2023 Reading Challenge

Another year, another list. 2023's reading list takes us to 40 (!) items, with some more new categories to keep things interesting. The list is below. For this year, we removed the category "read in school", (partly because that list was actually quite short and had even fewer that we wanted to reread), amalgamated "recommended"...

2022 Reading Challenge

Another year, another list. 2022's reading list takes us to 37 items, with some more new categories to keep things interesting. The list is below. For this year, we removed the category "new genre" (after a few years, there were no more genres to choose from), and added an old favourite, a prize-winner (Nobel, Pulitzer,...

2021 Reading Challenge

Another year, another list. 2021's reading list takes us to 34 items, with some more new categories to keep things interesting. The list is below. This year we combined play and poetry into a single category, and added a book from high school or university, a book about politics or history, and a book with...

Good riddance, 2020

Like most people I'm sure, I'll be glad to flip the calendar from 2020. I started this blog in 2010, at the end of (for me) a tumultuous year. 2020 has been less personally challenging but still no picnic. I tried for a few years doing a year-end sum-up of things that made me laugh/cry/get...

Tackling the Tsundoku

Amazon tells me that I bought this book in 2015, which is likely shortly after I read about it at BrainPickings. This word in particular spoke to me, as my own book collection resembles the artist's rendering, down to the leaning piles on the floor. I have always loved books - both having them and...

2020 Reading Challenge

Out with the old, in with the new. 2020's reading list takes us to 30 items, with some new categories to keep things interesting. The list is below. This year we removed book you can read in one day and book set where you live (too easy for my friend (London), too hard for me)....

Lists of 2016

Things that made me sad (a long list this year): Umberto Eco Prince David Bowie Alan Rickman Fort MacMurray Orlando, Turkey, Baghdad, Bangladesh Leonard Cohen Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds Things that irritated me: Christy Clark (a three-peat) Donald Trump and the entire GOP cabal Stanford rapist Brexit, especially Nigel Farage Pokemon Go Things that made...

Lists of 2011

The first of a few lists this year, I think. Next time will be movies, tv, etc. but first some more general items. Things that irritated me: The Occupy movement, especially in Vancouver Smart meters Susan Anton Stanley Cup riots Rob Ford The Velluvial matrix Donald Trump Christy Clark Things that inspired me: Jack Layton's...

Goodbye, 2010.

This was a year with more downs than ups, sadly. So very happy for all the lovely times we had, and that we have our sailboat at last, but also so very sad for all those I lost this year. Heading into 2011 feeling slightly adrift and off kilter, but looking forward to the fresh...