50 Books in 2012

Last Christmas I received a KOBO E-reader as a gift from our daughters and their families.  This was a great gift and I quickly became well-versed in how to use it and enjoy all the benefits of owning one.
When New Year's Eve rolled along and once again resolutions were being tossed around, I decided to challenge myself to read more in 2012.  I was looking to renew my passion for reading and give it a kick-start of some kind.  This was a golden opportunity to get back in action and spend more time with a good book.
But you know me.  Just a universal read-more resolution wouldn't do. No sense just dipping your toes in the water when you can jump right into the deep end and make a big splash!
I dared myself -- even double-dog-dared -- to read fifty books within the year.  Gulp!
And the result is folks... I did it!!!  I completed the fiftieth book on December 27th.  (Insert bells, whistles and fireworks here!) In fact, by December 31st I read 52 books and six short stories.  Whoop! Whoop!
It was a year of some very interesting reading.  A few thrills,  a couple of chills, some lessons learned, secrets exposed, stories worth hearing again, and then alas... some not so captivating choices (oh-my-god-what-have-I-picked) have made my list.  But, I read them all. From cover to cover.  Even when the going was drop dead boring, I slogged through and made it.
I read my books in three forms - an actual book in my hands, the E-reader and audiobooks.  There are times I prefer one over the other.  For example, I listen to audiobooks when I walk, I use the E-reader in the car and when I am sitting in the big, comfy chair with the perfect reading light behind it, then I like to hold a hard (or soft) cover novel.
I am going to share my completed list with you in no particular order; certainly not the order in which I read the books.  I do not mean to write a review or be a critic - good or bad.  Maybe you might choose to pick your next read from somewhere on the list.  Maybe you won't and you'll just admire me and my list from over there.  I'm proud of my accomplishment and thrilled to be back in love with reading.
If you want to ask me about any particular book then please leave a comment and I'll get back to you.
Enjoy!

1.   Cockeyed - Ryan Knighton
I first heard about this book a few years ago from a couple of my sister-in-laws as the author's sister was seriously dating our nephew (they are married now).  I filed the title away in the back of my mind as something I wanted to check out.
2.   Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
3.   Falling Backwards: A Memoir - Jann Arden
When I finished Jann's book I tweeted the following to her: "Seems we had some kind of doppelganger parallel province existence. There is comfort in knowing now that I wasn't alone then."
4.   Look Me in the Eye - John Elder Robison
The author's life with Asperger syndrome and tough times growing up.
5.   Playing With Fire - Theoren Fleury,  Kirstie McLellan Day
A book so honest that at times it's very hard to like the guy.  You will be amazed at his story, his lows and in fact, just why the heck he even is still alive.
6.   Room - Emma  Donoghue
Room is a 12 foot by 12 foot shed somewhere, where Old Nick has kept an imprisoned Ma for seven years; the book’s narrator, Jack, was born five years ago. Ma has done her best to turn Room into a survivable world for her and Jack. 
7.   Running With Scissors - Augusten Burroughs
The true story of a boy whose mother gave him away to be raised by her psychiatrist, a dead-ringer for Santa and the reigning king lunatic in a family of fully dysfunctional nut-jobs. Side note: This author is a brother to the author of Look Me in the Eye. 
8.   Seriously... I'm Kidding - Ellen DeGeneres
9.   A Stolen Life - Jaycee Dugard
"I don’t think of myself as a victim. I survived. A Stolen Life is my story—in my own words, in my own way, exactly as I remember it."
10. The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven - Kevin Malarkey
11. Curses! - J.A. Kazimer
Definitely not for baby's bedtime reading, this take on classic fairy tales combines humor, mystery, and characters only a fairy godmother could love.
12. Cemetery Girl - David Bell
13. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
14. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
15. Mocking Jay - Suzanne Collins
16. The Descendants - Kaui Hart Hemmings
17. The Book of Useless Information - Noel Botham 
One person's useless information could prove invaluable to someone else. Then again, maybe not. Did you know that peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite? Good to know in that Cliff Clavin kind of way.
18. My Mother Was Nuts - Penny Marshall
19. Here Comes Trouble - Michael Moore
I am a fan of documentary film-maker, Michael Moore. I appreciate his observations and sense of sarcastic humour.  I also love that he loves Canada a lot! This man has truly lead a Forrest Gump-esque life. Once, when lost, he was found by Bobbie Kennedy.  Another time, he learned how to perform his own exorcism when he was attending seminary to become a priest.  Just the tip of the iceberg.
20. Unbearable Lightness - Portia de Rossi
21. I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had - My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High - Tony Danza
This is Tony Danza's account of his year spent teaching tenth-grade English at Northeast High in 2009.   
22. Wild - Cheryl Strayed
An honest memoir about an eleven-hundred-mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe and built her back up again. At twenty-two, the author made the most impulsive decision of her life: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker. But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone.This is the telling of the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.
23. Heaven is For Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven & Back - Todd Burpo & Lynn Vincent
24. Just Kids - Patti Smith
25. Escape From Camp 14 - Blaine Harden
26. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Deborah Moggach
27. Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) - Jenny Lawson
A.k.a. The Blogess writes about the most mortifying moments of our lives—the ones we’d like to pretend never happened— and reveals they are in fact the ones that define us. 
28. Unlikely Friendships: 50 Remarkable Stories From then Animal Kingdom - Jennifer S. Holland
29. Might As Well Laugh About It now - Marie Osmond
30. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
A mysterious island, an abandoned orphanage and a strange collection of very curious, haunting vintage photographs. A fantasy read for anyone that enjoys a mix of fiction and photography.
31. Welcome to the Departure Lounge (Adventures in Mothering Mother) - Meg Federico
An amusing yet heartbreaking look at taking care of one's elderly parents.  I think we are like band-aids.  We are working full-time, nurturing and providing for our children, while at the same time we struggle to care and watch out for our aging parents.  We are stretched to the limit trying to cover it all and hope that it all turns out okay.
32. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and Other Concerns) - Mindy Kaling
33. The Ten, Make that Nine, Habits of Very Organized People. Make that Ten. - Steve Martin
34. We Need to Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver
35. Why I Didn't Say Anything - Sheldon Kennedy
36. Townie: A Memoir - Andre Dubus III
37. We Bought a Zoo - Benjamin Mee
38. The Time-Keeper - Mitch Albom
39. Going Bovine - Libba Bray
A friend of mine likes to post a Facebook status of "Regarding the current book you are reading, who are you and where are you?" A comment on the post lead me to check out the story of a 16-year-old slacker with a diagnosis of "mad cow" disease. The heart of the story, though, is a hallucinatory—or is it?—quest with many parallels to the hopeless but inspirational efforts of Don Quixote.
40. The Devil in Pew Number Seven - Rebecca Nichols Alonzo
41. Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L. James
I wouldn't be the only one not 'fessing up if I said I didn't read the book everyone (and no one) was talking about. Subject closed.
42. 90 Minutes in Heaven - Don Piper
43. Alone in the Classroom - Elizabeth Hay
44. For One More Day - Mitch Albom
45. Up the Down Staircase - Bel Kaufman

A story about a young teacher’s efforts to reach her students and the odd, amusing, and sweetly sad ways that students respond. When a fresh-faced newbie can hardly wait to shape young minds she encounters broken windows, no supplies, students who would rather be anyplace else, and a stifling, paper-laden bureaucracy that makes her job more difficult at every turn. Through the use of inter-office memos, students’ notes, and other scraps drawn from the waste basket, we are educated about teachers who love to teach and students who long to be recognized.  Although this book was originally written in 1969 about an inner city school in an impoverished neighbourhood in NYC, I found myself constantly shaking my head and chuckling to myself as I drew constant comparisons to the staff, the students and school division I work in now. I loved it!

46. Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
A perfect marriage. A marriage made in hell. The wife has been kidnapped.  The wife has been murdered.  The husband did it. The husband was set up. This is a book where you hate all the characters but still can't stop reading.
47. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
48. Stories I Tell My Friends - Rob Lowe
49. She Walks in Beauty: A Women's Journey Through Poems - Caroline Kennedy
50. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption - Laura Hillenbrand
From Hitler's Olympics to a Japanese prisoner of war camp to the bottle, this is the amazing life story of Louis Zamperini. I can't begin to summarize this book and do it any kind of justice.  All I can say is that you can't... you won't... be able to look at your life the same way anymore. If you are going to read only one book, make it this one.

Honorable Mentions:
Am I Boring my Dog?
The Zombie Survival Guide
Odd Interlude #1, #2, #3
*69
Hide and Seek
Swim

Welcome to the Family!

*** Lyle and I were asked to give the "Welcome to the Family" Speech at our daughter Sean's wedding on August 4th. It was our pleasure to welcome Aaron and his two beautiful daughters, Shelbi and Ainsley. This is what we said.
********************************************************************************
Hello everyone!
First of all, on behalf of Lyle and myself, we'd like to thank everyone for being here and sharing our joy on this very special day.
A shout out - HAY-AY! - to our families and friends as we thank you for traveling here to make this wonderful occasion so memorable for Sean and Aaron.
Carol and Al - thank you so very much. You have gone above and beyond for our kids as they prepared for the wedding. How great its been for Aaron and Sean to have you both close by for love and support especially when we are so far away. We appreciate everything you have done for them Thank you.
Sean and Aaron have worked very hard towards this beautiful wedding and I'm sure you will agree that everything has been wonderful so far.
We couldn't be more proud of both our daughters and everything they have accomplished, We know they are perfect. Tonight we'll tell you about Sean.
Part-time student, full-time worker, a homemaker, a care-giver, a partner, a sister, a friend, a step-mom, a volunteer, a confidant... we could go on at quite some length about Sean and her attributes.
Our dream for both our daughters is that they are happy, laugh lots and get as much or more love as they love you.
With Aaron we know Sean's found all that and much more.
As you know, we have an Erin and now Sean has an Aaron. You can imagine the confusion at times when we are talking. Whose Erin? Our Erin? Your Aaron? Girl Erin? Boy Aaron? Is Aaron bringing the girls? No, Erin is bringing her three dogs. Very confusing. I think the aunties should get working on the perfect nickname for Sean's Aaron and take care of this problem.
But now it's time we got to what we're really supposed to be doing up here.
Welcome "officially" to our family Aaron! (Even though we feel you and your daughters have been a part of it for a good while now.) You are a great guy, a hard worker, loving father and devoted partner who clearly loves our daughters and makes her very, VERY happy.
Aaron - you've been around enough of our family now that we think you can see what you're getting yourself into. But just to make sure, please take another look at Uncle Norman.... and cousins Shane and Brody. You still in? OK! No sympathy from now on!
Aaron, Shelbi and Ainsley, we are proud to call you son and our girls. We feel very blessed to have all three of you in our lives.

So from the Marks, the Lucas', the Vanghels, the aunties, the uncles, the nieces and the nephews, the cousins, the in-laws and out-laws -- Welcome to our family!

I've Come to Realize

1. I've come to realize that my chest-size... is bigger than I wish it was.


2. I've come to realize that my job(s)… is a new adventure everyday.


3. I've come to realize that when I'm driving... I speed a lot.


4. I've come to realize that I need... a workout/exercise/walking buddy.


5. I've come to realize that I have lost... almost no weight at all.


6. I've come to realize that I hate it when... people think they know eveything about me.


7. I've come to realize that if I'm drunk... I don't have to drive.


8. I've come to realize that money... is nothing and everything.


9. I've come to realize that certain people... think they know everything about me.


10. I've come to realize that I'll always ... struggle.


11. I've come to realize that my sibling(s)... are still dumb boys.


12. I've come to realize that my mom… is still missed each and every day.


13. I've come to realize that my cell phone... is old and outdated.


14. I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning… I had a mother of a headache.


15. I've come to realize that last night before I went to sleep... I was exhausted.


16. I've come to realize that right now I am thinking... this note is getting way too deep.


17. I've come to realize that my dad... had many demons.


18. I've come to realize that when I get on Facebook... it's because I am on a break.


19. I've come to realize that today... is one day away from a holiday!


20. I've come to realize that tonight... I have to make supper.


21. I've come to realize that tomorrow... could be a very fun day.


22. I've come to realize that I really want to... see my girls.




23. I've come to realize that life... is hard.


24. I've come to realize that this weekend... I will probably be working.


26. I've realized the best music to listen to when I am upset... is the music of my youth.


27. I've come to realize that my friends... aren't who I've always thought they were.


28. I've come to realize that this year... is finally going to end.


29. I've come to realize that my ex... is non-existent.


30. I've come to realize that maybe I should... go make supper.


31. I've come to realize that I love... my family - flaws and all.


32. I've come to realize that I don't understand... the hold addictions have on people.


33. I've come to realize my past... is present.


34. I've come to realize that parties... are fun but too few and far between.


35. I've come to realize that I'm totally terrified... of being alone.


36. I've come to realize that my life... is pretty okay.

In Your Eyes

In your eyes, Mom,
I have always been the prettiest,
The smartest, the funniest
The one with the potential
To do anything

In your eyes
My failures are but
Practice for success
My weaknesses
But strengths in the making
My mistakes
But an opportunity to learn

In your eyes,
I am the strongest
And the softest.
I am the shoulder
The world can cry on
And the rock
It can lean on

In your eyes,
I am the most creative
And artistic
My every stick figure
The Mona Lisa
My every clay figure
David

In your eyes,
I am the most loved and loving
Everyone's best friend
The perfect daughter
The perfect mother
The perfect wife
A beautiful person to know

And when I see myself
Reflected in your eyes
I see someone
Ten times the person I'll ever be-
I see you.

Melissa Peek

We Are More

When defining Canada

you might list some statistics

you might mention our tallest building

or biggest lake

you might shake a tree in the fall

and call a red leaf Canada

you might rattle off some celebrities

might mention that we’ve got a few

barenaked ladiesor that we made these crazy things

like zippers

electric cars

and washing machines

When defining Canadait seems the world’s anthem has been

been there done that

and maybe that’s where we used to be

it’s true

we’ve done and we’ve been

we’ve seen all the great themes get swallowed up by the machine

and turned into theme parks

but when defining Canada

don’t forget to mention that we have set sparks

We are not just fishing stories

about the one that got away

we do more than sit around and say, eh?

and yes

we are the home of the Rocket and the Great One

inspirers of little number nines

and little number ninety-nines

but we’re more than hockey and fishing lines

off the rocky coast of the Maritimes

some say what defines us

is something as simple as please and thank you

and as for you’re welcome

well we say that too

But we are more

than genteel or civilized

we are an idea in the process

of being realized

we are young

we are cultures strung together

then woven into a tapestry

and the design

is what makes us more

than the sum total of our history

We are an experiment going right for a change

with influences that range from a to zed

(yes we say zed instead of zee)

we are the colours of Chinatown and the coffee of Little Italy

we dream so big that there are those

who would call our ambition an industry

larger than sticky maple syrup and clean snow

bigger than wheat and beer

we are vineyards of good year after good year

we reforest what we clear

because we believe in generations beyond our own

knowing now that so many of us

have grown past what used to be

We can stand here today

filled with all the hope people have

when they say things like, someday

someday, we’ll be great

someday, we’ll be this

or that

someday, we’ll be at a point

when someday was yesterday

and all of our aspirations will pave the way

for those who, on that day,

look towards tomorrow

and still say,

someday

We will reach the goals we set

and we will get interest on our inspiration

because we are more than a nation of whale watchers and lumberjacks

more than backpacks and hiking trails

we are hammers and nails building bridges

towards those who are willing to walk across

we are the lost and found for all those who might find themselves at a loss

we are not the see-through gloss or glamour

of those who clamour for the failings of others

We are fathers, brothers, sisters and mothers,

uncles, nephews, aunts and nieces

we are cousins

we are found missing puzzle pieces

we are families with room at the table for newcomers

we are more than summers and winters

more than on and off seasons

we are the reasons people have for wanting to stay

because we are more than what we say or do

we live to get past what we go through

and learn who we are

we are students

students who study the studiousness of studying

so we know what as well as why

We don’t have all the answers,

but we try

and the effort is what makes us more

we don’t all know what it is in life we’re looking for

so keep exploring

go far and wide

or go inside, but go deep

go deep

as if James Cameron was filming a sequel to “The Abyss”

and suddenly there was this location scout

trying to figure out some way

to get inside you

Keep exploring

because we are more

than a laundry list of things to do and places to see

we are more than hills to ski

or countryside ponds to skate

we are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can’t wait

we are first-rate greasy spoon diners and healthy living cafés

a country that is all the ways you choose to live

a land that can give you variety

because we are choices

We are millions upon millions of voices shouting“keep exploring”

we are the surprise the world has in store for you

it’s true

Canada is the “what” in “what’s new?”

so don’t say, been there done that

unless you’ve sat on the sidewalk

while chalk artists draw still-lifes

on the concrete of a kid in the street

beat boxing to Neil Young for fun

don’t say you’ve been there, done that

unless you’ve been here doing it

let this country be your first-aid kit

for all the times you get sick of the same old, same old

let us be the story told to your friends

And when that story ends

leave chapters for the next time you’ll come back

next time pack for all the things

you didn’t pack for the first time

but don’t let your luggage define your travels
each life unravels differently

and experiences are what make up

the colours of our tapestry

we are the True North

strong and free

and what’s more

is that we didn’t just say it,

we made it be.

Poet - Shane Koyczan

Vancouver Winter Olympics

February 2010

Easter Passion

“you gave your all,…your love,heart,body and soul,….you took our fall,….as foretold and still remained straight and tall,…. to later inspire one and all. your head was bloodied by thorns and bowed,not in disgrace,….. but in heavenly grace,……for the whole entire human race. your arms were outstretched,hands and feet both bloodied and pierced,….but not your holy spirit,to the very end remaining steadfast and fierce,…..for the world has never known a love so vast. because of god’s gift of free will and redemption,…..we all have been bequated his love,blessings and redemption.”

Happy New Year

To my family and friends:

I wish a happy new year, filled with hope, and love, joy and cheer.

May a new dream arrive with a beautiful song marking an end to heartache and a time to forgive all wrong.

May it be a year to let go of regrets of the past, a time of opportunity that binds determination fast

and brings all the hope a heart can hold and a source of inspiration that never grows old.

May the new year bring great strength and a purpose that's true -- I wish my family and friends these wonderful things in the year that's bright and new.

How Many Balls Can You Juggle

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit … and you’re keeping all of these in the air.

You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends and spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or evenshattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for Balance in your life.

How?

Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together.

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find time. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings!

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.

Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way…

–Brian G. Dyson

Retired President and CEO, Coca-Cola Enterprises during his speech at the Georgia Tech 172nd Commencement Address Sept. 6, 1996

Morning Glory Muffins

In a large bowl combine:
4 cups flour (white, whole wheat or mixture)
2 ½ cups sugar (½ white, ½ brown)
4 tsp. baking soda
4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

Stir in:
4 cups grated carrots (4-5 large carrots)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup sunflower seeds

Blend in a second bowl:
2 apples, peeled and shredded
6 eggs
2 cups oil
4 tsp. vanilla

Blend mixture well and add to the first bowl mixture. Stir until just combined.
Spoon batter into paper lined large muffin cups. Fill to the top.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes.

Notes:
You may substitute one cup of the oil with one cup of applesauce or other fruit puree.
Raisins or other dried fruit can be substituted for the cranberries.
You may use all white sugar if need be.

OKAY...OKAY! I'll Tell You 25 Things About Me. Please Try to Appear Interested.

Blah, Blah, Blah... (Does anyone know how to make that noise they use when the teacher talks on a Charlie Brown special?)

Consider yourself "in the loop":

1. I invented "girl" cheese sandwiches with sliced pickles inside of them.

2. I am very funny - how come I'm not more famous? If you don't get the joke you were born too serious.

3. My kids use to think I was a Jeopardy genius. I was watching it at an earlier time at work and then getting all the answers right at home. I think that's pretty damn smart.

4. I can't believe I have a 27 year old daughter! I will have to start telling people I got married when I was 8 instead of 12.

5. Corona with lime is my favourite beer. I was drinking it way, Way, WAY before it became trendy.

6. Mount Gay is the name of my favourite rum not the name of a guys-only bar.

7. I played ladies fastball for about 15 years. I played left field. NO, I wasn't out in left field... I actually played that position.

8. I had my first cigarette when I was 10 years old. What a delinquent... but I always used an ashtray out in the bushes behind our house. Safety first!

9. I've been to 10 countries in Europe. I never got to the one I really wanted to see... Ireland.

10. I've been able to fake my way out of driving a stickshift for almost 30 years.

11. The colour yellow makes me happy. The colour red makes me feel dressed up. The colour green makes me proud of my Irish roots. The colour menopausal purple makes me want to be an arsonist. Polyester burns real fast.

12. People thought I was sunflower crazy... WRONG! Brown-eyed Susans are my favourite flower. BIG DIFFERENCE!

13. The three jobs I hate most in the world are frying bacon, ironing, and icing cakes. Painting gets an honourable mention.

14. I mut be getting old because I find myself watching The Food Network more and more often.

15. Raisins are really fat flies with the wings pulled off.

16. Purple candies make me think of kids tylenol which makes me think of sick kids barfing after they've just swallowed said tylenol. I don't eat purple candies.

17. I've been with the same man for almost 29 years, been married to him for 26 and a half years. I guess I'll keep him.

18. When I was in labour with my second daughter I pulled the towel bar out of the wall and then told my husband he had time to have shower before we went to the hospital.

19. I love The Waltons. But not John Boy's mole. That actually makes me think of raisins. And if Elizabeth was my sister I would have beaten the crap out of her. Does anybody else think Jim Bob looked way too dorky for TV?

20. Chicken Bones are the way to my heart. No baby chicks have ever been harmed in my pursuit of candy happiness.

21. I'll probably get another tattoo but I'm not saying where.

22. I wish I could have sushi whenever I get the urge... maybe I should have a Japanese houseboy.

23. I will someday write something that someone will want to publish.

24. I like to read the "Status" list on Facebook and then comment "Aww muffin..." wherever it fits. It actually fits a lot. I conclude that most Facebook buddies are whiners.

25. I miss my mom every day. I wish she were still here to talk to. I know she left way too soon.