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Book of the Month: January — Saving Red

Posted on: January 2, 2017 at 12:30 am, in

by Sonya SonesFourteen-year-old Molly has to finish her volunteer community service hours.  Now.  Really.  The assignment is due tomorrow morning.  Which is how she finds herself in the company of Feather and Eden, doing Santa Monica’s annual count of homeless people.  When Molly finds a teenage girl in the grip of a nightmare sleeping on […]

Barkskins

Posted on: December 22, 2016 at 2:47 pm, in

BarkskinsBy Annie Proulx At one time, forests, seemingly endless and eternal, covered much of North America.  These forests were occupied by aboriginal people who understood the symbiotic relationship between humans and the forest ecosystem.   As the Europeans arrived, wood became more than a source of shelter and heat: it became a commodity.  Annie Proulx’ Barkskins […]

The Truth Commision

Posted on: December 20, 2016 at 7:41 pm, in

The Truth Commission by Susan JubyThere is a saying that the truth will set you free, but sometimes that truth comes with a price. Normandy, Neil and Dusk (who’s real name is Dawn) are art students at the Green Pastures Academy in Nanaimo, BC and they decide to ask their classmates some truth seeking questions. As they […]

Commonwealth

Posted on: December 17, 2016 at 12:29 pm, in

  Commonwealth by Ann PatchettAnn Patchett’s new novel, Commonwealth, grabbed me from the first page. Some stories take a while to get into, but this one had me from the opening section of the novel, set at a family christening party. It flows — from character to character and room to room and even house […]

Going Bovine

Posted on: December 16, 2016 at 1:02 pm, in

by Libba Bray Cameron, a lazy, underachieving, high school pot head is diagnosed with Mad Cow Disease. The disease is terminal, there is no cure, he’s done. However, at the hospital, he is visited by a pink-haired punk rock angel named Dulcie who tells him his only chance of survival is to find Dr. X.  […]

Book of the Month: December – Three Dark Crowns

Posted on: December 6, 2016 at 5:59 pm, in

by Kendare Blake In every generation on the island Fennbirn, a set of triplet queens are born. Each child has the same claim to the throne, but only one can rule. The sisters must fight to the death, until only one queen remains.  Torn apart from each other at a young age, the queen sisters […]

Trains and Lovers

Posted on: November 30, 2016 at 7:58 pm, in

by Alexander McCall Smith The lovely setting of a train journey between Edinburgh and London lends itself to the tales we hear as we eavesdrop on four travellers who share a compartment in Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith. These travellers are thrown together by way of train tickets and have no other connection […]

Three Day Road

Posted on: November 3, 2016 at 9:03 pm, in

Three Day RoadBy Joseph Boyden The violence and brutality of war are not my idea of enjoyable subject matter.  Joseph Boyden’s Three Day Road is indeed a story of war.  But it is also the story of best friends.  Their physical journey from the Ontario bush to the trenches of Europe mirrors their interior journey […]

The Safest Lies

Posted on: November 3, 2016 at 1:54 pm, in

by Megan MirandaKelsey has lived most of her life in the shadow of fear.  17 years ago Kelsey’s mom escaped from kidnappers, with no memory of the year she was held in captivity. Now, terrified that the kidnappers might come back, Kelsey and her mom live in a fortress-like house – complete with electric fence […]

Book of the Month: November – Salt to the Sea

Posted on: November 1, 2016 at 9:00 am, in

by Ruta SepetysIf you’re like me and love historical fiction, you must give this one a try. Salt to the Sea knocks it out of the park with its combination of interesting characters, mystery, suspense and heartbreak within the context of one of the lesser known tragedies of WWII.Have you ever heard of the sinking […]