The Mothers - Brit Bennett (Riverhead Books, 2016) When Nadia Turner loses her mother to suicide, her grief and anger turn into rebellion, culminating in a relationship with the son of the pastor at her father's church. Nadia is seventeen, almost finished high school, while Luke is twenty-one, floundering after an injury ended his promising… Continue reading Book Review: The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Circe - Madeline Miller (Little, Brown, and Company, 2018) I had high hopes for Circe after enjoying The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller so much and I'm pleased to report that this book didn't disappoint. Circe is our main character and our narrator. She is a daughter of Titans, daughter of Helios, the sun… Continue reading Book Review: Circe by Madeline Miller
Hope in Times of Fear - Timothy Keller (Viking, 2021) Timothy Keller's latest book bears a subtitle suggesting it has a focus on Easter but I found it to be a book about so much more. Or, perhaps more accurately, it is about the very central tenets of the Christian faith which is, after all,… Continue reading Book Review: Hope in Times of Fear by Timothy Keller
Once Upon a River - Diane Setterfield (Bond Street Books, 2018) In the late 19th century, the Swan pub sits on the banks of the River Thames. It is known for its storytelling, a place where people gather to share a drink, to tell a story. One winter night, solstice, a man bursts into the… Continue reading Book Review: Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
New From Here - Kelly Yang (Simon & Schuster, 2022) I received an e-book Advance Reader's Copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. New From Here will be on sale March 1, 2022. When I read Kelly Yang's Front Desk, I… Continue reading Book Review: New From Here by Kelly Yang
Out of the Sun - Esi Edugyan (Anansi, 2021) Esi Edugyan is best known for her award-winning fiction - Half Blood Blues and Washington Black - but in this non-fiction book she tackles the subjects of Race and Storytelling. The book is divided according to geographical areas as well as topics: Europe and the Art… Continue reading Book Review: Out of the Sun by Esi Edugyan
We Run the Tides - Vendela Vida (Ecco, 2021) We Run the Tides is set in San Francisco, the wealthy neighbourhood of Sea Cliff, in 1984-1985. This is San Francisco pre-tech boom, a place of wealth but also a hippy city set on the ocean, where the inhabitants have acquired their wealth in a variety… Continue reading Book Review: We Run the Tides by Vendela Vida
A Womb in the Shape of a Heart - Joanne Gallant (Nimbus Publishing, 2021) Like many women, Joanne Gallant expected to get pregnant easily and never questioned her own fertility. Happily married and in her late twenties, Gallant and her husband Joey eagerly planned for the family they wanted. A paediatric nurse, Gallant knew more… Continue reading Book Review: A Womb in the Shape of a Heart by Joanne Gallant
Strange Beasts of China - Yan Ge (Melville House, 2020) (translated from the Chinese by Jeremy Tang) Our unnamed narrator lives in the city of Yong'an. It is a city where humans live side by side in a tremulous peace with various kinds of beasts. Some of these beasts are frequently present in the humans… Continue reading Book Review: Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge
Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey, 2020) Noemi is a young socialite in Mexico City in the mid-20th century. She likes parties and dancing and socializing. Noemi is smart and therefore aware that some of her greatest power lies in her place in society as a flirtatious, young woman. When a strange and confusing… Continue reading Book Review: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Karissa Reads Books 