With her second novel, Hannah Kent confirms that she is a master of historical fiction. As with Burial Rites (read my review here), Kent uses a true historical story to build her novel around. This time the setting is early 19th century Ireland and the tale revolves around "the good people" - the fairies and… Continue reading Book Review: The Good People by Hannah Kent
This collection of short essays (plus an interview and a short story) follows Higashida's previous book translated into English, The Reason I Jump. I haven't read Higashida before and while The Reason I Jump may provide some helpful context and personal history, I don't think it's necessary to have read it first. It also… Continue reading Book Review: Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8 by Naoki Higashida
The Heart's Invisible Furies follows the life of Cyril Avery, beginning in the 1940s and jumping ahead every seven years and, in doing so, also outlining the history of Ireland in the 20th century and many of the changes it went through. We begin with Cyril's mother, publicly cast out of her church, family, and… Continue reading Book Review: The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Salman Rushdie's latest novel begins with the arrival of Nero Golden and his three sons in New York City, on the day of Barack Obama's inauguration. These four men have appeared in the city under mysterious circumstances, from an unnamed country, with assumed names. They move into a close knit, wealthy neighbourhood with a… Continue reading Book Review: The Golden House by Salman Rushdie
I didn't finish reading this book. A few short chapters in, I realized that I was most definitely not the target audience and I simply wasn't being grabbed by what was happening on the page. That said, I do feel like I can recommend it because Karissa ages 8 - 12 would have loved this… Continue reading Book Review: The Wonderlings by Mira Bartok
The Bear and the Nightingale - Katherine Arden (Del Rey, 2017) Teardown - Clea Young (Free Hand Books, 2016) Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8 - Naoki Higashida (Random House, 2017) The Golden House - Salman Rushdie (Random House, 2017) Currently Reading: The Beauty Myth - Naomi Wolf The Wind is not a River… Continue reading What I Read – August 2017
When I think of books to compare Himself to, nothing springs to mind. When I think of how to describe Himself, the first word that comes to me is "Irish". This book is very Irish. From the setting to the dialogue, maybe even to the mystical elements it contains. Mahoney, an orphan from a young… Continue reading Book Review: Himself by Jess Kidd
As August quickly approaches its end, we've started to look ahead to the fall in our household. Peter's work schedule changes to its more regular hours in a couple weeks and so the rhythm of our days will revert back to its more ordinary flow. In the meantime, we are enjoying our last days of… Continue reading The Rest of the Summer (So Far)
If you ever thought that the Scooby Gang probably needed therapy as adults, this book is for you. Set in the 1990s, the action of Meddling Kids takes place a decade or so after the final case of the Blyton Summer Detective Club. Four kids (and their dog) foil the plans of a grown man… Continue reading Book Review: Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero (Blumhouse Books, 2017)
I really enjoyed this novel from first time author Ayobami Adebayo. Stay With Me is set in Nigeria, beginning in the early years of marriage between Yejide and Akin. They meet in university and have an instant connection. Despite polygamy being a common occurrence in Nigeria at this time, they agree that this will not be the… Continue reading Book Review: Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
Karissa Reads Books 