 Schott's
Original Miscellany
Ben Schott
This funny little book offers a wallop of interesting factoids such
as how to say "I love you" in Swahili, a table showing when
ice is thick enough to snowmobile on, and the last dinner menu from
the Titanic. Most trivia books seem predictable, as if their entries
were randomly pulled from Encyclopaedia Britannica, but this one is
more like sitting down to dinner with a fascinating guest from Britain
who knows the most wonderful things--both the mundane and the bizarre--about
everything you would never think to ask about.
Recommended by Marci
 Bel
Canto
Ann Patchett
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett is a surprising book. I knew it had
won the PEN/Faulkner Award for 2002, and that has a lot to do with
why I read it at all, because upon learning the premise of the book,
I was skeptical as to whether or not it could be a believable, satisfying
read. The plot sounds so implausible; a lavish party-- which the President
of the country has skipped to watch his favourite soap opera--is crashed
by terrorists, who find the party to not be what they expected, the
president not where they expected, and many of the guests not who
they expected, including a famous opera singer, who cannot stop herself
from singing.
I'm delighted to say that not once during my reading of this wonderful
book did I find myself having to suspend my disbelief, or questioning
the authenticity of any of the characters or situations found in its
pages. The opposite was, in fact, true; I believed so strongly in the
people the reader gets to know page by page that the book completely
won me over and broke my heart. Bel Canto is a beautiful example of
the individuals, with all their hopes, fears, desires and passions,
that make up every society, culture and subculture. I will read this
book again.
Recommended by Beth
 Kingdom
of Fear
Hunter S. Thompson
The insights, lunacy and acutely accurate but painful observations
of "gonzo journalist" Hunter S. Thompson have surfaced again
in the autobiographical bestseller Kingdom of Fear. This is
a collection of memoirs tracing Hunter's childhood in Kentucky through
a series of mishaps, adventures and fearless refusal to bow to conformity
into the development of arguably the greatest modern chronicler of
the mythology of the American Dream. Poignant and hilarious, Kingdom
of Fear is so well written that it hurts.
Recommended by Judy
 All
Families Are Psychotic
Douglas Coupland
Douglas Coupland introduces us to (yet another) dysfunctional family
- the Drummonds. The family is thrown together as the daughter's impending
space shuttle launch nears. As they wait, a series of mis-adventures
and flashbacks show us their history of loathing, blinding self-interest
and terminal illnesses.
Recommended by Michael
Tempting
Faith DiNapoli
Lisa Gabriele
This is a wonderful novel, which follows Faith DiNapoli's life through
young childhood to her late teenage years. Raised by her Catholic mother
and her Italian Immigrant father, she struggles with trying to be normal.
Faith is convinced that her Catholic fate will deliver her the normalcy
that she is so much wanting. Her dedication to her religion creates
trying situations, as Faith commonly feels as though she is on her way
to hell.
Gabriele portrays Faith and her family in such a marvelous way. She
combines humor, with life-like experiences that almost any individual
can relate to, despite their religion.
Recommended by Cheryl
 The
Way the Crow Flies
Ann Marie MacDonald
MacDonald writes about the McCarthy family; freshly returned from
Germany to an air base in Canada in the early sixties. She covers
the era and its tensions along with the changes within the McCarthy
family. There is an underlying dark story that affects the family
and tears at the community. Young Madeleine is the focal point of
the book with her rich imagination. The story is full of ripe humour
and gut-wrenching anguish that keeps you pressing on. This is one
of those books that you keep returning to year after year.
Recommended by Les
 Love
You Forever
Robert Munsch
I've read this to [my son] Aidan every night since he was born and
it can still bring me to tears. It's a beautiful story of how a parent's
love is enduring and how that love is reciprocated. "I'll love
you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby
you'll be" sums up the loving connection every parent feels for
their child. Incidentally, Robert Munsch is now a Canadian (he used
to be an American and has had a very interesting past, starting out
as a monk, then working in child care and is now a world famous children's
author).
Recommended by Andrea
 Lying
Awake
Mark Salzman
For me, I really enjoyed Lying Awake. It's about a nun and her
crisis of faith. For such a short novel, it has a powerful impact, making
you question your own sense of faith and belief. A very quiet novel,
no melodramatics, but it conveys more about the importance of your own
belief than years of sitting in pews.
Recommended by Andrea
 Life
of Pi
Yann Martel
I have to say the best book I read this year was Life of Pi.
It has been a long time since I was so pleasantly surprised by the end
of a book - how much value and depth it added to the story.
Recommended by Sarah
 Playing
House
Patricia Pearson
This Canadian writer manages to show--with humour--how the life of
a 30-something New York magazine editor would be upended if she suddenly
became pregnant with the baby of an Acadian jazz musician. It's witty
and thoughtful, and offers the same indulgent pleasure of reading
a Candace Bushnell novel, but without leaving a guilty aftertaste.
Recommended by Marci
 Stop
Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works Erik Spiekermann,
E.M Ginger
The
Elements of Typographic Style
Robert Bringhurst
 Two
wonderful books about the world of typography. While Stop Stealing
Sheep is a more introductory book of the two, it is extremely
informative and touches upon all aspects of typography. Elements
is a denser and more comprehensive look at typography. Bringhurst's
book is considered by most to be THE book on typography today.
Recommended by Michael
|
 The
Wealthy Barber
David Chilton
Although The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton has been available
for years, and is now in its 3rd edition, this book is still full
of valuable information for anyone wanting to get their personal finances
in order. The advice given isn't groundbreaking. In fact it can be
found in many books on the subject. However, The Wealthy Barber
is very readable. In a few short evenings I had read through the book
and taken away much useful information that I was able to immediately
apply to my life. A personal finance book that is enjoyable to read
is rare indeed and for this reason I highly recommended it.
Recommended by Ron
 Middlesex
Jeffrey Eugenides
I feel like a cop-out for choosing the year's Pulitzer winner, but
I can't help it -- this novel floored me. Middlesex is narrated
by a third-generation Greek-American Alpha-5 Reductase Pseudohermaphrodite
named Calliope, and follows a recessive gene across two generations
of lies and incest through to its manifestation in the narrator's
body. I’ve never come across a hermaphrodite in fiction before,
and I never want to again; I can’t imagine how anyone could surpass
Eugenides' Cal. Don't be scared off by the big shiny award on the
cover or the psycho-sexual thematics; even your mom and your fifteen-year-old
brother will probably fall in love with Calliope and her/his story.
Recommended by Brianna
 E:
A Novel
Matt Beaumont
I absolutely loved E the Novel by Matt Beaumont. I bought my
copy on Abebooks a few months ago and once I was finished with it,
I haven't seen it since. It's been a very popular lender.
It is a quick and easy read that will have you smiling, grinning and
laughing out loud at the office politics and mayhem that ensues. The
entire novel is presented as a series of e-mails between employees
of a multinational advertising company. You must follow this read
with his follow-up Christmas novel called E Before Christmas where
the staff of the same advertising company prepares for their annual
Christmas party.
Recommended by Susan
 Testaments
of Honour
Blake Heathcote
This is a book of Canadian stories of the Second World War as told
by the men and women who were there. It is filled with terrific stories
of bravery and heroism, also many pictures. It covers the stories of
Veterans who were paratroupers, doctors, pilots, spies, POWs, and many
more. It showed me a great deal about what our ancestors experienced
and reinforced in me the importance of Remembrance Day. I will read
this book again and again over the years, as the stories are very moving
and inspiring.
Recommended by Jennifer
Stalin
Edvard Radzinsky
This is really the only book that was written on the subject using
research from the Soviet archives during the small post-Cold War period
that they were open. The author is very famous in Russia - he is the
most often performed playwright in Russia next to Chekhov. His father
was killed by Stalin, and he interviews many of the most famous soviets
- including Molotov, Stalin's right hand man and the originator of
the 'Molotov Cocktail.' Much of the information in the book is first-hand,
or taken right from the words of the participants, which is quite
rare for Soviet history. In addition, it is very well written, which
is generally a rare trait for serious history books. It has become
quite renowned in Soviet history circles in a very short period of
time, and I'm sure it will be considered one of the quintessential
references on the era for many years to come.
Recommended by Jason
 The
Adventures of Taxi Dog
Sal Barracca (illustrated by Mark Buehner)
Also a favourite. [My son] Aidan loves this book, in part because
of the phenomenal illustrations by Mark Buehner. They're colourful
and show his incredible ability to portray perspective. The story
is about an abandoned dog who finds a home with Jim the taxi driver
and their adventures as they taxi folks around New York city. The
rhyme is fun and catchy..."my name is Maxi, I ride in a taxi,
around New York city all day. I sit next to Jim, I belong to him,
but it wasn't always this way. I grew up in the city, all dirty and
gritty, looking for food after dark. I roamed all around, avoiding
the pound, and lived on my own in the park." It's just a fun,
heartwarming story for anybody that loves animals. And believe me
Aidan loves dogs!
Recommended by Andrea
 Cryptonomicon
Neal Stephenson
This is a hefty book, both in terms of length and in terms of detail.
Stephenson spends a large amount of time developing side plots, historical
detail and mathematical facts, but not to the book's detriment. The
plot revolves around two generations of families that are connected
both in the past and the present, unbeknownst to them. The story flips
between World War II and the present, flips between codebreakers and
computer geeks...all linked by Nazi gold.
Recommended by Michael
 The
Lovely Bones
Alice Sebold
The Lovely Bones is probably one of the most emotional experiences
I have ever had as a reader. Sebold tells us a painfully sad and funny
story, set in heaven and on earth, tracking loss and love in our lives.
I envy everybody who hasn't read it yet...
Recommended by Boris
 Jan
Wong's China
Jan Wong
Last year I ready Red China Blues and jumped at the chance to
read Jan Wong's second book about her experiences in China. This book
is less idealistic than the first, yet still provides an interesting
perspective into a China that struggles with its Communist ideology
along with its burgeoning market economy.
Recommended by Denise
 Clara
Callan
Richard B. Wright
This novel, which won the 2001 Governor General's Award (possibly Canada's
most prestigious literary prize) follows the lives of two sisters from
small-town Ontario, circa 1939-42. Nora is the flighty younger of the
two who moves to New York to pursue a career in radio, and Clara is
a sensible school teacher back home, conservative but confident. Written
in the form of a diary (Clara's) and letters back and forth, the book
sees the sisters encounter love, betrayal, and the onset of World War
II.
Wright writes from a woman's point of view so brilliantly and so naturally,
and his characters are so fully realized that one is actually sad to
let them go at the end of the book.
Recommended by Courtenay
Sailing
Alone Around the Room
Billy Collins
Love
is a Dog From Hell
Charles Bukowski
 Two
books I enjoyed reading this year. Both of these are books of poetry.
I like them because I can read half a dozen before falling asleep
at night. Both are thoughtful and funny. They contrast in that Billy
Collins is polite and G-rated stuff you could read to your mother.
Bukowski is funny, and sometimes thoughtful, usually crass—I
would never read it to my mother.
Recommended by Dave
 The
Corrections
Jonathan Franzen
Extremely well written; you feel the angst that the characters feel.
The scene at the dinner table is absolutely brilliant. Who can't empathize
with a small child sitting and staring at cold mush on his plate for
hours and playing with a piece of gum under the table?
Recommended by Sarah
 American
Gods
Neil Gaiman
"This is a bad land for Gods," says Shadow, the main character
of American Gods. He is right; the Gods and Beliefs brought
with the immigrants of the Old World are forgotten and replaced with
the newer Gods (Television, Internet...). Shadow finds himself helping
out the old Gods in battle against the new. A strange road-trip across
America and its cultural/spritual identity.
Recommended by Michael
|
BookSleuth
