What I read in April
I've been reading a lot of poetry because I keep on meeting new poets. Surprisingly, I have not written more poetry, but I have been working on some fiction since I have more time lately.
1. details from the edge of the village by Pierrette Requier- I love this book. It's a collection of poems about growing up as one of 11 children in a French family in northern Alberta. Very visceral with a great use of language. Funny, rich and delicious.
2. What is the What by David Eggers- This was a VERY difficult book for me to read. It's based on the true story of a man who lived through the Sudanese civil war and lived for years as a lost boy. Very difficult book that I struggled with, but I'm glad I read it.
3. Travelling with Pomegranates- a mother and daughter story- by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor- I liked the sections where the two travelled to Greece, but I found this travel biography mostly unfulfilling. They were on some sort of spiritual quest, but I found the issues that they wrote about to be rather mundane.
4. Vancouver Special by Charles Desmers- I loved this book, which was a collection of essays about various aspects of Vancouver. It was funny, true and will be enjoyable to anyone who has lived in the city.
5. The Heights by Peter Hedges- Peter Hedges gets into the lives and heads of a bunch of families living in the Heights in New York. A domestic novel which is sort of interesting, but not mind blowing.
6. Nice Recovery by Susan Juby- This book was great! It was the story of author Susan Juby, who was an alcoholic between the ages of 12-20. She talks about her experience as an alcoholic and in recovery, and then talks with young recovering addicts about how the system and recovery has changed. I'd recommend this to parents, teens and teachers.
7. Too close to the falls a memoir- by Catherine Gildiner- The first memoir by Gildiner. She grew up close to Niagara Falls and went to work in her dad's drugstore when she was 4. She had a series of interesting adventures and experiences. This book was good, but I preferred its sequel.
8. A free life by Ha Jin- This book was long! It told the story of a Chinese immigrant family and their experience becoming acculturated and acclimatized to the United States. The patriarch of the family struggles with his desire to be an intellectual and his responsibility to provide for his family. I'll be reading more Ha Jin for sure.
9.Garlic and Sapphires- Ruth Reichl was the food critic for the New York Times. In this book, she details the 6 disguises she used to go review New York restaurants. This is a funny and interesting book, recommended for anyone who loves food and good writing.
10. Planet Chicken by Hattie Ellis- This book talks about the growth of the chicken industry over time. I learned a lot about chickens and was somewhat disgusted by what I learned. However, the book is British, so some of the facts presented didn't apply to North America.
11. The Sportswriter by Richard Ford- I can understand why this book is considered a big deal, but it was damn hard for me to read because nothing much happens and it's mostly an internal monologue. I'll probably read more by Ford eventually.
12. Apples to Oysters- by Margaret Webb- Margaret Webb is a food journalist who travels around Canada visiting farms in every province. This book is a great read and you'll learn a lot about farming and the foods of Canada. Fun and recommended.
13. Country Driving by Peter Hessler- I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Hessler's other two books. The book is divided into 3 sections; the Great Wall, life in a Chinese village, and life at a Chinese factory. My favourite section of the book was the section about living in a Chinese village. Some interesting things here, but I prefer his other books.
14. Joy is so exhausting by Susan Holbrook- I met this woman at the reading I did in Toronto and read her two books. Her work uses a lot of word play and reference and it's pretty interesting.
15. Female Body Breakthrough by Rachel Cosgrove- A woman's guide to weightlifting and fitness techniques. I thought this was pretty interesting and I'm following her exercise plan, although more slowly than the book recommended due to a cold that I got.
16. Paper radio by Damien Rogers- Another book written by a woman I met at a reading in Toronto. I really liked the gritty, rock and roll and personal aspects of this book.
17. Locker Room Diaries by Leslie Goldman- This book consisted of essays about women's bodies, as detailed and explored through a locker room setting. There was some interesting stuff about body image here, but it was written in the tone of a woman's magazine. If you're a feminist, you're not going to learn anything new here. However, this is a light book and a good intro to some of the issues.
18. My stroke of insight by Jill Bolte Taylor- A fascinating book about a neuroscientist who has a stroke which destroys the left side of her brain. By reading this book, you learn a lot about strokes, the brain, neuroplasticity and how to be more at peace through brain control. Interesting stuff.
Counts- 7 books were written by Canadians, which is down from past months. Three poetry books (all Canadian).