While Monkey Beach takes place in British Columbia, the same province in which I live, it really is worlds away. Set in the tiny Haisla community of Kitamaat, we follow Lisamarie Hill in the aftermath of her brother Jimmy's disappearance. The First Nations community (Edited to add: It was brought to my attention that "First… Continue reading Book Review: Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson
Welcome! Happy Friday! Friday Favourites are where I spend one Friday a month talking about a book I've read and loved in the past. Ann Patchett is that rare author who straddles the line between literary and popular fiction. By which I mean, she's approachable and readable for that reader off the street who might… Continue reading Friday Favourite: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
My name is Ruth. I grew up with my younger sister, Lucille, under the care of my grandmother, Mrs. Sylvia Foster, and when she died, of her sisters-in-law, Misses Lily and Nona Foster, and when they fled, of her daughter, Mrs. Sylvia Fisher. These first sentences of Marilynne Robinson's novel Housekeeping (aside from being some… Continue reading Book Review: Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
People love others not because they are lovable necessarily but because it takes such a weight off the heart. Having read one previous novel by Elizabeth Hay (Alone in the Classroom), I began to read her latest book expecting a decent read. I'm happy to report that Hay blew my expectations out of the water.… Continue reading Book Review: His Whole Life by Elizabeth Hay
It's rare that I really neglect my child in order to read a book, but I came pretty close while reading The Secret History. Tartt provides all the suspense of a good mystery, mixed in with a lot of thoughtful philosophy, strong characters, and great writing. Our narrator is Richard, a young man who… Continue reading Book Review: The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The convergence of literature and religion is something that has long interested me as a reader, a writer, and a Christian. It's rare that I'm quite satisfied with the way Christianity and the Christian life and walk is portrayed in art (this was one of my primary complaints with such books as Good to a… Continue reading Book Review: The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene
David would have the throne, the crown, the line of descendants that the Name had promised him. But for the rest of his life, he would be scalded by the consequences of his choices. My task would be twofold: To stand up to him, and to stand by him. To awaken his conscience, and to… Continue reading Book Review: The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks
As you may be aware, March 8th is International Women's Day. A couple of years ago, I shared about the books by women that I have on my shelves. (That list could use a bit of an update, to be honest, but there are still lots of great women writers there.) Today I thought I'd… Continue reading International Women’s Day
If you're familiar with Yann Martel's work (and you probably are, because he wrote Life of Pi), you know that he does things a little unusually. He writes books with taxidermied animals as the main characters (read my review of Beatrice & Virgil) and he leaves you wondering about the truth of that tiger in… Continue reading Book Review: The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel
In the womb, you hear people talking and their voices sound like someone you're in love with talking in their sleep. from "Heaven" Heather O'Neill excels at creating metaphors that are both etirely unique and powerfully, strangely accurate. This skill - seen in her novels (Lullabies for Little Criminals and The Girl Who Was Saturday… Continue reading Book Review: Daydreams of Angels by Heather O’Neill
Karissa Reads Books 