Property Values - Charles Demers (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2018) Scott Clark can't afford to buy out the house he grew up in from his ex-father-in-law and so, in an attempt to drive the property value down and gain himself some time, he enlists his two best buddies to stage a drive-by shooting on his quiet… Continue reading Book Review: Property Values by Charles Demers
A Circle of Quiet - Madeleine L'Engle (Harper Collins, 1972) It's hard to know how to classify this gentle non-fiction book. It's part collection of essays, part journal entries. It's the thoughts and pondering of a 50-something year-old-woman, a wife and mother, who has had some success as a writer. There is some space given… Continue reading Book Review: A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle
Make Believe - Mac Barnett (Little Brown & Co, 2026) I really like Mac Barnett's picture books for kids - Sam & Dave Dig a Hole is a favourite - so when I saw that he was coming out with a book about writing stories for children, I was interested. I already had my copy… Continue reading Book Review: Make Believe by Mac Barnett
Hard to know what to say about this slim book which, at less than 150 pages, still feels dense. It is divided into three sections that are all clearly connected but also feel distinct and, while they tie in together, each seem to be saying something different about the relationships between the characters. In our… Continue reading Book Review: Transcription by Ben Lerner
Land - Maggie O'Farrell (Alfred A. Knopf, 2026) This book was a definite slow burn for me. I was excited when I heard that O'Farrell had a new book out this year. I've read her two most recent before this - Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait, as well as an older title, The Hand that… Continue reading Book Review: Land by Maggie O’Farrell
Enormous Wings - Laurie Frankel (Henry Holt and Company, 2026) Pepper Mills didn't choose to stop driving or to movie into Vista View Retirement Community. Those were the choices of her adult children. But, opting to make the best of it, she begins to make friends and even starts up a romantic connection with her… Continue reading Book Review: Enormous Wings by Laurie Frankel
Tenderness - Rowan Beaird (Macmillan Audio, 2026) I received an advance listening copy of this book thanks to the publisher and to Libro.fm. All opinions are my own. Book on sale July 21, 2026. The premise of this book sounded really promising. A suspense type story, set over one weekend, on a somewhat remote island.… Continue reading (Audio) Book Review: Tenderness by Rowan Beaird
Whistler - Ann Patchett (Harper, 2026) I really love Ann Patchett and every time she releases a new book, I find myself delighted that I am living at the same time that one of my favourite writers is writing. (I also really love her as independent bookseller but that is a conversation for another time.)… Continue reading Book Review: Whistler by Ann Patchett
I received an advanced readers' copy of this book thanks to the publisher. All opinions are my own. 5 friends (and 2 partners) come together for a week away in the Danish forest. Once a closely-knit friend group during their university days, they have moved into their 30s with their lives going different directions. They… Continue reading Book Review: Waist Deep by Linea Maja Ernst
Nobody Asked for This - Georgia Toews (Anchor Canada, 2026) I might not have picked this book up if it weren't for the fact that Georgia Toews will be one of the featured authors at my local Writers Festival this summer. I'm glad I did though because I found this novel to be a fresh… Continue reading Book Review: Nobody Asked for This by Georgia Toews
Karissa Reads Books 