I have an absurd number of books on my to-read shelf. These are books that I’ve bought, and physically have on my shelves, waiting to be read.

I don’t know how I’m ever going to catch up, especially with all the neat books that have come out this fall, and the classics I have yet to read. Never mind the review stuff that isn’t even on that list.

How does anyone keep up?

127. Fables of Identity, by Northrop Frye
(Mariner Books, 1963)

Why doesn’t anyone name their kid Northrop any more? I’m not breeding, but I still think this name should make a come back. So c’mon breeders: next kid, choose Northrop!

This is a great collection of essays, dealing with everything from archetypes and mythology in general, to their presence and effects in specific texts.

I always feel under read. I learn so much every time I read a book of his, and I need to reread everything I’ve read before, because I’m sure I’d get more out of it now than when I first began reading literary criticism.

128. Zen Ghosts, by Jon J Muth
(Scholastic Press, 2010)

I originally picked this up for my little cousins as a Hallowe’en gift, but I love it too. It’s an unusual ghost story, more of a zen koan, told by Stillwater, a zen panda.

The costumes, colours, and illustration are gorgeous. The owl pirates on the flaps slay me. It’s such a beautiful book.

129. What Disturbs Our Blood, by James FitzGerald
(Vintage Canada, 2010)

I won a copy as a part of a CBC Twitter draw, which was pretty nifty. Slightly less nifty was the book itself. Continue reading »

Novels, graphic novels, children’s books and non-fic, but no poetry? How did that happen?

23. The Game, by Ken Dryden
(Wiley, 1983, 2005)

Continuing reading the Canada Reads 2012 shortlist in reverse order of elimination,⁽¹⁾ I read The Game despite my complete lack of interest in hockey. And loved it.

I have little idea who most of the players are, and fortunately lists of statistics are kept to a minimum. What you get with that the jacket copy calls “the best hockey book ever written,” is a surprisingly well-written and thought-provoking overview of the industry from the perspective of an insider, Ken Dryden being, of course, a former goalie for the Montreal Canadiens.⁽²⁾

I can see why this was in the top five, and further, I can see why it almost made it as this year’s pick. It’s definitely worth the read. Continue reading »

Footnotes:

1. See Shelf Life: February 2012 for more. [↩]
2. I saw “of course,” as if I knew that before. I didn’t. But I assume most people know more about hockey than someone who’s spent her childhood trying to ignore that team sports exist outside the classroom. [↩]