18) All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, 296 pages, Ballantine Books, 1928
WHY I PICKED IT: It's touted as the greatest war novel of all time
ELAPSED TIME: 4 days
RATING: Very Good
Wow. If you ever want to read a novel about the horrors of war, read this First World War tale of a foot soldier in the German Army. The joys of brotherhood, and the agony of seeing those brothers in arms fall... one by one. Amazing prose, with the style changing to reflect the experience of the protagonist. If I were to ask for anything in this world, it would be to see peace in my lifetime.
19) Books, by Larry McMurty, 259 pages, Simon and Schuster, 2008
WHY I PICKED IT: Yann Martel recommended it to Stephen Harper (Canada's PM).
ELAPSED TIME: 2 months
RATING: Good
Okay. So it's a book about buying and selling books. As books about books go, it's number two on my list (I've only read two - Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman is a Top 10 read of mine!). With 108 chapters, most of which are less than 2 pages long, this book makes good bathroom reading. Don't know if I'd recommend it beyond that.
20) From Here to Maternity, by Sinead Moriarty, 298 pages, Penguin Books, 2006
WHY I PICKED IT: Mike Gayle, an author I like, recommended it
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Meh
Okay, so I generally like "guy lit." Lighthearted fiction about guys figuring themselves out and being happy at the end... chick lit, meh. This is a story about a woman who has been unable to get pregnant, so she adopts, and gets pregnant... it's a feel good tale and well written. But it's not for me. I won't be reading any more books by this author.
21) The Cost of Living, by Arundhati Roy, 126 pages, Random House, 1999
WHY I PICKED IT: I love this woman and will read any book of hers I come across.
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Very Good
This is a book of two essays. The first, The Greater Common Good, is about the cost of big dams in India. The over-running of the people on that land, and the total lack of ethics behind it. It's a scathing indictment against "Big"... but lacks the heart she puts in almost everything she writes. The second, The End of Imagination, is a about how she feels when India, and then Pakistan went nuclear. The passion that she brings to the argument is phenomenal. This is also the essay where she wrote the line that I use to define my purpose.
22) Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, 347 pages, McSweeney's Books, 2009
WHY I PICKED IT: Dave Eggers is a great author
ELAPSED TIME: <1 day
RATING: REQUIRED READING
WOW! In what must be his best book since his debut autobiography, Eggers takes us through the experience of Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun during Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath. The tale of this hardworking Syrian and his American wife was captivating enough... The story of his illegal incarceration was spellbinding. The collapse of rule of law and any semblance of human rights raises tremendous questions of the world that we live in. That this family continues to struggle and deal with PTSD is heartbreaking.
23) Ending Slavery, by Kavin Bales, 236 pages, University of California Press, 2007
WHY I PICKED IT: Dr. Bales did a TED Lecture that was quite good.
ELAPSED TIME: 5 days
RATING: Very Good
What an eye-opener! Who knew that in this day and age there are 27,000,000 people who are slaves today? And we're not talking slave-like... we're talking slavery. Do not earn a wage for the work that they do and get beaten or killed for not performing the tasks they are assigned. This textbook on slavery is intense... and probably not an appropriate read for most people; just know that I believe we should each donate $10 a month to an anti-slavery organization (Free the Slaves is one option). Also, if you work in supply chain, look all the way back and see if you can pressure your suppliers to look back into their supply chains... to work together to eradicate slavery.
24) A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle, 232 pages, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1962
WHY I PICKED IT: I don't remember where I got this recommendation, but thanks :)
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Good
Hmm. Not quite sure if a pre-teen would get the depth of this book... but that's the case with many so-called kids books (Le Petit Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is another example). This is a lovely tale of a girl who doesn't fit in, and an adventure she has with her prodigious little brother and a new friend of theirs. It has a bit of religion, but ultimately it's a story about how pure love can conquer evil. I'm not sure I'd go so far as to recommend the book, but I did enjoy it.
25) King Leary, by Paul Quarrington, 232 pages, Anchor Canada, 1987
WHY I PICKED IT: Stephen Galloway recommended it to Stephen Harper on Yann Martel's website
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Good
Interesting that I compare Quarrington's book to the guy who recommended it. Steven Galloway's book Finnie Walsh is a much better book to instill a love of hockey to Canadians... But Quarrington's book is good too. A long-since retired hockey player Percy "King" Leary remembers his life from his old age home. The hijinks of his friends, the trouble they got in to, and the life that he lead. The issue I ultimately had with the book was: "So What?" Why should I care about this protagonist and the people in his life?
26) Charlotte's Web, by E. B. White, 184 pages, Harper Collins, 1952
WHY I PICKED IT: Alice Kuipers recommended it to Stephen Harper on Yann Martel's website
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Good
What a cute little story! I guess this is a staple for kids who have been brought up in North America, but it was new to me. This story can be used to teach kids about death in a way that focuses on the importance of the quality of life lived.
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