As mentioned in my fiction post, I read 202 books this year.

Here’s the non-fiction that stuck with me, in chronological order, tracked from my goodreads.com account.

1. Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn- If you want a book that will teach you all about gendered oppression world-wide, you need to read this. This teaches you the many ways how women are oppressed in the third world, why empowering women helps everyone and what you can do as a person in the first-world. It uses lots of examples to show you how the average person can get involved. Some feminist critics have said that this book is too simplistic because it doesn’t get into analysis. This isn’t the point. This is a book that will teach you what is wrong and what you can do to help.

2. Thanks, but this isn’t for us- Jessica Page Morrell- I read a lot of books about writing and how to write. This book is one that I would recommend to any beginning writer who wants to get better. The author is an editor who goes through slush piles. She comments on common mistakes that writers make and how to avoid them.

3. Lonely by Emily White- One of my favourite books that I read this year. White is a Canadian writer who explores loneliness and her own personal experiences with it in this book. She wisely depicts loneliness as different from depression and says that it is in fact the last taboo. You can be lonely or isolated even if you are married or in a family, she says. I think about human isolation a lot, and so I really enjoyed learning more from this book. I think it was quite remarkable and should have gotten more attention.

4. After the falls by Catherine Gildiner- Catherine Gildiner writes about growing up in Buffalo in the 1960s. She has a pretty interesting life that deals with issues of racial prejudice and activism. I found this book really gripping, and would recommend it to anyone who wanted to learn more about what life was really like in the 1960s. This book is the sequel to her first book “Too close to the falls”. I liked that book too, but not as much as “After the Falls”.

5. Nice recovery by Susan Juby- Susan Juby is a young adult writer who wrote the Alice MacLeod series. In this memoir, she talks about her life as a teenage alcoholic, and explores her own recovery and a look at how people recover from addiction. This is a daring book, and one that really examines why people become addicts and how they can heal. I’d recommend this book to teens, parents and teachers in particular.

6. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl- Ruth Reichl used to be the food critic for the New York Times. In this book, she talks about her life as a critic and talks about the many disguises she used to wear to visit the restaurants anonymously. She had at least 7 outfits and personalities, and talks about the different meals she eats. Fun!

7. My stroke of insight by Jill Bolte Taylor- Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroscientist who suffered a stroke. Her book is an account of what happened to her, how the brain functioned and how she recovered. It’s absolutely astonishing and inspiring and will teach you a lot about the brain. It also gives a lot of insight into how to act and treat people with brain injuries.

8. Farm city by Novella Carpenter- I’ve been raving about this book and recommending it to people left and right. Most farming memoirs (except Trauma Fair) are fairly earnest and serious. Farm City is damn funny. Novella Carpenter starts a small farm on an abandoned lot in Oakland. She raises rabbits, poultry and pigs on her lot and deals with lots of inquiries and interest from the strange characters in the city. In one scene, one of her pigs escapes and runs down the freeway. This is informative stuff, but it’s funny too.

9. Grow great grub by Gayla Trail- A gardening book and how to book about being an urban gardener or setting up your own small garden on your balcony. A second book by the author of “You grow girl.”

10. The Heart does break edited by Jean Baird and George Bowering- I’ve realized that I have a morbid fascination with grief, isolation and loneliness, mainly because I feel that human beings don’t talk about these things enough. “The Heart does break” is a collection of essays by 20 Canadian writers. Each of these essays explore death and grief. Yes, I cried a few times while reading this. I thought it was amazing.

11. The year of living generously by Lawrence Scanlan- I made my dad read this book so we could discuss it. Lawrence Scanlan is a journalist who lives in Kingston. In this book, he spends an entire year volunteering at different charities in Canada and overseas. Each chapter represents a different month and a different organization. Through his endeavours, Scanlan explores the benefits and difficulties of volunteering, as well as social institutions and societal problems. He volunteers at a hospice, at a men’s homeless shelter and a food bank etc. My dad and I agreed that some chapters were more interesting than others, and that this is all dependent on the reader’s personal interests and experiences.

12. You couldn’t ignore me if you tried by Susannah Gora- This book is only going to appeal to people of a certain demographic. The book is an exploration of the films of John Hughes, the actors who were in the Brat Pack and how they impacted culture, and films. Some parts of the book are delightfully trashy. The book also influenced me to watch all the John Hughes movies. I was surprised to learn that they are actually smoking pot in The Breakfast Club. When I first saw it when I was 10, I thought they were smoking cigarettes. Ha! I followed this up by reading “Teen Dreams”, which analyzed major teen films and tv shows from The Breakfast Club and Heathers to Veronica Mars. Interesting, but not as good as Gora’s book.
While we’re on the topic of pop culture, I’d also recommend “Talking to Girls about Duran Duran” by Rob Sheffield, which looks at 80s music and describes what the author learned from 80s music. This book made me laugh out loud.

13. Cockeyed by Ryan Knighton, and C’mon Papa by Ryan Knighton- Ryan Knighton is a Vancouver writer and teacher who is going blind. His first book, “Cockeyed” is a memoir and his book “C’mon Papa” is a fathering memoir about what it’s like to be a blind father. These books will give you a lot of insight into what it’s like to be blind or to lose your eyesight. Knighton is incredibly engaging and funny and easy to like. Since I used to live in the Commercial Drive area of Vancouver, I found the section where he straps on his baby to go for a walk down the Drive to be incredibly funny. These books teach a lot.

14. Love is a four letter word edited by Michael Taecksens- This book made me very happy to be out of my 20s. This is a collection of essays about bad relationships and bad breakups. It’s one of those books that you read and are both amused by and horrified by. I laughed and cringed while reading it.

15. She’s not there by Jennifer Finney Boylan- Jennifer Finney Boylan is a trans-woman and writer who used to be known as James Finney Boylan. In this memoir, she writes about her early life and transition process, and the effects that her transition had on her family and colleagues. This is a brilliant and heart breaking book and I cried while reading this. What a courageous and honest story!

16. Bitter medicine by Clem and Olivier Martini- I wish that this book had gotten more attention. In this graphic novel, Calgary writer Clem Martini tells the story of how schizophrenia has affected his family. His brother Olivier, who is schizophrenic, supplies the stories for the book. This is a look at how health care systems fail those with mental illness. If this book doesn’t move, sadden or anger you, you’re not paying attention. One of the best books on mental illness that I’ve ever read. This should be held up as an example of how Alberta health care is failing people.

17. Orange is the new black by Piper Kerman- When she was in her early 20s, Piper Kerman committed a white collar crime. She ends up going to a women’s prison for a year about 10 years later. Some people might think that her prison life is pretty cushy, since she does yoga and gets to run and read. However, this isn’t the point. The book examines life in minimum security women’s prisons, how they fail to rehabilitate people, and how and why people end up in prison. I also liked the details about how Kerman changes during the book and the details about some of the women she met in prison.

Honorable mentions-
1. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin- At some times, this book annoyed the crap out of me, but it also helped me to change my life and examine my own happiness and life goals. However, I’d also link that to another book I read about overthinking and worrying called “Women who think too much” by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema.

Dumbest book I actually finished this year- Multiple Blessings by Kate Gosselin

Poetry books- I read 18 poetry books, but most of these are written by friends so I don’t really want to comment on them. I really loved “I thought Elvis was Italian” by Domenico Capilongo and “details from the edge of the village” by Pierrette Requier.