Staff Picks: June 2022
TORI’S PICK: Under Currents by Nora Roberts
GENRE: Romance
WHY SHE PICKED IT: “Under Currents” is my first Nora Roberts, surprisingly since she is so well-liked, and I do love the popular authors. I picked this book up because my late aunt’s favourite series was written by Nora Roberts and when I read the main character in this had the same name as my son, Zane, it felt like a sign to read it. I am so glad I did, and if you’re looking for a thriller, suspense, romance book – take this as your sign to read it too. This book had me in tears, jumping for joy, extra heartbreak, then more celebrating. A rollercoaster of emotions. One of the main characters Darby is a landscaping artist, written so well I started to fall in love with landscaping. I found myself googling different trees and flowers- trying to decide what I should start growing in my own yard, because of this book.
THE SYNOPSIS: Zane Bigelow grew up in a beautiful, perfectly kept house in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Strangers―and even Zane’s own aunt across the lake―see his parents as a successful surgeon and his stylish wife, making appearances at their children’s ballet recitals and baseball games. Only Zane and his sister know the truth, until one brutal night finally reveals cracks in the facade, and Zane escapes for college without a thought of looking back...
Years later, Zane returns to his hometown determined to reconnect with the place and people that mean so much to him, despite the painful memories. As he resumes life in the colorful town, he meets a gifted landscape artist named Darby, who is on the run from ghosts of her own.
Together they will have to teach each other what it means to face the past, and stand up for the ones they love.
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BRANDY’S PICK: Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter
GENRE: Romance
WHY SHE PICKED IT: Why yes, I did pick another romantic comedy as my staff pick this month. What can I say? They are my jam! I could not put this book down. It was so fun to read and a wee bit sexy, if I dare say. The only thing that got to me was the main characters poor luck. I could relate in some ways but in others, it was a bit far-fetched. Otherwise, this book was a nice, light read to escape your daily grind.
THE SYNOPSIS: Things get textual when a steamy message from a random wrong number turns into an anonymous relationship in this hilarious rom-com by Lynn Painter.
Bad luck has always followed Olivia Marshall…or maybe she’s just the screw-up her family thinks she is. But when a “What are you wearing?” text from a random wrong number turns into the hottest, most entertaining—albeit anonymous—relationship of her life, she thinks things might be on the upswing….
Colin Beck has always considered Olivia his best friend’s annoying little sister, but when she moves in with them after one of her worst runs of luck, he realizes she’s turned into an altogether different and sexier distraction. He’s sure he can keep his distance, until the moment he discovers she’s the irresistible Miss Misdial he’s been sort of sexting for weeks—and now he has to decide whether to turn the heat up or ghost her before things get messy.
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LISA G’s PICK: Know My Name by Chanel Miller
GENRE: Nonfiction, Memoir
WHY SHE PICKED IT: We are back to disturbing non fiction this month! 'Know My Name' is the story of assault survivor Chanel Miller. Her story begins during her normal university life the in weeks leading up to her sexual assault by swimming competitor and fellow university student Brock Turner, and the aftermath of the night she was left behind a dumpster unconscious.
THE SYNOPSIS: She was known to the world as Emily Doe when she stunned millions with a letter. Brock Turner had been sentenced to just six months in county jail after he was found sexually assaulting her on Stanford’s campus. Her victim impact statement was posted on BuzzFeed, where it instantly went viral–viewed by eleven million people within four days, it was translated globally and read on the floor of Congress; it inspired changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the case. Thousands wrote to say that she had given them the courage to share their own experiences of assault for the first time.
Now she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. It was the perfect case, in many ways–there were eyewitnesses, Turner ran away, physical evidence was immediately secured. But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios. Her story illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicts a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shines with the courage required to move through suffering and live a full and beautiful life.
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LISA S’s PICK: The Island by Adrian McKinty
GENRE: Thriller
WHY SHE CHOSE IT: “The Island” was fast-paced and I felt like I was there with the family on the island, trying to stay hidden after an accident makes the island residents vengeful. I am someone who enjoys crazy plot twists, and this one had those in spades. The book flew by and before I knew it, it was over. This was my second McKinty novel, and it certainly won’t be my last as both titles have been added to my favourites list.
THE SYNOPSIS: After moving from a small country town to Seattle, Heather Baxter marries Tom, a widowed doctor with a young son and teenage daughter. A working vacation overseas seems like the perfect way to bring the new family together, but once they’re deep in the Australian outback, the jet-lagged and exhausted kids are so over their new mom.
When they discover remote Dutch Island, off-limits to outside visitors, the family talks their way onto the ferry, taking a chance on an adventure far from the reach of iPhones and Instagram.
But as soon as they set foot on the island, which is run by a tightly knit clan of locals, everything feels wrong. Then a shocking accident propels the Baxters from an unsettling situation into an absolute nightmare.
When Heather and the kids are separated from Tom, they are forced to escape alone, seconds ahead of their pursuers.
Now it’s up to Heather to save herself and the kids, even though they don’t trust her, the harsh bushland is filled with danger, and the locals want her dead.
Heather has been underestimated her entire life, but she knows that only she can bring her family home again and become the mother the children desperately need, even if it means doing the unthinkable to keep them all alive.
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