It’s been a while since the last time I did this, so I thought I’d pop back in to share some of the books I’ve been reading lately. I like to keep my reading list reasonably diverse, both in terms of genre and voice, as I find it’s a great way to step into the shoes of different authors and characters. From memoirs to comic books, I happily devour it all… including epic trips to the otherworldly landscapes of Iceland.

The Wild Magic of Iceland

“Retreat isn’t collapse. It’s the exhale before the quiet.”

I’ve long since asserted that one of the best ways to broaden your horizons, if you are at all able, is to travel. Sometimes, you travel to try the local food. Other times, it’s time to immerse yourself in different cultures and visit the local museums. And sometimes, it can feel like you’re visiting another planet altogether. The Wild Magic of Iceland by Norris Niman is a coffee table-type book featuring Niman’s remarkable photography through each of the four seasons.

These photos, and this is no hyperbole, had me audibly gasping as I flipped through the pages. From isolated villages on icy bays to brave explorers walking toward an erupting volcano, everything felt so unreal. Niman adds some humour with his write-ups and captions, but the photos really take centre stage here. I haven’t made it to Iceland yet, but I’ll be sure to look him up (he also works as a guide!) when and if I ever do.

Thank you to Epic Ink and Quarto Publishing Group for sending me a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

unSweetined

From Saved by the Bell to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, certain TV shows defined our generation of “elder millennials.” And few shows ascended so high in the pop culture stratosphere as Full House. We grew up with DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle, right alongside Joey, Uncle Jesse, and Danny Tanner. With unSweetined by Jodie Sweetin, we go a bit “behind the scenes” with Jodie’s struggles, mostly around drug use and abuse after the show ended.

Her co-author and collaborator Jon Warech clearly had a lot of influence on the final version of this book, but it was fascinating all the same to see how the bubbly middle child of the Tanner household went on to face her challenges with addiction and recovery, culminating in the birth of her daughter, where the book concludes. If you’ve ever wondered what happens to (some) child stars when they try to lead “normal lives” through college and adulthood, this memoir offers some perspective.

So You’ve Been Bitten by a Radioactive Spider

Heading in a completely different direction, I picked up So You’ve Been Bitten by a Radioactive Spider by Daniel Kibblesmith from the public library on a whim. It’s clearly geared toward younger audiences, but it’s a fun escape for any fans of Marvel, including both the comic books and the movie franchises.

The book is organized in such a way as to discuss different aspects of Marvel, from the mutants in X-Men to how gamma radiation created the Hulk. This will be mostly old hat to those of you in the know, but it’s a great refresher for more casual fans and a good primer for those not sure where to start in the MCU.

The Happiness Project

I was hoping to get more out of The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin than I ultimately did. Maybe it’s the midlife crisis coming through again, but I often find myself feeling bouts of general malaise or melancholy with nothing to point at directly. While The Happiness Project provides some direction, it’s mostly from the perspective of someone who is highly privileged and already pretty happy to begin with.

The Midnight Train

If you could revisit your past — and see it through the eyes of experience and with the benefit of hindsight — would you want to? The Midnight Train by Matt Haig takes place in the same universe as The Midnight Library, but with new characters and a completely different approach. Whereas The Midnight Library got us to explore other possibilities had we chosen differently, The Midnight Train is more about time travel.

The protagonist revisits different key episodes in his life as an unseen observer, realizing insights that he had overlooked and not noticed the first time around. I caught myself putting the book down on several occasions to do the same, in my mind’s eye, realizing how other people may have experienced certain episodes in my life. Maybe it’s that midlife crisis thinking again.

What’s on Your Recommended Reading List?

Reading is fundamental, and I’m happy to see that I’ve passed this love of books onto my kids as well. I read 35 books last year, but I’m already up to 34 books so far this year. I’m reasonably confident I can finish at least one more before 2027 rolls around. And so, I turn to you, dear reader. What have you read lately that you’d recommend? Share your favourites in the comment section below.