Reading Lists

Reading List: 2015-2016

Here I am! Catching up with the past 4 months of readings.
I didn’t FINISH reading anything during December and January, so those lists will never exist. Here is what I’ve finished reading and remembered to write down.

» March 29

Interviewing Inuit Elders: Child-rearing Practices by Naqi Ekho and Uqsuralik Ottokie

This is the most fascinating book! An interview about how things used to happen with birth, aging, being a child and the ways people were raised. The way it is written feels as if Naqi and Uqsuralik are talking to you! I am using this as a resource for my paper and I discovered that you can access the whole book on this website!Here is a .pdf of the book +it has pictures. I hope that link works. :P

» March 26

The Pursuit of Ecotopia by E.N. Anderson

Tried to read a few pages for research and couldn’t put the thing down. Really insightful.

» March 18

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam and the Science of Ocean motion by Loree Burns

I am writing a HUGE research paper on garbage (mainly plastics), so this kids book was light reading. Super informative, though and quite sciency for all those non-scientists who wants to learn about cool stuff.
It also talks about the Pacific Garbage Patch and Beach Debris –Cool stuff!

TrackingTrash-Burns

HETF- Wordsthatcomebeforeallelse

» Feb 2

Words that come before All Else by Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force

This book is beautifully written and an insightful look into the way the Haudenosaunee look at Creation. I was asked to read this for one of my classes, and it has opened my mind to a completely different way of seeing the Earth and all life that is on it.
After reading the .pdf I decided that I had to support the writers and buy the book. <- if you click that link, you can read a preview or buy it yourself. I had no problem spending $26 CA (after S&H) to support HETF.

» Nov 30

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

GOOD BOOK! Read it! It is messed up. Begs its readers to ask questions like:

– What does it mean to be human?
– Would you like to live in the Brave New World?
– Are we moving towards living in a Brave New world?
– Is it better to be conditioned or to think freely?

Also, someone please explain to me HOW DOES THE BOOK END??! (without giving away too much, I was very confused)

OUCH! Right in the feminist.

Reading List: November 2015

Exams are coming up!
It has been a busy month and continues to be so. Usually when I write this list, I only add books that I have completed, although there are so many interesting texts that I am reading in my classes! What I will plan to do next year is mention the relevant texts, perhaps noting that I haven’t completed the book. It’s nice to share the info. If I can supply links, then I will :}

» Nov 2
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

You are not a special snowflake. Neither is Willy Loman. None of us are, really.
By striving to achieve autonomy and a well-known identity, the Salesman struggles to cling to the realities of life.
This book is great, but it is also quite sad… despite this, it is very relevant to the human condition.

» Nov 30

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

GOOD BOOK! Read it! It is messed up. Begs its readers to ask questions like:

– What does it mean to be human?
– Would you like to live in the Brave New World?
– Are these people really happy?
– Is it better to be conditioned or to think freely?

Also: HOW DOES THE BOOK END??! (without giving away too much, I was very confused)

Reading List: October 2015

Only my favourite play ever.

» Oct 19
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

This is the best play of all time! Filled with lust, love, trickery, bad acting, fairies and an ass.

Reading List: August/September 2015

January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August / September | October | November | December/ January / February 2016

Packing my life away, university and tying up loose strings in Toronto has put all my reading on pause. What I did read, I forgot to write down to share with you :[
… Here’s what I remember reading in the past 2 months, keep in mind a lot of my new readings will be for school.

Cthulhu Fhtagn

» August.
H.P Lovecraft

» September 19
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

A short story I had to read for English class. It starts with a woman who is home-ridden due to a “nervous condition” than escalates into a flurry of madness. Stetson did a good job writing this 10-page thriller. Read it here.

» September 28.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I am so happy that this book was assigned to the class, as I’ve been wanting to read it for years… call me crazy but I just about had a heart attack when I realized that Frankenstein was the scientist and NOT THE MONSTER! By the end of the book, I ended up really loving that monster and wondering who the real demon was.

Reading List: July 2015

My fundraising efforts for STAGE; The Production have been on full-force this month. It is keeping me out of trouble and totally distracted from things like properly covering the TRC, applying for scholarships and reading more books. Despite all that, it feels good being a voice for Mental Health Awareness in 2 different ways this month. (via Mad Pride & STAGE)

(more…)

Reading List: June 2015

» June 27

Thrifty Gardening From the Ground Up by Marjorie Harris
Being cheap (& environmentally friendly) in your garden. This book is full of great info from large-scale gardens to balcony gardens. I learned a lot about propagation, watering, soil conditioning, composting, seed exchanges and DIY container gardening/design.

If you’re into gardening or being thrifty check out this book. Mine is now full of bookmarks to remind me of cool stuff I learned. I like how she had other people writing about different topics to give different perspectives.

She is also from Toronto! So this information is especially relevant if you live in the area.

*there is a free, fairly detailed preview available if you search for the e-book.

Reading List: May 2015

– Crazy how I haven’t completed many books this month. I’ve been getting ready for University and searching for jobs… –

» May 2.

Aura by Carlos Fuentes
A beautiful story translated from its original Spanish text. Themes of religion, magik, clinging to youth and the effects of blind/delirious lust are prominent. I spent a lot of time discussing this with a friend and we couldn’t agree with how the ending actually worked out…

I’d love to hear what you think if you’ve read this book!

Reading List: April 2015

April, where did you go?
I’ve been really busy with University applications and trying to find myself a job. I didn’t read or write as much as I wanted to this month, but I am being productive. Yippie!
I picked up a small collection of H.P. Lovecraft’s work and I just need to say this right now, I am enamored. Blown away by the way he uses words. The way his stories aren’t in-your-face freaky, but totally elegant and classy. So far I’ve read Rats in the Walls, the Picture in the House and the Outsider. I missed my bus stop because I was SO INTO THE BOOK (first thing for everything, right?). Now, I have to read aloud because it is too incredible to keep in my head; I need to experience it with more of my senses. Don’t worry, I don’t read aloud on transit… just in parks.

» April 7. EERIE-vol1

EERIE Archives Vol 1 by Dark Horse Comics.
The first 5 EERIE! horror comics compiled from their release in 1966. Colour and content are all fantastic quality. I especially enjoyed reading advertisements from the original comics.
Keep an eye out, if you’ve ever wanted to have your own pet monkey for $20! :}

Tank girl-odyssey
»April 13.

Tank Girl: The Odyssey by Peter Milligan and Jamie Hewlett.
A tribute to Homer’s the Odyssey. Booga is plagued by Hollywood producers while Tank Girl is away. Their son, Telemakeus tries to contact her, and chaos ensues. The writers are clever and witty, but I’ve never read the original story by Homer, so I can’t tell you if they stayed true to the original.

Tank girl-odyssey -goths

QU33R-Robkirby » April 18.

QU33R complied by Rob Kirby.
Artists included are: Amanda Verwey, Carlo Quispe, Carrie McNinch, Christine Smith, Craig Bostick, David Kelly, Dylan “NDR” Edwards, Edie Fake, Eric Kostiuk Williams, Ivan Velez Jr., Jennifer Camper, Jose-Luis Olivares, Justin Hall, Kris Dresen , L. Nichols, Marian Runk, Michael Fahy, Rick Worley, Rob Kirby, Sasha Steinberg, Sina Sparrow, Steve MacIsaac, Terrance Griep, and Tyler Cohen.

SashaSWB-560x679

» April 27.

The Sweeter Side of R.Crumb.
A collection of Robert Crumb’s drawings. The intro says that he is trying to get more females to like his work… now I can’t tell if this book is one big joke or if he is sincerely generalizing women by thinking we’re going to want pictures of cats and children, landscapes and clothing. I know that he is trying to show his ‘sweeter side’, but I like his normal work WAY better than what is in this book. – Female Opinion.

Reading List: February 2015

I’m still having a Graphic Book-Binge.

orochiBlood-umezu Sloth-hernandez TankGirl-Apocalypse

» Feb 2. 2015

Tank Girl: Apocalypse by Alan Grant.

I HAVE A HUGE CRUSH ON HER! If she was real, I wouldn’t even know what to do with myself. She is just too cool. Attitude, confidence, style, the way she talks – Tank Girl is everything. Maybe not the BEST role model in terms of her alcohol/drug consumption, but her free thinking and fix-shit-up philosophy is something to aspire to. IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE STOP READING THIS AND GO WATCH TANK GIRL!!!
In Apocalypse, Tank Girl gets knocked up by a mutant kangaroo and the world is coming to an end. Grant did a good job satirizing different apocalyptic world views that are still relative. Its pretty much a huge joke about the coming of the END and I was really enjoying the way he poked fun at it. Keep an eye out for the one-legged “messiah”.
She’s pretty groovy!

» Feb 4.

Sloth by Gilbert Hernandez. Interesting concept with nicely drawn illustrations. I got really confused at the end with the goat … but if I tell you anymore, I’ll ruin it. orochi-umezu

» Feb 5.

Orochi:Blood by Kazuo Umezu. Interesting story about two sisters and a time-drifter who tries to make their lives better. Think jealousy, violence, trickery and abuse. I started the book loving a character but felt like I had betrayed her at the end as my feelings began to change. I finished feeling kind-of confused, but I think it may be the last book in a series… Let me know if you read this! Lets talk about it :]

» Feb 11. 12. 22. 27.

The Drifting Classroom Vol 1, 2, 3 & 4 by Kazuo Umezu. The series reminds me of a sci-fi universe where Lord of the Flies meets Battle Royale (the original Hunger Games) and insane desert hallucinations. An elementary school suddenly vanishes from a city in Japan and is teleported to what seems to be a different universe. The teachers all die and the children grades 1-6 are left to fend for themselves, establish a government, and kill a giant sand-millipede(?). This book is crazy. Cool illustrations, psychotic children… but a bit sexist at times. Most of the girls are always downplayed for their roles, shoved aside or are told “you can’t do that, you’re a girl!” I think he is just narrating their society. Who knows?
After I finish reading this series, I will have read all Umezu books in the Toronto Public Library. laaame.

» Feb 26.

How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran
Best book ever! If Dolly Wilde was real I would throw a rock at her window and blast Bikini Kill’s Rebel Girl out of a radio, begging her to be my best friend. This book is full of movie/book references, sex, feminism, poverty and british humour in the best way possible. I was laughing and well, I only cried once. The rest of the time I was in happy fits of laughter. :] People need to read this book especially if you are into 90s rock/punk/alternative music. This book was such a great escape from the awful February I’ve been having that I refused to put it down and finished it in 2 weeks. Seriously, though. I think girls especially should read this book. This book is REAL.

BajanLove » Feb 27.

Bajan Love by Arnold F. Ward
Reuben took this collection of short stories from the discard pile at his university’s library. He thought I’d be interested to read it. It was published in 1992 and I had no idea what Bajan was until I saw the advertisements printed in the back of the book. It’s another word for Barbadian! The main themes are universal, but the way the book is written is so rich in culture. The stories are narrated in Barbadian slang and the descriptions of clubs and home environments are like nothing I have experienced. The story Gran Gran really got me.

» Feb 27.

Prevention Food Lover’s Issue. I had nothing to do while Reuben was studying and read this special edition he picked up last year. Its full of good, healthy food products and information about the situations facing the farming industry.

Reading List: January 2015

Chapter 12: The Tragedy of the Commons

» Jan 1. 2015

Cat Person by Seo Kim. I grabbed this comic book because the illustrations remind me of an old classmate’s work… also cats. It’s pretty much a bunch of tumblr comics compiled into a book. Very cutesy. Very catty. Normally not my kind of read, but it had one comic that made me laugh a lot.

» Jan 2.

Dolltopia by Abby Denson. Found it in Teen Graphic Novels section of the library with my younger sis. Its got a great foundation for discussing ideas of self-identity in relation to society, conformity, gender and able-ism. It’s super pink but I like the images and the idea behind the story. PINK IS A GREAT COLOR! I TAKE BACK MY OLD HATRED OF THIS HUE.

» Jan 6.

Good-bye Chunky Rice by Craig Thompson. Read one of his books last year for school, so I picked this up out of curiosity+Chunky Rice. EW! Anyways, this book was depressing in a Death Cab for Cutie kind-of way that made me finish the book with “wow that was vague, pointless yet still really sad” thoughts.
walkingdead-book1

» Jan 18.

The Walking Dead: Book 1.
Kirkman·Moore·Adlard·Rathburn. My boyfriend is reading this for University (no joke!) and I read the whole book as he was studying for something else. Pretty wicked– LOVED the gory bits. I haven’t seen much of the series, but I have seen the first episode… pretty much like watching a re-run. I’m thinking of reading all the comics before I catch up with the series. TV never really does it for my anyways.

Cartoon-intro-Climatechange

» Jan 19.

the Cartoon Introduction to CLIMATE CHANGE by Grady Klein and Yoram Bauman, Ph.D.
This is a new favorite! I learned so much about science, what’s ACTUALLY going on in the world and ways to help fix it. This comic book is really funny –kinda nerdy but full of valuable knowledge. If anybody wants to learn more about Climate Change or Global Warming read this book! I’m getting all my friends/family to read it. Its THAT necessary.

» Jan 18.

CAT EYED BOY: BOOK 2 by Kazu0 Umezu
This man is a genius. He makes the best horror mangas I have ever seen. I get so into it I actually fear for the characters’ lives and once I freaked out when a plot twist happened. I actually had to put the book down and calm down because it was so fantastic. (Check out Tsunami Summoners in CEB: Book 1) The only sad thing about this book is that I finished it too fast. I thought it was a trilogy and expected it to be as long and crazy as the first book, but it was actually very short and sweet. I really wish I had taken more time with it. I didn’t want it to end! I got a new stack of Umezu’s mangas for next month. He is my new obsession.

cateyedboy1-2