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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 reads we’ve enjoyed over the past few months. The selection below includes both fiction and non-fiction, some light reads as well as some that are a bit more heavy. You'll even find a gritty, Kingston-set mystery! As always, you can place a hold on a book listed by clicking on its title. If you wish to request more reading suggestions from a staff member, just click on their name. 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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Things my son needs to know about the world by Fredrik Backman"Do you know how airports explain everything about religion and war? Have you learned the reason that starting a band is crucial to cultivating and keeping friendships? Do you need tips on how to navigate the inherent dangers of shopping at IKEA? Well then look no further because this book will give you the answers to the above questions and dozens more! It contains a hilarious collection of poignant essays filled with fatherhood insight and advice, which the author intends to pass on to his newborn son one day, as a tool for him to use in order to succeed in this world."
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The friends we keep by Jane Green “Friends Evvie, Maggie and Topher meet in college and become best friends. As decades pass they drift apart but are reunited for a 30th reunion. Evvie is a derailed supermodel with a son whose paternity has been kept a secret from everyone. Topher has had a successful acting career but his childhood haunts him. Maggie never thought she would endure such heartache when she married Ben. Living together in Maggie’s manor, the truth for all three is revealed and heartbreaks are mended. Fans of Jojo Moyes, Emily Giffin, and Elin Hilderbrand may enjoy this book.”
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Woman 99by Greer Macallister "Charlotte Smith, a resourceful 1800s heiress, goes undercover to rescue her wrongly committed sister Phoebe from an insane asylum. While there, she uncovers the harsh treatment behind bars as well as the injustice behind the women’s institutionalization. Abound in realistic period details and courageous characters, I read this book in a single sitting. Woman 99 offers a looking glass into social prejudice both on the surface in terms of the restrictions that traditional social mores imposed upon women in the Gilded Age and going into the depths of how society treats non-compliance as seen in the institutionalization of poverty, mental illness and women who held unconventional views." -- Jennifer, Amherstview Branch Assistant
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Turning secrets by Brenda Chapman “Kala Stonechild is an aboriginal police officer with the Kingston City Police. Bounced around from foster home to foster home as a child she has developed a tough outer skin. She will need all of her toughness to help Rouleau’s major crimes team solve the murder, posed as suicide, death of Nadia Armstrong. Nadia was a new mother and former runaway who moved to Kingston to start a new life. So why did someone kill her? Turning Secrets is a dark, compelling mystery that grips one from beginning to satisfying end.”
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The lost girls of camp forevermore by Kim Fu “Grouped together for an ill-fated overnight kayak trip, five young girls find themselves lost in the wilderness. This is a traumatic experience, and while Canadian author, Kim Fu, slowly weaves their survival story throughout the pages of this novel, the book is more about what became of these lost girls. The novel is presented in sections: one for each of the girls, years later, as they cope with a range of challenges as adults. The incident itself barely comes up in each character’s story; instead the reader is left to ponder what implications this formative experience has had on shaping each of their adult selves.”
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Daisy Jones & the Six : a novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid "Daisy Jones & the Six was not a book I was expecting to enjoy as much as I did. The unconventional storyline, which rapidly drifts back and forth between a number of character perspectives, chronicles the rise and fall of a fictional '70s rock group. By the end, you’ll have a hard time believing that this is fiction. Complex characters, sex, drugs and rock & roll, as well as a strong sense of time and place, make this a decidedly fresh read. I’d suggest trying it in audiobook format as it is filled with piles of talented voice actors, including several that you may recognize."
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The first mistake by Sandie Jones“A woman’s life is forever changed when her husband, with whom she is madly in love, dies suddenly while away on business. Years later, Alice has fallen in love with Nathan, a businessman who helps put their life back together. Life is good but something is missing for Alice. When Alice finds a random piece of jewelry in Nathan’s car, her mind begins to swirl in many directions. Nathan insists he doesn’t know whose it is. Is Alice losing her mind, or do her worries have some merit? Will Alice’s best friend Beth have some good advice, or is she holding something back?” -- Erin, Branch Support, Napanee
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Autopsy of a boring wife by Marie Renee Lavoie"In Autopsy for a Boring Wife by Marie-Renée Lavoie, 48 year old Diane’s husband of 25 years leaves her for a younger woman because she is ‘boring’. How she copes with it proves she is anything but boring from sledgehammers, flirting with a co-worker with not great results and telling outright lies to her ex-mother in law. This book will have you snickering at her hi-jinks as she tries to put her life back together. It would be the perfect read for Bridget Jones’ fans." -- Julie, Readers' Advisory Coordinator
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