The Certainties - Aislinn Hunter (Knopf Canada, 2020) The Certainties is exactly the kind of dreamy, poetic novel that I find it so easy to fall in love with. It's a style of writing that I adore but I also know that it isn't for every reader. This novel reminded me of others I loved… Continue reading Book Review: The Certainties by Aislinn Hunter
I received an Advance Readers' Copy of this book. All opinions are my own. It is on sale now. This family story follows several characters over the course of decades, primarily in the city of Detroit. Orzo Armstead never arrives home on the day of his 37th birthday. He had lunch with his brother, left… Continue reading Book Review: Life and Other Love Songs by Anissa Gray
I think I went about reading this book in the wrong way. A group of young ladies from a posh boarding school in Australia, two of their teachers, and a driver, spend St. Valentine's Day having a picnic at a place called Hanging Rock. Before they prepare to leave, four of the girls receive permission… Continue reading Book Review: Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
One of the central points of When Women Were Dragons is an event referred to as The Mass Dragoning. In this version of our world, women have always possessed the ability to transform into dragons - either by choice or happenstance, no one is quite sure. But in 1955, unprecedented numbers of women across the… Continue reading (Audio) Book Review: When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
The subtitle of Womb proclaims "The Inside Story of Where We All Began". Leah Hazard, with a background in both journalism and midwifery, delves into the sometimes taboo topic of women's anatomy. What is a uterus? What role does it play in women's health? What do we know and what do we not know? She… Continue reading Book Review: Womb by Leah Hazard
The legend of Medusa is one that is known to most Western readers, I imagine. A hideous and fearsome monster. A Gorgon with snakes instead of hair who turns all who gaze upon her into stone. In Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes opens this legend up, showing us who Medusa is from birth, the curse that… Continue reading Book Review: Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
Read: Two-Part Invention - Madeleine L'Engle (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1988) Notes from Underground - Fyodor Dostoevsky (Vintage Classics, 1994) (translated from Russian by Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky) Instructions for the Drowning - Steven Heighton (Biblioasis, 2023) The Memory of Animals - Claire Fuller (Tin House, 2023) Shrines of Gaiety - Kate Atkinson (Little,… Continue reading What I Read – April 2023
Sometimes form and style come together beautifully and this is truly the case when listening to the audio version of Daisy Jones & the Six. Taylor Jenkins Reid is doing very well for herself lately and many of her books are hugely popular. Several years ago, I read the first couple of chapters of Jenkins… Continue reading (Audio) Book Review: Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Memory of Animals - Claire Fuller (Tin House Books, 2023) I received an Advanced e-copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Publication date is June 6, 2023. As the world is ravaged by a deadly pandemic, Neffy has volunteered as a patient for a vaccine trial.… Continue reading Book Review: The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller
Through a wide variety of voices, Natalie Haynes retells the story of the Trojan War, focusing on the many women who were involved. We hear from Penelope, Clytemnestra, Aphrodite, and even the muse Calliope. Much of what we see is what takes place after the fall of Troy - there is a focus on the… Continue reading (Audio) Book Review: A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
Karissa Reads Books 