Read at least one book a month

The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas.

I highly reccomend this book.

Bringing Back the Dodo: Lessons in Natural and Unnatural History by Wayne Grady. It was a very compelling book to read, with essays on patenting genetically engineered animals, introduced species, and why certain animals (like the dodo) are exstinct.

I took my time reading January’s book, “Start Where you Are” by Pema Chodron. I was given this book for christmas, and it was exactly the kind of thing I needed to read. Pema Chodron is a very interesting person, and her thought on living a more compassionate life are inspiring.

The Cloud Atlas by Liam Callanan. A fictionalized account of the little known history of Japanese balloon bombs sent to North America during World War II.

Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy Edited by Al Sarrantonio. An excellent selection of short stories.

So far for the month of November I have read three books:

The Chronicler of the Winds by Hemming Mankell – a beautiful but tragic story about the life and death of a young street kid named Nelio.

Ya yas in bloom by Rebecca Wells – a very light and fast read.

All that matters by Wayson Choy – an excellent story about the life of a Chinese imigrant family in 1930/40s Vancouver.

In October I read two books:
“Flight Volume One” – a graphic novel anthology about flight/flying. I loved it. The book showcases the work of some really talents artists and writers. There are also two more volumes available.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters was my second book for the month. It’s a really good book that sucks the reader in with its endless plot twists and change of narrator half-way through the story.

Zak lent me his copy of Meditation in Action by meditation master Chogyam Trungpa. The idea behind the book is that meditation extends beyond the formal practice of sitting to build the foundation for compassion, awareness, and creativity in all aspects of life. It’s definately a book I’d recommend, but not as something to be read in one sitting. There are many ideas in the book that need to be read more than once in order to be absorbed fully.

My book for the month of August was a “The Songlines” by Bruce Chatwin. It’s about his travels in Australia to learn more about the aboriginals method of mapping the land through song.

Last week I finished reading “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” by Susanna Clark. The book is huge at almost eight hundred pages long, so it was impossible to take along for reading on the bus. I wasn’t able to read it in one month but it was too good to rush just to meet my goal. It’s a very enjoyable book that I would recommend to everyone.