Casey is in her early 30s, living in a converted garage, struggling to write a novel. Her mother has recently died and she's found herself devastated in the wake of a whirlwind romance. Waitressing pays her bills and while she's watched so many of her artist friends fade into suburban life, Casey holds on to… Continue reading Book Review: Writers & Lovers by Lily King
Tag: Recommended Reading
Book Review: Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
This book had been sitting on my TBR for so long that I had forgotten what it was about. While the book came out in 2019, it really could have been written in any year since then and felt shockingly, tragically fresh. The book opens in 1991 in Los Angeles where we meet teenage Shawn… Continue reading Book Review: Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
What I Read – 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, I'm looking back at the reading goals I set at the beginning of the year. What were they? Read 30,000 pages Read 15 translated works Read 30 books I already own. Read 25 books that have been on my TBR since before 2023. And how did I do? I… Continue reading What I Read – 2024
Book Review: Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers
Shy Creatures - Clare Chambers (Mariner Books, 2024) Helen Hansford is an art therapist, working as an art therapist at Westbury Park, a psychiatric hospital. The year is 1964 and art therapy is still something of a new idea. Helen enjoys her work and is challenged by it but psychotherapy is on the cusp of… Continue reading Book Review: Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers
Book Review: The Mythmakers by John Hendrix
The Mythmakers - John Hendrix (Abrams, 2024) Two of the greatest literary voices of the 20th century - and certainly two of the most influential voices in the realm of fantasy literature - are undoubtedly J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. There aren't many readers in the Western world today who haven't been influenced by their… Continue reading Book Review: The Mythmakers by John Hendrix
Book Review: The Stolen Bicycle by Wu Ming-Yi
The Stolen Bicycle - Wu Ming-Yi (translated from Mandarin by Darryl Sterk) (Text Publishing, 2017) This was such an unexpected, playful, thoughtful, and informative book. It reads more like a non-fiction story rather than a novel, perhaps because it’s hard to tell at times how much is based on the author’s actual life. And perhaps… Continue reading Book Review: The Stolen Bicycle by Wu Ming-Yi
Book Review: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Intermezzo - Sally Rooney (Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2024) An intermezzo, in music, is a short instrumental movement between larger acts. In chess, it refers to an unexpected move that forces an immediate response. Reading these definitions after I finished Sally Rooney's most recent novel, it struck me immediately what a fitting title the book… Continue reading Book Review: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Book Review: The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
The Fox Wife - Yangsze Choo (Henry Holt & Company, 2024) It's so nice when you pick up a book expecting to enjoy it and it lives up to all of your expectations. I was very hopeful for The Fox Wife as it had a lot that gave it points in my mind: 1) Historical… Continue reading Book Review: The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
Book Review: The Capital of Dreams by Heather O’Neill (20 Books of Summer)
The Capital of Dreams - Heather O'Neill (Harper Collins Publishers Ltd., 2024) I received an Advance Readers' Copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Publication Date: 9 October 2024 I've read all of Heather O'Neill's fiction (see some reviews here) over the years, starting with the debut novel that launched her into CanLit… Continue reading Book Review: The Capital of Dreams by Heather O’Neill (20 Books of Summer)
Book Review: The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard
I loved this book. Picking up a book by a new author, particularly when the book is the author's first publication, can be a exciting but risky endeavour. I saw The Other Valley on a list of new publications and that it was being compared to books by Emily St. John Mandel and Kazuo Ishiguro,… Continue reading Book Review: The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard
Karissa Reads Books 