Staff Picks: June 2020
We are enjoying being open to the public again, after being closed for 90 days. During the closure, we worked behind the scenes and got a lot of things done on our “Library To-Do List”. We also read a lot of books. Here’s our favourites for the month of June.
AVAILABLE AT THE LIBRARY
LISA S’s PICK: Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng
GENRE: Fiction, Suspense, Literary Fiction
WHY SHE RECOMMENDS IT: Celeste Ng is great at nailing family dynamics, and she does it really well here. As a mom, I absolutely identified with Marilyn Lee; the life she gave up to become a mother, and the pressure that put on her children’s shoulders. If you like character driven, emotional reads, this one is for you.
SYNOPSIS: “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favourite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos.
CLICK HERE TO RESERVE “Everything I Never Told You” by Celeste Ng
ELIZABETH’S PICK: A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World - C.A. Fletcher
GENRE: Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopian
WHY SHE RECOMMENDS IT: I’m not even going to give away any secrets about the book (and in fact the author asks readers not to) except to say it has a couple of interesting twists at the end. It’s a post-apocalyptic/dystopian novel (my two favourite genres) that is very character driven. If you pick it up expecting your typical post-apocalyptic read, you will be disappointed. But if you pick it up expecting a story about a boy and the lengths he’ll go to find his stolen dog, you’ll love it.
SYNOPSIS: My name's Griz. I've never been to school, I've never had friends, and in my whole life I've not met enough people to play a game of football. My parents told me how crowded the world used to be, before all the people went away. But we were never lonely on our remote island. We had each other, and our dogs.
Then the thief came.
CLICK HERE TO RESERVE “A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World” by C.A. Fletcher
EDEN’S PICK: War Brothers - Sharon E. McKay
GENRE: Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
WHY SHE RECOMMENDS IT: This book opened my eyes to reality and made me realise the importance of recognizing the struggles of 3rd world countries.
SYNOPSIS: Sharon McKay's novel is set in Uganda, where Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has, since 1987, abducted up to 30,000 children from their villages and homes for use as soldiers and slaves. It is in these nightmarish times that the fates of five boys and a girl are entwined. Captured from their school by the LRA, the boys wait for rescue only to discover that if they are to survive they must rely on themselves. But friendship, courage, and resilience might not be enough to save them.
RACHEL’S PICK: Naruto 3-in-1 - Masashi Kishimoto
GENRE: Fiction, Junior Graphic Novel
WHY SHE RECOMMENDS IT: I picked this because it’s the first three volumes of a sage that was written for over 20 years. If you are looking to get a fun and fast-paced intro to the Manga world, this is a great place to start.
SYNOPSIS: Naruto is a young shinobi with an incorrigible knack for mischief. He’s got a wild sense of humour, but Naruto is completely serious about his mission to be the world’s greatest ninja!
AVAILABLE ON THE LIBBY APP
ABBEY’S PICK: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
GENRE: Fiction, Mystery
WHY SHE RECOMMENDS IT: I chose this book because it was written from the perspective of a character with Asperger’s, so it was fascinating to see how his way of viewing the world was different than my own.
SYNOPSIS: Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. At fifteen, Christopher’s carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbour’s dog Wellington impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing.
Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer, and turns to his favourite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents’ marriage. As Christopher tries to deal with the crisis within his own family, the narrative draws readers into the workings of Christopher’s mind.
CLICK HERE TO RESERVE “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon
LISA G’s PICK: 10% Happier - Dan Harris
GENRE: Nonfiction, Self-Help
WHY SHE RECOMMENDS IT: I picked this book up because I heard about the author having a panic attack on a live TV newscast, and was curious to find out how he coped with the anxiety.I learned some great tips on meditation, and overall mental health.
SYNOPSIS: Nightline anchor Dan Harris embarks on an unexpected, hilarious, and deeply skeptical odyssey through the strange worlds of spirituality and self-help, and discovers a way to get happier that is truly achievable.
WHY SHE RECOMMENDS IT: Lisa picked this book up because she heard about the author having a panic attack on a live TV newscast, and was curious to find out more about it. She says the book has good tips on meditation, and overall mental health.
We love sharing our reading recommendations with you, and we hope you see something here that sparks your interest. What are you reading right now? Let us know in the comments below.
Lisa S., Library Clerk/Evening Supervisor
