9. Southern Cook Book: 250 Fine Old Recipies Edited by Claire S. Davidow & Ann Goodman

On our trip to the Deep South I wanted to bring home some of the local cuisine. This old-fashioned recipe book is the next best thing. Includes hush puppies, okra & tomatoes, apple pandowdy and mint julep.

8. The Mason Jar by James Russell Lingerfelt

When I bought this book at a restaurant in Franklin, TN I thought it was going to be more mystery than romance. Although first-time novelist James Russell Lingerfelt writes a disclaimer stating "This is a work of fiction", one can't help wondering how much of himself is part of main character Clayton "Finn" Fincannon. Some memorable words of wisdom penned by Finn's grandfather and left in a mason jar for him to read.

7. Swindle by Gordon Korman

This is the first book in the Griffin Bing, "the Man with the Plan" series. When Griffin gets "swindled" out of a  valuable Babe Ruth baseball card he comes up with a plan to steal it back from the dishonest dealer. He enlists the help of some friends and enemies to commit the perfect heist. I look forward to reading the others in the series.

6. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Part romance, part science fiction and totally compelling. Not what I thought it would be about at all. Niffnegger's details about the city of Chicago, the Newberry Library and the art of papermaking add authenticity. I would love to find out what happens next to Alba, Clare and Henry.

5. Peggy of the Cove: Secrets by Ivan Fraser

An adventure story in which Peggy, shipwrecked in Nova Scotia as a child, finds out about her family in Scotland. Follow the clues left to her in a poem written by her now deceased father to discover her fortune.

4. Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

This first book in the Flavia De Luce mystery series is set in the English village of Bishops Lacey in 1950. Eleven-year-old Flavia is keen on chemistry but not her older sisters Ophelia and Daphne. She helps police unravel a current murder and one that occurred  twenty years earlier.

3. Inconceivable by Ben Elton

   In this sometimes funny, sometimes sad story about a couple's struggle with infertility, Ben Elton takes a poke at the BBC, Hollywood and the people who make their livings in TV, radio and film.

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Many friends and students recommended I read this trilogy, especially when the first film was released last March. I am surprised at how well written it is and at how it stretches the typical plot and character development of teen fiction . Don't know if I want to see the film now; have my own vision of Katniss, Peeta and the other tributes. Looking forward to "Catching Fire". I bought my Advnce Reader's Copy at a yard sale. Only 500 were printed. Currently, there's one in similar conditon on sale on ebay for $299 US. I paid a dollar. Deal.

1. City of Thieves by David Benioff

Two young men meet after being arrested in Leningrad in 1942. They expect to be executed but instead are given a seemingly impossible task by the Colonel. In a city under seige, full of starving people, find a dozen eggs for a wedding cake. The plot's many twists and turns will keep you guessing until the last chapter.

Viking Penguin, 2008, ISBN 0-670-01870-8

New Goal: 150 Books

On 29 July 2012, I will start my sabbatical which will end in September 2013. In 2007 I achieved my goal of reading 100 books during my year off work. This time I'm ramping it up to 150 books. I've already got a few lined up and ready to go. Let the fun begin.

100. Doctor Fischer of Geneva or the Bomb Party by Graham Greene

ISBN 0 14 00.5588 6 - Penguin, 1980

Alfred Jones is a translator for a Swiss Chocolate company in Vevey. In his fifties, Jones marries Anna-Luise, daughter of infamous millionaire Doctor Fischer who made is fortune by inventing Dentophil Bouquet, a toothpaste.
Fischer is reviled and feared by all, including his "Toads" - an odd assortment of greedy, wealthy people that attend his appalling, degrading dinners.
Is Jones corruptible? How will he exact his revenge? Greene keeps us guessing until the final scene.

99. Prairie Willow by Maxine Trottier

ISBN 0-7737-3067-2 - Stoddart Kids, 1998

A tale that spans three generations of settlement on the Canadian Prairie and centres around the planting of a symbolic weeping willow tree.

98. Whitethorn Wood by Maeve Binchy

ISBN 1-55278-602-1 - McArthur & Company, 2006Compelling story about a well dedicated to St Ann that is said to have spiritual properties. Set in the small town of Rossmore, outside of Dublin, Ireland, Whitethorn Woods is told from the points of view of more than a dozen characters - from the local priest to a young woman in prison for murdering her rival. The prospect of a new road threatens the well and divides the towns folk. Maeve Binchy at her best.

97. My Home Bay by Anne Laurel Carter

ISBN 0-88995-284-1 - Red Deer Press, 2003

Gwyn's family move across Canada from Vancouver, BC to Mahone Bay, NS. It's a big adjustment and a bit of a culture shock for her at first but eventually, with the fulfillment of three promises her parents made to her, Gwyn starts to feel at home.

96. Salmon Forest by David Suzuki and Sarah Ellis

ISBN 1-55054-937-5 - GreyStone Books, 2003

Set in Canada's Pacific Rainforest, this book about the forest salmon explains the food chain and how the survival of each species of animal and plant is interconnected in this ecosystem. Ties Grade 4 Science strand about Habitats and Social Studies unit on Regions of Canada.

95. One is Canada by Maxine Trottier

ISBN 0-00-224556-6 - HarperCollins, 1999

Not your average counting book (5 Great Lakes, 8 lines in the first verse of O Canada). I'll be basing the introduction to Canada's provinces & regions Social Studies unit for my Grade 4s on One is Canada.

94. Camping by Nancy Hundal

ISBN 1-55041-668-5 - Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2002

A beautifully illustrated poetically written book about a family that experiences a holiday different from the theme park, fancy hotel and shopping mall vacations they have become accustomed to.

93. East Sussex Events by David Arscott

ISBN 1-86077-251-X - Phillimore & Co Ltd, 2003

Full of fascinating contemporary photographs, Arscott's book is divided into chapters like: Fires, Crime & Violence, Weather and Celebrations & Special Occasions. Most of the events selected for this volume occurred in the cities & large towns of Sussex - Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings & Lewes. Given their relatively large and dense populations, the human and economic costs of events such as floods and bombings were greater there than they would have been in rural areas of the county.

92. Building Bridges by Kathy Furgang

ISBN 1-4108-0404-6 - Benchmark Education, 2004

Shows how engineers design and build beam, arch, movable, suspension and cable-stayed bridges. Uses famous bridges as examples. The "Be a Bridge Builder" feature gives simple instructions for building models of each type of bridge.

91. Action: Defence by Jo Windsor

ISBN 1-86944-527-9 - Heinemann, 2005

Explains the various defence strategies used by animals: camouflage, flight, threat, bluff, physical armour and co-operation.