Staff Picks Summer 2020 I Vol. 50

Allison K. enjoys a wide variety of racism. Each chapter covers common books, but her passion is speculative questions and questions you might fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror, be too nervous to ask, like “What etc.) that introduces interesting new If I Talk About Race Wrong?”, “Is takes on the genre. Police Brutality Really About Race?”, “How Can I Talk About Affirmative The Traitor Baru Cormorant Action?” and “What Is Cultural Seth Dickinson Appropriation?” In answering these FICTION DIC questions, Oluo provides the tools to not only name and have more honest conversations about racism, The Empire of Masks has taken but also actively work to dismantle it. over much of the world, imposing Necessary reading for people of all its culture and rule alike. Baru backgrounds! Cormorant, a young woman from a conquered island, is found to Leila likes smart, quirky writing. Tara reads whimsical books and have extraordinary abilities as an She has a penchant for graphic anything that sheds light on the accountant, and she is sent to distant novels, postmodern fiction, minority human condition. Aurdwynn to bring order as a test literatures, and anything that makes of her loyalty. But Baru is as ruthless her repeatedly laugh out loud. The Story of More: How We in her tactics as the Empire that has Got to Climate Change and trained her, and she has her own All About Love: New Visions Where to Go from Here plans for Aurdwynn. bell hooks Hope Jahren 306.7 HOO 363.73874 JAH Cathy likes to read non-fiction, interspersed with literary novels and popular culture titles. A crucial, radical look at love and The Story of More is Hope Jahren’s lovelessness in modern society by matter-of-fact, accessible, and You’re Not Listening: What You’re acclaimed scholar and social critic concise primer on climate change. Missing and Why It Matters bell hooks. Lamenting society’s Jahren is a writer, geobiologist, and Kate Murphy failure to create healthy models for professor who has taught courses 153.68 MUR loving, hooks dissects toxic cultural conditioning that roots love in gender stereotypes, domination, fantasy, We live in a world where technology and control. Blending the personal, offers us the ability to “connect” psychological, and philosophical, she Symbol chart with people at any time of day or offers a new vision of love based on night, yet we are lonelier and more affection, respect, trust, and honest isolated than ever. We value posting, communication. Should be required Audiobook CD pontificating, and preaching over reading! understanding, comprehending, and Book embracing. New York Times journalist So You Want To Talk About Race Kate Murphy speaks to academic Ijeoma Oluo Downloadable Audiobook experts and professional listeners 305.800973 OLU to explore how to become a good DVD listener and reap all the benefits eBook that ensue. You’re Not Listening is This book is an insightful, full of interesting analysis, humorous comprehensive, and accessible guide A Large Print observations, and practical advice to contemporary issues of race and that will benefit any reader (and any TB Talking Book listener)! Staff Picks Summer 2020 I Vol. 50

since 2009 on climate change. In gothic tales is set in the enigmatic each chapter of The Story of More, woods, where strange and unusual Jahren draws upon scientific evidence phenomenon unfold and characters to explain how our human systems have to grapple with the unknown. If of food, energy, and transportation you are interested in spine-tingling are affecting the earth. Jahren’s stories, this is the book for you! alternative to “more” is to consider what we value most and then “use Joanne is primarily a mystery/thriller less and share more.” reader, but she also gravitates toward works that spark deep emotion in The Salt Path both fiction and non-fiction forms. Raynor Winn 921 W776 A Street Cat Named Bob James Bowen PB BIOGRAPHY BOW This excellent and prizewinning debut memoir begins with a terminal illness Ehlam loves to read any book that is diagnosis for Raynor Winn’s husband, smart, provides a unique perspective, A Street Cat Named Bob is an followed just days later by losing their and holds a strong storyline. If she inspiring, feel-good memoir that farm and livelihood due to a loan had to choose her favourite genres, underscores the values of generosity, to a friend that soured. The couple they would be psychological thrillers, companionship, and the need for who are in their fifties (with kids off dark comedies, and historical fantasy. purpose in one’s life. It chronicles at university) face their new reality of the happenings of recovering heroin Snow, Glass, Apples homelessness and illness by striking addict and busker, James Bowen, and Neil Gaiman out to walk and camp along the the injured ginger cat, Bob, whom he 741.5942 GAI entirety of England’s 4,500 km South inadvertently adopts. While their daily West Coast Path. This is a story of ramblings around London are highly adventure, resilience, strength, and, entertaining, the profound impact In this beautifully illustrated graphic above all, love, told with insight and this chance meeting has on them novella, Neil Gaiman reimagines the humour. both is nothing short of a miracle. story of Snow White and the Evil Queen by narrating the dark fairy tale Kevin thrives on dystopian literature Sarah F. from the Queen’s perspective. In this loves reading science but also reads didactic bucolic poetry version of the tale, Snow White is an fiction and fantasy as well as non- as a backup plan. eerie, evil vampire and the dwarfs are fiction books about technology and mythology. Agency sinister “forest folk,” while the Queen William Gibson is the kingdom’s ruler who is trying Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, SCIENCE FICTION GIB to protect her people from Snow Untold Secrets, and Advice for White’s reign of terror. Captivating Living Your Best Life and chilling, this inventive short story Ali Wong Agency is a great science fiction novel is one of Gaiman’s best works to date! 921 W872 about the implications of a future Through the Woods with AI, augmented reality, mass Emily Carroll surveillance, robotics, and alternate TEEN GRAPHIC CAR A ribald and sharply funny memoir realities! This is William Gibson’s from comedian Ali Wong. Set as a sequel and prequel to The Peripheral, series of letters to her two daughters, yet it stands as a riveting read on its Award-winning comic creator Emily she writes about her experiences with own. It is stylistically evocative of the Carroll offers a chilling collection of travelling, doing stand-up comedy, cyberpunk genre he helped to create, graphic stories that are infused with meeting her husband, and her though everything seems entirely mystery and terror. Each of the five plausible. move into writing for television Patricia reads anything and Bone & Bread and movies. If you have seen her everything. Horror, cozy mysteries, Saleema Nawaz stand-up specials on Netflix, you and historical fiction set in Russia all FICTION NAW are sure to enjoy this hilarious hold special places in her heart. memoir. How A Woman Becomes a Lake This heartbreaking story depicts the Network Effect: Marjorie Celona lives of sisters Beena and Sadhana A Murderbot Novel FICTION CEL who experience unspeakable Martha Wells tragedy as children. They take very SCIENCE FICTION WEL different paths but are bound by It’s a freezing New Year’s Day when loss, family ties, and illness. It is a Vera disappears after calling the harrowing portrayal of what it is The first full-length novel of this police to say she’s found a lost boy like to love someone living with an science fiction series is sheer in the woods. This literary thriller will eating disorder. This powerful novel perfection; it is fast-paced, with keep you up way too late so you can will keep you riveted to the end. great characters, dialogue, and a discover what happened to the cast depth of setting that really comes of characters—even as their fates across in this longer novel. Expect feel inevitable. friendship, family, and great action sequences, as well as content Pat is an avid reader of Canadian exploring identity, humanity, fiction but enjoys any story that is and people’s interactions with well told. Memoir is her favourite non- corporations. And who doesn’t fiction genre and she has love a protagonist who has the self- recently discovered the joys of awareness to state “I’m audiobooks. usually alone in my head, and that’s where 90 plus percent of my Milkman problems are.” Anna Burns FICTION BUR

A Sarah B.B. loves historical fiction This novel is a stream of and is currently on an audiobook consciousness narrative invoking kick. Ireland during the Troubles in the Angels in America: 1970s. Characters are not referred A Gay Fantasia on National to by name but by relationship to Themes the narrator—second brother-in- Tony Kushner law, oldest sister, and so on. While 812 KUS the setting is a time of violence and political division, the novel is infused with dark humour. The narrator This is an audiobook performance attempts to avoid the gossip and of the Pulitzer Prize–winning play, politics rampant in the community, starring the cast of the National mostly by immersing herself in Theatre’s 2018 Broadway revival. reading. This proves increasingly Angels in America examines identity, difficult as she attracts the attention community, justice, and redemption of the Milkman, a sinister member of while its characters grapple with life a paramilitary group. A challenging and death, love and sex, and heaven and worthwhile read. and hell during the AIDS crisis in the United States. If, like me, you are missing going to the theatre right now, give this a listen. She Said: Breaking the Sexual well as the struggle for Kenya itself. Harassment Story That Helped This book showcases one woman’s Ignite a Movement love for an area fraught with political, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey social, economic, and natural conflict. 364.153 KAN Lynn likes variety in her reading, but especially favours stories about creative and courageous people. This look into the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment accusations from Five Days Gone: The Mystery of My Pulitzer Prize winners Jodi Kantor and Mother’s Disappearance as a Child Megan Twohey is stellar investigative Laura Cumming reporting. The audiobook is narrated 362.8297 CUM by the two authors and Rebecca Lowman, making it an excellent listen, too. Sheila likes a range of novels, fun In 1929, Laura Cumming’s mother mysteries, biographies, cultural was kidnapped from a beach on the histories, and travel. Lincolnshire coast. Five days later, the 3-year-old child reappeared Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line unharmed, and the incident Deepa Anappara faded from her memory. Using FICTION ANA family photographs, and historical documents, Laura Cumming unravels the mystery of the kidnapping and While living in a slum in India, a uncovers family secrets long buried. small group of children decide to become detectives when a school Taren enjoys picking her books like chum goes missing. The author has you would an avocado. She seeks out spent time working with children in ripe new fiction, but will often find slums of India and wanted to show pleasure in a slightly green author of the humour, warmth, innocence, and science fiction or natural science. optimism these children display while Freshwater faced with adversary, bigotry, and Akwaeke Emezi Slime: How Algae Create Us, corruption. FICTION EME Plague Us, and Just Might Save Us Ruth Kassinger Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life 579.8 KAS and Mysterious Death in Africa Freshwater explores the surreal Mark Seal experience of having a fractured self. PB BIOGRAPHY ROO It is narrated by the main character’s Marvelling at the ecology along our city’s shorelines is a pleasant multiple selves, in particular the ogbanje, a kind of Igbo trickster summer outing for many of us, but figure. It’s a dark but gripping read. Growing up on a coffee plantation, did you know that seaweed is grown, Joan Root had a love and deep harvested, and added to many of natural connection to the land and the products we use everyday? This animals. After her marriage to Alan scientifically written and accessible Root, the two continued with their book on all things slime, algae, kelp, mutual quest of sharing Africa with and seaweed is a joy to read. Algae their award-winning adventure films continues to be essential to life on from Africa and around the world. this planet and future inventions that Her final years show her struggles to harness its power might just save us protect the fragile ecosystems of her all! lakefront home and community, as

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