I don’t know about you but I feel lost without a book on the go. I need to read everyday – even if some-days it’s only a page or two.

This year I’ve read about 45 books – some great, many mediocre and a few I shouldn’t have bothered with.

Here are my favourite reads from 2011.

Down the Nile in a Fisherman’s Skiffy by Rosemary Mahoney

Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff

A wonderful read about Rosemary’s solo trip down the Nile in a small skiff. Through determination and the help of a Muslim sailor she set out on a trip no women let alone tourists are supposed to do. She endured blistering temperatures during the day and the terror of crocodiles at night. A good window into the beliefs help by both Egyptian men and woman – though unfortunately it doesn’t make me want to visit Egypt anytime soon.

Bones of the Master: A Journey to Secret Mongolia by George Crane

This is a true story about an American poet who befriends a Ch’an Buddhist monk living in upstate New York. Tsung Tsai, the last of the monks from his Chinese monastery, felt he had to return one last time to find and honor his master’s bones and rekindle his tradition. The  book describes their adventure, including a life threatening 18 hour mountain climb – though it begins with Tsung Tsai’s traumatic decades-earlier escape from newly communist China. That involved a walk from Inner Mongolia to Hong Kong through a war-torn, famine-struck land. The author grows to accept Tsung Tsai’s demanding philosophy and outlook, even though he says that meditation makes him nauseous. A page-turner and an eye-opener.

I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey by Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish

After reading this book you’ll wonder just how much tragedy one man can bear. It’s an eye opening account of what it’s really like to live on the Gaza strip – deprivation, humiliation and little in the way of hope. Follow Dr. Abuelasih’s journey from his youth through to the present and marvel at his message of peace and dialogue, despite what he’s been through. You’ll find yourself looking at the region with fresh eyes.

I Shall Not Hate

Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You’re 80 and Beyond by Chris Crowley and Harry Lodge

Just as the title suggests, this book is a practical guide to staying healthy as you age. It’s thought provoking and puts into words much of what you probably know already. But it might be just what you need to read to get moving because the key to a long-term healthy life is exercise and lots of it.

The Toughest Show on Earth: My Rise and Reign at Metropolitan Opera by Joseph Volpe

I am not an opera fan but I still found the history and what’s it like running one of the world’s great opera houses to be a fascinating read. Joseph Volpe was an improbable choice to lead the Met. He started as an apprentice carpenter and ended up being at the helm for 16 years. Scrappy, blunt and no nonsense, you’ll find yourself rooting for him.

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steve Galloway

This is the story about what it means to be human in the face of atrocity. The cellist is the character who unites the story of four regular people and their response to the war. Galloway says in the introduction - The themes and characters exist wherever ordinary people find themselves caught in war. Sarajevo could be Lebanon or Chechnya or Iraq or a half-dozen other places.

My Seductive Cuba: A Unique Travel Guide by Chen Lizra

I recently reviewed this book and gave it full marks for its thoroughness. Whether you’re going on an all inclusive trip or heading to Cuba on your own, this book will take you to places no other guidebook will. You’ll get a brief history of the country and the political situation, what’s hot in Havana, and then a good rundown of the rest of the country including Cuba’s best natural secrets.

Cover of My Seductive Cuba

Annabel by Kathleen Winter

Annabel, a Giller Prize finalist, is the story of a mixed gender child born in remote coastal Labrador. Only three people are privy to the secret – the parents and a trusted neighbour. A decision is made to raise the child as a boy and through surgery and hormones that is accomplished. Except that the girl inside – Annabel – is never extinguished. A moving read about what it’s like to be different and the anguish it causes everyone in the family.

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whale Ship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick

This is a true story about the sinking in the 19th century of a whale-ship - after it was rammed by a sperm whale. Twenty crew members end up drifting in three small boats for 90 days in the South Pacific with most dying from weather, hunger and disease. It’s a riveting account that provides plenty of insight into life in Nantucket in the 1800′s, life on a whaling ship and the history of the whaling business.

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues by Susan Casey

Casey writes a riveting account of the giant waves the extreme surfers are chasing,  the science behind these super sized 100 foot waves, tsunamis, and issues with the giant waves especially as it relates to shipping. A fascinating read complimented with great colour photos.

1000 White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus

The book is premised upon a real incident at a peace conference in the 19th century where the Chief of the Northern Cheyenne tribe suggests to the US Army authorities that they trade 1000 horses for 1000 white women to promote assimilation. The proposal never goes forward but it does form the basis for this highly readable book. Follow May Dodd through her journals as she describes the adventures and life after marriage to the Cheyenne warriors.

The World’s Longest Climb: Dead Sea to Mount Everest by Pauline Sanderson

Join Pauline as she recounts her adventures cycling from the Dead Sea in Jordan to Tibet, followed by a successful climb of Mount Everest. Part coffee table book, part inspirational read, you’re sure to love all the colour photos.

The World's Longest Climb

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

Lisa’s first book – Still Alice – was a fantastic though sobering read about life with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Her follow up book is equally riveting. Sarah, the successful, hard working, multi tasking mom ends up in a horrific accident that leaves her with a traumatic brain injury – left neglect. It’s serious subject matter and left neglect is a real issue but the book is much more than just the accident. It’s about relationships and priorities and redefining success.

What’s on My Wishlist For 2012

Every year in late fall, Canada’s Globe and Mail does a 100 newly released best books feature. I always spend time looking through the list and deciding what I’d like to read in the coming year.

Here’s what I think are some new and interesting books to read.

• Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis
• The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary by Andrew Westoll
• The Magnetic North by Sara Wheeler
• The Antagonist by Lynn Coady
• Little Comrades by Laurie Lewis
• Winter: Five Windows on the Season by Adam Gopnik
• The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit by J.J. Lee
• The Magician King by Lev Grossman
• Before I Go to Sleep by S. Watson
• Phoenix: The Life of Norman Bethune by Sharon Stewart and Roderick Stewart

I hope this post gives you some fresh ideas for reading – either for yourself or as a gift.

What  have been a few of your favourite reads in the past year??

Leigh McAdam

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