** Books mentioned have Amazon or Bookshop affiliate links, meaning I make a few cents if you purchase through my link. I only recommend books that I’ve read.

1. Figuring by Maria Popova

Speaking of women, Maria Popova is the author of the very popular blog, Brain Pickings. And in this book, she highlights many incredible yet unsung women from the 18th through 20th centuries and shows how their lives are connected. People like astronomer Maria Mitchell, sculptor Harriet Hosmer, literary critic Margaret Fuller, poet Emily Dickinson, and scientist Rachel Carson. Figuring inspired me to read Carson’s Silent Spring, the classic book from the 1960’s which led to the eradication of DDT. That book is also on my list. I wrote more about Figuring at this post. 

2. The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd

I love good nature writing and this book is a classic. Introduced to me by one of the greatest nature writers living today, Robert Macfarlane, whose extensive introduction to the book is enough in itself to make the purchase worthwhile. He shares in detail how Shepherd’s deep knowledge and love for the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland inspired his own writing. In the foreword, Shepherd describes the fascinating history of the book. She wrote it in the 1940’s and then it languished in a drawer for 30 years before being published in 1977. Then comes the book itself, a short 108 pages packed full of vivid, sensory, poetic detail. It’s a master class in writing about a place and it’s entertaining too whether or not you’ve ever been to these mountains, which I haven’t.

I also really enjoyed reading Robert Macfarlane’s latest book, Underland, about the fascinating worlds that lie under our feet.

3. The Library Book by Susan Orlean

This non-fiction book, which reads like a novel, was a delightful surprise. It’s a history of the Los Angeles Public Library which revolves around the disastrous fire there on April 28, 1986. That fire consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. More than thirty years later, the mystery of how the fire started and by who remains unsolved. There are many stories of library people woven throughout – suspects in the fire, library employees and directors, as well as patrons. It’s also a story about libraries in general and their future. At one point in my life I wanted to be a librarian and this book made me wish I’d pursued that path. If you love libraries as much as I do, you will love this book.

4. Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga

In Canada, as in the United States, there is a legacy of poor and downright cruel treatment of the Indigenous peoples of these lands. It’s something that remains unresolved to this day. In this devastatingly brilliant book by journalist Tanya Talaga, she tells a very recent story. It happened and is happening in the Province where I live, and I was only vaguely aware of it. Talaga was working for a Toronto paper as we were approaching a federal election in 2012. She went to Thunder Bay to write a story about Indigenous voting. But when she got there, the Chief wanted to talk about a very different story, that of teenage Indigenous children dying at unprecedented rates. Talaga tells the story of seven of these children in this book, hence the title. I was lucky to hear her speak about the book right here in my hometown and have been following her work ever since. It’s important to know about the Indigenous history of the places where we live and the issues Indigenous people are facing now. There are many great books out there for learning. Here’s a list of books I’ve read. 

5. Thoreau by Laura Dassow Walls

Many of the books I read have overlapping connections. In Figuring, literary critic Margaret Fuller was good friends with the writers Emerson and Thoreau, both of Concord, Massachusetts. Fuller wrote a book called Summer on the Lakes, which inspired Thoreau to write Walden. Laura Dassow Walls’ book on Thoreau offered many insights into the life of Thoreau, the man, but also it brought to life the town of mid-1800’s Concord, a hotbed of literary talent and progressive thought and action. Thoreau (1817-1862) was not as solitary as many think. He was an active member of this small, thriving community for his entire short life (he died at 44). On a road trip to Maine this past summer, I had the good fortune of staying a night in Concord and visiting Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where Thoreau, Emerson, and others are buried. Read this post about my trip to Concord after reading this book.

6. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

Reading about Rachel Carson in the book, Figuring, prompted me to dig out my copy of Silent Spring, which I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t read all the way through. Better late than never. This book is a master class on activism, how to present the facts – in this case, about the dangers of insecticides – in such a reasonable and poetic way that no one could dispute them. The illustrations by Lois and Louis Darling are delightful. Before Silent Spring, Rachel Carson was an unassuming marine biologist with a love for poetry. By the time she died, at the age of 56, Carson had introduced the world to the world ‘ecology,’ and launched the modern day environmental movement. It’s a must read, in my opinion.

7. How to do Nothing by Jenny Odell

Jenny Odell is a smart, young thinker, artist and writer who teaches at Stanford. She’s been an artist-in-residence at places like the San Francisco dump, Facebook, the Internet Archive, and the San Francisco Planning Department, and has exhibited her art all over the world. This book is an act of resistance, offering an alternative to the cult of productivity. Odell lays out her premise, that attention is our most precious resource and that being alone, doing nothing but observing or being with nature or people is not only a right but an end in itself. She makes you think about how your attention is dragged around. The first half delves into the history of those who have opted out of society in the past and why it did or didn’t work. In the second half, she explores possibilities for reengaging with other, hopefully more meaningful, things. In particular, reengaging with the people and plants and animals in the places where you live. This is called bioregionalism or knowing the ins and outs of your place. The book is highly readable and super interesting.

8. The Art of Is by Stephen Nachmanovitch

Author Stephen Nachmanovitch is an expert in musical improvisation. In this book, Nachmanovitch shows how life is also improvisation, an ongoing dance with culture, community, and environment. The ability to listen deeply while living is key to being a good improviser and to letting your unique voice be revealed. It’s divided into three parts: Interplay, Thinking as Nature Thinks, and Art and Power. The 22 chapters are individual vignettes relating to the theme of the section. Nachmanovitch is an entertaining storyteller with a hopeful outlook. He sees possibilities everywhere. One of the most important messages I received from this book is that the secret of improvising is being able to talk (play, express) and listen at the same time. This book was thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking from beginning to end.

9. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

I definitely read more non-fiction than fiction but do enjoy the occasional novel. Generally, I get immersed in the story and characters while reading, but once I’m finished a novel, the details are usually quickly forgotten, even if I liked the book. Not so with this delightful read which has stayed with me ever since. It’s the story of Count Alexander Rostov, under house arrest in the famed Metropol Hotel in Moscow. It begins during the Russian Revolution and Rostov spends most of the rest of his life living in the hotel, where a memorable cast of characters become family. It has stayed with me ever since and prompted me to want to learn more about the Russian Revolution. I’m also eagerly awaiting Towles’ first novel, Rules of Civility. Maybe it will make my 2020 list.

Other novels I enjoyed this year: Where the Crawdad Sings, Washington Black, Normal People, and City of Girls.

10. On Fire by Naomi Klein

With all the talk this year on what a Green New Deal would like across the world, it’s a good reminder that Naomi Klein has been writing about just these things for two decades. I’m sure she is thrilled that people are starting to pay attention. In this collection of her writings over this time period, she makes the case once again. Her lectures and essays are accessible to anyone wanting to understand what’s happening. She shows the evolution of the climate crisis and explains why it’s the key issue of our time and connects to many other issues. This is a challenge and call to action for all of us. To me, this is a must read.

Other books on the environment: Rewild Yourself, The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, and The Global Forest.

11. By Chance Alone by Max Eisen

By Chance Alone was the winner this year of Canada Reads, our national book club where, through a series of debates, a book is chosen from among 5 finalists, as the one Canadians most need to read. I read and thoroughly enjoyed all 5 books and believe that the winner, By Chance Alone, was worthy of the title. The author, Tibor “Max” Eisen, was born in Czechoslovakia and is now 90 years old. He immigrated to Canada in 1949 and has dedicated much of his life since to educating others about the Holocaust. You learn in the book why he decided to do this. With this book, his story is finally down on paper and it’s an incredible yet devastating read. What struck me most was how his survival depended on a few special people and chance events. The author is donating a portion of his royalties to institutions promoting tolerance and understanding.

12. Becoming by Michelle Obama

I hesitated to include this book for two reasons. One, it was one of the bestselling books of the year so many have already read it and two, Michelle Obama is a polarizing figure, which makes no sense to me. But it was one of my absolute favourites of the year so I couldn’t leave it out. This is a story of an intelligent and accomplished woman who has lived an extraordinary life, while facing incredible odds. She also had an exceptional mother.  She has many stories and experiences and lessons to share from her life and her time as First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role. After reading the book, I was lucky to hear her speak in Toronto and she is as warm and funny in person as she is on the page. I wish her only the best as she continues to “become” and live a meaningful life.

Daily Morning Reading

As an addendum, I usually have a book that I read daily in the morning. This year it was/is The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti, which has totally blown open my world. I think you have to be ready for Krishnamurti but, if you are, he will get you looking at life differently. Next year, I plan to read John Jantsch’s new book, The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur. I’m drawn to this book because he writes reflections on quotes by some of my favourite people, like Thoreau and Emerson, applying them to modern day.

What was your favourite book of the year?