The Boy From the Sea by Garrett Carr (Picador, 2025) It's always a delight to read a debut novel from an author who already displays a strong voice or an aptitude for trying something new. That was the case with reading this debut novel from Garrett Carr, The Boy From the Sea. The book isn't… Continue reading Book Review: The Boy From the Sea by Garrett Carr
In these posts I hope to share a little about what I am reading with my two children. Not exactly a review but a look at a book we’ve read together and how it worked for us. For context, my daughters are currently 8- and 11-years old. They are both excellent independent readers but we… Continue reading Reading with Pearl & Rose: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Pandora's Jar - Natalie Haynes (Harper Perennial, 2020) There's been a real trend in recent years of feminist retellings of Greek myths. (Some personal favourites come from Pat Barker and Madeline Miller and I've also enjoyed the novels I've read from Natalie Haynes.) All of these retellings assume a basic familiarity with the Greek myths… Continue reading Book Review: Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes
Read: Prophet Song - Paul Lynch (Grove Press, 2023) Pandora's Jar - Natalie Haynes (Harper Perennial, 2020) Damned If I Do - Percival Everett (Dreamscape Media, 2026) Kingfisher - Rozie Kelly (Saraband, 2025) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling (Bloomsbury, 2000) The Boy From the Sea - Garrett Carr (Picador, 2025)… Continue reading What I Read – August 2026
Shooting Up - Jonathan Tepper (Constable, 2026) In the 1980s, the Tepper family moved from the United States to Madrid as Christian missionaries. Husband and wife and their four young sons. There they began working with addicts and started a rehab for heroin addicts, many of whom were HIV+ at the height of the AIDS… Continue reading Book Review: Shooting Up by Jonathan Tepper
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
Karissa Reads Books 