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Thanks for subscribing to our new Staff Picks newsletter! The staff of the County of L&A Libraries are avid readers and always eager to share their favourite books. Here we bring you a list of some of the books we enjoyed over the past few months. In this issue, you'll find chick-lit, a cozy mystery and both new and classic novels of dystopian fiction. You'll also find Julie's review of Blackout by Marc Elsberg, pictured left, a fast-paced novel that takes place during a European-wide power blackout. If any of these selections pique your interest, simply click on the book title to place a hold through our online catalogue. Alternatively, you can reply to this email and let me know what books I should reserve for you. Happy reading! -- Catherine
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At the library...
Browse our book displays to discover books with a Staff Picks sticker on the cover.
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On our website...We have archived past Staff Picks on our website. Click here to learn more!
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On social media... Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (@landalibrary) for #StaffPicksSaturdays
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Still me by Jojo Moyes "The lovable and highly recognizable heroine of Me Before You and After You returns for a third go-around but this time a job opening is going to take her to New York City. Jojo Moyes is highly talented and let me tell you her writing skills are still top notch because I was just flying through the pages of this book! After the death of Will and finding new love again with Sam, Louisa is ready to take on a new adventure by working for a prestigious couple living on Fifth Avenue. The new city is fascinating but eventually she will begin to see that the job is harder than it first looked along with the fact that it is awful lonely for a girl whose boyfriend lives on a different continent. Louisa continues to be the perfect mix of silly and brilliant that we all remember from previous novels. It was utterly satisfying watching her navigate such a foreign world and seeing how she deals with whatever problems cross her path." - Kristin, Library Relief If you are looking for meaningful novels, soul stirring love stories, or like to visit the past through historical fiction, then click here to email Kristin for more reading suggestions.
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Piecing me together by Renée Watson"This Young Adult (YA) novel offers a character-driven storyline with a lyrical writing style. Jade lives in a poor black neighbourhood and attends a white private school on scholarship. While she hopes to study abroad she is instead placed in a mentorship program. A nuanced reflection, Jade expresses misgivings about her mentor and resentment towards the school’s handling of her. She also expresses gratefulness for friends and family and joy in creativity as a collage artist. Jade’s poetic observations about making her way as a black teen in a white society show the barriers she faces: revealing what white privilege looks, sounds and feels like. If you are interested in social issues, open to diverse characters, appreciate the healing power of art, or simply enjoy a very thoughtful and smoothly written novel, then try this book!" - Jennifer, Library Assistant, Amherstview Branch If you love seeing things from a different perspective, transporting yourself to a fascinating setting, and trying new genres, click here to email Jennifer for more reading suggestions.
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by C. Alan Bradley"Another delightful outing with 12 year old sleuth Flavia De Luce. We see signs of Flavia maturing in her relationships with her sisters and others around her – but not too much. Fans of the series will be happy with this one. If you haven’t read the other books and would enjoy hearing about life and solving mysteries from the viewpoint of a precocious 12-year-old girl, I suggest starting at the beginning with Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie." - Karen S., Branch Coordinator, Bath Branch If you enjoy exploring the lives and emotions of women or families, whether dealing with serious topics or in a lighter vein, click here to email Karen to help find your next happy ending.
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Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury “Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian and speculative fiction novel. Its fast paced plot and thought provoking theme will give readers great enjoyment. Although published in 1953, it is being reintroduced as a movie adaption, set to hit theaters in May 2018. Its terrifying premise is more relevant today than ever: What if our right to knowledge was forbidden? What if technology controlled us all? These questions as well as their repercussions are a reality for protagonist Guy Montag. Guy is a 'fireman' responsible for burning the most illegal of things: printed books. One day everything changes when he meets a curious young girl, who inspires him to make a dramatic change and risk everything he knows for a cause he believes in. Whether you love speculative fiction or are looking to explore the genre, this novel is always worth a read.” – Shelby, Library Page, Napanee Branch For thriller, horror, and speculative fiction suggestions, click here to send Shelby an email.
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Blackout by Marc Elsberg"When the power goes out all over Europe, controllers think it is a temporary glitch but as the outage carries on a hacker comes forward to say he thinks it was sabotage. Authorities have to decide whether they can trust a known hacker or not. Many themes are touched on with this book: a government cover up to prevent mass hysteria; the deterioration of society when basic needs are not met; and a cat and mouse search to stop the saboteurs before they succeed in world destabilization." - Julie, Readers' Services Coordinator If you feel guilty neglecting your household chores and you would rather be reading, email Julie here for a list of fast-paced reads that will have you finishing that book with time to spare.
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"The Wolves of Winter by Canadian author Tyrell Johnson is a post-apocalyptic, dystopian thriller set in the not too distant future. The author has achieved excellent character and plot development in this atmospheric debut novel. In this fast-paced, thrilling page-turner, Earth has been nearly destroyed by nuclear war and a flu pandemic and the remainder of the world’s population exist in horrible living conditions. Food and other necessities of life are scarce. Protagonist Gwendolyn (Lynn) McBride, a courageous young woman who lives with her remaining family in the frozen Yukon, hunts and kills to provide for them. When a handsome, mysterious stranger named Jax shows up, the families’ lives are forever altered. I would suggest The Wolves of Winter to fans of Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood or of other dystopian/survivalist tales. While not my typical genre of choice I quite enjoyed these books." -- Marg, Supervisor, Napanee Branch If you enjoy dystopian thrillers, post-apocalyptic settings or venturing outside your reading comfort zone, click here to email Marg for more book suggestions.
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I'll be gone in the dark : one woman's obsessive search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara "This is an absorbing and compelling read about one woman’s obsessive search for the person who terrorized and frightened residents of California from 1974 to 1986. McNamara sacrificed time with her family (and lots of other things) to relentlessly search through mounds of evidence to find the “needle in the haystack” that would identify this person. The book is a mash of McNamara’s completed chapters and her unfinished notes as she died during the writing of the book. Last month a former police officer was arrested for the more than 50 rapes and 12 murders based on controversial genetic evidence. It may be that McNamara’s book was instrumental in solving the case as it shed light on the story of the criminal and his victims." -- Kelly, Branch Coordinator, Yarker Branch If you want more reading suggestions like this, send Kelly a message by clicking here.
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Born a crime : stories from a South African childhood by Trevor Noah "Comedian Trevor Noah’s stories of growing up in South Africa are vivid, sometimes jaw-droppingly incredible, and often laugh-out-loud funny. Growing up mixed-race (his mother was Xhosa and his father was white) in both pre- and post-apartheid South Africa meant that Noah constantly struggled to find his identity. The bonus of audio is that listeners get to HEAR Noah tell his stories in his South African-accented English and hear him speak snippets of various other South African languages. Noah (who succeeded Jon Stewart as the host of “The Daily Show”) is a gifted writer and a natural storyteller—skilled, engaging, and relatable. As he gives voice to his mother, his friends, and his younger self, he brings his childhood to life in visceral detail that pivots from humorous to heartbreaking." -- Karen N., Branch Coordinator, Tamworth Branch If you love to read "true stories, well told," click here to email Karen for more creative nonfiction suggestions.
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Things to do when it's raining by Marissa Stapley "Things to Do When It’s Raining by Canadian author Marissa Stapley takes us to the heart of the 1000 Islands and the home of Mae, Gabe, Lily and George at the Summers’ Inn. Mae was orphaned at age six. Gabe had an alcoholic father. Both were raised by Mae’s grandparents Lily and George at the Summers’ Inn over looking the river that speaks to them all. It was at the Summers’ Inn where there first fell in love and where after more than a decade they are reconnected. Mae returns home hoping to find comfort after a failed relationship but is met with the decline of her grandparents and a lifetime of secrets. Gabe returns to say goodbye to his father and the small island home that has haunted him. Stapley’s characters and her readers explore love, loss, family, friendships and secrets that can haunt us and set us free." -- Patricia, Programming & Outreach Coordinator If you enjoy romantic reads, chick-lit, historical fiction or if books with beautiful covers appeal to you, click here to email Patricia for more reading suggestions.
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The Alice network by Kate Quinn "The Alice Network is the intriguing story of two resourceful and determined women. Set in 1947, it centers on 22 year old Charlotte and a cantankerous, retired WWI spy named Eve. Eve is trained and send to France to join the Alice Network of women spies. She gets a job in a restaurant frequented by enemy officers so she can pass on any information she overhears. Eve and her compatriots lead dangerous, secret lives. After the war, she meets Charlotte (Charlie) a half American/ half French, unmarried and pregnant college student. Charlie is looking for her French cousin and has been told that Eve can help with the search. Embittered by her war experiences, Eve at first refuses but later relents. The two women accompanied by Finn Kilgore who works for Eve as driver, cook, and general handyman set off on their fascinating quest." -- Andree, Library Relief If you want more reading suggestions like this, send Andree a message by clicking here.
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Grendel's guide to love and war by A. E. Kaplan "The battle between Tom Grendel and Rex Rothgar is heating up. Who will still be standing when the dust settles? Join Grendel as he confronts noisy neighbours and residual family issues, chats up old ladies, and falls hard for the girl that plays the game better than others." -- Caitlyn, Library Page, Napanee Branch If you’re looking for swoony teen romances, books with happy endings, chapter book suggestions for kids, or just want to rant about your favourite book, click here to email Caitlyn here for more reading suggestions.
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Educatedby Tara Westover"For fans of The Glass Castle, North of Normal (or any other dysfunctional childhood memoir!), Educated is about the author’s experience growing up with parents who shun conventional medicine, education…or really anything conventional. Deeply religious and evidently suffering from mental illness (mood swings, delusions of grandeur, paranoia, etc.), her father insisted on keeping his children away from schools, hospitals and anything remotely institutional other than their church. Eventually, as Tara nears adulthood, she decides to pursue a formal education. It opens up her world and makes her realize the extent of her family’s dysfunction." -- Catherine, Manager of Library Services For memoir, literary fiction or suspense suggestions, email Catherine by clicking here.
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Let me lie by Clare Mackintosh"The third book by psychological thriller writer Clare Macintosh is told from the point of view of a woman who has lost both of her parents. Within one year to the day, Anna Johnson loses both of her parents to suicide. Now she is struggling to understand what happened and why they would leave her all alone. One day, Anna receives an anonymous letter which states that the deaths may have not been suicide at all. This sets Anna into an even more confused state and leads her to go to the police for more answers. Will digging into the deaths of her parents put her in danger? This intriguing story line was what hooked me straight away. There are many twists and turns when it comes to this book that leave you wanting to read just one more page. If you are looking for a book with mystery, suspense and a little bit of drama then this is the book for you." -- Erin, Branch Support, Napanee Branch If you want more reading suggestions like this, send Erin a message by clicking here.
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