Part of taking time off work is to relax and rediscover the things that I love and don’t normally have time for. This includes reading novels, both fiction and non-fiction. And, as many of you guessed from our wedding book-themed tables, we love books in this house! My focus this year is to read more fiction books to escape the political world which kept me from leisurely reading anything from magazines, celebrity blogs and stuff that was non-work related.

I remember as a child, if I asked for anything remotely expensive (this included likely a dress for $20 in those days) my parents would most often say no, but if I walked past a book store in the mall and asked my parents to buy me a book, they would without a doubt say yes. Growing up, my parents always fostered my love for books and reading and learning new things, which I will always be grateful for. I always wanted to have a gigantic library with as many books as it could hold because I loved reading so much. I loved everything from murder mysteries to political histories and biographies, to bestsellers and lesser known authors. Before I started working full time, I always made time to read books and it’s something I miss so much and am so looking forward to doing again this year!

I would like to read at least 20 books this year and will write a review of each one as I finish them. Here’s my reading list for 2014. I have some of these books, but will become very familiar with my local library this year. (Did I mention also that when growing up, I spent hours at the library and absolutely loved it?)

In no particular order:

The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World, by Jennifer Baggett (recommended by Anne Marie’s friend Layla)
I was at a political event in November 2013, and I mentioned to my publisher Anne Marie’s friend Layla that I was taking a year off just to take a break from work. I told her part of the sabbatical included a trip to India, and she immediately recommended this book. I looked it up, and it sounds amazing—three friends, quitting their jobs and travelling the world together.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette: A Novel, by Maria Semple (recommended by Charlene)
My friend Charlene recommended this book after she found out about my reading list. I had not heard of it, but she said she “enjoyed the comical characters but down to heart story about family” which is something right up my alley!

The Namesake, by Jumpha Lahari (recommended by Charlene)
Charlene also recommended I read this book since I am going to India. I actually had not heard of this either, but apparently a movie was made based on this book. The description reads: “The Namesake takes the Ganguli family from their tradition-bound life in Calcutta through their fraught transformation into Americans” which sounds fascinating, as another project of mine is to write a book about my own family’s immigration story. I will definitely have to read this one, and then watch the movie to compare!

Unaccustomed Earth, by Jumpha Lahari (recommended by Charlene)
Charlene also recommended this one by the same author as The Namesake, which I’m looking forward to reading! Chapters’ description says it’s “eight dazzling stories that take us from Cambridge and Seattle to India and Thailand as they explore the secrets at the heart of family life. … Unaccustomed Earth is rich with the author’s signature gifts: exquisite prose, emotional wisdom and subtle renderings of the most intricate workings of the heart and mind.”

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, by Chris Hadfield
This is not fiction, but I’ve recently become a major fan of commander Hadfield, and look forward to reading this book! Did I mention I met him recently? 🙂

I will have to borrow a copy from people I know who have it (ahem, Christine and Bou!).

Dear Life, by Alice Munro
Ian got me this book for Christmas. Munro recently won the Nobel Prize so I’m very much looking forward to it!

And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini
I haven’t read Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, but saw the movie, and it was truly amazing. I look forward to his writing, which I hear nothing but good things about.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, by Helen Fielding
I also haven’t read the original Bridget Jones’ Diary books, but am looking forward to some lighter reading this year! Nothing wrong with a little chicklit. 🙂

Millennium Trilogy (Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest), by Stieg Larsson
I think Ian borrowed these books from our friend Mike years ago, and hasn’t opened them yet. We saw the first two original Swedish movies, and loved them, so I would like to see how the books are, which I hear are better.

419, by Will Ferguson
I actually got this book for Christmas last year from Ian, and have yet to open it. Finally I’ll get the chance to!

Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo
For the amount of obsession I have with the musical Les Mis, and the DVDs of concerts, and now the Hollywood movie (Hugh Jackman was an all right Jean Valjean—no one beats Colm!), I actually have not read the original book. When Ian and I were in France two years ago, we visited Hugo’s apartment in Paris just because I loved Les Mis so much, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the musical adaptation compares to the original. I’m sure I’ll love it, and still hate Cossette! Bou, I’m stealing your copy when you’re done, you better be finished before 2014 is over. 🙂

Pierre Elliot Trudeau, by Nino Ricci
I got this book from work about two years ago when it was first published, and have yet to read it. I thought it was about time. I know it’s ‘federal politics’ related, but it will be my one connection.

We Are Water: A Novel, by Wally Lamb
I loved Wally Lamb’s I Know This is Much is True, and look forward to reading this new one. Time has gone by so quickly since that first novel, I’m excited to rediscover his writing.

Ru, by Kim Thuy
This has been on my reading list for awhile now, since I read a review of it in the Globe and Mail two years ago. It follows on the theme of immigration and “in vignettes of exquisite clarity, sharp observation and sly wit, we are carried along on an unforgettable journey from a palatial residence in Saigon to a crowded and muddy Malaysian refugee camp, and onward to a new life in Quebec.” Given what I want to write about, it’s high on my list!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel, by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer
This one was recommended to me a few years ago when I was in a Chapters buying a gift and possibly another book for myself. I was perusing (as I usually do) and a store clerk saw me take it off the shelf to read the back, and she highly recommended it. I never got around to getting it, but I didn’t forget about it as it sounds like an interesting read.

The Book of Negroes, by Lawrence Hill
I’ve been meaning to pick this book up for years, especially after my friend Jennifer highly recommended it, so I’m looking forward to reading this amazing piece of Canadian literature.

And, that’s it for now. I think that is 18 books, so if you have any other suggestions for me, send them in, or comment below! And, if anyone wants to form an informal book club with me, let me know!

Bea