Recent Book Activity

My bookshelf photo lets you know what I am currently reading.

A wee bit about me... I am a mother, wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, friend, consulting paralegal and literacy volunteer. We live in a beautiful century home in a mid-sized town between Toronto and Niagara Falls. I have 2 sons who also enjoy reading a great deal, and for this I am grateful. We have 2 sweet cats, named Scout and Boo. Yes, from that book. :o)

I am an avid reader of any and almost everything! I like to read mainstream fiction and literature, historical fiction, biographies, memoirs, nonfiction about historical events, world events, travel and experiences, and humour. A glance at my TBR and my wishlist will show you what types of books interest me.

Spare time that is not spent reading is often spent in the garden, or walking/hiking locally, travelling when I can afford it, spending time with friends and family, cooking and baking. Occasionally, I clean my house. :o)

My interests are varied and range from architecture to hockey to bird watching to natural wonders.

I like good wine, good chocolate, hot tea, hot baths, pencil skirts, cashmere cardigans, yellow flowers, birdsong, hiking, travelling, babies and animals and especially baby animals, chatty letters or notes, fresh peaches off the tree, anything with caramel, ice cream, pavlova, sushi, and good ol' shepherd's pie. I don't like mushy vegetables, rainy days, cold coffee, cold feet, track pants, Walmart, rodents, liars, apathy, and most of all, conflict. I am a conflict avoider. To a fault.

Dozens and dozens of bookcrossers have enriched my reading life by sending me a RABCK or a trade or a non-book gift or have taken the time to share their book through a bookring/bookray. THANK YOU all. I hope my small efforts to pay-it-forward make someone else out there smile.

Books read in 2013
10. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
9. The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory
8. The Rebels of Ireland by Edward Rutherford
7. The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett
6. Self by Yann Martel
5. Strangers by Taichi Yamada
4. One for My Baby by Tony Parsons
3. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
2. Jacob's Room by Virginia Wolff
1. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton

Books read in 2012
1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larrsen
2. The Englishman's Boy by Guy VanderHaeghe
3. The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B by Sandra Gulland
4. Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies & Aid by Samantha Nutt M.D.
5. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
6. Paris from the Ground Up by James H.S. MacGregor
7. The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris
8. Mary, Queen of France by Jean Plaidy
9. Candide and other Stories by Voltaire
10. The Flanneur: A Stroll through the Paradoxes of Paris by Edmund White
11. Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris by Graham Robb
12. The Devil's Queen: A Novel of Catherine de Medici by Jeanne Kalogridis
13. Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard
14. The Descendents by Kaui Hart Hemmings
15. The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
16. The Great Santini by Pat Conroy
17. Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition by Owen Beattie
18. The Gardens of Kyoto by Kate Walbert
19. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
20. Bridge to Teribithia by Katherine Paterson (audiobook)
21. Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe by Sandra Gulland
22. The Last Great Dance on Earth by Sandra Gulland
23. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
24. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
25. The Secret World of Og by Pierre Berton
26. The Law of Dreams by Peter Behrens
27. Three Junes by Julia Glass
28. The Glory Wind
29. Incendiary by Chris Cleave
30. The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant
31. Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb
32. Lottery by Patricia Wood
33. The Girls by Lori Lansens
34. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
35. How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill
36. New York by Edward Rutherford (audio-book)
37. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
38. Dropped Threads edited by Carol Sheilds and Margaret Adams
39. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
40. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
41. The Headmaster's Wager by Vincent Lam (audiobook)
42. Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
43. A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick (audiobook)