The mark of a good book is one which transports us, challenges our thinking, and one we cannot help but tell others about, give to them to read or recommend.
The order is biased and subjective, as you will see. I am appreciating more and more that this is a window into my mind, the topics that resonate with me and my interpretation of these books. Again, as Nemonte Enquim wrote in We Will Be Jaguars, we read “To see little parts of ourselves in other people’s stories.”
Fourteen books for World Book Day that resonated the most over the last year.
- The Siege by Ben MacIntyre
- The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant
- Frostlines by Neil Shea
- Against the Grain by Terry O’Reilly
- Uproar by Alice Loxton
- Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
- Value(s) by Mark Carney
- Keep Sharp by Sanjay Gupta
- Eleanor by Alice Loxton
- The Giver by Lois Lowery
- At a Loss for Words by Carol Off
- The Telomere Effect by Elizabeth Blackburn and Elissa Epel
- Landlines by Raynor Winn
- The Fossil Woman by Tom Sharpe
The Seige
The Seige by Ben MacIntyre
Gripping. What were you doing in 1980? This book led me to have conversations with others about the first and most significant news stories you remember from childhood. I made a list. What would be on your list? For those reaching the 30s, it would probably be 9-11. I digress. This book was beautifully descriptive; it really did transport you to Prince’s Gate in London. I had never realized how close it was to the Royal Albert Hall. So much I had never understood about the context and detail. I could hardly put this book down and read one day in the siege each day. I told lots of friends and family about it afterwards and lent the book to a friend.
The Golden Spruce
The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant
Such a beautifully written book. Packed with fascinating information. I only realized much later that John Vaillant had also written The Fire Weather, one of our recommended books from a year ago. This book also intersects with Entangled Life, and Landlines makes you think about space and time, and our relationship to the natural world and each other. How lucky am I to find myself on World Book Day on the Lynn Valley trail in North Vancouver, walking through the British Columbia rainforests? The logging industry really is the backdrop and story of these lands, their destruction and now their reemergence.
Frostlines
Frostlines by Neil Shea
Another powerful short book transporting you to far-off lands. Captivating. The writing is beautiful, strong, and descriptive. The photography is powerful. The book captures a series of journeys to remote northern lands in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Finland.
Against the Grain: Defiant Giants Who Changed the World
Against the Grain: Defiant Giants Who Changed the World by Terry O’Reilly
I seem to gravitate to this style of book of short stories connected by a common theme. Each day, I was giving my wife a synopsis of the characters and stories. I added several of the core references to my list of books to read. That led me to read Entangled Lives about our lives with fungi. I want to learn more about Gustave Eiffel.
Uproar: Sattire, Scandal & Printmakers in Georgian London
Uproar: Satire, Scandal & Printmakers in Georgian London by Alice Loxton
After reading 18, which I recommended earlier, I immediately dove into Alice Loxton’s first book, Uproar. Fabulous. I have. lifelong fascination with newspaper cartoons. I grew up in the era of Spitting Image in the UK; another form of satire. Political satire and sophisticated cartoons have seen a resurgence through social media. In Canada, we had to wait until late January for the release of Loxton’s third book, ‘Eleanor’. I also fulfilled my 2025 resolution and wrote 500 words reflecting on 18.
Entangled Life
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
Can’t stop talking about this book. Fascinating. Who knew? I even told our guide on the Lynn Valley trail in North Vancouver. I have a new appreciation and fascination with lichen. The discovery that lichens were in fact two organisms cooperating coined the term ‘symbiosis.’ Fungi and lichens help break down toxic waste, reduce plant matter or rock into soil. The back line along our coasts is fungi, reportedly accounting for the largest share of cellular matter.
Value(s): Building a Better World for All
Value(s): Building a Better World for All by Mark Carney
I finished reading this excellent book in the week that Mark Carney was elected as Prime Minister of Canada. Timely, one might say. It reinforced why he was the smart choice both for his intellect and underlying values. In his first year, he epitomized these values with his statesman-like speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. A masterful use of storytelling and rhetorical devices in prose.
Keep Sharp: Building a Better Brain at Any Age
Keep Sharp: Building a Better Brain at Any Age by Sanjay Gupta
One of my takeaways from this book was the necessity to learn something new. I am trying to learn Spanish to stimulate new neural networks.
Eleanor
Eleanor by Alice Loxton
The second book among our fourteen recommendations by Alice Loxton. She is quickly becoming my favourite author.
The Giver
The Giver by Lois Lowery
The pnly non-fiction in this list of fourteen. Another powerful little punch. So glad I read it.
At a Loss for Words
At a Loss for Words by Carol Off
A poignant and eloquent exploration of truth and integrity in our current reality.
The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer
The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer by Elizabeth Blackburn and Elissa Epel
I was taken back by this book: in a good way. I had heard reference to telomeres yet had missed how much of a profound impact they have had on our understanding of cellular genetics.
Landlines
Landlines by Raynor Winn
This provided an ideal accompliment to walking 177 km along the Cotswolds Way. An incredible expereince. Both the walk and book have motivated us to start walking the Bruce Trail. The Salt Path made our last list of recommended book and relished reading the 2nd book The Wild Silence and then Landlines, the third in the series. Winn is a beautiful storyteller. The books are non-fiction; albeit we are learning embellished perhaps with some creative licence, That doesn’t take away from the writing, which is captivating and descriptive. Landlines asks pertinent questions about our relationship with the natural world.
The Fossil Woman: A Life of Mary Anning
The Fossil Woman: A Life of Mary Anning by Tom Sharpe
As we noted before dinosaurs are still cool. The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs by xx was our favourite book of xxx. It was Alice Loxton’s book Eighteen that led me to visit the Museum in Lyme Regis, Dorset. There, in a lovely conversation with the museum staff, I bought Tom Sharpe’s book to learn more about Mary Anning. Fascinating.
In these days of truth, facts, AI, and disinformation, it is hard to know what to believe. Again, it becomes ever more so apparent that quality and integrity matter. We can find these in books written thoughtfully and through painstaking research by those we trust. I am skeptical about what online I can trust. Knowing how meticulous publishers are in fact-checking, we should all read more books. Happy World Book Day 2026.
