Are life’s challenges starting to grind you down? Need something to get you through those days where everything’s going against you?
Quick! Run for safety! Dive under the covers of a book and find inspiration from tough, never-say-die characters. The following titles all feature folks who have gumption and grit, and won’t take trouble in any form.
The historical novel Against a Darkening Sky by Lauren B. Davis finds Wilona, a seventh century pagan healer and seeress in Britain, confronted with forceful and violent changes as the new Christian religion encroaches her village. Her fate is intertwined with that of Egan, a self-effacing, devoted monk sent as part of the Christian mission. Both battle for their survival and dignity against all odds during these tumultuous times, when the old ways clash with the new.
Water Music by T.C. Boyle is an adventurous, bawdy, comic fiction that radically embellishes the life of Britain’s national hero, Mungo Park, the Scottish explorer who lived from 1771 to 1806. Follow him as he conquers his adversary the Dark Continent Africa: rife with rot, plague, parasites and murderous tribesmen. Meanwhile, the life of the charming scoundrel Ned Rise runs roughly parallel to Mungo’s with his outlandish trials and tribulations. Both men’s lives intertwine on a path that is both funny and outrageous as they prevail against all who rally against them.
Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney presents a mystery encapsulated in historical fiction with the gutsy stalwart character Mrs. Ross, a mother who faces the harshest of elements to find and protect her missing son, who has been accused of a violent murder. The thrilling story is set in deep winter of a Northern Territory settlement in 1867 and is rich with detail about the struggles of early Canada.
Her love and conviction push her through the darkest moments of fear in an unforgiving landscape as she holds tight to the bonds of motherly love.
In the contemporary fiction novel, He’s Gone by Deb Calletti, Dani Keller, a happy and content wife of a loving man, wakes up slightly hung over on a Sunday morning to find that her husband has mysteriously vanished. As the days pass, she delves deeper into the depths of her darkest self and innermost memories to expose the truth of what may have happened, and what her part in his disappearance may have been. Follow her as she prevails over her deep internal struggle to learn the answer.
In his sci-fi novel Tuf Voyaging, George R.R. Martin launches us to a future time and space where the galactic struggle for control dictates the fate of entire planets. Beneath a slow, languorous, slug-like manner, the hero, Haviland Tuf, is actually a brilliant mastermind who uses humility and impeccable etiquette to conquer the foes of all who threaten the safety of the universe.
If you’re in the mood for gritty, gun-slingin’, wild west, rootin’ tootin’ characters who spit through the gap of their front teeth, you’ll find them in Jon Abercrombie’s book Red Country. This novel reads like a western and challenges its fantasy classification with characters that have pronounceable names — but don’t worry, there’s still a dragon in there. Follow Shy South and her father Lamb as they fight for survival and revenge in a lawless country filled with gold fever, feuds and duels.
So take a break from your trials and tribulations, and come on into the library for one of these great books and more.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Katie Myers works at Terry Fox Library in Port Coquitlam.
