White Ivy - Susie Yang (Simon & Schuster, 2020) The blurb for this novel tells us that Ivy Lin is a thief and liar. And while these are certainly true of the main character of White Ivy, it doesn't tell the whole story. Ivy Lin is someone who wants more. At a young age, while… Continue reading Book Review: White Ivy by Susie Yang
Tom Jones - Henry Fielding (Barnes & Noble Classics, 2004) This novel was first published in 1749; my copy from the library clocked in at 801 pages (before the notes). It follows the life and adventures of Tom Jones from the moment he is found in the bed of Squire Allworthy. Allworthy is as shocked… Continue reading Book Review: Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
Our library re-opened! I feel like I've been a little absent from around here this week. Although I've been reading as normal (I finished Hamnet & Judith and am now reading The Nickel Boys) I haven't had enough brain space to write a review or check-in on other blogs. The big change this past week… Continue reading Library Check-Outs and Other Things
American War - Omar El Akkad (McClelland & Stewart, 2017) American War is a dystopian-style novel set in the near future of the United States. The very near future, as in 2074. For me, this was one of the most disconcerting and powerful aspects of the novel. In 2074 I'll be eighty-nine. It's not unreasonable… Continue reading Book Review: American War by Omar El Akkad
This Side of Brightness - Colum McCann (Phoenix Books, 1998) This book has two stories and they work backward and forward to intersect. There is the story of Nathan Walker, a young black man, a sandhog digging the tunnel under the river in New York City early in the twentieth century. And there is the… Continue reading Book Review: This Side of Brightness by Colum McCann
This book was so frustrating. The writing is beautiful; evocative descriptions of place full of smell and texture, the people seem visible and nuanced in their appearance on the page, and there is so much history simmering beneath the page. But the actions of the characters are so frustrating I found myself racing through the… Continue reading Book Review: The Forgetting Tree by Tatjana Soli
This was the fourth book I've read by David Mitchell and his work surprises me each time. If you've read Cloud Atlas then you may know Mitchell as an author who isn't afraid to play with form. But what really impresses me about Mitchell's novels is how entirely different they are from one another. Black Swan… Continue reading Book Review: Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
I've had David Chariandy's Brother on my To Read list since it made the Canada Reads list but when FictionFan reviewed it I knew I needed to bump it up the list. (FictionFan's review here.) Brother is set in Scarborough, in the 1980s/early 90s. Scarborough was incorporated into Greater Toronto in 1999 but at this time it was… Continue reading Book Review: Brother by David Chariandy
I've read all of Heather O'Neill's published work and reviewed two of them here. (Daydream of Angels and Lullabies for Little Criminals) Obviously, I enjoy her work and thankfully her latest novel didn't disappoint. If you like O'Neill's previous work, then I think you'll be pleased with The Lonely Hearts Hotel. Using Montreal once again as her setting,… Continue reading Book Review: The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill
After a somewhat awkward incident of an acquaintance thinking I'd borrowed his copy of The Tennis Partner almost ten years ago and never returned it, I decided to take it as a sign and actually read the book. (I got it from the library, however.) Having read Cutting for Stone last year, I already knew… Continue reading Book Review: The Tennis Partner by Abraham Verghese
Karissa Reads Books 