Each week, we’re asking different writers, artists and others to share some of their current favorites. This week we feature picks from Kim Nayyer.
My picks are all reading-related, and the first sets the stage for the others:
1. Readers Save the World!
An infographic caught my attention last week. It’s from the National Reading Campaign, a four-year-old Canadian non-profit organization that advocates and promotes reading in schools, in communities of need, and in general. The infographic is called “Readers Save the World!” and is full of great little fact-nuggets. For example, reading for six minutes can reduce stress by 60% — not so surprising in itself, but more interesting is this reduction is a little greater than that produced by listening to music, and a lot greater than that of playing video games.
2. Bone and Bread, by Saleema Nawaz
So I thought a lot about reading last week. I had tickets to a local literary festival event and I used the stress-reduction information to justify overriding my self-imposed moratorium on buying any of the event’s promoted books. 
In truth, that moratorium lifted itself when I heard Saleema Nawaz read from her novel Bone and Bread. It was released in Canada several months ago to much critical acclaim. I admit I had heard of it at the time and wasn’t in any great hurry to buy it then, assuming — wrongly — it was another misfit-immigrant or confused-child-of-strict-
3. Tara Books Book Building
I’ve been a fan of Tara Books ever since I had occasion to review some of their titles a few years ago, so Tara itself is not a new find. The Chennai-based indie publisher, which describes itself as a collective, produces beautiful children’s books, many of which visually incorporate or draw from folk, local, or tribal art. What is new to me (though it’s been around for a year) is the creation of Book Building, a cultural space Tara constructed for artists’ residencies, workshops, and children’s events. To make this pick just a little more seasonally relevant, I’ll include a recommendation for the wonderful Sita’s Ramayana by Samhita Arni and Moyna Chitrakar, a stunning retelling of the tale from Sita’s perspective.
Kim is a dormant lawyer and active librarian. She teaches legal research and writing and is a law librarian at the University of Victoria. Kim has been writing regularly for Slaw.ca, Canada’s online legal magazine, since its inception and she tweets via @kimnayyer and @UVicLawLib.
