TOP TEN TUESDAY: Backlist books

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted each week at That Artsy Reader Girl. The topic this week is to list those books that you have bought or been given that have been languishing on your shelves. This is an easy topic as it seems to be easier to buy books than to get them read. Sigh.

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante

book 3 in this Italian series

The Blythes are Quoted by LM Montgomery

Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh

Deep Waters by Barbara Nadel

a mystery series set in Turkey

Diamond Dreams by Stephen Brunt

nonfiction sports book

Notes on a Small Island by Bill Bryson

The Diviners by Margaret Laurence

Entry Island by Peter May

Sovereign by CJ Sansom

book 3 in the Tudor era series

Any of these highly recommended? 

NON-FICTION NOVEMBER: Book Pairings

Week 2: (Nov. 5 to 9) – Fiction / Nonfiction Book Pairing (Sarah’s Book Shelves): This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. It can be a “If you loved this book, read this!” or just two titles that you think would go well together. Maybe it’s a historical novel and you’d like to get the real history by reading a nonfiction version of the story.

I try to pick nonfiction books I've read this year, and hopefully even a fiction that pairs with it from this year. Not always possible.

Puritan-era Witches

Witches:Salem 1692 by Stacy Schiff
This nonfiction book was, long. It was very detailed, and was 22 audio parts long. Wow, that was really long. I had been picking away at it, listening on a high speed, but it all blurred together to me. This may have been better to read in a paper book? Anyway, I was listening to this when I had iPhone issues, and ended up losing all the YA Sync books I hadn't read yet. I'll confess, I wasn't too disappointed to lose this one, and even though I only listened to half, I feel like I got the jist. Women = bad. Witches = bad. Men spouting religion persecuting women. Rinse and repeat.


You can try instead: 

The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Elizabeth George Speare 

I've not been a fan of Puritan literature, beginning and ending with The Scarlet Letter. The whole attitude in the 1600s America is infuriating. However, I tried this children's book, The Witch of Blackbird Pond and I quite liked it. It was sweet, without being too perfect.  Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks was also okay, but I liked this one better. 




or possibly:

How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather (paired with the Scarlet Letter)

How to Hang a Witch is a book from this year's YA Sync that I was disappointed to lose. I haven't read it yet, but I have requested it and will get from my library soon. I was going to give The Scarlet Letter another try, but it also got deleted. 






Are you interested in the nature of time? I have two great books for you

The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli
I listened to Benedict Cumberbatch read Rovelli's second physics book, the first being Seven Brief Lessons on Physics. Theoretical physics books are interesting, and I probably couldn't tell you a single thing after I them. As I listen or read, I nod my head and (mostly) understand what the ideas are. Then, poof, gone. But I keep trying, hoping something will stick. Plus, listening to Cumberbatch for a few hours is delightful.

The Order of Time reminded me very much of the fictional book, Einstein's Dreams.

Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman
Any chance I have to promote this sweet little book, I do. Many of the ideas of time from The Order of Time, I was familiar with due to Einstein's Dreams. I've written about it more than once, but here's my original blog post about it.

Imagine Einstein is having dreams about different versions of time as he struggles to finish his Theory of Relativity. Each chapter is a different dream about time.




Have you read any of these? What else (fiction or nonfiction) would go with my selections?

NONFICTION NOVEMBER: Your Year in Nonfiction

Week 1: (Oct. 29 to Nov. 2) – Your Year in Nonfiction (Kim @ Sophisticated Dorkiness): Take a look back at your year of nonfiction and reflect on the following questions –  

First, the summary of the reading:

The first two years I participated, I had read hardly any nonfiction books (13 in 2015 and 16 in 2016), probably because while I looked at nonfiction books, I always defaulted to novels. So last year, I vowed to have nonfiction books to talk about come November, and I did, reading 53. It was a concerted effort to pick nonfiction books and I was proud of myself for finally reading all those nonfiction books I'd been meaning to read. 

This year, I have balanced out a bit, reading 26 nonfiction books. The majority (16)of my NF are audiobooks and new this year are a few ebooks (3). Each year, the YA Sync program of free audiobooks from May to August give me easy access to some nonfiction books that I might not normally read. 

1. What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year?

Best true crime: 

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer - Michelle McNamara (audiobook)

I listened to this great true crime book in March, just a few weeks before the Golden State Killer was caught. I had quite enjoyed the writing and the mystery, and then to have it solved just as I finished reading the book added to the whole experience. Sadly, McNamara died suddenly before she finished this book and realizing how much her research helped find the killer. Some of the chapters were finished by her husband and editors after her death.  I totally freaked myself out one night hearing 'a noise', and I don't usually get affected by the books I read, but this one got to me a bit.

Best humourous:

Canadianity: Tales from the True North Strong and Freezing - Jeremy Taggert and  Jonathan Torrens 

Ha, ha, this is for the bahds! Jonathan Torrens (CBC/television personality and actor) and Jeremy Taggert (drummer from Our Lady Peace) have a podcast and touring comedy show that this book has come out of. It's an ode to Canada and being a bahd - cool dude. I had a lot of fun reading this book. 
My review here.




Best historical /science/mystery:

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World - Steven Johnson

The Ghost Map is really the best of all worlds - historical (last cholera epidemic in London), science (how do diseases spread) and mystery (how to stop the outbreak). I wrote Johnson's name down as an author to read again, and I must get to that. my review here




Best memoir/middle age 

What the Psychic Told the Pilgrim: A Midlife Misadventure on Spain's Camino de Santiago de Compostela - Jane Christmas 

Did Wild by Cheryl Strayed make you want to hike 1000 miles? No? Me either, but walking the Camino in Spain sounded almost doable in this mid-life crisis memoir. 
My review here.





best memoir

Golden Boy - Grant Matheson (ebook) 

A harrowing read about opioid addition, written by a local PEI doctor. He is a guy I knew of in high school - a good looking, slightly older guy from a neighbouring high school. He became a doctor, and then ended up addicted to drugs. He lost his licence to practice medicine and is now recovering. His memoir was hard to put down, and scary to see how easily he fell and how hard getting out of addition was.




best re-read

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot (audiobook)

Just as good the second time. Cassandra Campbell is a narrator I've always liked, and she did a great job here, as expected. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is often cited in 'best audibooks'. This is as infuriating as it is compelling. The horrible way the family was treated, and the ethics of medical research leave lots to think about after reading. 



2. Do you have a particular topic you’ve been attracted to more this year? 

No, my reading has been all over the place - memoirs, historical, crime, science, feminism. I like most everything. 

3.What nonfiction book have you recommended the most?

The books I've listed as my favourite are all recommended, but none in particular from this year. However, after reading The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper and his mother Gloria Vanderbilt, it reminded me of how much I enjoyed Cooper's first memoir, Dispatches From the Edge.

4. What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?

The prompts help me look back on the nonfiction year, and are just the right amount of incentive to post some content to my blog. I also like getting the scoop on the new NF that everyone else has read this year. I appreciate the reccs.

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Longest Books

This week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl, is Longest Books I've Read. I'm not a huge fan of immensely long books, but when you find a good one that you can just fly through, that absorbs you so completely, long books don't even feel long. The number of pages can vary depending on editions so I'll list the pages, but I realize that the number can change.

Come with me down this little ole memory lane...

Hey, remember when there used to be the Chunkster Challenge hosted by Bookfool ? The first challenge that drew me in was Booklogged's Classic Challenge, and then the Chunkster Challenge with Bookfool came along. It's hard to believe all this book blogging started over ten years ago. I was browsing around the Chunkster Challenge posts and bookfool mentioned that three participants would get her homemade booksmarks. I used that beautiful bird photograph bookmark for years!

Stephen King's It  

1120 pages

I'm trying not to just pick all the Stephen King's I've read, and even with 3 on the list, I'm sure there were other books by King that were long that I didn't list. Even with the length, nobody does a big epic novel like King. 

Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth

992 pages

Building a cathedral in the 12th century. Was worth the 900+ pages.

Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance

728 pages

I enjoyed it as I read A Fine Balance, but it was in the months afterward when I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and events that I realized the greatness in this novel. 

Stephen King's The Stand

1472 pages

The edition I read wasn't the uncut/author's version, but it was still very, very long and one of my favourite books.

Joe Hill's The Fireman

768 pages

Stephen King Jr writes just as engrossing novels as his dad. Post-apocalyptic tale of bad viruses, sounds a lot like The Stand.

Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch

784 pages

The Goldfinch read quickly, but ultimately I was more frustrated with this one than any other on this list and I wouldn't recommend it.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory

672 pages

Epic Tudor historical history during Henry the VIII's days there was plenty of intrigue to keep me interested. I loved it at the time, but never did read another Phillippa Gregory book for some reason.

Neil Gaiman's American Gods

624 pages

Shortest book on my list, but is also one I could do a re-read of. I loved the premise and epic good v evil nature of the book.

Stephen King's Lisey's Story

688 pages

Really, this was just a baby Stephen King book.

Jean Auel's The Mammoth Hunters 

(all the books in the series are chunksters)

768 pages

Considering I've read six books in this series, and all the books were mammoth, it ends up being I've read a lot of Jean Auel. I always think of these prehistoric books along with The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldron at the same time (prehistoric sex books vs Scottish sex books were the descriptions as we passed them around the staff room) and I'm pretty sure the Outlander books were also Chiunksters.

Elizabeth George's A Place of Hiding 

(12th in the series, they were all quite long)

800 pages

The Inspector Lynley /Barbara Havers mystery books were tremendously long books but really good police procedurals. They used to take me forever to read, as along with the length, I found the prose dense and the vocabulary just beyond my usual words. I'm impressed looking back that I read twelve of them, but I see now the series is at 20 books and I know I wouldn't have the patience to read them now.

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Books by Favourite Author I Haven't Read Yet

Hey, look who's back! It's me. A topic like Books by My Favourite Authors that I Haven't Read Yet is just the one to get me writing. Check out more topics at That Artsy Reader Girl.

Tracy Chevalier's The Last Runaway

I love Chevalier and this is the last of her published books to read. She takes about 2 years between books, so maybe there will be a new one next year.

Kate Atkinson's Emotionally Weird 

I found Emotionally Weird at a big yard sale on the weekend for 50 cents and was so excited. (that's why this topic has pulled me out of my hiatus) I am also excited about Atkinson's very recently released book, Transcription.

Stephen King's The Outsider

I have no where near read all of Stephen King's books, but I've got a good large 

number of them read. I'm getting The Outsider on audio in the next few weeks. 11/22/63 is one of his older books that I still want to read.

Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology

I have enjoyed many of Gaiman's books and it turns out when I looked at his list, that I've read nearly all his books, if I ignore The Sandman books, which I have. Looking forward to listening to Norse Mythology.

Sarah Waters' Tipping the Velvet

I've really enjoyed all of Sarah Waters books. This is the only one I have left on her old list to read. I've kind of been saving this one.

Emma Donoghue's Slammerkin

Another great writer whose books I've read most of and enjoyed. 

Robert Galbraith's Lethal White

JK Rowling is so talented. Besides all the Harry Potter books, her Cormoran Strike books are addicting. I got in the audio line early at the library and expect to get this on in a few weeks.

Deon Meyer's Dead at Daybreak, and Fever

Meyer's old books aren't so easy to get a hold of, but it is well worth it when you can. In looking up the books I haven't read yet, I discovered the Meyer has a newer book that I missed last year, Fever. Authors like Meyer - you have to wait for them to write, and then for the books to get translated. FYI, if you like mysteries and suspense, you should be reading Meyer, especially the Benny Griesel books.

Curtis Sittenfeld's Eligible

Sittenfeld isn't a prolific writer, but it turns out I've read most of her books, and I bought this one second hand somewhere along the way. Looking forward to Eligible.

How about a list of author's I love that I've read all their books? It kind of comes up when thinking about this topic:

 Lori Lansens, LM Montgomery, Dava Sobel, Rohinton Mistry, Mary Lawson, Tana French, Gillian Flynn, Carol Shields (all the fiction),

BOOK: The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson, 256 pages + notes and bibliography

No extended description of London from that period failed to mention the stench of the city. p8

Isn't it great to find a new nonfiction author who delivers on style and content? Steven Johnson's 2006 book about, well, a whole bunch of stuff, was a wonderful narrative history book, and he's written several other books, three of which are available on audiobook from my library. So, not only did I read a great book, I've got a backlist to investigate as well about popular science topics. Score!

But the finest minds of the era were also devoted to an equally pressing question: What are we going to do with all this shit? p 115


The Ghost Map is about the development of modern cities, the development of public health, and scientist John Snow, all framed around an epidemic of cholera in 1854 London. I enjoyed the history aspect of the development of the mega city and the scientific process of determining the cause of the cholera epidemic. Snow faced a decided opposition who believed that disease was spread through the 'miasma' of the air, and thus, also the moral depravity of the poor who so often suffered through the spread of terrible diseases. By supposing that cholera was spread through injestion of bad water, Snow investigated and was able to stop the epidemic from getting worse. 

Johnson easily moves from the specific story of Snow and cholera on Broad Street to the larger historical context of the spreading of diseases and city development. From biographical details of the main characters like Snow, and the local curate, Henry Whitehead, to the scientific background of bacteria and their evolutionary progress, Johnson keeps his narrative in order and progressing. He even at the end connects the ideas of cholera epidemics to modern epidemics and threats to city living.

Traditional bombs obviously grow more deadly as the populations they target increase in size, but the upward slope in that case is linear. With epidemics, the deadliness grows exponentially. p 243
(the math teacher in me loved this example)

The fact that Snow was able to figure out as much as he did without any understanding of bacteria and microbes is pretty amazing. In fact, I was put to mind the great book I read last year, I Contain Multitudes, a very up-to-date understanding of the creepy crawly stuff we can't see. The two books would be like book-ends in the history of epidemics based on bacteria and viruses. (I'm really just looking for any reason to recommend these two books.)

Johnson  ends with a timely reminder of what is needed to keep humanity living and progressing in larger and larger cities:

1. Embrace - as a matter of philosophy and public policy - the insights of science, in particular the fields that descend from the great Darwinian revolution that began only a mater of years after Snow's death: genetics, evolutionary theory, environmental science.
2. Commit ourselves anew to the kinds of public health systems that developed in the wake of the brad Street outbreak, both in the developed world and the developing: clean water supplies, sanitary waste-removal and recycling programs. p 255



More of Steven Johnson's Books to look forward to:

Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter

Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation 

Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life

How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World

Future Perfect: The Case For Progress In A Networked Age 

Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World

BOOK: Canadianity by Jeremy Taggart and Jonathan Torrens

Canadianity: Tales from the True North Strong and Freezing by Jeremy Taggart and Jonathan Torrens , 288 pages


Aw, two Canadian icons (who have a podcast together) have written a book about Canada. Their podcast tries to define Canadianity and now they have written a book to share their stories and travels across this big great country. Just a couple of Bahds, having a little love fest. Needless to say, I enjoyed this book.

Jonathan Torrens is a bit younger than me and lived in my little suburb outside Charlottetown. Most people think Sherwood is just a part of Charlottetown, except people from Sherwood who say they are from Sherwood. You may know Jonathan Torrens from Trailer Park Boys (J-Roc) or maybe you are a bit older and remember Street Cents, a consumer info show for teens. He's a Canadian guy, or bahd, as T &T continually refer. A good guy and very funny.  Someone to have a beer with. Because Jon is originally from PEI, the PEI chapter is quite long which I also loved. 

Taggart was the drummer from Our Lady Peace, not a band I listened to but I've definitely heard of them. He's also middle aged with lots of great stories of growing up in Ontario and also being a rock star. 

Each province gets a chapter, with stories from the bahd's travels or show biz experiences. There are lots of lists for each province - famous people, places to see, food to eat, great bands. Canada is big, but also it's a lot of small places too and it was fun having been to many places and recognizing people and places. 

It's an enjoyable read about the collective Canadian experience (especially for people of a certain, ie my, age). Great job Bahds!