READ: Mysterious Fragrance of the Yellow Mountains - Yasuko Thanh (Hamish Hamilton, 2016) I went to school with Suko and so was familiar with her unique style and had an idea of where her interests lie. This historical novel set in Vietnam lined up with my expectations and I love her short stories (Her collection Floating Like… Continue reading What I Read – April 2018
I've had David Chariandy's Brother on my To Read list since it made the Canada Reads list but when FictionFan reviewed it I knew I needed to bump it up the list. (FictionFan's review here.) Brother is set in Scarborough, in the 1980s/early 90s. Scarborough was incorporated into Greater Toronto in 1999 but at this time it was… Continue reading Book Review: Brother by David Chariandy
I read Claire Fuller's most recent novel, Swimming Lessons, (review here) last year and was intrigued enough by her writing to seek out her previous book at the local library. I'm glad I did because I actually liked Our Endless Numbered Days quite a bit more than I liked Swimming Lessons. A book part of that is the… Continue reading Book Review: Our Endless Numbered Days – Claire Fuller
Read: The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern (Doubleday Canada, 2011) More style than substance though I enjoyed it while I was reading it. A month (or less) later, I can't remember much but it entertained me at the time. And No Birds Sang - Farley Mowat (McClelland & Stewart, 1979) Mowat is a Canadian classic and I've… Continue reading What I Read – March 2018
Does this picture sum up how Pearl feels about her baby sister? Actually, Pearl is a great big sister and is often (not always) eager to help. She likes to get me diapers and blankets and choose clothes for Rose. She likes to bring Rose toys when Rose fusses and will gleefully tell me when… Continue reading What March Looked Like
I've read one novel (Boy, Snow, Bird) and a short story collection (What is not Yours is not Yours reviewed here) from Helen Oyeyei and it was interesting to go back and read her first novel. Icarus Girl is a strange, surreal, sometimes confusing novel. None of that is surprising, having read Oyeyemi previously, especially her most recent… Continue reading Book Review: The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi
My disclaimer: I know Bill Gaston in real life. He was one of my profs in university and taught one of my favourite workshops. He was a great prof and an all-round good guy. When he was a featured writer at our local Writers' Festival a couple of years ago I was asked to introduce… Continue reading Book Review: A Mariner’s Guide to Self-Sabotage by Bill Gaston
Last weekend we celebrated three years of Pearl. Three years of fun and laughter and tears and growth. Pearl chose "raccoons" as the theme for her birthday party. Those are her raccoon friends, Douglas and Bandit. (And her baby sister.) We had a nice, simple party with family and friends and cupcakes. Pearl is not… Continue reading Pearl is 3!
2018 has obviously not been a great year for book reviews thus far but I am sneaking in lots of reading time. Here's what I read in February and the quickest reviews I can manage at this moment: The Hut Builder - Laurence Fearnley (Penguin Books, 2010 New Zealand novel. I likely would have abandoned this… Continue reading What I Read – February 2018
My brother, who knows the author, gave me a copy of Your Heart is the Size of Your Fist, for my birthday. My big brother and I have similar taste a lot of the time, especially in books and music, and he's one of the smartest people I know so I'm always happy to receive a… Continue reading Book Review: Your Heart is the Size of Your Fist by Martina Scholtens
Karissa Reads Books 