Staff Picks: January 2023
KARI’s PICK: Tomie by Junji Ito
GENRE: Graphic Novel, Horror
WHY SHE PICKED IT: Ito’s call to fame has been horror genre manga with Tomie being one of his most popular works. The manga follows the repeated deaths and reincarnations of Tomie, a beautiful school age woman that drives men insane with their love for her. Some of the shorts from this manga have found their way onto Netflix in a series honouring the artist, and displaying the incredibly detailed artwork in another form. Not for the faint of heart, but an interesting read.
THE SYNOPSIS: Tomie Kawakami is a femme fatale with long black hair and a beauty mark just under her left eye. She can seduce nearly any man, and drive them to murder as well, even though the victim is often Tomie herself. While one lover seeks to keep her for himself, another grows terrified of the immortal succubus. But soon they realize that no matter how many times they kill her, the world will never be free of Tomie.
TORI’s PICK: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
GENRE: Fantasy
WHY SHE PICKED IT: Have you ever read a high-fantasy book and wondered what happened to your favourite characters after the adventures and battles ended? In this heartwarming story, Viv the orc retires from her warrior life to settle down and open a coffee shop in a village that's never heard of coffee. This cozy fantasy book was a perfect comfort listen on a cold snowy night. As someone who loves coffee and fantasy, I felt this was an excellent book
THE SYNOPSIS: High Fantasy with a double-shot of self-reinvention
Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.
However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners and a different kind of resolve.
A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.
CLICK TO RESERVE “Legends & Lattes” by Travis Baldree ON THE LIBBY APP (audiobook)
Lexus’ Pick: The Testaments (Handmaid’s Tale #2) by Margaret Atwood
GENRE: Dystopian
WHY SHE PICKED IT:
THE SYNOPSIS: More than fifteen years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale, the theocratic regime of the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results.
Two have grown up as part of the first generation to come of age in the new order. The testimonies of these two young women are joined by a third voice: a woman who wields power through the ruthless accumulation and deployment of secrets.
As Atwood unfolds The Testaments, she opens up the innermost workings of Gilead as each woman is forced to come to terms with who she is, and how far she will go for what she believes.
CLICK BELOW TO RESERVE “The Testaments (Handmaid’s Tale #2)” by Margaret Atwood:
LISA’s PICKS: The Housemaid (The Housemaid #1) - Freida McFadden
GENRE: Thriller, Psychological Suspense
WHY SHE PICKED IT: I read this one cover to cover, I did not want to put it down. It’s a twisty thriller, with lots of ups and downs, and just when you think you’ve got it figured out… you don’t.
THE SYNOPSIS: “Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…
Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.
I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.
I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.
But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.
They don’t know what I’m capable of…
CLICK TO RESERVE “The Housemaid (The Housemaid #1)” by Freida McFadden FROM THE LIBRARY
