If you've read Sherman Alexie's work before, particularly The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (which I reviewed here) then you likely know a bit of Alexie's story already. His writing is infused with his own life experiences, particularly growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me… Continue reading Book Review: You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie
I was familiar with the concept of the Five Love Languages and what they were long before I ever read this book but when I saw Chapman's book in a thrift store thought it might still be interesting to see what his ideas were in more detail. Basically, Chapman proposes that humans each have a… Continue reading Book Review: The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
We Should All be Feminists was the book I had with me in the hospital when I gave birth to my daughter. We didn't know whether we were having a boy or a girl before Pearl was born and, to be honest, the thought of a girl scared me. Boys seemed straightforward. Girls seemed hard… Continue reading Book Review: Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This book will be available for sale in July 2017. I read an Advance Uncorrected Proof made available by the publisher. The Unwomanly Face of War was first published in the Soviet Union in 1985 and translated into English in 1988 but, as far as I can tell, has been out of print in English… Continue reading Book Review: The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexievich
I started (an attempt at least) to read a Psalm before bed every night in the fall. So it seemed like the perfect time to read this lesser known work of C.S. Lewis. In typical, self-deprecating Lewis fashion, he begins by explaining why he's not really qualified but here are some of his thoughts anyway.… Continue reading Book Review: Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis
When a friend loaned me a copy of The Dirty Life I wasn't that excited. I don't read a lot of memoirs and it's rare that they appeal to me. My friend also happens to be a little more of a hippy than I am and I wasn't sure I was interested in reading a… Continue reading Book Review: The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball
My initial reaction and concern upon reading the tagline of this book - "The true story of an 11-year-old panhandler, a busy sales executive, and an unlikely meeting with destiny" - was that it would turn out to be a sort of "white saviour" story. Wealthy white women meets young black boy and his life… Continue reading Book Review: An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff & Alex Tresniowski
How much devastation can you pack into 100 pages? A lot. Even more when every word is true. In the vein of Night by Elie Wiesel or Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, Marceline Loridan-Ivens recounts her years as a slave (her word) in several prisons and concentrations camps. Loridan-Ivens was arrested with her… Continue reading Book Review: But You Did Not Come Back by Marceline Loridan-Ivens
Whether or not you agree with Tolstoy that all happy families are the same, it's generally true that they're not very interesting to read about. Helen Edwards and Jenny Lee Smith alternate in telling the stories of their lives. While they grew up near each other in England, they had drastically different childhoods. Jenny was… Continue reading Book Review: My Secret Sister by Helen Edwards & Jenny Lee Smith
It's hard for me to believe that it's been almost ten years since I last set foot in China. It's been even longer since I've been to Beijing - all the way back to the summer of 2002. Since then, the city has hosted the Olympics and, no doubt, changed drastically. Jan Wong details many… Continue reading Book Review: Beijing Confidential – Jan Wong
Karissa Reads Books 