I'm about twenty years too young to feel much nostalgia over the 1960s but I'm exactly the right age to understand that childhood dreams don't necessarily translate into adult life. The Interestings (Riverhead Books, 2013) starts out with six teenagers at a summer camp called Spirit-in-the-Woods. It's a camp for artistically-inclined youth and for each… Continue reading Book Review – The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
The cutesy cover and title of The Rosie Project (HarperCollins, 2013) might keep you away from this novel. But if you give it a chance, you'll likely find yourself hooked pretty quickly. I laughed for the first time on page 3 when the narrator, Don, says this: "I would have been satisfied with our relationship...but… Continue reading Book Review – The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
I'll admit that I've never quite gotten the fuss over Houdini. Does there really need to be another book about him? That said, having enjoyed both The Cellist of Sarajevo and Ascension by Steven Galloway, I gave The Confabulist (Knopf Canada, 2014) a shot and I'm glad I did. The Confabulist contains stories within stories.… Continue reading Book Review – The Confabulist by Steven Galloway
How much would you do for someone you love? What would you sacrifice? Where is the line between right and wrong? What does it mean to be a parent? These are all questions that The Light Between Oceans (Scribner, 2012) forces the reader to ponder. We all want to believe that we know right from… Continue reading Book Review – The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
There is a fragility and a terror that surrounds all childhood. Yet, at the same time, there is a security in the naivety of children. When you're a child, the only life you know is the one you live and so it can take years to realize the dangers you've been through. As trite as… Continue reading Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill
It's summer. Our narrator is at a nice restaurant in Amsterdam - small portions, high prices, you know the kind - with his wife and his brother and his sister-in-law. It's one of those restaurants and his brother is one of those guys. The type of guy who can get a reservation at a moment's… Continue reading Book Review – The Dinner by Herman Koch
"I am trying to remain open to new realities, not blaming God when my expectations go unmet but trusting Him to lead me through failures toward renewal and growth." What I appreciate most when it comes to Philip Yancey's writing is his honesty. I think he's a wise man but he never pretends to have… Continue reading Book Review – Reaching for the Invisible God by Philip Yancey
If you know Ontario, you know the places like Crow Lake. The tiny towns, the stone of the Canadian Shield, the smell of the lakes in the summer, the way the trees grow. Mary Lawson effortlessly creates a fictional space out of this real world. Crow Lake the town isn't real but Crow Lake (Vintage… Continue reading Book Review – Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
Having previously read The Book Thief, I should have suspected that Markus Zusak is not a straightforward novel writer. Yet the conclusion of I Am The Messenger (Knopf, 2005) still came as a surprise to me. Ed Kennedy is a nineteen-year-old cabdriver. He's from the rough side of town and he's on the right track… Continue reading Book Review – I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
I loved this book. I loved the premise, I loved the characters, I loved the setting. Truly excellent. Ursula Todd is born on 11 February 1910. She dies immediately, unable to take her first breath due to the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. Ursula Todd is born on 11 February 1910.She grows up to… Continue reading Book Review – Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Karissa Reads Books 