2000-2010

At the start of this year, I began thinking about the close of an exciting first decade of the new millennium. I made a list of memorable events, and while reflecting on it, I realized that I didn't put down "renewed love of reading." It may not seem huge at first, but it is something that I made a concerted effort to get into -and my love just grew from there. I was in the 10th grade in 2000, and I've read some pretty amazing books since then. So I've made a list, 10 books for 10 years.

The first few that really got me going were:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird -by Harper Lee
Historical Fiction
We read this in the 10th grade I read it over Christmas break. I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed this heavy subject, and a little more surprised to find that I did quite well when I was tested on it a few weeks later.

2. Harry Potter -by J.K. Rowling
Fantasy
This might be where I discovered that maybe it was okay to still read childrens' novels even though I was in high school. I was babysitting three boys, who were finally giving me a break and watching t.v. But the show was so awful I picked up the closest book on the coffee table and started reading it. It was The Chamber of Secrets and I might not have even finished it, but I babysat these kids all summer. When the book ended I picked up the other copy they owned, which was The Philosopher's stone. I realized it was a series, and the rest is a magical history!

3. The Chrysalids -by John Wyndham
Science-fiction
I started reading this one because it was lying on the kitchen counter and I was bored. One of my younger siblings was supposed to be reading it in school, but neither seemed to want to admit it was theirs. I was jealous because this novel looked interesting and my school seemed to assign us books about the same subject every year (racism in South Africa or Southern US).
This novel was totally different from any that I'd read before, and I think it was the start of my interest in Dystopia.

4. The Lord of the Rings -by J.R.R. Tolkien
Fantasy
Partway through the 12th grade I went to Chapters and told a sales person that I wanted to try reading some classic books that everyone should read. I had been looking at this series because it was on sale and the cover looked neat. When the clerk recommended I read The Hobbit first, I almost abandoned them. I thought The Hobbit was about rabbits that kill eachother, and I'd seen that movie and was not interested! (Turns out I was thinking about Watership Down which I've still not raised the courage for).
I read The Hobbit, and was super bored. It was only while I was thinking about it afterwards, that I realized it was full of action that I thought I might check out The Lord of the Rings. The lengthy descriptions would have turned me off again, except that having started the story I couldn't not finish it.
Lucky for me, since I love the heart in these books and the way the choice of words makes pictures and stories in my imagination.

5. Fifth Business -by Robertson Davies
Fiction/
This one I borrowed from a friend, partly because it was Canadian and partly because I thought I would look smart reading it. Again I got lucky, and loved the story. It is really this novel, which I read after I graduated and before I even applied to post-secondary, that convinced me I actually liked reading. This novel made me think about how lives are intertwined, and how we all affect eachother, and how symbols and literature are one way of interpreting and dealing with the mess of experiences in life.

These first five books brought me from 2000-2004. They weren't the only things I read in that time, but almost. I loved short stories and read a ton of them, mostly science fiction but a lot of mythology and fairytales. I also read a lot of stuff that I thoroughly disliked. This was mostly in part because I was choosing books I thought would make me LOOK smart (which would be more embarrassing if I hadn't met so many people in University who tried reading philosophy or Russian literature when they were 17 to look smart).

Now I try to choose books I think I'll actually like. The next five are books that I've read between 2005 and 2010, and which have made a lasting impression on my reading experience and the types of books I choose;

6. The Scar -by China Mieville
Steampunk
I was recommended this author by a friend of mine. The world Mieville creates is gritty and bizarre. The storylines are based in pure imagination, but the conflicts are rooted in human feelings of ambition, fear, and values of freedom. I've read a few of his novels now, but this one is my favorite.
It is about a floating armada, which commandeers passing ships and its passengers, making them at once it's citizens and its prisoners. The ruling government of the armada is searching for 'the scar' a tear in the world from which the possibility of our world came into existence.

7. The Chronicles of Narnia -by C.S. Lewis
Fantasy
I had never even heard of this series until walking through Chapters one day when I came across a thick book with a smoky looking lion on the cover. I was in University by this time, it was spring, early spring -the snow had temporarily just all melted -and I read this outside with a blanket on the lawn.

8. Never Cry Wolf -by Farley Mowat
Autobiography
While poring over a book called 501 must read books with some co-workers, one of them recommended this. It was a 501 must read, so I figured I should give it a try. It was the first real non-fiction book I read. Reading this I realized how interesting an author's opinions and perspectives could be without the veil of fiction.

9. The Three Day Road -by Joseph Boyden
Historical Fiction
After several years of pretty much ignoring adult fiction, I decided to read this one because it had won the Governor General Award, and I was intrigued by the Ojibway-Cree culture of the characters. I learned more about World War I than I ever did in school, and I loved the alternating narratives.

10. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Historical Fiction
I loved this movie when I was 9, and tried reading the book in the fourth grade. I quickly became discouraged with the tiny print and old language and did not re-considered it until this year. I loved it. So I also read A Little Princess and liked it. These are stories I'd love to read to a little girl before bed.