" Searching For Terry Punchout" a surprise from Canada Reads

 Canada Reads is not only a way of promoting books, but is entertaining by itself.  That helps explain how I got hooked on a hockey themed book "Searching for Terry Punchout" (2018).  Actually there is more to it than a hockey theme.

Tyler Hellard, like the main character grew up in small town, Maritimes (Summerside, PEI) and as a young adult moved, ending up in Calgary where he became a copy writer.  He tells us that much of the book was written in a bar, but since publication has given up drinking.  He likes clutter and wrestling.  He also is a blogger.

A good book needs someone to boost it.  Steve Glynn, known also as Steve Dangle is a hockey analyst who after working for Sports Net has his own You Tube show.  Growing up, his parents perked his interest in reading through sports.  A Toronto Maple Leaf fan, he nonetheless is very articulate.  Steve has written two books himself.  He led "Searching for Terry Punchout" to the runner up position.  

This fictional story might attract hockey fans, but that is just a frame that allows the author to deal with family relationships.  A boy in a small Maritime town has a father playing the role of a goon hockey player in the the NHL.  He gets traded from Toronto to New York to Los Angles accumulating a record number of penalty minutes.  In the meantime he and his wife become estranged.  His wife dies.  After he retires he doesn't know what to do and ends up going back to his home town and eventually ends up doing maintenance in the arena named after him and driving the Zamboni to clear the ice.

The book is really concerned about the son, Adam who had since left town to work in Calgary, but not very successful and as a sort of last chance sold his idea of doing a magazine article on his once famous father who he had not seen in a decade.  The job at the arena provides Terry's accommodation, but seems a dead end.  He at first resists his son's questions, but over time does co-operate and we learn about his life in hockey and how his marriage deteriorated.

Adam hasn't seen his teenage friends in several years.  In some cases there was rivalry and jealousy.  He had had a very embarrassing incident with an old girl friend who went on to have a baby out of wedlock with a rival.  She had the child, but the boyfriend had abandoned her.  Adam attempts to renew their relationship and she is somewhat willing, but more mature than Adam.  As he wraps up his efforts, there are a few developments and maybe Adam matures a bit.

My verdict:  It is worth reading, even if you are not a hockey fan which I am not.

Last year I read all five books, but this year that seems unlikely.   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/03/canada-reads.html

The cover photo at the top is by Megan Fildes.

A Two Spirit Journey

The Canada Reads contest has interested me for several years.  There are great books, but even more the discussions that are part of the contest are very engaging. This past year the five contestants were known ahead of time and I was able to reserve all five of them at my local library.  I read four of them, but "A Two Spirit Journey" (2016), subtitled "The Autobiography Of A Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder" the actual winner, was not available in time and in fact I only got a copy recently, well after the contest had been decided.

Ma-nee Chacaby is a very interesting person and this story is one of the most honest told by an indigenous woman.  Born of ambiguous parentage in remote northern Ontario she was abused and sexually abused.  She was surrounded by alcoholism and started drinking at an early age.  She and her near age friends indulged in sniffing exhaust fumes.  She was forced to move several times and until she was about 20 did not speak much English, relying on Ojibwa and Cree.

Her story includes being raped, beaten and getting drunk.  On the positive side she learned survival skills such as hunting, trapping and tanning animal hides.   Her step father wanted her to realize that hunting is not bad and is needed for survival.  At a very young age she was able to sell fur to the Hudson's Bay Company who set up an account for her that she let build up until at an older age she used it for a building project.

As she aged she tried to stop drinking, but usually failed until she got involved with Alcoholics Anonymous in Thunder Bay and even then struggled for awhile.  Towards the end of the book she boasts that she had not drunk any alcohol for over 30 years.

She goes through some relationships giving birth to 3 children and fostering children.   She helps counsel others not to drink and delivered several babies, including for strangers.  She got involved with translating information from English to Ojibwa and Cree, but as her vision deteriorated she had to give that up.

Through Alcoholics Anonymous she attended a segment for lesbians that awakened her interest.  She did not understand her attraction to women and kept it secret.  Eventually she broke through her hesitation lived with at least three women and got involved with Pride promotions.  At one time she dressed up as Elvis Presley for an event. 

She wanted to tell her story not only for herself, but for her children, grandchildren and other relatives.  She had met Mary Louise Plummer, a social scientist and writer.  As it happened circumstances conspired  to free Mary Louise and she agreed.  At the time she was in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.  They connected through the internet and conducted over a hundred hours of interviews sorting many details.  Other writers of indigenous stories failed to credit the actual person, but Mary Louise felt that Ma-nee was unusually open about her history and as a natural story teller was given primary credit.

Shayla Stonechild was the champion for "A Two-Spirit Journey" was very well prepared and articulate.  She is an indigenous model, actress and health advocate.  If not for her ability I might have been tempted to not bother as I had already read the other four books and had already written a blog on them.  I am glad I listened to her and got to read a very interesting book.

There are many decisions to make when selecting a book you hope to immerse yourself with and one tool for me has been the Canada Reads contest.  Not only are good books involved, but with a champion for each book over four episodes you get insight.  If you are interested the CBC holds this contest once a year around March and can be seen on television or the internet.  This particular book is well worth an effort, but the contest will suggest others.

This first link is to the 2025 Canada Reads with the four other contenders.

http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/03/canada-reads.html

There were a lot of books from this contest over the years that I enjoyed reading and watching the contest.   For me it has been mind opening.

http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/09/indian-horse-by-richard-wagamese.html 

http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/10/canada-reads.html

http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/09/the-book-of-negroes.html 

http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/09/ducks-my-first-graphic-novel.html 

http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/09/hotline-canada-reads-nomination.html 

Ducks: My first graphic novel

 I try to catch the Canada Reads contest each year.  Only got sections of it and was surprised to learn that a graphic novel won the 2023 prize.  I am classifying this as fiction, but it is pretty obvious it contains a lot of personal content--Kate Beaton uses her real name and those of others.

Up until my teen years I read lots of comics, mostly about the super heroes, but also Classics Illustrated.  By high school I had transitioned to hard cover books and taken a snobby view of comics.  Graphic novels tackle adult themes and offer another platform for serious matters.

For instance, rape.  The author admits to suffering two rapes and both are referred to in the novel. 

The main thrust of the novel reflects a current reality.  Adolescents are encouraged to get a university education.  All too often they end up with a lot of debt and poor job prospects.  If they happen to live in the eastern part of Canada job prospects are even more precarious.  The author from Cape Breton felt overwhelmed with her debt and had heard from Maritimers that high paying jobs were available at the Alberta oil sands.

One aspect of working in the Oil Sands is that there are very few women.  Rape was a relatively rare event, but sexual harassment was very common.  Lewd comments were almost taken for granted.  Kate tried to recognize a male perspective.  Many of the men had left wives and children and had little contact with women.  They did not go to such an isolated place to meet women.  Men without women are different creatures.  Loneliness was common and with little mental health support, drugs and alcohol were common

The big driving force was money.  One outcome was the desire for overtime and taking on second jobs (to make up for mandatory rest times).  For some the extra money causes extra consumption.  Kate resisted going home to save money, but did take off a year to work in Victoria at a lower paying job, but closer to her interests.

The title "Ducks" refers to the environmental problem.  At one point newspapers were publicizing dead ducks due to chemical leaks. Kate pointed out that there were plenty of meetings regarding safety, but not as much emphasis on environmental concerns.  

Although people from all parts of Canada worked in the Oil Sands the culture was most effected by a lot of Newfoundlanders and Maritimers.  Apart from their unique cultures perhaps mostly expressed in musical tastes they share a history of jobs disappearing such as from fishing and mining.

In an afterward Kate admits her consciousness of indigenous issues came from her experiences in Alberta.  She got special permission to use the words and likeness of Celina Harpe an elder of the Cree community of Fort McKay in the narrative. 

The book gives me no desire to visit the Oil Sands, but she wrote about time in Cape Breton and Victoria, two places I have visited and loved.  Too bad we can't spend all our time in such places.

Are graphic novels for you?  It depends.  For me the subject and the credibility of the author would be critical.  This was an encouraging venture and many of you might have gotten some value out of it.

The book reminds me of my efforts to be an environmentalist in conflict with my desire to retire.

My experience with Suncor didn't start out to support the Oil Sands.  One of the retailers I sold to was Ontario Co-ops who had an arrangement with Sunoco (part of the Suncor corporation) to blend in ethanol to gasoline served at many of their locations.  Ethanol was supposed to give improved engine efficiency and was natural being derived from corn.  Seemed like a good thing to invest in and I wrote away for an annual report from Suncor.  I spent a lot of time looking for any mention of ethanol and finally found it, but it was pretty miniscule.  Still I thought I was very clever and bought shares in my self-directed pension fund.

Ethanol became more common, but more importantly Suncor turned out to be the most successful investment I ever made.  The dividends at first were small, but I  bought a few more shares, then noticed it seemed to split every few years.  A few times thinking I was ahead of the game I took the profits after a split to diversify into a few other stocks, some of which did ok, but none performed as well as Suncor.  I became more conscious of the Oil Sands, but still saw ethanol as my motivating driver.  Oil from the Oil Sands was much more expensive to extract, but Suncor and others invested large amounts of money for what was seen as the inevitable rise in prices.  Lots of political turmoil had made both Canada and the United States dependent on foreign countries and in fact our purchase of gas seemed to be financing lots of Mid-East jihadists.

The dividends from Suncor became significant and while interest rates declined my income and capital gains from Suncor was more critical to retirement plans. Another thing I noticed on a few day trips to the States and a major trip to New Zealand was that the Canadian currency had more power than earlier.  The Canadian dollar seemed to track the price of oil.

I would like to think I am both smart and ethical.  The smart part of me thought although fossil fuels were bad, nothing I did would change their power, so I might as well keep the stock.  I had some advice that reinforced that thinking.  Later spurred by my son Michael I started voting for the Green Party and in general became more concerned and informed about Climate Change, but still clung to Suncor.  Eventually my conscience troubled me more and I began to believe that renewables would eventually conquer the fossil fuels.  I sold my Suncor shares, though I confess I timed it until just after the date of record for dividends. 

In total my Suncor investment increased by well over 10 fold.  I used to drive more than the average person because of my jobs (http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/02/my-life-and-adventures-with-cars-part.html) that has already been curbed.  The Canadian currency has become weaker and that will also affect my travels and probably even local purchases. Hopefully the air will be nicer and perhaps the climate more controllable, but both are long term projects.

My Favorite books of 2018

Getting set for retirement I thought it time to switch my emphasis from non fiction to fiction.  I have always found a well written novel is hard to put down.

FICTION

"The Son in Law" by Charity Norman was only discovered after a flukey chain of unlikely events, but I am grateful for grabbing it when I had the chance.  The book is beautifully layered.  You are introduced to a dramatic emergency resulting in death.  Next you go a few years ahead to learn some of the consequences.  Then you go back and gradually uncover the background.  The son in law (and you know he can't really be as bad as first portrayed) is hated by his in laws and the book really tracks how that originated and follows how it evolves.  Hint:  a masterpiece of mediation.  Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/02/charity-norman-discovery.html







"MacBeth" by Jo Nesbo was an ambitious murder political power inspired by William Shakespeare.  I had studied MacBeth in high school but confess many details eluded me.  Nesbo has shifted from mediaevel times to more recent, but has retained many of the same names and locations.  Instead of royalty as the structure for power politics he uses a police force and municipal government.  A few other elements were three witches and obsessive washing of hands.  The real core is of power politics.  If you are familiar with Jo Nesbo you would be right to expect interesting violence.

"The Husband's Secret" by Liane Moriarty was enjoyed during my trip to New Zealand.  Vjakumar MK Nair, a Facebook friend from India first brought author to my attention   Enjoyable read.

"Manhattan Beach" by Jennifer Egan is an historical novel set before and during World War II.  The protagonist is a determined woman who becomes an underwater diver against male rules.  There is also a mystery involving gangsters and a missing father. 

"The President is Missing" is full of inside information and a complicated plot.  The president is on the verge of being impeached yet is faced with Armagedden and unable to tell his tormentors.  Reminds one of Bill Clinton when he first tried to kill Osama bin Laden.  There are mechanical details few would know about, but the most fascinating feature is the political games being played.  Government certainly seems complicated with the president constantly juggling a variety of balls.  It has the clever twists one would expect of James Patterson.  A few digs against the Russians and Saudi Arabians.  Towards the end there is a list of Democrat agenda with a few sly comments on Republicans, but since I think Hilary should have defeated Trump easily it only adds to my enjoyment of the book.


NON FICTION

 Lots of politics, but there is more.

21 Lessons for the 21st Century, another book by Yuval Noah Harrari that deserves recognition as the  best of the year.  Everyone should read his three books to better understand where humankind has been, where it is going and what needs to be thought for today. For more: http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/12/21-lessons-for-21st-century.html

 

"The World as it is" by Ben Rhodes a speech writer and aide to Barrack Obama.  Ben traveled with Obama helping make many key speeches such as for Mandela's funeral.  He also wrote for Suan Rice for the initial response to Benghazi.  He points out Republican hypocrisy.  Also on Russian intransigence with Crimea.  He reported how Mitch McConnell blocked attempts to publicize Russian interference with the American election.  He was given negotiating responsibilities regarding improving Cuban relations and for cleaning up the mess left by American bombs in Laos.    For more check  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/06/the-world-as-it-is.html

"What Happened" by Hilary Clinton, may be seen by some as excuses for her failure to get elected, but it a good analysis of the election and events subsequently learned reinforce her analysis. http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/02/hillary-clintons-what-happened.html

"Hitmaker's"  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/02/hit-makers.html   Ever wonder what makes one piece of art/music become a hit while others never reach public consciousness?  A few answers, but you will have to work hard and be a bit lucky if you want to duplicate some of the success stories.  

I was persuaded to read "The Devil in the White City" by co-worker Susan Brinkmann.  An interesting juxtaposition of a serial killer and the Chicago World's Fair with its architectural wonders.  Makes for compelling reading.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/04/the-devil-in-white-city.html

"Rescue" was bought after author David Miliband was on tv with Fareed Zakaria.  While there are many countries acting out an anti-immigrant hysteria the refugee situation is desperate.  It is tied into not only political turmoil, but also climate change so we are all complicit.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/04/rescue.html

"Ordinary Virtues" illustrates that similar to the United States we in Canada do not properly appreciate real global thinkers.  Michael Ignatieff as part of a project identified four virtues (tolerance, forgiveness, trust and resilience) as essential for global survival.  Interesting examples around the world.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/04/the-ordinary-virtues.html

"Leonardo da Vinci" was another engrossing biography by Walter Isaaccson.  Da Vinci was more than a genius, known for his art, science and engineering.  You the reader would learn how deeply he understood the human body and how it was reflected in his art.  He truly is one of the giants that others have stood on.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/05/leonardo-da-vinci.html
 
"No is Not Enough" is another Naomi Klein well thought out protest book.  She sees greedy politics denying climate change.  She covers up to the Puerto Rico recovery which she asserts is undergoing shock therapy.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/05/naomi-klein-writes-another-insightful.html

"No Turning Back" is based on numerous interviews by journalist Rania Abouzail undercover from 2011.  She covers prisoners, refugees, fighters,one child.  Some of the complexities reported.

"Triumph of Christianity" by Bart D. Ehrman reports on how Christianity rose above many pagan religions to dominate the western world.  St Paul, more than the original apostles attempted to convert non Jews.  Constantine's conversion led many others to follow and gain momentum. Lots of psychological perspectives.  Read more: http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/08/the-triumph-of-christianity-history.html

"That's what she said" is an interesting book advocating a bigger role for women for the good of us all.   The title comes from an experience where a man gets credit for an idea first voiced by a woman.  Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/08/thats-what-she-said-book-worth-reading.html

"Fascism" by Madeleine Albright writes of parallels between Fascists and modern America under Donald Trump.  She grew up in Czechoslovakia and saw much of the political changes in Europe.  Her observations while working with Bill Clinton and since are very perceptive.  For more check  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/10/fascism-warning-form-madeleine-albright.html

"Fear" by Bob Woodward makes it seem that there are endless anti-Trump books.  Hopefully the deluge will accomplish something constructive.  More at:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/11/fear-another-anti-trump-book.html

"Prius or Pickup" starts with a simple premise that people can be reduced two major world views allowing for people that are somewhere in between.  Of course it is a little more complicated and they explore consequences. Read more: http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/12/prius-or-pickup.html

In an attempt to better myself I am always on the lookout for self improvement books, particularly with a new slant.  "Get your Sh*t Together" by Sarah Knight comes from a different angle.  The language gets your attention and her advice is compatible with what you may have read elsewhere.  To follow further:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/03/get-your-sht-together.html

CANADA READS  was a mix of fiction and non-fiction.  For book lovers the contest where champions campaign and dissect each other is one of the most entertaining events of the year.  This year I was able to read the five nominations, but did so after the winner  "Forgiveness" had been declared. Read more including a brief discussion of each book.      http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/10/canada-reads.html

To see my favorite books from 2017:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/12/enjoyable-reads-from-2017.html

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

My original awareness of "Indian Horse" was when it was in the Canada Reads competition.  Now it has been selected by the Burlington Public Library as their "One Book, One Burlington" selection for 2017.  This is the 11th edition of the event which involves the whole community and has always offered an interesting choice.

Like a lot of people I look for new things, but as I get older I realize that there is usually lot more in a book than you understood the first time around.

The story is being recounted by a recovering alcoholic, Saul Indian Horse forced to tell his life story as part of his redemption, but he is very skeptical.  His name comes from his Grandfather who was the first Objibway of his tribe who brought a horse.  Within his own family, the narrator has conflict between his traditional Grandmother and his Christian mother.  The story starts in the 1960's while his family is trying to live their own life.  He is snatched and taken to a residential school and he has no further contact with his family.

Residential schools for indigenous students have been in the news and subject to the Truth and Reconciliation commission. The experience drove some kids to suicide, others to run away.  They were treated as heathens (with heathen parents) and inundated with Christianity.  Native languages were forbidden and when caught speaking "Indian" were punished.  Many of the priests were sexual predators for both the boys and girls.  Things they couldn't talk about but the effect was to deaden the soul.  Lifelong adjustments usually involving alcohol and drugs

The author loved hockey as a youth and the game provides excitement in the book..  A new priest encourages the boys to tie an interest in hockey by watching "Hockey Night in Canada" and some books.  Just below the age when he would be allowed to play hockey Saul begs for a way to be involved.  At first he is given permission to clean the snow off early in the morning, then he becomes an equipment manager.  A big breakthrough when Saul teaching himself to skate feels confident enough to discard the chair.  "I became a bird. An ungainly bird at first."

Much of the book is a sports story told with the obstacle of being an outsider.  At first as a younger and smaller player who quickly demonstrates superior skills.  Later as part of an Indian team discriminated against by white teams and their audience.  He makes it to the Junior A level in the big city of Toronto, but cannot escape a feeling of having to measure up.

After years of rejection he drops out and eventually succumbs to alcohol.  The book ends hopefully, but the reader is more aware that society has been unfair to natives.  Later in the book, one assumption is destroyed.  I don't want to spoil for those who haven't yet read the book.

Most of the book takes place in northwestern Ontario and at one time moves to Toronto, but every time they step off the familiar surroundings they encounter discrimination.

Richard Wagamese, once described himself as a second generation survivor of the residential school system.  His parents and other extended family members went through the experience.  He feels he suffered from it as at a very early age his parents abandoned him and two siblings to go on a drinking binge and he was rescued by the police.  As a result he didn't see his parents again for 21 years and spent much of that time in foster homes and and one stint as an adoptee forbidden contact with other indigenous people.  He developed many bad habits before he got set on a better path.

He became a journalist.  While at the Calgary Herald he won a national award for writing on indigenous affairs.  He acted in one episode of "North of 60."   Died recently in his home in Kamloops, British Columbia on March 10, 2017.

The book has been made into a movie and debuted at TIFF very recently.

My first experience with the One book One Burlington:
http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/07/beauty-of-humanity-movement-book-review.html

A more recent experience the Hamilton Public Library.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/08/the-best-kind-of-people.html

BOOKS I AM GLAD I READ IN 2016

Books are alive and well.  In fact there are far more than we have time to read.  The following are some books I enjoyed.  The impulse came from many different sources including just browsing around library shelves and carts, listening to or watching suggestions on tv, radio or newspapers.  A few were pointed out to me on social media.  My opinion is limited because my scope is limited, but I hope that maybe a spark of interest might direct you to something worthy of your time.  I did read others, but these are the ones I would suggest for your consideration.

I am not picking a best choice for non-fiction as the ones listed all had something valuable to offer.

"The Meaning of Human Existence" and "Half Earth" by E. O. Wilson.  You cannot get much more profound than this.  The author sees religion as trying to provide supernatural explanations for life as we experience it while science is uncovering natural explanations.  Diminising bio diversity should concern us all.  More at http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/11/edward-o-wilson-tackles-meaning-of.html

"The Right Way to Lose a War" by Domenic Tierney took a different view of winning a war--it is not necessarily all victory or all defeat.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/03/the-right-way-to-lose-war.html

Diet books seem to endlessly offer new options which are really variations on old themes. "The Joy of Half a Cookie" is really dealing with the psychology of eating.  One reads a book with good advice then forgets about it.  I am finding some books with good points and am sometimes able to adopt some of the good points at least some or the time.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/03/the-joy-of-half-cookie.html

"Riding Home," pre titled "The Power of Horses to Heal" was first heard about at a trade show I attended.  Most urbanized people dismiss horses as historical or as pets for the rich.  Tim Hayes who did not ride a horse until he reached age 47 found that horses offered people a lot more.  Some examples of the impact of horses were with hardened prisoners and PTSD victims.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/05/the-power-of-horses-to-heal-riding-home.html

"Decisivie" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath contend that with decisions, process is more critical than analysis.  Whenever I was faced with a conscious decision I would try to analyze it often using the Ben Franklin method.  The authors develop a more effective strategy.   We all have made millions of decisions to arrive at our current status and if you would like to make decisions that improve your situation this book is a very good place to start. http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/08/decisions-are-path-to-success.html

"Focus" by Daniel Goleman who brought us the concept of Emotional Intelligence.  In this book he writes about how the brain is always focused on something, but we can with some effort choose what to focus on.  A bigger point he makes is that it is very easy to focus on some small thing, but we would do better to see the bigger picture and how the one small thing fits in.  More at:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/09/focus-is-crucial-for-work-and-play.html

A Rage for Order"  recommended by Fareed Zakaria dealt with the Arab Spring which has had different results in different countries.  There was a lot agreement that conditions were very poor for most of the people, but little agreement on how best to handle.   Religious differences are key with fundamentalism.  Tunisia represents a fragile hope.

"The Ottoman End Game" reminds us that there were other empires in the world and they have influenced today's politics.  More details at: http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/05/the-ottoman-endgame.html

"Lights Out" delivered another danger to be afraid of:   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/02/lights-out-another-unthought-of-danger.html  The acknowledgments is interesting in itself.

"The Reason You Walk" by Wab Kinew deals with native concerns, but universal in dealing with his father's death.

"Dark Money"  there have always been suspicions  If you are concerned about the recent American election this book suggests the power of money, especially when it can be kept secret.  There are many wealthy people who want to change the rules.  The Koch brothers figure prominently in this book and although they did not take a liking to Mr Trump they apparently now feel they can use him to achieve their ends.  Money is not just used for putting out your message it is used for analyzing how to deal with different targets.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/07/dark-money-by-jane-mayer.html

"The Half has Never Been Told" by Edward E. Baptist--slavery is history and we have moved on, but the truth is slavery has impact today.  Even on the recent American election.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/12/the-half-has-never-been-told.html

"Misbehaving"  by Richard H Thaler- disproves the contention that economics is the most rational of the social sciences.  Economic decisions are very much influenced by psychological and social factors.  If you get a chance to watch "The Big Short" you can see a clip of Richard Thaler explaining the 2008 financial crisis to Selena Gomez.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/08/misbehaving-making-of-behavioural.html

"Makers and Takers"  by Rana Foroohar shows how finances developed historically up to the Great Recession of 2008.  Read more at:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/10/makers-and-takers.html

"The Wisest One in the Room" hits one of my aspirations.  The wisest man is not quick with answers.  Modern society seems to put a premium on quick answers, but the authors point out that it is not that right answers are so difficult, but that wrong answers are often too easy.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/10/the-wisest-one-in-room.html

"Pandemic"  by Sonia Shah more interesting and easy to read than anticipated.  Modern life gives pandemics more opportunities, however co-operation can make a difference.  a lot of political interference.  An interesting link between sex and immunity.  The blog post on this one is the most read of all my book blogs: http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/11/pandemic.html

Despite the relative dearth of fiction books on my list, the truth is well written ones are too engrossing for me.  I am so distracted that the rest of my life including business and household chores are neglected.  E O Wilson pointed out that telling lies in the form of fiction is often the best way to express the truth.

"The Illegal" by Lawrence Hill was the author's second winner at Canada Reads.  I also read "Bone and Bread  another selection, but preferred"A Hero's Walk"  by Anita Rau Badami, but they were all enjoyable.  I watched parts of the selection process which is exciting as you see advocates supporting their selection and often analyzing the competition.

I chose to read two library selections; "The Day the Falls Stood Still" and "The Illegal" Both books were selected to focus a whole city's reading, one from Burlington and the other from Hamilton.  Both were enjoyable with opportunities to understand them better.
http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/08/burlington-and-hamilton-libraries.html

"Fifteen Dogs" by André Alexis won the Scotiabank Giller prize.  I actually bought this for my daughter who is a discerning reader who shares ownership of a four legged visitor to my home.  If you are a dog lover you will notice some keen observations.  If you are not you can delve into philosophical questions.  If you are like me you might even know some of the geography.

"Quantum Night" by Robert J Sawyer is as usual full of science, but also philosophy and more than ever politics.  Set mostly in western Canada.

One habit is to read a book by Jane Urquhart and this year, the selection was "Sanctuary Line" which was set in a part of Ontario I have some limited experience in.  Driving through Kingsville and Leamington I was struck by a number of Mexican retailers and eateries and this book helped put that in context.  As usual human relations are her strong point with a few unexpected twists that show we don't always understand how everyone ticks.

"Big Little Lies," by Liane Moriarty first brought to my attention by Vijayakumar MK Nair, a Facebook friend.   Inner dialogue helps to understand the characters better.  Well constructed.  The first chapter lets you know there is a problem and then the book goes back several months to explain how a group of people were intertwined, then the problem is explained and then a very short followup.  The reader is taken inside the mind of several characters and keeps you guessing as more details fall into place.  This was the most enjoyable fictional read for me of the year .

I felt that many of the non fiction books gave me a useful insight, but do not want to select a best.  For fiction I would have to say the most enjoyable book has been 'Big Little Lies."

Each of us who enjoy reading are confronted by an enormous mountain of books.  I welcome suggestions to help narrow down the choices.   There always has to be a book close at hand.  Right now have started "Homegoing" and also a book on mindfulness and sleep.  "The Vegetarian" is also on list.

To check out the books I enjoyed in 2015 go here:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/12/my-best-reads-during-2015.html