"Shifu, You'll do anything for a Laugh" by Mo Yan

I enjoyed these short stories by a Chinese Nobel prize winner. But the translation was poor and I lacked the context to be able to fully understand or appreciate the stories.

"Late Nights on Air" by Elizabeth Hay

I would call this a gem of a book. It was amazing in its humanness and very evocative in its descriptions of the Yukon. I can see why Eva loves it.

"Gardens: a literary companion" edited by Merilyn Simonds

A pleasant little book filled with excerpts on the joys of gardening. It was a bir bday present from Eva.

"The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck

Travelling on Route 66 during our trip to the Grand Canyon inspired me to read this book. It was definitely a worthwhile read, but heavy going due to the great amount of misery. Now I know who the Joads are. Ma's perseverance was amazing. And I have new context for the tv show "Beverly Hillbillies".

"The Sandman vol.2 The Doll's House" by Neil Gaiman

I enjoyed this graphic novel, though sometimes the content was uglier than I would have liked. I'm glad that I can see the appeal of graphic novels. You can convey so much with a single image.

"Fevre Dream" by George R. R. Martin

I found this book a bit too long and a bit too tedious. It definitely wasn't as good as "Interview with the Vamoire", that it was compared to for its originality. Then again, Fevre was written over 20 years ago, and vampires have been done to death since then, so I may be jaded. On the other hand, I did appreciate experiencing the atmosphere of the steamship trade on the Mississipi and other rivers.

"Lady Susan" by Jane Austen

I enjoyed this book which was Jane Austen's first work, and written as a sequence of letters from various individuals. I felt quite close to Jane Austen and her ironic sense of humour when I was reading it. However, I also think the book felt so alive to me because I had just seen a movie based on it. The movie was a bit tricky to follow, which is why I read the book. I'm glad I did because it has given me new respect for Jane Austen.