Today Canada celebrates its 147th birthday. In honour of the occasion, I would like to present to you the top 50 novels you should read if you want to be A Well-Read Canadian. And who doesn't, right? This idea was inspired by this list, as well as my general love of listing books. My criteria:… Continue reading The Well-Read Canadian
Tag: Canadian Lit
Book Review – The World by Bill Gaston
Disclaimer: I've met Bill Gaston in real life and because he's a super nice person, it likely colours my review. That said, he is an award-winning Canadian writer so I'm not the only one being nice to him. After all that, I don't feel bad saying that I generally prefer his short stories to his… Continue reading Book Review – The World by Bill Gaston
Book Review – The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels
Anne Michaels excels at a certain kind of historical fiction. Historical fiction that pulls you deeply in to a character's life. A fiction that feels like the best family history you could hear, like someone you love whispering their secrets in your ear. I had high hopes for The Winter Vault (McClelland & Stewart, 2009)… Continue reading Book Review – The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels
Book Review – The Confabulist by Steven Galloway
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
Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill
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
Book Review – Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
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
Book Review – Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott
“A wise and searching novel about the fine line between being useful and being used.” That’s the quote from Elizabeth Hay displayed on the cover of the copy of Good to a Fault (Freehand Books, 2008) that I got out of the library. It’s a good quote –a succinct and accurate description of the novel.… Continue reading Book Review – Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott
Karissa Reads Books 