The Empusium - Olga Tokarczuk (Riverhead Books, 2024) (translated to English by Antonia Lloyd-Jones) The Empusium - a strange sort of novel set in a sanitorium, health resort town in the early 20th century with a mysterious, plural-voiced ghost-like narration - is a tricky book to describe. I like Tokarczuk's work quite a lot -… Continue reading Book Review: The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk
Claude Simon was a French writer who wrote several semi-autobiographical works, many of which are inspired by his own experiences in World War Two. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1985, which is the reason I picked up a copy of The Flanders Road. After learning that Gabriel Garcia Marquez (one of my… Continue reading Book Review: The Flanders Road by Claude Simon
I picked The Future up when it was shortlisted for this year's Canada Reads competition. This is where 5 books are "championed" by famous Canadians over the course of one week until there is one final winner. I always follow along with interest but it doesn't generally add a lot of titles to my TBR.… Continue reading Book Review: The Future by Catherine Leroux
This is a book for book lovers and particular those of us who love our local libraries. It is, of sorts, a love letter to libraries and librarians. What You Are Looking for is in the Library consists of 5 unique sections, all linked by a library located in a community house in Tokyo. Each… Continue reading (Audio) Book Review: What You Are Looking For Is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama
Roman Stories - Jhumpa Lahiri (Alfred A. Knopf, 2023) This is a collection of short stories that aren't necessarily linked but feel like they are. They are all set in the city of Rome and many of them share the theme of outsiders or newcomers to the Italian city. Many of them are told in… Continue reading Book Review: Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
I read an Advance Uncorrected Proof of this book thanks to HarperVia. This book was translated from the original Dutch by Laura Watkinson. The story of how Frankenstein came to be is a famous one. Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and some other guy (John Polidori but I always forget about him) gathered together… Continue reading Book Review: Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout
Translated from Spanish to English by Edith Grossman What does it mean that my thrifted copy of Of Love and Other Demons had a photograph of a dog tucked into it? The photo has a white border and features a semi-rotund husky type dog in the centre, its eyes glowing in the flash of the… Continue reading Book Review: Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
La Guerre, Yes Sir! - Roch Carrier (House of Anansi, 1970) I’ve said it before and I guess I’m saying again, French Canadian fiction is its own entire genre. And it’s not one I really get or can appreciate. I thought I might be on easier footing here because I’ve heard of this book and… Continue reading Book Review: La Guerre, Yes Sir! by Roch Carrier
Abyss - Pilar Quintana (World Editions, 2023) I received an Advance Readers' Copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Publication date is February 17, 2023. translated from the Spanish by Lisa Dillman. Set in Cali, Colombia, Abyss is a story about eight-year-old Claudia and particularly her relationship… Continue reading Book Review: Abyss by Pilar Quintana
The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches - Gaétan Soucy (A List, 2016) This was such a weird book. I really don't know what to say about it. I've had it on my TBR for years, added, I think, based on somme list of classic Canadian fiction. It's a work from a Quebec… Continue reading Book Review: The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches by Gaétan Soucy
Karissa Reads Books 