Lampedusa - Steven Price (McClelland & Stewart, 2019) Lampedusa is a quiet, contemplative novel about a man close to death. It opens in Sicily, in Palermo, as Giuseppe Tomasi, the last prince of Lampedusa learns that he is dying of emphysema. Giuseppe is an older but not old man, prematurely aged by both his smoking… Continue reading Book Review: Lampedusa by Steven Price
Rose is 2! We ended September with a party and a birthday to celebrate another whole year of our Rose. I'll admit, I'm sort of in shock over this one because how can my baby be entirely out of babyhood and into toddlerhood? Rose doesn't yet say her own name but refers to herself as… Continue reading Rose is 2!
The shortlist for the 2019 Giller Prize was announced yesterday. This is, arguably, the most prestigious of awards for Canadian literature. The announcement yesterday narrows the playing field from twelve to six. This year I've decided to read as many as I can. As it turns out, I've already read 4 of the shortlisted titles… Continue reading The Giller Prize 2019: Shortlist
Read: The Fall - Albert Camus (Alfred A. Knopf, 1957) To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (Warner Books, 1982) Go Set a Watchman - Harper Lee (HarperCollins, 2015) The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? - F.F. Bruce (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1981) Everything Under - Daisy Johnson (Jonathan Cape, 2018) Milkman -… Continue reading What I Read – September 2019
My Sister, the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite (Anchor Books, 2018) This book was not what I expected. For some reason, I thought the serial killer sister was more of a metaphor but no, our main character and narrator's sister is, in fact, a serial killer. A serial killer, we learn, is defined as someone… Continue reading Book Review: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Half Magic - Edward Eager (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016) This is a sweet, old-fashioned story about four siblings who discover a magic coin. The eldest, Jane, picks it up on the sidewalk one day and quickly discovers it grants wishes. Except that it only grants half the wish. So when Jane wishes for a fire,… Continue reading Book Review: Half Magic by Edward Eager
As I read through K.D. Miller's short story collection, I began to create a web of characters, drawing lines between the names that appeared on the pages of various stories. The stories are linked in the most satisfying type of way. Existing in the same world, primarily taking place in Hamilton or Sackville, the characters… Continue reading Book Review: Late Breaking by K.D. Miller
Grand Union - Zadie Smith (Penguin Press, 2019) I received an Advance Uncorrected Proof of this book. All opinions are my own. I've read three other books by Zadie Smith and have always sort of generally enjoyed her writing but never been quite wowed by it. (My unpopular opinion is that I liked The Embassy… Continue reading Book Review: Grand Union by Zadie Smith
Milkman - Anna Burns (Graywolf Press, 2018) I'll admit, it took me quite a while to finish this book. While that doesn't sound like a rave review, I don't blame Milkman. This was a book that required a certain amount of attention, a certain buy-in if you will. The style of the writing and the… Continue reading Book Review: Milkman by Anna Burns
Everything Under - Daisy Johnson (Jonathan Cape, 2018) It's no coincidence that the main character and narrator of Everything Under is named Gretel. The name instantly conjures up a picture of a lost little girl. One stumbling through the forest, abandoned by her parents, in the clutches of a witch. But also the little girl… Continue reading Book Review: Everything Under by Daisy Johnson
Karissa Reads Books 