Book Club Selections 2019

Circe

by Miller, Madeline

Book - 2018

Circe tells the story of the famous – or infamous – witch Circe from Homer’s Odyssey, from her own perspective. Circe is not powerful like her father Heli...Show more Circe tells the story of the famous – or infamous – witch Circe from Homer’s Odyssey, from her own perspective. Circe is not powerful like her father Helios, nor viciously alluring like her mother Perse. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she possesses the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft and crosses paths with many figures in mythology. When Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both humans and gods, she ultimately finds herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. Show less

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The Ensemble

by Gabel, Aja

Book - 2018

Aja Gabel's debut novel centres on the talented members of the Van Ness String Quartet: Jana, Henry, Daniel and Brit. Over two decades, they are bound tog...Show more Aja Gabel's debut novel centres on the talented members of the Van Ness String Quartet: Jana, Henry, Daniel and Brit. Over two decades, they are bound together by their shared love of making music, despite professional temptations, dueling rivalries, injuries and bad judgment. Along the way, they also become husbands, wives and parents. Jana, Henry, Daniel and Brit are individually memorable, but as a quartet they are unforgettable. Show less

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Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows

by Jaswal, Balli Kaur

Book - 2017

Nikki is a law school drop-out living in West London. She's distanced herself from her traditional Sikh family, preferring a western lifestyle. When her f...Show more Nikki is a law school drop-out living in West London. She's distanced herself from her traditional Sikh family, preferring a western lifestyle. When her father's death leaves the family in financial jeopardy, Nikki takes a second job teaching a creative writing course at a Punjabi community centre. Because of a miscommunication, the Sikh widows who show up are expecting to learn English literacy, not the art of story writing. When one student shares a book of sexy stories with the class, Nikki realizes that her students have a wealth of fantasies and memories beneath their white dupattas. Nikki teaches her students how to express their untold stories and unleash their creativity. When the widows' gossip offers shocking insights into the recent death of a young wife and some of the class erotica is shared among friends, it sparks a scandal that threatens them all. Show less

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French Exit

by deWitt, Patrick

Book - 2018

Follow the story of Frances Price and her irresolute adult son, Malcolm, as they flee Upper East Side New York City for a less expensive life in Paris, an...Show more Follow the story of Frances Price and her irresolute adult son, Malcolm, as they flee Upper East Side New York City for a less expensive life in Paris, and meet the characters who gather around them in their new Paris life. Written with humour and wit, this novel nevertheless explores deeper topics, making it both entertaining and meaningful. Show less

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A Gentleman in Moscow

by Towles, Amor

Book - 2016

When, in 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, he’s sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand...Show more When, in 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, he’s sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Show less

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by Greer, Andrew Sean

Book - 2017

Receiving an invitation to his ex-boyfriend's wedding, Arthur, a failed novelist on the eve of his 50th birthday, embarks on an international journey that...Show more Receiving an invitation to his ex-boyfriend's wedding, Arthur, a failed novelist on the eve of his 50th birthday, embarks on an international journey that finds him falling in love, risking his life, reinventing himself and making connections with the past. Show less

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There There

by Orange, Tommy

Book - 2018

There There focuses on 12 Native Americans who have various personal reasons to attend the Big Oakland Powwow, where Indigenous culture and traditions, in...Show more There There focuses on 12 Native Americans who have various personal reasons to attend the Big Oakland Powwow, where Indigenous culture and traditions, including drumming and dancing, are celebrated. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame. Dene Oxendene is pulling his life back together after his uncle’s death and has come to work at the powwow to honour his uncle’s memory. Through Jacqui and Dene and the other 10 characters, Orange grapples with a complex and painful history. Show less

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Washington Black

by Edugyan, Esi

Book - 2018

Washington Black, or “Wash”, an 11-year-old field slave on a sugar plantation in Barbados, is selected to be the personal assistant to Christopher “Titch”...Show more Washington Black, or “Wash”, an 11-year-old field slave on a sugar plantation in Barbados, is selected to be the personal assistant to Christopher “Titch” Wilde. Titch is an explorer, inventor, naturalist and abolitionist. He teaches Wash to read, and encourages his powers of observation and talent for illustration. A death on the plantation forces Titch and Wash to flee, thus beginning Wash’s journey from slave to free man. An epic story stretching from the Caribbean to the Arctic to England and to Africa that deftly explores what it means to be human, and asks the question “what is freedom?” Show less

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Chop Suey Nation

The Legion Cafe and Other Stories From Canada's Chinese Restaurants

by Hui, Ann

Book - 2019

Ann Hui drives across Canada to explore the small town Chinese restaurants that exist across the nation. In the process, she also documents her own family...Show more Ann Hui drives across Canada to explore the small town Chinese restaurants that exist across the nation. In the process, she also documents her own family’s journey from their native China to Vancouver, where they too opened a Chinese restaurant. Along the way, she samples “Canadian-Chinese” food such as “Newfoundland Chow Mein” and “Chinese Pierogis.” Show less

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Homes

A Refugee Story

by al Rabeeah, Abu Bakr

Book - 2018

Homes tells the story of Abu Bakr al Rabeeah, a young boy whose family moved from Iraq to Syria just before the start of the Syrian civil war. It recounts...Show more Homes tells the story of Abu Bakr al Rabeeah, a young boy whose family moved from Iraq to Syria just before the start of the Syrian civil war. It recounts what it was like living in Syria during this time — the normal things like video games, sleepovers and family jarringly juxtaposed with car bombings, massacres and the constant threat of what could happen next. In 2014, the family finally found safety by immigrating to Edmonton, Canada, where they encountered both gratefulness and loneliness in their new home country. Show less

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I'm Afraid of Men

by Shraya, Vivek

Book - 2018

I’m Afraid of Men, the best-selling new book from Vivek Shraya, explores how masculinity was imposed on her as a boy and continues to haunt her as a girl—and how we might re-imagine gender for the 21st century. I’m Afraid of Men, the best-selling new book from Vivek Shraya, explores how masculinity was imposed on her as a boy and continues to haunt her as a girl—and how we might re-imagine gender for the 21st century. Show less

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Killers of the Flower Moon

The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

by Grann, David

Book - 2017

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Os...Show more In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. This string of unsolved murders spurred the creation of the FBI who were brought in to investigate the cases, in a tale of sinister secrets. Show less

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Seven Fallen Feathers

Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in A Northern City

by Talaga, Tanya

Book - 2017

Journalist Tanya Talaga examines the history of Thunder Bay, where seven Indigenous high school students died between 2000 and 2011. This small northern town has come to manifest Canada’s struggle with the human rights of Indigenous communities. Journalist Tanya Talaga examines the history of Thunder Bay, where seven Indigenous high school students died between 2000 and 2011. This small northern town has come to manifest Canada’s struggle with the human rights of Indigenous communities. Show less

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