Recommended Reads
Our Staff Recommends…
- Book Title: A Good Man, by Guy Vanderhaeghe
- Review: A Good Man culminates what could be thought of as a trilogy of books set in the late nineteenth-century Canadian and American West, and it is a masterpiece. Vanderhaeghe skilfully weaves a rich tapestry of history with the turns of fortune of his most vividly and compellingly drawn cast of characters yet. Vanderhaeghe entwines breathtaking, intriguing, and richly described narratives that contain a compelling love story, a tale of revenge and violence, a spectacular battle scene, the story of an incident in Welsely's past that threatens his relationship with Ada, and much, much more. While raising moral questions, this novel weaves the historical with the personal and stands as Vanderhaeghe's most accomplished and brilliant novel to date. (www.goodreads.com)
- Book Title: Requiem, by Francis Itani
- Review: Bin Okuma, a celebrated visual artist, has recently and quite suddenly lost his wife, Lena. He and his son,
Greg, are left to deal with the shock. But Greg has returned to his studies on the East Coast, and Bin finds himself alone and pulled into memories he has avoided
for much of his life. In 1942, after Pearl Harbor, his Japanese Canadian family was displaced from the West Coast. Now, he sets out to drive across the country:
to complete the last works needed for an upcoming exhibition; to revisit the places that have shaped him; to find his biological father, who has been lost to him.
It has been years since his father made a fateful decision that almost destroyed the family. Now, Bin must ask himself whether he really wants to find him.
With the persuasive voice of his wife in his head, and the echo of their great love in his heart, he embarks on an unforgettable journey that encompasses
art and music, love and hope.
A story of great loss, a story of redemption, a story of abiding love, Requiem is a beautifully written and evocative novel about a family torn apart by the past and a man’s present search for solace.
- Book Title: As Long as the Rivers Flow, James Bartleman
- Review: From the accomplished memoirist and former Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario comes a first novel of incredible
heart and spirit for every Canadian. The novel follows one girl, Martha, from the Cat Lake First Nation in Northern Ontario who is "stolen" from her family at the age of
six and flown far away to residential school. She doesn't speak English but is punished for speaking her native language; most terrifying and bewildering, she is also
"fed" to the school's attendant priest with an attraction to little girls.
Ten long years later, Martha finds her way home again, barely able to speak her native tongue. The memories of abuse at the residential school are so strong that she tries to drown her feelings in drink, and when she gives birth to her beloved son, Spider, he is taken away by Children's Aid to Toronto. In time, she has a baby girl, Raven, whom she decides to leave in the care of her mother while she braves the bewildering strangeness of the big city to find her son and bring him home.
Recommended Reads
Top Reads For Kids
- Book Title: If Rocks Could Sing: A Discovered Alphabet, by Leslie McGuirk
- Review: The ultimate beachcomber’s alphabet book! Each page of this picture book features a photograph of a beach stone shaped like a letter, along with stones that resemble objects beginning with the letter. An astonishing work of imagination! Start your collection this summer…. Random House, hardcover, $17.99.
- Book Title: Queen of the Falls, by Chris Van Allsburg
- Review: Another gorgeous picture book from the author of The Polar Express. This is the fascinating true story of Annie Edson Taylor, the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Filled with Van Allsburg’s marvelous illustrations, this is sure to be a classic. Houghton Mifflin, hardcover, $22.99.
- Book Title: I am Number Four, by Pittacus Lore
- Review: “In the beginning, we were a group of nine. Three are gone, dead. There are six of us left. They are hunting us, and they won’t stop until they’ve killed us all. I am Number Four. I know that I am next.” Action packed fantasy for teens. Fans of The Hunger Games trilogy will love “I am Number Four”! Harper Collins, hardcover, $19.99.
- Book Title: The Penderwicks at Point Mouette
- Review: Rosalind, Skye, Jane and Batty are back! This summer, Rosalind is off to New Jersey with her best friend, leaving Skye as OAP (Oldest Available Penderwick) with the rest of the sisters—and their old friend Jeffrey—at Aunt Claire’s cottage in Maine. Another wonderful story of adventure, friendship and fun. This is the third book in The Penderwicks series—highly recommended! Knopf, hardcover, $18.99.
