Last year brought many great times - including the time I spent reading. I would like to share some of the favourite books I read in 2011. I hope that these titles will help to give you a good start to your new reading year.
Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian by Avi Steinberg: I don't think you have to be employed by a library to enjoy Steinberg's memoir of his experiences working as a librarian and writing instructor at a Boston maximum-security prison. Steinberg describes his two years working in the prison with both humour and compassion. He learns a lot about life in prison, including the fact that books can be used for not only the traditional use but they can also be used as weapons and mailboxes. He meets an array of colourful characters and forms relationships with some of these men and women.
The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy: This story takes place during the Second World War on the island of Guernsey. Vivienne de la Mare is the wife of an English army soldier who is left to care for her two daughters while her husband goes off to fight in the war. Vivienne chooses to stay on Guernsey as she fears the crossing to England is too dangerous. The island is soon occupied by the Germans and Vivienne finds that her new neighbours are German army officers. The relationship she has with one of the officers makes her life bearable during the occupation and causes her to question her loyalties to her friends and family.
365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed my Life by John Kralik: The author had been through a tough year and was preparing himself for another one. His law firm was failing, he was in the process of going through another divorce, he was 40 lb. overweight and his girlfriend had just broken up with him. On New Year's Day, Kralik decides to take a hike, and on that hike he makes a life-changing decision. Kralik's life slowly begins to change when his focus turns from negative to positive. He achieves this change in focus by making a new year's goal to send thank-you notes. He pledges to write one thank-you note every day for a year to people for gifts and kindnesses shown to him over the years.
An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington: In 2011, I read four books by British author, radio producer, podcaster and TV personality Karl Pilkington. He may be best known for his TV show An Idiot Abroad, which is produced by his friend Ricky Gervais, who calls Pilkington "the funniest man alive in Britain today." An Idiot Abroad chronicles Pilkington's travels to see the Seven Wonders of the World. He would rather be at home in London than abroad and his unique perspective on wonders such as the Egyptian pyramids and the Great Wall of China are hilarious. I would highly recommend all of Pilkington's books, including The World of Karl Pilkington, Happyslapped by a Jellyfish and Karlology. They all made me laugh out loud at home, in airports, on planes, at the pool.
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. This is my favourite book of 2011. Unbroken is a book that combines Olympic and Second World War history with a harrowing survival story. Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit, writes the story of American Louis Zamperini, who was an Olympic runner and WWII bombardier. Zamperini competed in the 1936 Olympic Games and later joined the army and was stationed in Hawaii. On one of his missions, his plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean. He then had to fight for survival on a flimsy raft, and later in the harsh conditions of a Japanese POW camp. Hillenbrand has written an unforgettable, heart-wrenching story that once you start reading, is difficult to put down.
I am looking forward to the new reading year ahead. For more great book suggestions, call or visit your local library, where the staff can recommend many titles to keep you reading throughout 2012.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published every Wednesday. Lori Nick is a library technician at Terry Fox Library in Port Coquitlam.
