Book Fiend

For the past 4 years, I've been commuting to my place of work - a high school in Scarborough - by subway - AKA the city of Toronto's inept public transit system. I suppose I should be thankful that this mode of travel transports me from one end of the city to another. But the entire process takes 1 hour and 10 minutes each way. Some people ask me how I do this. My answer is, I get to finish approximately a book a week. This, folks, is the only way I've managed to retain my sanity amidst the subway delays, breakdowns, and downright weirdness of some passengers.

This school year on my commute, I have focused on reading memoirs written by women. I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed the following:

Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow

A Mighty Heart : The Inside Story of the Al Qaeda Kidnapping of Danny Pearl

The Wishing Year: A House, a Man, My Soul A Memoir of Fulfilled Desire

The Slippery Year

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously

Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage

Lucky: A Memoir

Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table

Despite the sometimes traumatic events that have shaped these ordinary, yet remarkable women's lives, their stories have planted a seed of inspiration and self-renewal.