(Point Form) (Audio) Book Review: The Damages by Genevieve Scott

Point form book reviews are reviews where I have something to say about a book I've read (or, in this case, listened to) but I don't have enough coherent thought around to write a full review. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would Did not know it was split into two parts, set… Continue reading (Point Form) (Audio) Book Review: The Damages by Genevieve Scott

Book Review: I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

Grove Books, 2024 I don't mind confessing that I was drawn to this book by the combo of the cover picture and the title. The image of simply sailing away from whatever chaos that fire is on the right side and responding, "I cheerfully refuse" when someone tries to draw you into said chaos was… Continue reading Book Review: I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

Book Review: The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard

I loved this book. Picking up a book by a new author, particularly when the book is the author's first publication, can be a exciting but risky endeavour. I saw The Other Valley on a list of new publications and that it was being compared to books by Emily St. John Mandel and Kazuo Ishiguro,… Continue reading Book Review: The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard

Book Review: The Future by Catherine Leroux

I picked The Future up when it was shortlisted for this year's Canada Reads competition. This is where 5 books are "championed" by famous Canadians over the course of one week until there is one final winner. I always follow along with interest but it doesn't generally add a lot of titles to my TBR.… Continue reading Book Review: The Future by Catherine Leroux

Book Review: 2 Irish Short Story Collections

Antarctica by Claire Keegan and The End of the World is a Cul de Sac by Louise Kennedy are two short story collections by female Irish writers. Since I read them back to back, it was hard not to compare them as I was reading and I felt it made a sort of sense to… Continue reading Book Review: 2 Irish Short Story Collections

Book Review: Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville

A thought took her by surprise: I should have been born a man. But that wasn't it. She didn't want to be a man. She just wanted to be a woman with the same freedom to choose as a man had. Kate Grenville, Restless Dolly Maunder Dolly Maunder is sharp, smart, and ambitious. Born in… Continue reading Book Review: Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville

(Audio) Book Review: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Lincoln in the Bardo - George Saunders (Random House, 2017) As you can see, this isn't a strict audio book review in that I read this book in a combination of audio and on the page. I started it on audio but then got a copy out of the library because I was having trouble… Continue reading (Audio) Book Review: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

(Audio) Book Review: What You Are Looking For Is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama

This is a book for book lovers and particular those of us who love our local libraries. It is, of sorts, a love letter to libraries and librarians. What You Are Looking for is in the Library consists of 5 unique sections, all linked by a library located in a community house in Tokyo. Each… Continue reading (Audio) Book Review: What You Are Looking For Is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama

Book Review: Monsters by Claire Dederer

Monsters - Claire Dederer (Alfred A. Knopf, 2023) What do we do with the art of monstrous men? This is the question - a fan's dilemma - that Claire Dederer delves into. It's an important one and a timely one too in the wake of #MeToo and the controversy of so-called "cancel culture". Can we… Continue reading Book Review: Monsters by Claire Dederer

Best Canadian Fiction: The 2023 Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards

Hello and welcome to the Sixth Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards! This is my annual occasion of looking back at what I’ve read and choosing the best ones in categories I’ve selected. It’s an entirely arbitrary process as I both choose the categories and the winners and the prize is nothing more than whatever… Continue reading Best Canadian Fiction: The 2023 Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards