More summer reads!
Last month’s list of “13 books to read this summer” motivated nine more members to submit their choices. If you’re looking for something new to read, source some inspiration from the list below.
Disclaimer: All items in this list are recommendations submitted by Royal College members; their appearance in this list does not constitute endorsement of the books and/or their contents by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
The Man who Loved Dogs (2009)
Leonardo Padura
“A historical novel about one of the great tragedies of the 20th century: the exile and assassination of Leon Trotsky; written by a great Cuban author.” — Gonzalo L. Gonzalez-Amaya, MD, FRCSC, retired general surgeon in Sherbrooke, Que.
The Winter Vault (2009)
Anne Michaels
“A moving and elegant book about landscape, grief and change. It starts in Ontario and moves to Egypt and returns.” — Helen Holtby, MBBS, FRCPC, retired anaesthesiologist in Toronto
Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity (2019)
Jaime Metzl
“How giant strides in genetic engineering are affecting the practice of medicine and the future of humanity.” — Bernard Perey, MDCM, FRCSC, retired general surgeon in Halifax and Past-President of the Royal College
Lincoln in the Bardo (2017)
George Saunders
“This book focuses on a personal and political crisis for Abraham Lincoln. Ultimately, it’s a meditation on the unique grief [that comes] when a child dies. A kaleidoscope of humour, beautiful prose and historical reporting that illustrates how people navigated the same political quagmires that beset us today.” — Mike Storr, MD, FRCPC, pediatrician in Perth and Kingston, Ont.
You and I Eat the Same: On the Countless Ways Food and Cooking Connect Us to One Another (2018)
Edited by Chris Ying, foreword by René Redzepi
“A collection of essays on how food across the globe is not as different as we label it to be. A great, light-hearted read for anyone who considers themselves a foodie.” — Alvin Keng, MD, PGY5 in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Toronto
My Friends (1924)
Emmanuel Bove
“A forgotten classic from 1924 about an isolated veteran and his perceptions and interactions with the world of post-war Paris. Recently republished by New York Review of Books, it has been described as ‘slim, dismal, hilarious,’” — Peter I. Collins, MD, FRCPC, Division of Forensic Psychiatry at the University of Toronto
The Incurable Romantic and Other Tales of Madness and Desire (2018)
Frank Tallis
“Well-written, factual and educational; this book is a must read for those in medicine or anyone going into the field and/or its subspecialties (psychiatry, psychology). I would also recommend this book to lawyers, people in law enforcement and the general public. ” — Joseph R. Russell, MD, FRCPC, retired radiologist
The Painted Veil (1925)
W. Somerset Maugham
“Superbly written story of a mismatched couple who go to China where the doctor-husband treats patients with cholera and dies. It is a compelling story of a medical marriage complicated by infidelity and its ramifications.” — Nicole le Riche, MD, FRCPC, retired rheumatologist in London, Ont.
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (2016)
J.D. Vance
“This is a compelling story of a republican lawyer who overcame a disadvantaged upbringing. He gives insight into the emotions of anti-liberal US voters and his perspective on social and geographical factors which contributed to the divide.” — Helga Klein-Parker, MD, FRCPC, pathologist at BC Cancer in Vancouver
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