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.