I liked this book more than I expected to. And while that may not sound like the highest praise, it's meant to be a compliment. I knew almost nothing about the title when I picked up a copy at the thrift store, except that I had taken a single semester with John Gould as professor … Continue reading Book Review – Seven Good Reasons Not to be Good by John Gould
Last Friday, Bella the Dog went home to be with her real family. While we won't miss her slightly fishy smell and her nose in our faces at 6:15am, we had a great time with her. (I do miss the ten homemade apple-and-blackberry scones she ate.) I'll also miss how crazy she looks… Continue reading Some mornings.
Here it is, the books I hope to read this coming fall: 1. Shotgun Lovesongs by Nicholas Butler 2. Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon 3. Harvest by Jim Crace 4. Sweetland by Michael Crummey 5. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 6. The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng 7.… Continue reading Autumn 2014 Reading List
Way back at the beginning of the summer, I posted my To Read list for the coming months. So how did I do? Well, here's the list: 1. Maps & Legends by Michael Chabon Status: Unread 2. Crazy Love by Francis Chan Status: Unread 3. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler Status: Read! Read my… Continue reading In Conclusion – My Summer 2014 Reading List
It's hard to review a short story collection. You're not discussing and evaluating one plot, one set of characters - you're dealing with many. How do you approach that? Which do you focus on? I recently got to hear Bill Gaston talk about and read from Juliet Was a Surprise (Hamish Hamilton, 2014). He… Continue reading Book Review – Juliet Was a Surprise by Bill Gaston
My view tonight: And also this: September got off to an autumnal start with a good pour of rain this morning. It makes the sun look all the sweeter. Peter and I are puppy-sitting for a few weeks. This week we're making the transition to having Bella the Dog stay at our place during… Continue reading Puppies and Rain and Other Nice Things
What strikes you first when you begin to read Mãn (Random House, 2014) is its unique format. Each chapter of this slim novel reads like a long poem. The headings are unobtrusively displayed in English and Vietnamese. Most of the chapters are less than a page. They are vignettes, moments. Given their brevity, they are… Continue reading Book Review – Man by Kim Thuy
Today marks four years since the bright, sunny day on which Peter and I got married. While four years is not a monumental anniversary, it is one that deserves to be celebrated. Because I think our marriage deserves to be celebrated. It has been four good years. Four years of getting to know each other… Continue reading Four
This weekend, I got a full on literary experience, compliments of the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts. This is the longest running Canadian Festival of its kind (this weekend marked 32 years) and features a wonderful line-up of Canadian authors. It's always a delightful mixture of big name writers and up and coming… Continue reading Celebrating the Written Arts
I was about halfway through The Bluest Eye (Plume, 1994) when a friend asked me what I was currently reading. "It's pretty heavy, right?" she asked. I glanced at her little girl, munching apple slices next to me at the kitchen counter. "Yeah. It is." Racial tensions, domestic abuse, poverty, incest. Yeah, pretty dark. While… Continue reading Book Review – The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Karissa Reads Books 