2011 in summation

This has been a year of many changes and challenges, and it's interesting to see how well my reading list has reflected that. The biggest change, of course, has been the birth of my son. This has been an upheaval in many ways, beyond the obvious of shifting my lifestyle to accommodate a new little dude.

In response to my new responsibilities, I've turned to the "experts."

• Raising A Secure Child by Zeynep Biringen


• Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth


• Emotionally Intelligent Parenting by Maurice J. Elias, Steven E. Tobias, and Brian S. Friedlander


• How to have your second child first by Kerry Colburn and Rob Sorensen


• Baby Signs by Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn

I also read books on more general parenting philosophies, and kid-related issues.

• NurtureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman


• What does it mean to be well educated? by Alfie Kohn


• Free-Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy

And, of course, the obligatory "silly tell-all of parenting/pregnancy."

• Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy

One of the major new obstacles to reading has been my son's penchant for devouring books in the non-figurative sense. This has steered me in the direction of AudioBooks, which I'm not generally a great fan of.

I've taken a bit more of an interest in Non-Fiction this year than I generally do, especially pop-journalism. Since I've focused so much this year on my Bible blog and on volunteering for my local Atheist community, many of these have centred around religion/skepticism.

• The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs


• My Life As An Experiment by A.J. Jacobs


• The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson


• Flim-Flam by James Randi


• Godless by Dan Barker


• The Reasonableness of Faith and Other Addresses by W.S. Rainsford

I started watching the show Big Love in 2010 and took an interest in Mormon polygamy.

• Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer


• The 19th Wife by David Eershoff

After a bit of a slump in 2010, I made a point to read more classics and get back into the habit of reading books written around the Victorian era, which was, of course, the focus of my university degree.

• Flatland by Edwin Abbott


• Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy


• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne


• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

I continued to read through the series that I've enjoyed over the years.

• Gaius Ruso mystery #4: Caveat Emptor by Ruth Downie


• Earth's Children #4: The Plains of Passage by Jean M. Auel by Jean M. Auel

And last but not least, the unexpected gem I picked up off a shelf in someone else's home.

• I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Opportunities to sit down and read have been limited, so I haven't felt like much of a reader in 2011. I've also always been a commute reader, so being on maternity leave for much of the year has further decreased my available time. Even so, making this list and realizing just how many entries there actually are has made me feel quite a bit better about myself.

I will be going back to work next year, although I don't know if my commute will return in quite the same form. On the other hand, as my son grows and discovers that there's more to books than flavour, there may be more of a call for reading - at least out loud. I suspect that my focus will be much more on picture books, although my goal is to read at least 25 "grown-up" books before the world ends in 2012.

The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs

Read: 23 December, 2011

For the last year, I have been working on a project to blog the Bible (and doing a terrible job of it for the last two months), so a book like The Year of Living Biblically struck a chord. Like A.J. Jacobs, I've also been trying to make sense of a book that is at once one of the founding pillars of my culture, and yet profoundly alien.

The Year of Living Biblically is, of course, a book of its genre: Stunt Journalism. Jacobs does kookie things like paint his door frames with lamb's blood (or, rather, with lamb pan drippings) and throws pebbles at adulterers. And like any book in this genre, he concludes with his insights and feel-good message.

But in the midst of this formulaicism, I did find food for thought. There was a lot of discussion about what it really means to take the Bible literally, and how to deal with the application of the rules in a cultural context that is so foreign to any the Bible's authors could have possibly envisioned.

One element I particularly enjoyed was Jacobs's insistence on turning the Bible into a Self Help manual. Even when called out on this by a member of his "religious advisory council," he goes right back to trying to draw life lessons!

One theme he kept coming back to is that everything happens for a reason. He explains early in the book that his wife believes this and part of his journey is coming to accept at least some version of this. Believing that there are reasons beyond chemical reactions and physical laws is, he declares, "certainly healthier." This profound and far-reaching statement is given as a throw-away line in the middle of a broader discussion, and it never receives the serious discussion it deserves. Is it, truly, healthier to believe something that makes us feel good about ourselves without any evidence for it to be actually true?

Prior to reading The Year of Living Biblically, I'd heard complaints that it trivialises religion and makes it look bad. It's all about legalism, and focuses on things like stoning adulterers rather than the broader moral teachings. But having now read the book, I haven't found this to be the case at all. Jacobs gives a fair acknowledgement to the legalism of the Old Testament. The bulk of the book, however, is a discussion of the moral teachings and about the applicability and relevance of the book as a whole in a modern, North American cultural setting. Overall, I found his treatment of the Bible to be extremely respectful; perhaps, even, too respectful at times.

Jacobs has a very readable writing style and he's generally quite good at finding the right balance between entertaining and provoking thought. I'd say it's an important read for those who consider themselves to be Jewish or Christian, because it initiates a very important discussion that I think Western society really needs to have about what it means to be Judeo-Christian and what the Bible's place should be in our culture.

Flatland by Edwin Abbott

Read: 30 November, 2011

A. Square, an inhabitant of the two-dimensional Flatland, is taken on a journey of Lineland, Spaceland, and Pointland, during which he learns to transcend many of his assumptions about the universe and the natural order.

There are two parts to the Flatland narrative. The first reads like your standard (albeit clever - clever enough to fool several contemporary reviewers) social commentary, while the second tries to illustrate the failings of perspective and how trapped we are in comprehending only our own and lower dimensions. But as with any excellent writer, the division is never quite so clear and the second part provides a very interesting lens for the first.

I knew going in that I would enjoy Flatland; I'd heard enough about it for that. I'm glad to say that I was not disappointed. This is an excellent and readable novel that is one part social commentary, one part math, and one part Crusoe adventure!

I highly recommend the Broadview edition of the text. As always, the notes, introduction, and additional materials are both interesting and informative.

The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins

Read: 10 October, 2009

The Greatest Show on Earth is a fantastic introduction to the theory of evolution. Although marketed towards adults, I think it's really more appropriate for a tween/early teen level, to provide a solid foundation in evolution.

The book is written in Dawkins' approachable language, and he explains difficult concepts in a very simple and easy to understand way. Illustrations are well chosen and well used to emphasise his points.

The only real downside is that the preface dwells a bit too long on the Creationism issue. While terribly satisfying for the True Believer, it would be a turn off for someone neutral or leaning towards Creationism and interested in learning more. It's a shame, although perhaps no more damaging that having the name Richard Dawkins printed on the cover.

Gothic Tales by Elizabeth Gaskell

Read: 26 February, 2010

I've always loved horror stories, and I fell in love with Elizabeth Gaskell in University. So when I saw that Penguin had a collection of Gaskell's Gothic short stories, I knew I had to buy it immediately.

And it did not disappoint!

Gothic Tales is a collection of stories ranging from "wonder stories" to horror. While not of the same calibre as her novels, these are none-the-less the products of a master storyteller.

I'd say that this collection is definitely a 'must have' for fans of Gaskell, Victorian literature, or the Gothic genre.