A Decade of Books

I have always felt that what a person reads five years before informs who they are in the present. It is so wild to me that we are heading into a new DECADE and thought this was a good time to reflect on what happened over the past ten years and what I read during those moments that left an impression.

Here’s hoping the next ten years are about progress. We have big challenges ahead: slowing climate change, resisting political polarization, analyzing and creating long-term strategies for rapid technological change, all the while advocating for peace, justice, and well-being for all people. These are the topics I feel I will be placing my energies in the next decade.

Here’s a look at the books that influenced me the most during each year of the past decade.

PS – What books left an impression on you over these past 10 years? Let me know!

2010

Where was I? Just returned from a semester abroad in Finland as a changed person. New perspectives, new outlook on what life could be.

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein

2011

Where was I? I graduated university, moved overseas (first Belgium and then Kenya), and truly experienced the world as an independent person.

Emergency Sex by Kenneth Cain, Andrew Thomson, Heidi Postlewait

Drown by Junot Diaz

Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin

2012

Where was I? I moved back to Belgium to start my life/career after university and spent it unemployed but in love.

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Wall & Piece by Banksy

Will Write for Food by Dianne Jacob

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

2013

Where was I? I recently had moved back home to find a job and pay off my looming student loans. Found myself with a full-time job in libraries in rural Alberta. My partner moved to Canada to be with me and we applied for permanent residency.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi

Just Kids by Patti Smith

Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden

2014

Where was I? Working in rural Alberta and navigating the process of Permanent Residency for my partner. We received a Christmas miracle and got his PR card in December and were able to go visit his family for Christmas after 18 months.

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

Boundless by Kathleen Winter

The Cure for Everything by Timothy Caulfield

The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition by Caroline Alexander

2015

Where was I? Loving my job in libraries, still working off debt, and started painting. There was an epic trip to Chicago and Belgium. And then to top it all off, we went to Florida as my partner was competing for Team Canada in the World Food Championships.

The Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

Curious by Ian Leslie

It’s What I Do by Lynsey Addario

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

2016

Where was I? We moved to Edmonton, both started new jobs, and got engaged. We met a new group of friends in Edmonton who became a big part of our community. I also started drawing again in earnest.

You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life by Eleanor Roosevelt

The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday

Out on a Wire by Jessica Abel

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

Death Valley by Susan Perly

Something New by Lucy Knisley

2017

Where was I? A year full of wedding planning, we also took a moment to focus our energies elsewhere and went on a monumental trip to Japan. We had a trip to Europe to see family. We also became and Aunt and Uncle to two little ones. I also started a podcast and drawing comics.

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien

Infinity Net by Yayoi Kusama

Syllabus by Lynda Barry

Ikigai by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles

2018

Where was I? My mother was also diagnosed with breast cancer at the beginning of 2018 and we began that journey as a family. We got married in Belgium surrounded by our friends and family from both Belgium and Canada, traveled in Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia for our honeymoon. Billy started a farmer’s market business selling pate. In the fall, we went to Scotland for my brother’s wedding.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

Susceptible by Genevieve Castree

The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

Fruit of Knowledge by by Liv Strömquist, Melissa Bowers (Translation)

Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, Ken Liu (Translator)

2019

Where was I? The year started with a new baby niece. We traveled to Belgium, New York City, and Mexico. We started back-country hiking. I self-published my first comic and opened an Etsy store. And we’re waiting on another baby niece!

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

How to Change Your Mind by Micheal Pollan

Belonging by Nora Krug

The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama XIV and Desmond Tutu

The Vagina Bible by Jennifer Gunter

Pacifism as a Map by Ursula Franklin

Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee

When I read through this list I’m flooded with memories. But what I have learned and feel most grateful for is how many of these books I’ve read with others. Sometimes it was in book club; or it was a recommendation from someone I was just getting to know deeper as a friend; another came in a box on top of my wedding dress. The most wonderful thing about reading and sharing is the opportunity to relate with others, create community, and of course, the personal growth.

Here’s to us over the next ten years- reading together.