Winter is a great time to get caught up on your reading. If you are stuck wondering what to read next, look no further. Below are a few of the top picks of 2017 selected by my fellow Terry Fox Library staff members.
Autumn by Karl Ove Knausgard, a Norwegian author, is a biography comprised of short essays about his life. It is a beautifully written love letter to his, at the time, unborn daughter.
The title comes from the fact that this is book one of a quartet, and each book titled for a different season of the year. The book is a beautifully written biography and will move you as the author gives you small snippets of his life.
Set in a small town near Cleveland, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng explores the dynamics between relationships, specifically a mother/daughter relationship. Two very different women, Elena Richardson and Mia Warren, find themselves on opposite sides of a custody battle that rocks their small town. At its core, this story explores what it means to be a mother, to love and to sacrifice. This is a powerful novel that will change your perspective and you might just come away from this tale a different person than when you started.
Eleven-year-old Princess Celie’s favourite day is Tuesday. That is because every Tuesday, her house, Castle Glower, adds a new room, stairway or secret passageway. Celie is one of the only people who knows all of the castle’s intricacies. When her parents, the King and Queen, go missing, it falls to her to protect their home and save the kingdom using her secret knowledge of the castle’s neverending twists and turns. A fun, mystical adventure, Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George is a book that is not to be missed.
Another staff favourite was a memoir titled Call the Midwife. Jennifer Worth writes about her experiences as a young midwife in London’s east end in the 1950s. She is candid and real, and her experiences are not sugar-coated for readers. It is an extraordinary book and it was the influence for the popular TV show of the same name.
Kari Wagner-Peck is in her 40s when she and her husband decide to adopt a child who is in foster care. Her book, Not Always Happy, chronicles the long and frustrating process of adopting a toddler. Wagner-Peck’s adopted son Thorin, has Down syndrome and the author describes her family’s struggles with getting the appropriate medical and educational support for her son. The book focuses on life with Thorin, who is a mischievous, smart and talented boy. Wagner-Peck takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride that will have you laughing, and at times on the verge of tears.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is a deeply moving and enthralling novel that weaves together two great characters. A young German boy and a blind French girl’s paths collide as they navigate the tremulous and dangerous time that was the Second World War. The detailed historical setting and well-written characters make this a novel that is worthy of the many awards it has won, including a Pulitzer Prize. A top book of 2017, this is a wonderful tale to get lost in.
For more recommendations on must read books, visit your local library.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Mikaela Martens works at Port Coquitlam’s Terry Fox Library.
