January 1, 2013

2nd Annual Read List

In 2011 I started keeping a list of books I've read. On top of satisfying my love of lists, this list helps me remember the reading experiences afterwards. I often enjoy a good read in the moment and then forget nearly all about it afterwards. 

At the end of the year, I go through my list and note the highlights from each month. This year I can tell I didn't have the luxury of reading on the bus as much (when I worked at the farm I drove myself) because I read 22 books, compared to last year's 42. I'd love to dialogue about any of the books on this list or any you have been reading and would recommend!

So without further ado I give you, The Second Annual Read List! (First ARL can be found here).

January: 
- God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Enjoyable, appropriately nonsensical and satirical.

February:

- Solaris by Stanislaw Lem Also saw the movie. Great sci-fi thriller. Not a lot action but a lot of thought provoking.

- All the Dirt by Robin Tunnicliffe, Rachel Fisher, Heather Stretch - I asked for this for my birthday, having heard about it through Robin, who is from my hometown and is involved with USC. This book is all about these three women's organic farms in BC and their produce distribution cooperative. A fascinating peek into different farms and the nitty gritty (includes spreadsheets in the appendix!) of running farming businesses.

March:
- nothing noteworthy 

April: 
- nothing noteworthy

May
- A Church of Her Own by Sarah Sentilles - An exploration of what happens when women take the pulpit.

June:
- The Razor's Edge by W Somerset Maugham - Meant to read this long ago. As good as I thought it would be!
The Psychology of the Female Body by Jane M Ussher - Fascinating.

July:
- Slaying the Mermaid: Women and the Culture of Sacrifice by Stephanie Golden - A good treatment for an important topic.
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - This seems to be the year for knocking off the oldies that have been on my to read list for too long. I read the abridged version, I must confess. Thoroughly enjoyed the many layers of this, and what seems to me to be a very realistic portrayal of men's contradictory thoughts/feelings about war.

August:
- Must have been too busy at the farm! Didn't read anything.

September:
- On Good Land by Michael Ableman - Beautiful photographs and inspiring stories about a farm uniquely located in Californian suburbia.
- Galactic Pot Healer by Philip K Dick - Actually not about marijuana, as anticipated. Love love loved the last line. (don't peak! You'll ruin it!)

October:
- Didn't read any

November:
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell - I know I'm a bit late in the game here, but better late than never. Interesting, informative, opens up new worlds of possibilities about what we know and do.

December:
Inside by Alex Ohlin - A novel about compulsion to help others and struggle to help one's self.
- Two Solitudes by Hugh Maclennan - A novel about French and English Canadians. Currently a contender in CBC's "reality show for books": Canada Reads, Turf Wars
- The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan - Another that I waited too long to read!


Any recommendations for me in 2013?

2 comments:

  1. Wow, what a good idea. I never thought of keeping track of what I read.
    I heard about Slaying the Mermaid: Women and the Culture of Sacrifice on CBC. I think Q did an interview with it's author. Though I believe it was in relation to a different book that she wrote. From what I remembered it sounded interesting.
    I'm mildly surprised that Get Smart by Seymour Schulich and Derek DeCloet isn't on that list. I know it's not quite earth shattering but based on what I remember you said about it. I would of thought it would of made the cut.

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  2. I would have been interested in the interview on Q but when I searched his site for the author she didn't come up. Are you sure it doesn't sound familiar because that's the book Sylvie brought to Mom over Xmas?
    Also, Get Smart almost made the list, but it wasn't my absolute favorite, and frankly, other than the percentage pro and cons weighting, I don't remember anything from it! Since I gave it back I couldn't glance through to see what it was I thought was so great! lol. See why I need this list?!

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