really about. The plot is really more of an excuse to examine these topics. That's not to say there is no plot or that the plot is no… Continue reading Book Review: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
The Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penney (Penguin Canada, 2006) Read my review here. The Bone Sharps - Tim Bowling (Gaspereau Press, 2007) Read my review here. Remembrance - Alistair MacLeod (McClelland & Stewart, 2012) The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes (Vintage Canada, 2012) Beatrice & Virgil - Yann Martel (Alfred A. Knopf… Continue reading What I Read – October 2015
Last Christmas my terrific brother-in-law and his lovely wife gave us a collection of Little Golden Books. We all remember Little Golden Books from our childhood, right? They're awesome. I love reading books from my own kid days with Pearl. However, sometimes re-reading kids books as an adult casts a new light on them. (Spoilers… Continue reading Book Review: The Tawny Scrawny Lion by Kathryn Jackson, illus. by Gustaf Tenggren (Reading with Pearl)
I really disliked this book. It surprised me how much I disliked this book. And then it surprised me to remember that this book is a Giller prize winner*, an award that is highly respected within Canada. I'm not surprised that a book I don't like won the Giller prize because literary enjoyment can be… Continue reading Book Review: The Bishop’s Man by Linden MacIntyre
Karissa Reads Books 