Barack Obama's Christmas reading list had a little Alberta content to it. The former American president included Kate Beaton's graphic novel Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, which was published by Montreal-based Drawn & Quarterly. The book chronicles Beaton's experiences working in northern Alberta for a couple of years to pay off student loans. Beaton tweeted a reply to Obama Friday. "Well thank you," she said. "I am honoured." Beaton was in Calgary recently, discussing Ducks at a Wordfest event. Another Canadian, Emily St. John Mandel, made Obama's list for her novel Sea of Tranquility, published by Harper Collins Canada.
