Bleak House - Charles Dickens (W.W. Norton & Co, 1977) A 500+ page book with a focus on an obscure aspect of 19th century British law doesn't exactly sound gripping and yet Dickens brings it all to life in a story filled with humour and emotion. In many ways, all of Dickens' best elements are… Continue reading Book Review: Bleak House by Charles Dickens
The Man Who Say Everything - Deborah Levy (Hamish Hamilton, 2019) It's hard to know how to talk about this book. Divided into two parts, there is a sort of reveal halfway through and that becomes clearer as the book progresses to the end that makes it clear what this book is about and what… Continue reading Book Review: The Man Who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy
The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick (Mariner Books, 2011) While I found Philip K. Dick's work of post-war speculative fiction interesting, I can't quite say that I enjoyed it. Set in 1962 (also its year of publication), the book examines a possible world and life in America if the Axis powers… Continue reading Book Review: The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
The Truants - Kate Weinberg (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2020) I received an Uncorrected Proof of this novel. All opinions are my own. The Truants is the kind of book you keep thinking about for days afterward. The kind of book where you get to the end and you find your mind casting over the chapters,… Continue reading Book Review: The Truants by Kate Weinberg
The Marrow Thieves - Cherie Dimaline (Dancing Cat Books, 2017) Frenchie is barely a teenager when he is separated from his brother and left to fend for himself, running from The Recruiters. His father disappeared years earlier and his mother is gone. Frenchie meets up with a group of other travellers, a ragtag gang ranging… Continue reading Book Review: The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Introverted Mom - Jamie C. Martin (Zonderan, 2019) When I saw this book sitting on my sister-in-law's coffee table my immediate thought was, "That's me!" My sister-in-law clearly agrees but she immediately loaned me the book. Being an introvert serves me well as a mom in a lot of ways but it does make other… Continue reading Book Review: Introverted Mom by Jamie C. Martin
100 Times: A Memoir of Sexism - Chavisa Woods (Seven Stories Press, 2020) I received an Advance Uncorrected Proof of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own. On sale June 25, 2020. Let me begin by telling you: Read this book. The concept is deceptively simple. Chavisa Woods records one hundred times… Continue reading Book Review: 100 Times: A Memoir of Sexism by Chavisa Woods
Dear Girls - Ali Wong (Random House, 2019) Like me, you might know Ali Wong from Netflix. She has two comedy specials - Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife - and a feature length film called Always Be My Maybe. I tried a bit of Baby Cobra and found Wong's humour too crude for my… Continue reading Book Review: Dear Girls by Ali Wong
Strange Hotel - Eimear McBride (McClelland & Stewart, 2020) I received an Advance Readers' Copy of this book. It will be on sale May 5, 2020. All opinions are my own. This is a strange little book. If you've read Eimear McBride before that might not surprise you. (And if you haven't previously read McBride… Continue reading Book Review: Strange Hotel by Eimear McBride
Despite my sporadic posting, two more categories remain in The Second Annual Karissa Reads Books Literary Awards. Today we focus on the Best Fiction Book read in 2019. This is a big category because fiction makes up the largest chunk of what I read. I started out with a list of 15 books and have… Continue reading Best Fiction Book
