Here’s what I read last month. As you can see, I read quite widely—fiction and non-fiction, so if you have a suggestion for me please leave it in the comments. I am always looking to add to my already unwieldy reading list! :-) Hover over image for title and author.

A fascinating autobiography from a woman who spent part of her childhood virtually unschooled in the Australian outback, then attended well-to-do schools in Sydney after her father died. She eventually went to university and became a professor, and was the first female president of Smith’s College. I found this book quite hard to put down once I got into it—her childhood was so unique, so tied to animals and landscape, so tragic (both father and older brother died), her relationship with her mother so complicated…. Highly recommended.

I have read a number of books by Richard Dawkins over the last year or so, wanting to read about evolution first-hand. River Out of Eden is a very accessible book to the lay reader, though it does not go into near as much detail as The Selfish Gene (hard read, but worth it—arguably the most influential science book of the late 20th century). I’d recommend starting with The Blind Watchmaker to get more of an accessible overview of his theory; River Out Of Eden was his next publication. Very engaging, humourous, and accessible writer—expect your brain to be exercised!

A book I really enjoyed in terms of content, but the formatting was awful—tiny print! Looked at all kinds of ways in which folks in North America (mainly US, but several Canadian examples too) have chosen to live in small spaces. I really liked that this book did not just consider the “off the grid” living; it also considered inner city townhomes, community living in suburbs, modifying your existing space and so on. It also included folks from all walks of life—not just single crunchy granola types without kids. I particularly enjoyed learning how families made the most of the space they had, and the most environmentally-friendly use of the amenities on offer while living in the city—just like us. Lots of ideas here, no matter where you fall on the lifestyle spectrum. I was also surprised to learn that despite massive gains in energy efficiency over the years, the main factor in how much energy a house consumes comes down to square footage. Energy efficient McMansions are an oxymoron!

Oh, how do I describe this book? It was unusual. Thursday Next, a member of a sort of police force for literature (with a inventor/tinkering uncle, a pet dodo, a time-travelling father and a complicated love life) is up against a notorious criminal who steals original copies of famous works and damages, destroys or alters them. It was bizarre, it was funny, it was literary (densely packed with references so I don’t think I got all the allusions), it moved reasonably well along…. I’ve never read a book like it. The story climaxes when both Thursday and the criminal enter Jane Eyre and interact with the characters, both in the novel and later (and before) in the real world. A surprise ending and change to Jane Eyre that everyone—save the hardcore scholars—loves. Worth a try, and if you love Jane Eyre or are well-read in terms of ‘canonical’ fiction, you’ll probably get even more out of it than I did.

This book is by a well-known parenting expert, peppered with catchy quotes from a variety of people…but I liked it so little I didn’t even finish it. The basic problem for me: repetitive. Each chapter focussed on a particular topic with a brief discussion, followed by advice given in point form. The advice was broken up by age: for babies, for toddlers, preschoolers, school age, teens. Often the exact same sentence was repeated in the different sections! Without this breakdown by age, repetition of sentences, and space dedicated to quotes by others…well, the book would be a whole lot shorter, too thin to publish as a parenting book, IMHO. There are better resources out there. Next…

If you know someone raising a child with autism (and these days, it seems, who doesn’t?), or any other special needs child, read this book. It is a superb biography of life with his son, the difficult decisions, the day-to-day moments, the misunderstandings by others…and above all, the wonderings of this father about what the world seems like for his son. I absolutely loved this book as it presented an intimate view into their lives, rather than a medical treatise, or a how-we-miraculously-overcame-his-problems story. A touching book, both heart-warming and heart-breaking. The author is a BBC radio journalist.