Facing Decisions

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way lead on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
 I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."


I know this poem is frequently cited to the point of almost being cliche but I find myself reflecting it on lately. Since finishing my PhD last June I have been faced with much uncertainty and many decisions. I have been looking for a permanent, full-time (but not necessarily tenure track) position at a university or college, and as such have been applying for a lot of positions. I scored my first interview for a term position shortly after defending, was offered the job, and chose to accept the offer. This meant I then had to obtain a leave of absence from my non-academic, full-time job and to move to B.C. for one term. Because the position is temporary and his successful, promising career is in Edmonton, my husband remained at home with our cats to hold down the fort. My fieldwork has taken me away for months before so maintaining our relationship long distance for a term seemed like a reasonable sacrifice for the important experience this position would provide.

Now my term contract is coming to an end and I find myself at a cross-roads. 

Do I pursue further opportunities in B.C. that may or may not someday in the future (2 or 3 years at least) lead to a full-time job? This would mean additional time away from my husband on and off for a couple of years while waiting for a job that may never happen. Should the full-time position come up, and should I successfully obtain that position, we'd have to bank on my husband agreeing to leave his current career path and agreeing to move our lives here permanently away from our family and friends.

Or do I pass up on these opportunities hoping that something closer to home will come along? There are so many advantages to staying home: we get to keep our house, my husband can remain on his promising career path, and we can remain close to our family and friends.

But I worry that if I turn down too many offers or pass on too many opportunities eventually I'll run out of both. I worry that I won't be happy unless I'm pursuing the career I worked so hard towards, or that I won't find something to fill the void  if I never get an academic position. In all honesty, part of me also finds the prospect of having to start over somewhere new kind of exciting too.

Although I love the idea of taking the road "less travelled by" and feel that in many ways I have always chosen the overgrown, untrodden path, I no longer have the confidence nor clarity to even identify which path is which. Worrying has led me to another quote from which I have taken great comfort and returned to contemplating many times in my life:

"We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” ― Joseph Campbell 

I think this may be the better mantra to focus on. Rather than focusing on identifying my path and worrying if I have made and will make the "right" decisions, right now I think the only decision I can and should make is this: breathe and let go. 

With every breath in, I will take in all the wonderful things I have in my life right this moment, and I will take in the life that is waiting for me. 

With every breath out I will release the anxiety and uncertainty, and I will let go of the life I had planned. 

And I will trust my gut, which has led me down so many great paths on so many great adventures, because that is the other cliche quote I should keep in mind: that it is not the destination, it is the journey.

Biittner's B.C. Book Reviews Double Feature: Kidnapped and The Lock Artist

I'm a little behind on my book reviews for my Bookies so I thought I'd cover both in one posting.

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
Honestly it is because I really don't have much to say about our February book "Kidnapped" by Robert Louis Stevenson. It was a good read but nothing that special. I felt it was quite formulaic in that it was very similar to Stevenson's "Treasure Island". I thought it got off to a great start with much promise for adventure, but slows right down once the main character (David) escapes the pirate ship. Even though some of his escapades with Alan are interesting, I still found they did a whole lot of wandering around, laying low, and hiding. My favourite part is when they stay at Cluny's place, and the pace of the novel does pick up from there (the bagpipe "duel" is kind of ridiculous).

Would I recommend this book: Only to people who like Stevenson, or perhaps a young reader who has expressed an interest in reading some classic novels.
Purchase or borrow: Support your library and borrow this book.

The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
I really enjoyed this book. Such a lovely read. I couldn't put it down, and read it in a single sitting. The story and how the narrative is constructed is just so compelling. I loved the characters (quite sympathetic for better or for worse) and I really got wrapped up in the story. It was clearly and simply written but still evocative.

Would I recommend this book: Absolutely.
Purchase or borrow: I lucked out and got an autographed copy as a fluke from Chapters. I'm glad I purchased it as I am sure I will re-read it again and will definitely lend it out as a recommended read. It's a great book to borrow though as it is a perfect holiday read. 

How I feel after 30 days of "Ripped in 30"

Those of you who follow me on twitter may have noticed that for over a month now I've been posting about "day # ripped done". Simply, I decided to make a 30 day commitment to myself in the form of taking 20 minutes six days a week to take care of my physical well being. I decided to follow the Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 dvd workout program to help me achieve this goal.  It has four weeks of an interval system where you do three sets of 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, and one minute abs. Each week brings new exercises and increases in difficulty. Beginner and advanced modifications are also provided.

Today I finished day 30.

So how do I feel?

I want to start off by saying that yes, I did lose weight and yes, in all honesty, that was my original goal - to lose some weight that had been "weighing" down my self esteem for years. However I do not want to focus on that. A dear friend recently made a blog post that made me re-evaluate what I really should have wanted to achieve by making this commitment: a healthier me. So what I will talk about, what I want to emphasize, is how I feel I've become healthier by doing this 30 day workout program.

First, I am no longer constantly in pain. I have a "bad" sacro-illiac (SI) joint. If I spend too much time sitting around, being inactive, or even if I am too stressed, I can experience a displacement in this joint that causes excruciating pain in my hips, bum, lower back, and legs. For years I have woken up feeling this pain to variable degrees more often than not. About two weeks ago I noticed this changed. I have still had a bad day or two but the pain is far less intense, goes away much quicker, and I even have pain free days. This is worth all the sweat, tears, and other muscle soreness relating to the workout.

Second, I can touch my toes. Because of the pain, I move in ways that "protect" my SI joint and affected areas (again hips, lower back). In doing so I've really decreased my flexibility and haven't been able to touch my toes without significant effort or pain in years. Through the gradual stretching included in the workout, and the strengthening of my core to provide proper support to my SI joint, I have greatly increased my flexibility. I can bend over to tie my shoes and pick up things I drop. I can't wait to get back into a regular yoga class so I can enjoy the movement and new poses that before were unobtainable/unachievable.

Third, my stomach is doing great. Without getting into too many details, and the long backstory, I've had stomach/gastrointestinal problems for over a decade now. I've noticed a significant improvement. The problems haven't disappeared entirely but my documentation shows much fewer bad stomach episodes. The best part of this is, because I don't have to focus as much on how what I am eating will make me feel, I've begun to allow myself to eat what I want. This is really important because I love food!

Finally, I just feel great overall. I have more energy. I'm not sleeping as well (likely because I'm away from home) but don't really feel as tired. I love how I feel after working out (I workout in the early evenings after work, before dinner) because I know I've taken the time for myself.

I am going to continue with commitment but supplement in more yoga and bellydance along with the Ripped in 30 program. I might even be able to start taking spin classes again if my SI joint can tolerate it. Once it gets nicer out I'll start going for walks (I strongly dislike running!), and riding my bike. I am committing myself to 20 minutes of physical activity per day indefinitely. If I continue to focus on these four achievements that really have made, and future changes in my physical and mental health and wellness, then I am hoping that I can walk away from my scale and not focus on the numbers.


Please note: I am not a medical doctor. I was not paid nor reimbursed in any way to promote the Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 program. I bought it on a whim from a major department store chain because it was on sale, I recognized the name, and heard good things about other DVDs in the series from friends and family. Always consult your doctor before starting any exercise program. 

Questions from a student to a (new) professor.

I received an email from a former student this week. She is in the process of trying to figure out what she wants to do (what degree and career path to pursue). It can be tough to figure out what path to take, and unfortunately the cost of tuition really doesn't allow one to shop around various disciplines any more so I totally understand what this student and many others are going through. That said I'm one of those odd folks that figured out pretty early what I wanted to do and then did it.

She had a number of questions that she asked me to answer to provide some insight into how I ended up teaching Anthropology. Her questions are so great I asked permission to post them along with my response; she agreed (my many thanks to her for this!). I hope that future students will find them useful as they consider their own path. You will notice though that many deal with what it is like to be a professor as she was seriously considering a teaching career.

1. How long have you been a professor?

I have been teaching courses as a primary instructor on and off since Fall 2008. My first experiences teaching were as a M.A. student way back in 2002, so I've been involved with teaching University courses since then.

2. How have things changed from how they were when you started and now? (based on education system, students...)
Obviously the thing that has changed the most is how I interact with my students. As a TA I saw students mostly when they would pop into my office hours to discuss their assignments or grades. Since I've become a primary instructor I tend to interact mostly with my students online. As you know I use twitter to be accessible to my students and to provide them one more way of getting in touch with me. There is also the added bonus that the students can also interact with each other in an informal but highly informative way. I've also really noticed in the last year the generational differences between myself and my students. When I first started teaching, again as a TA, I was the same age, a social peer. Now I am over a decade older than my students and constantly need to be aware of this difference because of the implications this has in making a connection and in making course content relevant outside of the classroom.

3. Do you still find teaching as rewarding as when you first began your career? What makes you want to teach and continue teaching?

I love teaching. It is so rewarding. What really keeps me going is watching the light-bulbs go on - by that I mean, when I can see that a student has not only understood what I am talking about but that it has made them reflect upon how they view the world. I see this usually when I talk about topics like race and racism. Positive feedback helps too. I love getting tweets thanking me for answering a question so quickly and clearly, or an email thanking me for an interesting lecture topic. The best emails are the ones that say stuff like "I came into anthropology thinking it would just be my arts credit, but it turned into a class I really looked forward coming to".  I also am inspired and motivated by emails from students that ask questions about things they've seen on TV and want  my opinion or thoughts on it as this means I've really connected with them and made course material relevant to them as well. It's nice to know they've taken something away from my course beyond the credit they needed for their degree.

4. Is teaching what you expected?

Teaching is what I've expected in some ways. I knew I would find lecturing enjoyable but I definitely underestimated the amount of time I would end up spending preparing lectures (this includes refining them and fixing them up after I've delivered them in a course) and the amount of time course administration takes (e.g., answering emails, dealing with student issues). I also spend a lot of time working on feedback for my students (remember those midterm review documents where I provided the answers and explanations of how I marked - they are hard work) including preparing documents explaining expectations. Lecturing and interacting with students is the best part, making sure the course runs smoothly and you do everything you need to do to make your department/university happy is hard work.

5. What are the differences between a professor and a teacher?

Hmm. I guess it is an important distinction and one I probably should have thought about a bit more. Essentially I think they should be the same thing but in practice they are not. To provide a very quick, from the hip distinction, I guess I would see a professor as someone who teaches in Post-Secondary but has other responsibilities above and beyond just instruction (including research, publication, and University and Community service). A good professor should also be a good teacher - someone who is dedicated to facilitating learning both inside and outside of the formal classroom setting - but some focus more on their other duties. Yikes, this isn't the best distinction but it's all I got for now without some further deep reflection :)

6. What do professors do outside of class time?

Profs do much outside of class time. Keep in mind that I do not have a full time permanent position, but those who do teach three courses per term, serve on departmental, faculty, and other university committees. They supervise graduate students (and senior undergraduate students in special courses and honours programs). They conduct research and often are running a whole research team that may include members from other Universities. Profs are expected to publish the results of their research and attend professional conferences and meeting to present on their work. They are members of professional associations and frequently serve on their committees as well. Not only are they expected to publish, they are also expected to serve as peer-reviewers and to read other people's papers and recommend if they should be published. Profs will also serve on examination committees of graduate students within and outside of their Universities and may eventually be involved in reviewing departments or even other University programs. We are also expected to be involved in the larger communities in which are Universities are located. Teaching is only one part of the duties of a prof. For some of us, it is the best or least stressful part. Plus we also try to have personal lives but it can be really difficult to find balance. Right now, for example, I'm writing to you from Vernon where I have a contract teaching while my husband is living back home in Edmonton because that is where his career is and where we want to live. 

Also, I am really interested in anthropology but I'm not sure if I want to make a profession out of it (I've only taken one class after all - anth101). Out of curiosity though...

1. What made you want to become an Anthropologist? (inspiration)

 I first became interested as a small child thanks to my grandfather. I used to watch old specials about ancient Egypt and other cultures on TV. He also made sure I had National Geographic as I was fascinated by other cultures. When I got into high school I had a teacher who encouraged me to learn more about anthropology and when I realised I could study it at the UofA (I grew up in Edmonton) I applied to be an anthro major. I basically decided then that I wanted to be an anthropologist and get my PhD. 

2. Why did you choose anthropology rather than the more common professions like engineering, nursing, etc.?

I wanted to do something that lit a fire in me. I knew very quickly (a couple of classes into anth101 in my first year) that I wanted to be an anthropologist. Other careers weren't really an option because nothing seemed to fit quite like anth. I wasn't really thinking about getting a job. I just wanted my PhD. And once I went on my first dig, I knew I had to be an archaeologist. After I taught for the first time, as a TA, I knew I wanted to keep teaching Anth in a university so it was further incentive to get my PhD.

3. Was anthropology your first choice of profession? If not, what made you change your mind?

When I was a kid I talked about being a mad scientist and then a medical doctor (cardiologist). By the time I hit high school I realized that my marks were good (I could get away with my smarts and some studying) but that I'd never be top of my class. I also wasn't that great in chem (which I really liked but just couldn't perform on exams) so I ruled med school out thinking I'd never get in. Now I know I could have got in and it probably would have been a faster route than my PhD ended up being :)  As I said above, once I figured out what anthro was, it was anthro all the way.

4. If you were to start over, would you still choose to become an anthropologist?

Absolutely!

5. What do you like the most and least about being an anthropologist? (rewards and challenges)

Rewards: working with my hands outside, finding things that have been buried for thousands of years (the process of discovery), working with local communities, doing outreach projects with communities, schools, and kids, going to other places, experiencing different cultures, the anthro community is pretty rad (I have great colleagues who do such interesting stuff). Challenges: spending long, extended periods of time away from family and friends to do fieldwork.

6. What do anthropologists do outside of giving lectures at universities? (Is it all research? What are your personal opinions about your experiences?)

What anthropologists do outside of lectures in a university varies depending on what type of anthropologist (and person) you are! I could work as a consultant for development (oil, gas, forestry, mining) companies protecting cultural heritage. I could consult with multinational companies to provide advice on culturally sensitive/relevant business practices. I could work in a museum. I could be hired by a local community to work on education initiatives. Essentially as an anthropologist you gain a lot of skills that are applicable for a number of different careers or positions - you just need to find a good fit.

7. How does being an anthropologist affect your lifestyle or outlook? (do you have to travel a lot? family life...)

Being an anthropologist definitely impacts your outlook. You had a different perspective of the world and its cultures, and become a great critical thinker. Personally, it has meant making a number of sacrifices but these have been personal. Not everyone has had the same path. For example, I chose to put off having kids. I have colleagues who decided to have kids during their PhD. Now I'm trying to decide if I should wait until I find a permanent job to have a kid or to try to have one now before I get busy trying to ramp up my career. I've missed more birthdays, weddings, showers, family events then I can count because of being away for months at a time to do fieldwork or even just because I couldn't get away from my computer because I had a paper due, or I was traveling for a conference. In the six years I've been married I missed four anniversaries (including the very first!). But again I made the sacrifices because I felt I needed to. Other people might not have made the same decisions. 

8. Do you have any advice for students planning to major in anthropology? What should a student majoring in anthropology expect in the long run?

Advice for majors...well talk to your profs as much as possible especially once you start to get an idea of what you want to focus on. The more advice you can get on what courses to take and what kinds of volunteer/work experiences you can get while you study, the better off you will be. Talk to graduate students and find out what path they took, what mistakes they made, and what advice they have. So my advice is to do what you've done - get advice and never hesitate to ask for more. In the long run, anthro majors need to be prepared to NOT get a job in academia. They need to figure out how their skills are applicable to non-prof careers. It's brutal now and we are being told, as educators, to try to prepare our students for non-academic jobs. 

Biittner's B.C. Book Review: 11/22/63

While I am teaching in BC I thought I'd blog my Bookies book club reviews. 

Our January selection was 11/22/63 by Stephen King.  

First, I should begin by saying I am a HUGE fan of Stephen King. It is kind of ridiculous. I love his novels, even his crappy ones, so I knew I would be biased from the start. Well good ol' Steve continues to out do himself. I've said it before and I'll say it again, almost dying in that hit and run accident was the best thing to ever happen to Stephen King (cruel yes but that doesn't make it any less true). His too close brush with death has added such a wonderful depth and realism to his novels. As the King of Horror, he has always written dark, skin crawling novels (and short stories, which I would argue that pre-accident were his forte) but now he writes novels that provide chills because they deal with the emotionally scary stuff in life (mostly love and loss).

Ok enough rambling. About the book of the month! *Spoilers Alert*

It is a weighty undertaking but I could not put it down. I got sucked right into the storyline, felt invested in the characters, and was dying to know how it would all shape up. I loved his connecting this storyline to that in IT: the kids he first meets in Derry who actually open up to him and who he shows to dance are from IT (the darkness/bad stuff they talk about is IT so Jake/George enters their world just after they've defeated IT. This is a mechanism King has started using in the last decade or so - he integrates real world occurences into his storylines AND incorporates his own fictional storylines from other novels into his new ones. I love, as a King fanatic, finding all the lovely little breadcrumbs he scatters to connect to his other books. I found the book also nicely complemented some of the larger themes, including the consequences of time travel, as presented in the Dark Tower series. I had no idea how the book would end but thought it ended in the only way it could. I don't think this will be the last we'll see of Jake/George, not if King keeps writing the way he has been!

Also like most people I love the JFK angle, and I love that the world where JFK survives doesn't turn out to be a wonderful one. Sometimes things happen for a reason (something King is all to aware of) no matter how horrible they seem at the time. I loved all of the background on Oswald. I feel like I learned a lot about the lone gunman who changed the US, and reading the post-script it seems like King did his homework on this.

I thought there were some great secondary characters and that the first part of the book (in Derry the first time he goes back to change history by killing the custodian's father) was gritty and gripping.

Recommendation: If you liked this book definitely check out Lisey's Story, Duma Key, and Under the Dome. Also if you haven't read the Dark Tower series you should. I would equate it to the Lord of the Rings series in terms of importance and quality etc.

So to conclude:
Would I recommend this book: Absolutely
Purchase or borrow: Buy! I'll be reading it again. Although I really slowed my pace down and read every single word, I still feel like I missed something. I'm sure I'll find other breadcrumbs on the next read through.

Take care my dear Bookies. I look forward to next month's book (gotta track down a copy to throw on my Kobo).

Quinoa salad

I thought I'd follow in the footsteps of a dear friend (The Deliberate Mom) and blog about one of my favourite recipes: quinoa salad. Now I better begin by stating the obvious: I am an archaeologist not a chef. This recipe is really flexible so you should adjust it to your taste. No matter how I change it, it always seems to go over well. It is great as a side but I generally eat it as the main course.

Ingredients:

- quinoa (1 cup uncooked; I use Tri Roots organic from Costco)

- sprouted bean trio (1 cup uncooked; I use Tri Roots organic from Costco)

- large can of chickpeas  

- large can of mixed bean medley

- 2 large bell peppers (I usually use 1 red and 1 yellow to add lots of colour)

- 3 green onions 

- a good sized bundle of fresh asparagus

- 1 container of grape tomatoes

- 2 good sized limes (or you can use lime juice)

- sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

- cilantro (fresh or dried), to taste

Other possible ingredients: corn, celery, zucchini, cucumber, edamame, black turtle beans, yellow wax beans, fiddleheads (if only I could find some fresh ones!!)

Instructions:

Make the quinoa and sprouted bean trio according to package instructions. I use 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water, and 1 cup of sprouted bean trio with 6 cups of water. I bring them, in separate pots, to boil, then bring them down to a simmer. After 15 minutes of simmering I take them off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes or so.

Rinse the canned beans and chickpeas then heat at a low temperature while the quinoa and sprouted bean trio cook. 

Lightly season the asparagus with the sea salt and black pepper and cook (I do this in a glass dish in the microwave). Be careful to not overcook it. Let cool slightly then chop into bite sized pieces.

While the quinoa, various beans, and asparagus cook, I chop all the veggies finely, except the grape tomatoes which I halve. I throw it all in a large bowl. 

Season with cilantro to taste, then add the chickpeas, bean medley, and asparagus. 

Squeeze the juice from one of the limes over the mix. Add sea salt, fresh black pepper, and cilantro to taste. Mix well. You can then incorporate the quinoa and split bean trio. I don't even wait for them to cool.

Add some more fresh cracked black pepper and cilantro. Squeeze the second lime over everything and give it a good mix. Finally add a generous amount of feta cheese or serve with the feta on the side to accommodate your vegan friends. You could add a dressing but I really find you don't need one if you use fresh veggies. 

This batch makes enough for me to have for lunch for one week (7 meals), but will easily feed 8 - 10 people as a side dish. It is really filling but light at the same time. I feel so good after eating it.

Let me know if you have any other ingredients you think would work. I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate quinoa into my diet.  Enjoy!

Books Read 2011

Here's a list of the books I read this past year with my comments and recommendations (bracketed). I didn't read as much as last year but undertook quite a few huge (1000+ pages) this year. I also read a lot of non-fiction (a trend I hope to continue in 2012), a lot of fluff (which I hope to curb in 2012), and re-read a number of series that I have been following for years. My grand total of books read in 2011 was 78 and I brought the total number of books read from my 501 Must Read Books list to 92.

January

• Vanity Fair by William M. Thackeray (Long but not bad.)
• The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and H.C. Cutler, MD (Wonderful! Everyone should read.)
• Skippy Dies by Paul Murray (An odd book, recommended for avid readers only.)
• The Distant Hours by Kate Morton (I really enjoyed how she wove the two timelines together.)
• Room by Emma Donoghue (Dark but compelling read.)
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Loved this series! Can’t wait for the films!)
• Left Neglected by Lisa Genova (Fascinating read. I find all of Genova’s books so interesting.)

February

• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
• Ghost by Alan Lightman (An impulse buy from The Bookcellar in HUB. Interesting premise but goes nowhere.)
• Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson (Really liked it but preferred Little Princes – see October’s reads.)
• The Steep Approach to Garbadale by Iain Banks (I love Banks’ “The Algebraist” but this one was a dud.)
• Dreamsongs Volume 1 by George R.R. Martin (Such a great collection of Martin’s works. A must read for any fan as you get to see how artful he is at writing in many different genres.)

March

• Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls (A great follow up to “The Glass Castle”. Think I even liked this one better ; I love stories of strong women.)
• Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton (Forgettable.)
• Dreamsongs Volume 2 by George R.R. Martin
• Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi (Wow! This book really touched me. A delightful read about a brutal subject. Every girl/woman should read it!)
•  Empress Orchid by Anchee Min (Forgettable.)
• Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese (Loved this! Such a great story.)
• The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud (Feel lukewarm on this one. Parts I really liked, others I didn’t.)
• The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman (I really wanted more out of this book but it was a great historical/journalist piece.)
• Bodies of Inscription by Margo DeMello (The dissertation on body modification and tattooing! Awesomeness!)

April

• The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (A fluff read but I enjoyed it. Contagion meets Anne Rice.)
• Lolita by Nabokov (A Classic! A must read!)
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (A very close contender for the BEST book I read in 2011!)
• The Shack by Wm. Paul Young (A fascinating read. Highly recommended.)
• Ringworld by Larry Niven (Another classic but left me wanting more. Definitely reads like the first in a series.)
• The Fall by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (Sequel to The Strain. More fluff.)

May

• Aspho Fields by Karen Traviss (The first in a series of books that are meant to bridge the three Gears of War games. Fluff but still a great read. Highly recommended for any GOW fan!)
• The Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka (I didn’t know what to expect from Kafka but I really liked it.)
• Jacinto’s Remnant by Karen Traviss
• Summertime by JM Coetzee (A good read. Not as good as “Disgrace” and I think “Life and Times of Michael K” is his best work.)
• Anvil Gate by Karen Traviss
•  The Meowmorphosis by Franz Fafka and Coleridge Cook (I’m slowly becoming a sucker for these adaptations, and there was no way I was passing up one about a kitten!)
• The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien (A dark, odd but wonderful little read. Highly recommended!)
• Broken Ground by Jack Hodgins (A great piece of Canadiana including some history I wasn't familiar with. The story is told through the perspectives of a number of different characters and it works so well. Highly recommended!)

June

• Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (With the fifth book coming out in July 2011 I began my ritual of re-reading the series in anticipation. If you haven’t read this series yet get your head out from under that rock and just do it already. It is definitely worth it!)
• The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery (I hope to be able to read it in French someday.)
• The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing (Parts I loved, others I didn’t. A recommended read for avid readers only.)
•  A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

July

• A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
• A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
• Nerfertiti by Michelle Moran (Fluff. Great for a beach. Pauline Gedge does historical fiction/Egypt so much better.)
• Emil and The Detectives by Erich Kastner (One of the best books I read this year. A lovely children’s with delightful characters and a great story. Read it.)
• Bossypants by Tina Fey (I’d read anything this woman writes. I loved this book and ate it in a couple of hours.)
• A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin (Worth the wait!!! Don’t know if I can handle another extended wait for the next book - “A Dream of Spring”.)

August

• Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (A great, but not casual, read. I must admit I struggled with it at times. Recommended for dedicated readers only.)
• Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philipa Pearce (I’d pass on this one and stick to “Emil and the Detectives” if you are looking for a classic children’s book to pick up. “The Secret Garden” is better too.)
• The Wind in the Willows by K. Grahme (Ok.)
• Zombies: The Recent Dead edited by Paula Guran (Excellent anthology of short stories about zombies with probably the best discussion of zombies in literature I’ve come across. Highly recommended)
• A Cavern of Black Ice by J.V. Jones (Another series I re-read as another book was being released. I love this series. It is definitely worth reading. Also, female fantasy and sci-fi writers rule!)

September

• Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton (A co-worker recommended these so I agreed to read the first few. Total fluff! I stopped reading after the fourth one because they are just too formulaic.)
• The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamiton
• Ape House by Sarah Gruen (I wanted more out of this book too. A good read though and I would recommend it).
• The Paris Wife by Paula McLain (I love Hemmingway so I really liked this novel which is a historical fiction take on his first wife. I would recommend it.)
• Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton
• A Fortress of Grey Ice by J.V. Jones
• The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton
• A Sword from Red Ice by J.V. Jones

October

• Watcher of the Dead by J.V. Jones
• The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary by Andrew Westoll (A recommendation from a fellow anthropology nerd. Non-fiction account of a chimpanzee sanctuary in Quebec. I cried my eyes out with this one.  Highly recommended.)
•  Isle of Woman by Piers Anthony (Dull. I was excited about this one as it has a cool premise that appealed to my anthro nerdiness but it fell flat.)
• Oranges are not the only fruit by Jeanette Winterson (Another book at the top of my 2011 list. Just lovely. Highly recommended).
•  Litter Princes by Conor Grennan (I really liked this one. Had a certain honesty about it that just really worked for me. Non-fiction. Highly recommended).
• Hellburner by C.J. Cherryh (I love C.J. Cherryh, I hated this book. Pick up any of her other books instead.)
• Still Alice by Lisa Genova (I think I went through a box of Kleenex with this one. Broke my heart and the subject matter also represents one of my greatest fears. Highly recommended.)

November

• The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (I didn’t like this book. I hated all the characters. It just didn’t do it for me.)
• The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson (I’m a sucker for Hunter S. Thompson. This isn’t his greatest book but definitely worth reading.)
• Science Ink by Carl Zimmer (One of my top reads. Non-fiction. A great look at the tattoos scientists get and what they represent.  A beautiful book even just to look at with great photographs. Highly recommended.)
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (This book blew me away. I could not believe I’d never heard of Henrietta Lacks before. If you don’t know who she is, you should read this book. Highly recommended.)
• The Island at the End of the World by Sam Taylor (An impulse buy from the discount table at Chapters. A pretty little book about the end of the world.)
• All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy (I need to take a break from McCarthy’s dark novels. Two in one year was a little much.)
• The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (Ugh. Well it was good enough that I didn’t walk away from it but I wouldn’t recommend it.)

December

•  The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins (I’d never read Dawkins before despite being familiar with his position/work. Got a little tired of his tone at times but makes some good arguments.)
•  Hell’s Angels by Hunter S. Thompson (A must read! So gritty and fascinating!)
• Android Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Ben H. Winters (A good vacation read. Now to read Tolstoy’s original in 2012.)
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King (I love Stephen King. Read this book. Do it.)
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (What a beautiful evocative book! Fantastic story! Another one at the top of my 2011 list. Highly recommended.)
• The Adventures of TinTin (Screenplay based on the movie. Read it before I saw the film and it does a good job explaining some of the backstory.)
• Children’s and Household Tales by the Brothers Grimm (From my 501 must read list. Some odd little stories that are indeed darker than their Disneyfied versions.)
• High Voltage Tattoo by Kat Von D. (I love Kat Von D and I am not going to apologize for it. I can’t wait to read her second book which I got for Christmas.)
• The Door in the Wall and Other Stories by H.G. Wells (Didn’t know what to expect with these. My first Kobo read! I think I was expecting more Lovecraft, instead got some rather odd/pointless stories. I have some of his other, more famous stories on my Kobo so am looking forward to seeing what Wells really can write.) 

I'm excited about some of the books I have lined up for 2012, especially the bunch of free ones for my Kobo that are on my 501 list. I'm always looking for recommendations though so if you read something in 2011 that is worth reading be sure to let me know.