What I've been reading

[blue_lotus13]

1. The Chosen one by Carol Williams Lynch- The first of two YA books about polygamy that I read. The plot of this one was pretty fast moving and it really pulled me in. (Recommended)

2. Trauma Farm by Brian Brett- LOVED this book. It was about the history of Brian Brett's farm, as seen in one day. Brett is an irreverent poet who lives on Salt Spring Island. This book packed a lot into it and was an entertaining read. It won the Writers Trust Award for non-fiction. (Highly recommended if you're into farming and food)

3. Novice to master an ongoing lesson in my own stupidity by Roshi Soko Morinaga- Interesting if you're interested in zen history and temple rituals. Boring if you're not.

4. The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan- The first in a triology. Some pretty creepy vampire stuff with mediocre and sloppy writing. Interesting plotting, but don't read if you're in the house alone.

5. The East, the West and Sex by Richard Bernstein- A non-fiction account of how the Western World perceives the Eastern world in terms of sexuality and erotica. The ideas about colonialization, Western exploration and the harem were interesting. Later on, it seemed like Bernstein was trying to defend Western paternalism and prejudices.

6. When the body says no- the cost of hidden stress- by Gabor Mate- How stress manifests in the body. Interesting if you're into the mind body connection. A good way of thinking about health.

7. The Factory Voice by Jeannette Lynes- I liked the concept of this book better than the actual execution. Still, I learned a lot about women working in aviation in Canada during the Second World War. Excellent historical research.

8. Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka- Another tale about teenagers living in a polygamous sect. Loved the use of alternating voices and the tension created in this book.

9. The End of Food by Paul Roberts- An overly technical book about what's happening in the global food industry. There are better and easier books to read about the same subject.

10. Sit down and shut up by Brad Warner- My least favourite of Warner's three books about punk rock and Buddhism.

11. A Thousand Shades of Blue by Robin Stevenson- A teenager has to sail to the Bahamas with her parents and younger brother. I liked all the details about sailing and the numerous issues and concepts that Stevenson packed into this YA novel.

12. Vanishing and other stories by Deborah Ellis- I liked the first few of these stories and the style of writing, but felt that the themes of the stories got repetitive after a while.

13. Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl- Read in preparation for the movie. I actually liked the movie better.

14. The Syringa Tree by Pamela Gien- A novel created from a one woman play about growing up as a white child in South Africa. Fascinating history, excellent voice and a good story. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED>

15. The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones- A YA thriller about mistaken identity, siblings and adventure. Pretty good.

16. Going Bovine by Libba Bray- A story about a teen who gets Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease and goes on a road trip. Tried too hard to be quirky and the ending disappointed.

17. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver- An interesting look at Mexican history. Not an easy read for me, but worthwhile.

18. Earth and High Heaven by Gwethalyn Graham- Read for www.roughingitinthebooks.com

19. Summer of Fire- by Karen Bass- A friend's YA novel about a rebellious teen girl who goes to live in Germany and learns about the past of the German people.

20. Huge Blue by Patrick Pilarski- Friend's book of haikus about travelling through Western Canada