This category came to life when I was looking over the books I read in 2018 and realized how many were written by people I knew in real life. Having done a Writing degree and worked in the book industry I've worked, learned, and been taught by some fantastic writers. I did not include writers… Continue reading Best Book Written by Someone I Know
Best Book From an Author I’ve Read Before
Today's category is the opposite of yesterday's. These are books from authors I've read and (obviously) enjoyed previously and so searched out further writing from them. Honourable Mention: Lila- Marilynne Robinson (Harper Collins, 2014) Rules of Civility - Amor Towles (Penguin Books, 2011) Indian Horse - Richard Wagamese (Douglas & McIntyre, 2012) Washington Black - Esi Edugyan (Patrick… Continue reading Best Book From an Author I’ve Read Before
Best Book From a New-to-Me Author
Welcome to the next instalment of Karissa Reads Books 2018 Literary Awards! Today's category covers authors with an established body of work (ie: more than one published book) but someone I've never read before. Basically, if I read a book and promptly added that author's complete works to my To Read list, they get a… Continue reading Best Book From a New-to-Me Author
Best Young Reader Book
Today's Award Category is for the Best Book I read in 2018 aimed at the Young Reader. Because I don't read a huge amount of young adult fiction, I'm classifying this as books for readers from 8-16, which, I know is a broad category but these are my literary awards. You can start your own.… Continue reading Best Young Reader Book
The First Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards
That's an ambitious title. And maybe a more honest one would be The First (Maybe?) Annual Karissa Reads Books Awards of Some Books I Read This Year. But that doesn't sound so impressive. This idea is blatantly inspired by FictionFan's Annual (really) Awards that are far more organized than mine (so you should check them… Continue reading The First Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards
What I Read – November 2018
After my lacklustre showing for October, I kicked my reading up a notch for November READ: A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth (Little, Brown & Company, 1993) (Read my full review here.) Fat, ligament, muscle, blood, hair, affection, pity, despair, anxiety, illness: all were no more. She had dispersed. She was the garden at Prem… Continue reading What I Read – November 2018
A Weekend in Vancouver
Peter and the girls and I had a pretty awesome weekend in the big city recently. Our excuse for a small splurge and some time away on a dreary November weekend was my birthday, but I kind of think we should always plan a weekend of fun away from home at this time of year… Continue reading A Weekend in Vancouver
Book Review: This Side of Brightness by Colum McCann
This Side of Brightness - Colum McCann (Phoenix Books, 1998) This book has two stories and they work backward and forward to intersect. There is the story of Nathan Walker, a young black man, a sandhog digging the tunnel under the river in New York City early in the twentieth century. And there is the… Continue reading Book Review: This Side of Brightness by Colum McCann
Book Review: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Exit West - Mohsin Hamid (Riverhead Books, 2017) This book was what I expected and not at all what I expected at the same time. It is the story of two refugees, Nadia and Saeed, who fall in love and then flee from an unnamed city under siege. It is the story of migration and… Continue reading Book Review: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Book Review: A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
My copy of this book had 1,474 pages. It is divided into 19 sections. The actions of the story takes place over approximately a year, beginning and ending with a wedding. It takes place in three or four cities (and more regions) and has multiple family trees at the beginning to help the reader keep… Continue reading Book Review: A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth




