Staff Picks: May 2021
We have almost hit summer, and the staff at the library can’t wait for warmer weather. Any weather is reading weather, but reading outside in the sunshine is it’s own kind of bliss. Here’s a round up of books the staff loved in May.
LISA G.: Rosemary by Kate Clifford Larson
GENRE: Nonfiction, Biography
WHY SHE CHOSE IT: Little was known about Rosemary Kennedy's true life until after she was gone, and this is a great addition to any Kennedy family biography reader. It is a thorough account of her life from birth to death, and seems meticulously researched by the author.
THE SYNOPSIS: They were the most prominent American family of the twentieth century. The daughter they secreted away made all the difference.
Joe and Rose Kennedy’s strikingly beautiful daughter Rosemary attended exclusive schools, was presented as a debutante to the Queen of England, and traveled the world with her high-spirited sisters. And yet, Rosemary was intellectually disabled — a secret fiercely guarded by her powerful and glamorous family. Major new sources — Rose Kennedy’s diaries and correspondence, school and doctors' letters, and exclusive family interviews — bring Rosemary alive as a girl adored but left far behind by her competitive siblings. Kate Larson reveals both the sensitive care Rose and Joe gave to Rosemary and then — as the family’s standing reached an apex — the often desperate and duplicitous arrangements the Kennedys made to keep her away from home as she became increasingly intractable in her early twenties. Finally, Larson illuminates Joe’s decision to have Rosemary lobotomized at age twenty-three, and the family's complicity in keeping the secret.
Rosemary delivers a profoundly moving coda: JFK visited Rosemary for the first time while campaigning in the Midwest; she had been living isolated in a Wisconsin institution for nearly twenty years. Only then did the siblings understand what had happened to Rosemary and bring her home for loving family visits. It was a reckoning that inspired them to direct attention to the plight of the disabled, transforming the lives of millions.
AVAILABILITY: The Libby App (audiobook)
CLICK TO RESERVE “Rosemary” by Kate Clifford Larson ON THE LIBBY APP
RACHEL: Seconds by Brian Lee O’Malley
GENRE: Young adult fiction, Graphic novel, Magical realism
WHY SHE CHOSE IT: Capping out at 321 pages (for a graphic novel, that’s a LOT), Seconds spins a unique tale full of humour, heart, and just a dash of horror. As someone who has read O’Malley’s previous works, I was excited to see his spin on a story for a more mature audience, and this book really hit all the checkboxes for me.
SYNOPSIS: Katie's got it pretty good. She's a talented young chef, she runs a successful restaurant, and she has big plans to open an even better one. Then, all at once, progress on the new location bogs down, her charming ex-boyfriend pops up, her fling with another chef goes sour, and her best waitress gets badly hurt.
And just like that, Katie's life goes from pretty good to not so much. What she needs is a second chance. Everybody deserves one, after all--but they don't come easy.
Luckily for Katie, a mysterious girl appears in the middle of the night with simple instructions for a do-it-yourself do-over:
1. Write your mistake
2. Ingest one mushroom
3. Go to sleep
4. Wake anew.
And just like that, all the bad stuff never happened, and Katie is given another chance to get things right. She's also got a dresser drawer full of magical mushrooms--and an irresistible urge to make her life not just good, but perfect. Too bad it's against the rules. But Katie doesn't care about the rules--and she's about to discover the unintended consequences of the best intentions.
AVAILABILITY: Library
CLICK TO RESERVE “Seconds” by Brian Lee O’Malley FROM THE LIBRARY
ELIZABETH: The Last Day by Andrew Hunter Murray
GENRE: Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopian
WHY SHE CHOSE IT: I love apocalyptical and dystopian novels and this book nicely fits the bill. The world has stopped turning and half the world is in perpetual darkness while the rest of humanity is suffering under the boiling hot sun or in constant twilight. And when you love end-of-the-world stories, what's not to love with a premise like this?
THE SYNOPSIS: The world has stopped turning. The hunt has just begun.
It is 2059, and the world has crashed. Forty years ago, a solar catastrophe began to slow the planet's rotation to a stop. Now one half of the globe is permanently sunlit, the other half trapped in an endless night. The United States has colonized the southern half of Great Britain--lucky enough to find itself in the narrow habitable region left between frozen darkness and scorching sunlight--where both nations have managed to survive the ensuing chaos by isolating themselves from the rest of the world.
Ellen Hopper is a scientist living on a frostbitten rig in the cold Atlantic. She wants nothing more to do with her country after its slide into casual violence and brutal authoritarianism. Yet when two government officials arrive, demanding she return to London to see her dying college mentor, she accepts--and begins to unravel a secret that threatens not only the nation's fragile balance, but the future of the whole human race.
AVAILABILITY: The Libby App (audiobook)
CLICK TO RESERVE “The Last Day” by Andrew Hunter Murray ON THE LIBBY APP
GABBIE: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo
GENRE: Fiction, Fairy Tale, Fantasy Fiction
WHY SHE CHOSE IT: I chose the Tale of Despereaux as my staff pick because it is a book that I recently read. It is a Junior Fiction book, but even as an adult I found this tale of adventure, chivalry, and hope so much fun. It is a beautiful little story which can easily be enjoyed by someone of any age.
THE SYNOPSIS: Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.
AVAILABILITY: Library and the Libby App (eBook and audiobook)
CLICK BELOW TO RESERVE “The Tale of Despereaux” by Kate Dicamillo:
FROM THE LIBRARY
FROM THE LIBBY APP (eBook)
FROM THE LIBBY APP (audiobook)
ABBEY: Gord Downie by Steve Newton
GENRE: Nonfiction, Biography
WHY SHE CHOSE IT: The Tragically Hip’s new album, Saskadelphia, just came out. I think a lot of Hip fans (including myself) are probably thinking more about Gord Downie lately, and wanting to learn more about the behind-the-scenes stuff. I am halfway through and really enjoying it so far.
THE SYNOPSIS: This is the story of Gord Downie’s creative journey as lead singer and lyricist for venerable rock band the Tragically Hip, covering his solo career, his philanthropic work, and beyond, leading up to the much-loved musician’s untimely death from brain cancer at the age of 53 in October 2017.
In this unofficial retrospective, rock journalist Steve Newton, a longtime Hip fan, charts the quintet’s rise to fame as “a group of buddies from Kingston who started out playing Stones covers in a basement before finding their own unique and powerful voice, one conveyed by a rock poet whose art would capture the imagination of an entire country.”
During the Hip’s meteoric rise, Newton interviewed Downie five times for the Georgia Straight, gaining keen insight into how the Kingston rocker regarded his work and the artistic motivations behind it. Newton blends Downie’s candid commentary with impressions drawn from seeing the band live, poring over classic Hip albums, and studying their songs, many of which are inspired by references to Canadian locations, people, and events. Containing more than 175 colour photographs and reproductions of rare memorabilia, this is the first fully illustrated, comprehensive book paying tribute to Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip–an essential keepsake for every true fan.
AVAILABILITY: Library
CLICK TO RESERVE “Gord Downie” by Steve Newton FROM THE LIBRARY
LISA S.: Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
GENRE: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
WHY SHE CHOSE IT: It’s been sitting on my shelf for awhile, and I picked it up because June is National Indigenous History Month. The story is heartbreaking, and it’s one I think everyone can benefit from reading. This part of our history isn’t talked about enough.
THE SYNOPSIS: Taken from their families when they are very small and sent to a remote, church-run residential school, Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie are barely out of childhood when they are finally released after years of detention.
Alone and without any skills, support or families, the teens find their way to the seedy and foreign world of Downtown Eastside Vancouver, where they cling together, striving to find a place of safety and belonging in a world that doesn’t want them. The paths of the five friends cross and crisscross over the decades as they struggle to overcome, or at least forget, the trauma they endured during their years at the Mission.
Fuelled by rage and furious with God, Clara finds her way into the dangerous, highly charged world of the American Indian Movement. Maisie internalizes her pain and continually places herself in dangerous situations. Famous for his daring escapes from the school, Kenny can’t stop running and moves restlessly from job to job—through fishing grounds, orchards and logging camps—trying to outrun his memories and his addiction. Lucy finds peace in motherhood and nurtures a secret compulsive disorder as she waits for Kenny to return to the life they once hoped to share together. After almost beating one of his tormentors to death, Howie serves time in prison, then tries once again to re-enter society and begin life anew.
AVAILABILITY: The Libby App (eBook and audiobook)
CLICK BELOW TO RESERVE “Five Little Indians” by Michelle Good:
Is there anything that you’d like to read in our list? Let us know in the comments below.
