Bangkok Wakes to Rain - Pitchaya Sudbanthad (Riverhead Books, 2019) Even as I was reading Bangkok Wakes to Rain, I found myself thinking, How am I going to classify this book? It's a novel but not exactly. It's a collection of short stories but that's not quite right either. It has sections that feel like… Continue reading Book Review: Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad
I've read and loved enough by Kate Atkinson (and reviewed some too!) to expect a bit of weirdness from her work. I was excited to see that her latest release is a collection of short stories and looked forward to seeing how her talents fared in this format. My initial impression of Normal Rules Don't… Continue reading Book Review: Normal Rules Don’t Apply by Kate Atkinson
Having read Zhang's previous novel, How Much of These Hills is Gold, I knew to expect a novel that played with reality, one that would introduce strange and wonderful elements and leave me to decide what was real and what might not be. That's exactly what I got with Land of Milk and Honey. At… Continue reading Book Review: Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang
Away from the Dead follows a handful of characters through several years of life in early-20th century Ukraine. Lehn is a young man when he falls in love with Katka, changing the course of his life and involving him with the complicated history of her extended family, including Katka's uncle, a wealthy Mennonite landowner. Unrest… Continue reading (Audio) Book Review: Away from the Dead by David Bergen
I read an Advance Uncorrected Proof of this book thanks to HarperVia. This book was translated from the original Dutch by Laura Watkinson. The story of how Frankenstein came to be is a famous one. Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and some other guy (John Polidori but I always forget about him) gathered together… Continue reading Book Review: Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout
The Last - Hanna Jameson (Atria Books, 2019) Post-apocalyptic murder mystery. That's the hook of The Last and the combination had me intrigued although I'm not generally drawn to murder mysteries. But the unique setting of a remote Swiss hotel immediately following nuclear war had me intrigued. Jon Keller is an American academic, staying at… Continue reading Book Review: The Last by Hanna Jameson
This isn't a book for the squeamish. It doesn't come as a surprise that the author is a medical professional because the details are visceral and, well, detailed. Our main character is a surgeon, ostracized to a remote village after fleeing scandal in the city. As the only doctor in an impoverished location, he is… Continue reading Book Review: Night Theater by Vikram Paralkar
In the Balkans in the years following the war, Natalia is a young doctor reeling from the recent death of her beloved grandfather. As she travels to a small village across the border to administer childhood vaccines, she is also searching to unravel her grandfather's history. There are two crucial stories that formed him: his… Continue reading Book Review: The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht
Tom Lake - Ann Patchet (Harper Collins, 2023) Ann Patchett is one of my favourite authors so any new book by her is a must-read in my mind. I picked up my copy of Tom Lake the day after it came out and then saved it for a week or two until I could devote… Continue reading Book Review: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Read this one in June and thought it would make a good book review for a spookier season. Did not write said book review in June and now that it is October am struggling to remember a lot. Raxter School for Girls is under quarantine. Disease is ravaging the students and teachers who have been… Continue reading (Point Form) Book Review: Wilder Girls by Rory Power
Karissa Reads Books 