Books & Audiobooks
September 6th is Read a Book Day! Different than World Book Day in April, which honours books in general, this day is all about the “reading.” Research shows that reading provides a myriad of wonderful benefits, including reducing stress, helping to prevent age-related cognitive decline and increasing empathy skills. Not to mention that it is just so pleasurable – it’s thrilling to read a real page-turner, rewarding to solve the mystery in a great crime story and impactful to learn something new from a fascinating non-fiction book.
I will certainly be celebrating the day by reading – here are three new titles I’ve shortlisted to choose from (but truthfully, I can’t wait to dive in to them all!).
Hopefully, you’ll dedicate some time to a book today as well. Happy Reading!
Mina’s Matchbox
by Yoko Ogawa
Fiction that transports me to another time and place is definitely my vibe, and Mina’s Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa seems to be just that. In this newly published novel translated from its original Japanese text by Stephen Snyder, the reader is taken to 1972 Japan. The back cover reads: “If you wanted to describe Mina in a few words, you might say she was an asthmatic girl who loved books and rode a pygmy hippopotamus.” Intriguing, right? Given that Ogawa was short-listed for the Booker prize with her last novel, The Memory Police, I have high hopes for the writing quality and story building as well.
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Waiting for the Long Night Moon: Stories
by Amanda Peters
If you’ve read some of my blogs before, you may know that I am a fan of short story collections. I appreciate the bang for your buck you receive in a well-written short story. Hot off the press this month is Waiting for the Long Night Moon: Stories by Amanda Peters. Peters’ debut novel The Berry Pickers was a bestseller and award winner, so I’m very much looking forward to reading her new collection. Peters lives in Nova Scotia and her writing draws from her mixed Mi’kmaq and settler ancestry. While this read will undoubtedly tackle some big issues such as residential schools, racism and trauma, I am interested to see how she does so in what are described as compact and spare tales.
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The Danish Secret to Happy Kids: How the Viking Way of Raising Children Makes Them Happier, Healthier and More Independent
by Helen Russell
The Danish Secret to Happy Kids is my non-fiction pick. I love a quirky parenting book! Helen Russell has written several successful books about happiness and emotions on a more adult level, including The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country; and this one delves more into the self-proclaimed happiest country’s philosophies on raising children. Russell’s books provide facts and research but are written in a humorous, optimistic and very readable manner. As my kids start a new school year, I’m looking forward to having the time to enjoy this one!
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