Read

Last December, I didn't set out to read a book a week.  The goal seemed too ambitious, and counter-productive to why I most love to fall into a book...for enjoyment.  I didn't want to stress myself out or choose books based on their heft.  In fact, I like to think books choose me.  I'm always hunting for a great story; seeking out truth in human experience, which is why I'm most drawn to memoir.
So here we are in November a year later, and I'm close to a book a week, and so now I'm going for it.  Fifty-two books in a year may seem like an accomplishment to some people, perhaps to others it's laughable.  I can read fifty-two books in my sleep, ha!  I'm not necessarily a fast reader, but I'm nothing if dedicated.  I read on car trips, in waiting rooms, while I'm breastfeeding, before bed, while I'm eating a meal, or a snack (or another snack...)  I read on planes or in front of the tv or on the treadmill.  I read in the middle of the day sometimes, just for the sheer pleasure of it.
To me, in many ways, the books I've read tell the story of my past year.  I remember the books that were given to me, the ones I sought out; where I was when I read them, who I was with or hanging around at the time.  A few books I put down never to pick back up again - I don't waste time finishing books that don't interest me.  Some I read twice.  Many are ear-marked, and destined to be lifetime favourites.  One or two books I read in a night; others over the course of a month.  Sometimes I read three books at a time.  On my list, there are books from the library, books borrowed from my mom (and my mom's neighbour), books borrowed from Dan's mom; borrowed from friends, books purchased with gift cards, and hard earned cash.
A night at Chapters with a Starbucks chai tea latte in hand is one of my life's greatest pleasures.  I was there tonight, sitting on the dusty floor, reading through books, until they kicked me out.  There is no doubt I am a collector of books.  I used to tell my students the same thing I now tell my children, "Don't ever hurt my books.  They are my babies." which makes children laugh, and helps them learn to handle books with care.  Even the movers mocked me, and my love of books.  "Are these really all 'Adelle's books'?" as they had been so aptly labelled.  Dan nodded his head, and gave them a look like, Yeah they are, and don't mess with them, or you'll be in trouble.

In the order I read them, here are the books I've read over the past year:
I will star* some of my favourites:
1. The Art of Memoir, Mary Karr*
2. Open Heart, Open Mind, Clara Hughes*
3. Big Girl Panties, Stephanie Evanovich
4. The Brain's Way of Healing, Norman Doidge
5. Among the Great Apes, Paul Raffaele
6. A Life with Words, Richard B. Wright
7. I am Malala, Malala Yousafzai
8. Not That Kind of Girl, Lena Dunham
9. Hemingway In Love, A.E. Hotchner
10. The Double Helix, James D. Watson
11. 'Tis, Frank McCourt
12. Skinny Bitch, Bun in the Oven:  A gutsy guide to becoming one hot and healthy mother! by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
13. An Unquiet Mind, Kay Redfield Jamison*
14. When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi*
15. The High Mountains of Portugal, Yann Martel
16. 100 Places that Can Change your child's life, Keith Bellows (National Geographic)
17. Wanderlust, Jeff Krasno
18. Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond, Francoise Barbira Freedman
19. Love, Loss and What We Ate, Padma Lakshmi
20. Road Map To Holland, Jennifer Graf Groneberg
21. Choosing Naia, Mitchell Zuckoff
22. The Illegal, Lawrence Hill
23. Writing Life, Can and Int authors on Writing and Life, Edited by Constance Rooke, proceeds to Pen Canada
24. Precious Cargo, Craig Davidson
25. Eat pray love made me do it, group of contributors, based on Elizabeth Gilbert's book
26. Becoming Human, Jean Vanier*
27. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
28. On Writing, Stephen King*
29. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt*
30. The Secrets of Midwives, Sally Hepworth
31. Open, Andre Agassi*
32. Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela
33. Midwives, Chris Bohjalian
34. The Piano Maker, Kurt Palka
35. The Night Stages, Jane Urquhart
36. Iris Grace, Arabella Carter-Johnson
37. Night, Elie Wiesel
38. Far & Away, Andrew Solomon
39. The Girl with the lower back tattoo, Amy Schumer
40. Girl in the Woods, Aspen Matis
41. Juniper, Kelley & Thomas French

The last three books I read were all pretty good.

I have eleven books to go before the end of December.
The next four I plan to read are:
42. The Best Travel Writing, Edited by James O'Reilly, Larry Habegger, & Sean O'Reilly
43. Around the World in 50 Years, Albert Podell
44. All Over The Map, Laura Fraser
45. Safari, Geoffrey Kent

Happy Reading!