My Top 15 Reads of 2021
I won’t list everything, but in no particular order here are my favourite fiction and non-fiction reads from this year.
I won’t list everything, but in no particular order here are my favourite fiction and non-fiction reads from this year.
Canada Reads begins tomorrow! Normally I’d post my top contender for who I hope wins… but this year I enjoyed them all, and given the variety of formats and genres I found it tougher to directly compare and rank. If I had to pick a winner I think it would be…
Joke’s on me… it is April 1st and I realized I have never shared my 2019 reading list. Better to throw it together late than never! 2019 was a year of reading as a way to distract myself from a double election year; often by tackling some of the many unread books sitting on my shelf.
Looking back on my reading list, I managed to complete over 60 new-to-me books this year. I again completed all of the Canada Reads books and continued to keep a nerdy spreadsheet to ensure I stayed focused on reading authors with a wider diversity of backgrounds and identities, including local, Indigenous and LGBTQ2S authors.
It was also the 100th Anniversary since the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike so I took time to devour many of the books looking back on that milestone event in labour history.
The recent announcement of the 2020 Canada Reads finalists had me reflecting on some of the fantastic Canada Reads books I have enjoyed over the years, many of which I ended up reading because they made it on the short list of finalists for the show.
So with all that in mind, I decided it could be fun to make a list to draw attention to what I think are the great Canada Reads finalists worth reading – even though they didn’t ultimately win the contest. Here they are:
The heated debate over our downtown library branch renovation has got me thinking about Edmonton books. Now seemed as good of time as any to make a list of first-time Edmonton authors worth giving a chance. Here are a few I’ve discovered recently by picking up a copy at Audrey’s Books or at my local Edmonton Public Library branch. With the nice weather finally here, you could even consider them summer reads!
Day One of Canada Reads 2019 has arrived! YThere are strong finalists this year, making the choice of which book to cheer for a tougher decision. When it comes down to it, I’d be quite happy with either Homes or Brother winning this year’s battle of the books, but if I had to pick I’d go with…
Another year, another reading list! Looking back on 2018, I managed to complete 73 books, including a lot more novels and poetry books, and all of the Canada Reads shortlist. Here is this year’s complete reading list: with my made-up categories and highly inconsistent 5 star reviewing system.
Looking back on my reading list from 2017: I managed to complete 39 books this year, a drop from previous years, with a higher ratio of non-fiction. Here is this year’s complete reading list, with my made up categories and inconsistent 5 star reviewing system.
Canada Reads 2017 asks: ‘What is the one book Canadians need right now?’ Definitely this one!
Looking back over the books I read this year, they ended up being about half fiction and half non-fiction, and I completed my goal of reading every Canada Reads winner since the show began! Here is my complete reading list for 2016.