VPL Recommends
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Miller, Walter M. A brilliant, post-apocalyptic novel. First published in 1960, the book opens 600 years after a nuclear war has destroyed the modern world. We find a society that has reverted to a Medieval state ruled by a church council. Scientific research is restricted and new ideas are forcibly suppressed. Fans of The Name of the Rose or The Da Vinci Code will love this one.
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A touching coming of age story set in Croy, Oklahoma in the 1960’s. Three teenage friends sort out their personal relationships and, in process, discover the complexities of the adult world. Ceci has captured small-town life with authentic detail. This would be a good recommendation for an adult / teen crossover novel. Comfort Me will also appeal to fans of Christian / inspirational fiction.
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Suri, Manil In a Bombay apartment building, Vishnu, the odd job man and impoverished alcoholic lies dying in a stairwell. The lives, dramas, and conflicts of the various families, the Pathaks, the Asranis, the Jalal's and Mr. Tanjea, are interwoven with Vishnu's memories of childhood and of fleeting joy. A multilayered story which is both comic and dramatic, showing isolated lives searching for connection and faith.
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Turgeon, Carolyn This is a retelling of the Cinderella story but from Lil, the fairy Godmother’s point of view. Turgeon does a great job of interweaving Lil’s flashbacks to when she was a fairy to current day, where she is an old woman working in a bookstore. The twist at the end, for me, was quite unexpected. I give it two thumbs up because it was a book I didn’t want to put down
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With, Cathleen Marvelous story of Trista, a 15-year-old part-Innuit girl incarcerated in a juvenile detention centre in Jackfish Bay, N.W.T. Trista has just given birth to a daughter, Faith, with severe fetal alcohol syndrome. Reflecting on a life of sexual and substance abuse, Trista longs for a better future. Interestingly, her hope isn’t voiced but internalized in memories and dream-like encounters with elders of the community – her Snow Nanuks. An emotionally charged portrait of the social and cultural challenges faced by small northern communities.
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Ford, Jamie Compelling first novel about widower Henry Lee as he looks back 40 years to his schoolboy days in Seattle during WW II. Treated as an outsider by his classmates, Henry forms an attachment with Keiko Okabe, a Japanese school friend whose family is soon transported to an internment camp. The story also features an intriguing introduction to the origins of West Coast jazz. This book would appeal to fans of the Wayson Choy’s Jade Peony or David Guterson’s Snow Falling On Cedars.
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Originally published in 1958, this is the concluding volume of Davies’ Salterton Trilogy. The book is a very enjoyable read and one of the best novels about the training and development of an artist – in this case, a young woman from “the provinces” plucked from obscurity due to the malign provisions in a will. This would provide an interesting contrast to Bi Feiyu’s The Moon Opera.
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Rabagliati, Michel Rabagliati’s series of “Paul” stories are among my favourite Canadian graphic novels. Throughout the series, we follow his life from the time he drops out of high school to young adulthood. In Paul Goes Fishing, a family vacation offers a frame for the characters’ real drama – their failed attempts to have a child. These sweet-tempered stories are filled with references to great francophone music and you’ll definitely want to check out Georges Brassens after reading these graphic novels. If you’d like to read the series in order, start with Paul Has a Summer Job and then Paul Leaves Home. Enjoy!
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