49. Thrones, Dominations by Dorothy L. Sayers & Jill Paton Walsh

Sayers passed away before completing this mystery novel which takes place in 1936. It was finished by Walsh and published in 1998.  Lord Peter Wimsey and his new bride, the writer Harriet Vane, are adjusting to domestic life together when an acquaintance is found murdered in her suburban home. The historical backdrop includes the death of George V and Hitler's rise to power.

48. Evelina: or the history of a young lady's entry into the world by Fanny Burney

Published anonymously in 1778, Evelina was the highly successful debut novel of Frances "Fanny" Burney. Originally released in three volumes it is written as a series of letters between Evelina Anville, her guardian and various relatives, friends an acquaintances. It is part romance, part mystery and a whole lot of social commentary on Georgian society.

47. Black and White by David Macaulay

I'm not sure which is more clever and creative - the illustrations or the text. It's actually four intertwined stories. Great book for teaching about monochromatic colour schemes and points of view.

46. Lemons are Not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Objects seem to "magically" change colour as you turn the pages with cutout shapes. Another fun book to create colour awareness.

45. Why is an Orange Called an Orange? by Cobi Ladner

Beautifully illustrated in watercolour by Lisa Smith, a fun look at colour, fruit and word play.

44. Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni

A fun way of introducing colour theory concepts, particularly primary and secondary colours, to young children. 

43. Zoobreak by Gordon Korman

This second book in the Griffin Bing series is as wacky as the first. This time Griffin and the gang plan a "zoobreak" to rescue Savannah's pet monkey who has been kidnapped by the unscrupulous owner of a floating zoo. Mayhem ensues.

42. Time Remembered by Miss Read

Reading this autobiography, which retells Dora Saints early years and school experiences, I found myself nodding and smiling when I realized how she had used those experiences and characters in her fiction writing. Both the Fairacre and Thrush Green series are set in English villages similar to Chelsfield, Kent where Saint's family moved from London when she was four years old.

41. The White Feather by P.G. Wodehouse

 In this novel, we return to Wrykyn a year and a half after The Gold Bat. It centres around the sport of boxing rather than cricket or rugby. In today's terms, we'd say the theme was bullying. The morals of the story are "believe in yourself" and "hard work pays off."

40. A Fortunate Grandchild by Miss Read

Charmingly illustrated reminiscences of visiting maternal and paternal grandparents in Edwardian England by Dora Saint who writes under the pen name Miss Read. (Read was her mother's maiden name).

39. The Head of Kay's by P.G. Wodehouse

I'm learning a lot more about life in a turn of the 20th Century English "public school" as well as rugby and cricket while reading these Wodehouse novels. The moral of this story is if you plan to fail you'll most likely be successful.

38. The Gold Bat by P.G. Wodehouse

Two things occurred to me while reading this: I wonder how much of this is autobiographical and I know very little about the game of Rugby which features so much in the story. First published in 1904, this is typical Wodehouse with off the wall characters getting in and out of scrapes. It is set at the fictional boys school Wrykyn where a group of students seeks to uncover the identities of members of a secret society calling them selves "the League" who are wreaking havoc.

37. Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth

Richly illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet, this powerful story follows a little girl, saddened by her urban environment, on a quest to find beauty in her community. Upon finding it, she takes action to do what she can to clean up her quarter of the world.

36. Psmith Journalist by P. G. Wodehouse

While holidaying in New York, Psmith meets Billy Windsor the sub-editor of "Cosy Moments" magazine the contents of which are as sappy as its title. While the editor is away, Psmith and Windsor publish stories about a notoriously bad tenement which prompts its owner to hire gangs to stop them. First published in 1915, it has interesting connections to the book "New York" that I read a few weeks ago.

35. Heart of a Peacock by Emily Carr

\This collection of short stories by Emily Carr focuses on her love of animals and her experiences travelling to remote aboriginal villages. One can learn a lot about Carr's formative years and family relationships but very little directly about her art. You do, however, get a sense of what made her tick and inspired her.

34. Klee Wyck by Emily Carr

Carr's first book, published in 1941, is a collection of vignettes she wrote about her experiences in native villages of Vancouver Island. It won the Governor General's Award and has been in print ever since.

33. Code Name Habbakuk: A Secret Ship Made of Ice by L.D. Cross

When we visited Jasper, AB I read about Project Habbakuk at the Jasper Yellowhead Museum. A prototype was constructed at nearby Lake Patricia. Eccentric inventor Geoffrey Pyke proposed that the allies construct aircraft carriers made of ice to shield convoys from German U-boats crossing the Atlantic during World War II. As one can imagine, the plan was fraught with technical difficulties.

32. New York by Edward Rutherfurd

Without a doubt, at 1026 pages, New York is the longest novel I've ever read. Many times I had to resist the temptation to "fact check" this epic story of one of the world's great cities. From the early Dutch settlers contact with the indigenous peoples to the aftermath of the Twin Towers attacks, Rutherford weaves the sagas of the Van Dyk, Masters, O'Donnell and Caruso families through American history with a New York lens. Makes me want to visit New York and see it with fresh eyes.

31. Growing Pains by Emily Carr

A series of autobiographical vignettes spanning from Emily Carr's baptism at the age of four to her declining years in the 1940s. Many humerous and poignant moments from her early life, art training and years as a land lady told from her perspective.

30. Hurry on Down by John Wain

Published in 1953, this novel is a satirical look at post WWII Britain and is somewhat in the "angry young man" vein. Has some good laugh out loud and some "nod your head and smile" moments