I really disliked this book. It surprised me how much I disliked this book. And then it surprised me to remember that this book is a Giller prize winner*, an award that is highly respected within Canada. I'm not surprised that a book I don't like won the Giller prize because literary enjoyment can be… Continue reading Book Review: The Bishop’s Man by Linden MacIntyre
We have this terrific early literacy program here on the Coast where each month an age-appropriate book is sent to your home for your child. (It's done in partnership with Dolly Parton's reading program.) I love it and Pearl's already received several fun board books. (I always knew board books were great at this age… Continue reading Book Review: Peek-a-Zoo (Reading with Pearl)
This is a book with a surprisingly tight plot. I say surprisingly because there are a lot of plot lines going on here and yet each one is compelling, thoughtful, and well fleshed-out. There's a murdered French trapper, a remote Hudson Bay Company fort, a Norwegian religious community, the twenty year disappearance of two young… Continue reading Book Review: The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
Whether or not you agree with Tolstoy that all happy families are the same, it's generally true that they're not very interesting to read about. Helen Edwards and Jenny Lee Smith alternate in telling the stories of their lives. While they grew up near each other in England, they had drastically different childhoods. Jenny was… Continue reading Book Review: My Secret Sister by Helen Edwards & Jenny Lee Smith
Nothing so reminds you like the sea that the enemy of life is not death but loneliness. For some reason, the names of the men who vied to reach the South Pole are far better known than those who competed to reach the North. I know about Scott and Amundsen and, of course, Shackleton, but… Continue reading Book Review: The Navigator of New York by Wayne Johnston
Grace is a small word with a big meaning. It deserves to have an entire book devoted to the subject (or multiple books) and Yancey is an excellent choice to tackle the subject. He delves deeply into grace here. What is it? What does the Bible say about it? Why is it important? And what… Continue reading Book Review: What’s So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey
It's hard for me to believe that it's been almost ten years since I last set foot in China. It's been even longer since I've been to Beijing - all the way back to the summer of 2002. Since then, the city has hosted the Olympics and, no doubt, changed drastically. Jan Wong details many… Continue reading Book Review: Beijing Confidential – Jan Wong
The First Person and Other Stories by Ali Smith (Hamish Hamilton, 2008) I once tried to read a novel by Ali Smith, lost interest part way in and returned it unfinished to the library. I did finish reading this short story collection but now, less than a month later, can't remember much about it. I… Continue reading What I Read – April 2015
Since weekly book reviews seem to be something I can't accomplish right now, I thought I'd post mini-reviews of everything I read this past month. January's been busy but I managed to squeeze in a fair amount of reading and finished 9 books. The Birth House - Ami McKay (Vintage Canada, 2006) I did write… Continue reading What I Read – January 2015
"Why would you read a book like that right now?" was Peter's reaction when I told him I'd just finished reading a novel about birth and midwives in the early 20th century. "I'm not sure," I had to admit. "But it wasn't scary." Partly, I think, I read The Birth House (Vintage Canada, 2007) now… Continue reading Book Review – The Birth House by Ami McKay
Karissa Reads Books 