Greetings! I hope everyone is staying safe and keeping a healthy routine. While at home this week, I took an inventory of what I’ve read in the first three months of 2020. I use the Toronto Public Library 2020 Reading Challenge as a guideline to read more widely and add a few categories on my own to make my reading more interesting.

Last year I read thirty two books in the first half and thirty books in the second half of 2019, or 62 books in total. This year I had set a modest reading goal of 36 books because I was planning to travel frequently. Well, with the COVID-19 pandemic and travel cancellations, I may be able to read more than 36 books after all.

Here’s a look at my year-to-date reading listed by author’s last name:

1. Celestial Bodies, Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth.
2. Wherever She Goes, K.L. Armstrong.
3. Bad Move, Linwood Barclay.
4. Elevator Pitch, Linwood Barclay.
5. Stand On The Sky, Erin Bow.
6. Love Walked In, Marisa De Los Santos.
7. Bone Black, Carol Rose GoldenEagle.
8. At The Mountain’s Edge, Genevieve Graham.
9. Comics Will Break Your Heart, Faith Erin Hicks.
10. And The Mountains Echoed, Khaled Hosseini.
11. The Flatshare, Beth O’Leary.
12. A Better Man, Louise Penny.
13. Daisy Jones & The Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid.
14. Snowmen, Mark Sedore.
15. The Art of Racing in The Rain, Garth Stein.
16. 26 Knots, Bindu Suresh.
17. A Delhi Obsession, M.G. Vassanji.
18. Starlight, Richard Wagamese.

Number of books read: Eighteen books from January to March 2020.

A book originally written in a language other than my first language: Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth. Altharthi makes literary history as the first female Omani author to be translated into English and as author of the first novel written in Arabic to win the Man Booker International Prize 2019. She shares that extraordinary success with translator and Oxford professor Booth.

A book by an Indigenous author: Bone Black by Carol Rose GoldenEagle, and Starlight by Richard Wagamese.

A book that made me laugh: Bad Move by Linwood Barclay. Barclay is a former columnist for the Toronto Star, a Canadian daily newspaper. I used to read his column and enjoy his humourous writing style.

A book under 200 pages long: 26 Knots by Bindu Suresh at 151 pages and Snowmen by Mark Sedore at 170 pages.

A book over 450 pages long: Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay at 453 pages.

A book for young adults: Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks and Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow.

A book to be made into a mini TV series: Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

A book with a dog’s view of life: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

A book written in three days: Snowmen by Mark Sedore. This is Sedore’s first published novel and the winner of the 32nd Annual International 3-Day Novel Contest.

A book that took me to other places in Canada:

• British Columbia: Starlight by Richard Wagamese.
• Nova Scotia: Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks.
• Quebec: 26 Knots by Bindu Surash and A Better Man by Louise Penny.
• Saskatchewan: Bone Black by Carol Rose GoldenEagle.
• The Arctic Circle from Canada to Russia: Snowmen by Mark Sedore.
• The Yukon: At The Mountain’s Edge by Genevieve Graham.

A book that took me overseas:

• Afghanistan: And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.
• India: A Delhi Obsession by M.G. Vassanji.
• Mongolia: Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow.
• Oman: Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi.
• The United Kingdom: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Toronto library branches have been closed since March 13 until further notice. I look forward to picking up a few books that have been on hold for me when the library reopens. In the meantime, I have a few books at home waiting to be read. Knowing that makes me smile.

What about you? Any recommendations? I’d love to hear your comments.

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