Canada Reads 2023

    The panelists have spoken and a Canada Reads winner has been crowned for another year.  After a week of debates and voting, Kate Beaton's Ducks came out on top in a tight 3-2 win.  Ducks was championed by Jeopardy champion Mattea Roach.

     "Roach is the most successful Canadian competitor in Jeopardy! history. In the spring of 2022, they won a record-setting 23 games. They appeared in the 2022 edition of Jeopardy!'s tournament of champions and will star in the Jeopardy! Masters spin-off. They are also a writer and podcast host. They are originally from Halifax, but currently live in Toronto.

    The Canada Reads 2023 winner was a strong defender of Ducks throughout the debates, arguing for the advantages of the graphic memoir medium while also acknowledging the merits of the other books in contention. Ultimately, they put an effective case forward for why Beaton's book should be the one every Canadian reads right now.  "It's the story of an industry we use every day," they said during the finale." (Canada Reads CBC website)

    "With the singular goal of paying off her student loans, Katie Beaton heads out west to take advantage of Alberta's oil rush--part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment elsewhere when they can't find it in their hometown. Katie encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands, where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet is never discussed. This is an untold story of Canada: a country that prides itself on its egalitarian ethos and natural beauty while simultaneously exploiting both the riches of its land and the humanity of its people."

The four other finalists included:

Runner Up Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Actor, director and choreographer Michael Greyeyes championed the novel. 

In third place was Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah, which was championed by Bhangra dancer and viral video star Gurdeep Pandher.

Fourth place was Michael Christie's Greenwood, championed by actor and filmmaker Keegan Connor Tracy.

And finally, horror novel Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was eliminated on Day One having been championed by TikTok creator Tasnim Geedi.

To place Ducks on hold, click here.

Little Darlings

 

By Melanie Golding

Adult Fiction

Reviewed by Cathy-SCRL Director

    The eternal question - what did Billie Jo McCallister throw off the Tallahatchie Bridge?  One will never know....the same with 'Little Darlings' by Melanie Golding.  Were Lauren's newborn twin babies really changelings or was is just a figment of her imagination?  Was someone really trying to steal her children?

    I wasn't expecting this book to be so enthralling and creepy.  Lauren is a truly sympathetic character struggling with the pressures of being a new mom.  Jo, the police officer who attends to Lauren's fears, is a strong woman, who, despite her human frailties, doesn't give up on her right to the end.  Great plot twists that keep you reading late into the night.

To place this book on hold, click here.

The Stranger Diaries

 By Elly Griffiths

Adult Fiction

Reviewed by Linda from the Winkler Branch

    Clare Cassidy's life is starting to feel somewhat settled after her divorce.  She has a tolerable job teaching English at a high school and in community classes.  She has shared custody of her daughter, Georgie and with a few friends, a biography to research and write, and a beloved dog, things are all right - or at least as all right as they can be when your daughter is being a typical teenager.  Added bonus: the school she's teaching at has a connection to the subject of the biography she's writing, gothic writer RM Holland.  Holland wrote Clare's favorite short story, "The Stranger," a moody horror piece that she ends up referring to in all her community writing classes.

    It's after one of these classes that the police arrive at Clare's home to inform her that her coworker and friend, Ella, has been killed and a note was found with her body.  Clare recognizes the line on the note: it's from "The Stranger."  Clare has her reasons for not mentioning this and staying out of the police investigation, but in trying to make sense of Ella's death for herself, she comes across an entry in one of her old journals.  It's not in her handwriting and it says "Hallo, Clare. You don't know me."  It gradually becomes clear that whatever is going on with this murder, "The Stranger" and Clare are somehow both involved...and gothic stories don't have happy endings.

    The Stranger Diaries is a dark moody thriller that makes full use of its settings -  the creepy Old Building that houses RM Holland's study and the abandoned factory near Clare's home, as well as the darkness of an empty house that no longer feels safe.  The story is told from three perspectives: Clare, the investigating officer DS Kaur, and Clare's daughter Georgie.  Each of them has knowledge they're missing and secrets they're keeping, and the balance between them keeps the tension high.  I think I suspected everyone at one point or another, and the reveal at the end still caught me by surprise.  The Stranger Diaries is a great read, and I'm please to see that it's the first in a new series about DS Kaur.  I've enjoyed Griffiths' other series, Ruth Galloway and Magic Men; each of the three series has a different feel to it, and they're all well worth reading.

To place this book on hold, click here.

Once Upon A Wardrobe

 By Patti Callahan

Adult Fiction

Reviewed by Julie from the Altona Branch

    Once Upon A Wardrobe, written by Patti Callahan Henry, is a historical fiction novel that transports you into the life of C.S. Lewis and the experiences that shaped his life and ultimately, how The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe came to fruition.

    

    The author does this by introducing us to a fictional eight year old boy named George, who was born with a defective heart and has already outlived his expected years.  It is 1950 and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe has just been published.  George can't do what most boys his age are doing so instead, he reads books.  After reading the magical story of Narnia, he can't stop thinking about where Narnia came from.  The author puts it this way, "Where did this land of the lion, a white witch, and fauns and beavers and castles come from?  How did Aslan as true as any living thing the boy has ever known, come to bound on to the pages of a book?"  George knows that the Professor who wrote this beloved book lives only a train ride away at Oxford, the same university where his sister Meg attends school.  Meg adores her little brother and consents to his request to ask the author one question,  "Where did Narnia come from?"

    Instead of a simple one sentence answer, it turns out that Meg receives so much more.  "Jack" as C.S. Lewis wants to be called, invites Meg into his home and shares his life's experiences with her and she in turn writes them down and takes these stories back to George.  "Once upon a wardrobe, not very long ago and not very far away" is how Meg begins each new story for George.  Each story reveals new truths about the life of Lewis and eventually, Meg understands what George has known all along, "all will be well."

    

    There are discussion questions at the back of the book which would make this book a great suggestion for use in a book club.  I highly recommend this book.  It is the first book I have read by Patti Callahan Henry, but I'm sure it won't be the last.

To place this book on hold, click here.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

 By V. E. Schwab

Adult Fiction

Reviewed by Gail-Morden Branch Administrator

    A story told over 300 years, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue will keep you captivated and guessing until the very end.

    Addie LaRue asks to belong to no one, but words are important when you make a deal with a dark god.  Addie becomes destined to a life where no one remembers her and the reader is kept in suspense wondering whether Addie will give in and and give up her soul to end her solitary existence. Then, one day, she meets someone who remembers.

    I enjoyed the banter between the characters and that the author managed to blur the line between good and evil, black and white.  You are kept guessing until the very end about what each of the 3 main characters is thinking and what their motivation is.

This book is currently available on Libby as an eBook and at our Winkler and Manitou branches.

To place this book on hold, click here.