Staff Picks Winter 2025Like this list

22 items

• A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

  Murder in Ancient Rome

  Southon, Emma,

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  In A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Emma Southon focuses on the macabre side of the Roman Empire. The result is a history text with a true crime vibe. Focusing on a 50-year period when 26 emperors were murdered, Southon…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Homecoming

  a Novel

  Morton, Kate, 1976-

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  Historical fiction books—particularly Kate Morton’s—were among my first reading loves as a young adult reader. Her newest book, Homecoming, reignited that love in me. The novel follows young journalist Jess as she investigates a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Spear Cuts Through Water

  a Novel

  Jimenez, Simon, 1989-

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  A truly unique work in every way, The Spear Cuts Through Water is the tender story of two boys tasked with delivering an archaic god across a war-torn land to end the rule of a tyrannical royal family. Jimenez seamlessly shifts…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Swifts

  Dictionary of Scoundrels

  Lincoln, Beth,

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  Every member of the Swift family is given a name out of the family dictionary, including our heroine, 13-year-old Shenanigan Swift. She’s a mischief-maker but she longs to prove she can be so much more, even a detective. When…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Interesting Facts About Space

  a Novel

  Austin, Emily (Emily R.),

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  A quirky, darkly funny story about facing our deepest fears and being vulnerable enough to love ourselves and others. Meet Enid, a young woman trying to connect with her estranged stepsisters, avoid romantic commitment at all costs,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Glory Days

  Stories

  Rich, Simon,

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  Wickedly entertaining, this short story collection is full of wildly imaginative tales that look at life in the 21st century with clever twists, such as the Tooth Fairies lack of dental coverage or Super Mario’s mid-life crisis. -…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Leaving and Waving

  Dikeman, Deanna, 1954-

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  In Leaving and Waving, photographer Deanna Dikeman has compiled 27 years of pictures of her parents waving as she was leaving their home. The result is a powerful and poignant collection where the reader sees the passage of time…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fake Dates and Mooncakes

  Lee, Sher,

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  This book truly is the perfect mash-up of Heartstopper and Crazy Rich Asians. A heartwarming queer romance with a focus on family ties and honouring the memory of people while staying true to yourself. - Jude

• The Leap Year Gene

  Wood, Shelley, 1971-

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  Part medical mystery, part love story, the novel traces the past century’s burgeoning understanding of genetics, eugenics, and what constitutes “normal” while exploring the tensions, losses, love, and sense of duty that can bind…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Orbital

  a Novel

  Harvey, Samantha, 1975-

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  Four astronauts and two cosmonauts circle the Earth 16 times in one day. Set on the International Space Station, each has their own unique perspective and backstory that the reader experiences as they pass over the same landscape…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• It Stops Here

  Standing Up for Our Lands, Our Waters, and Our People

  George, Rueben,

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  This book is both a memoir and a call to action by Chief Reuben George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. George has a wealth of experience as a family counsellor as well as years of activism fighting for the Kinder Morgan pipeline, which…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Anita De Monte Laughs Last

  a Novel

  Gonzalez, Xochitl, 1977-

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  This story delves into the racist, sexist, and classist world of Western art, following two Cuban American women striving to find their place within it. One is an artist who dies tragically as the novel begins, while the other is an…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Real Ones

  a Novel

  Vermette, Katherena, 1977-

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  What happens when your mom is outed as a pretendian? Two sisters, Métis through their father, struggle the media storm that ensues after their mother, an acclaimed “Indigenous” artist, is discovered to be the White woman that she is.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Our Wives Under the Sea

  Armfield, Julia,

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  Leah was supposed to be gone for three weeks. Instead, she spent six months in the black depths of the ocean with only the calls of an unknown creature indicating life beyond her submarine. As Leah internally relives her harrowing…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• All This Could Be Different

  Mathews, Sarah Thankam,

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  For spreadsheet lovers and all those whose adult lives didn’t go as planned. Sneha is a closed book; she successfully hides her family and personal history from friends and lovers and convinces everyone that she is not only coping,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Life Impossible

  Haig, Matt, 1975-

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  Another life-affirming novel by the author of The Midnight Library. Existential threat is mixed with magical realism in this book about believing the impossible. When widow Grace Winters inherits a house on the Spanish island of Ibiza…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Way of the Fearless Writer

  Mindful Wisdom for a Flourishing Writing Life

  Kempton, Beth,

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  Beth Kempton’s inspiring writing book is like self-care for the writer’s soul. The Way of the Fearless Writer frames the act of writing through Buddhist principles, to encourage grace, ritual, and the unfolding of beauty. With thoughtful…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Mudlark

  in Search of London's Past Along the River Thames

  Maiklem, Lara, 1971-

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  Mudlark takes you on a journey with Lara Maiklem as she uncovers pieces of the past from the shores of the Thames River. From presentday garbage to relics of the Roman Empire, her finds offer a fascinating glimpse into the unique…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fingersmith

  Waters, Sarah, 1966-

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  Fingersmith by Sarah Waters tells the story of an orphan named Sue Tinder. Wanting to repay the kindness of the petty thieves who raised her, Sue embarks on a scheme at their urging. Some have called it Oliver Twist with a twist.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Flames

  Haydock, Sophie,

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  In The Flames, Sophie Haydock gives voice to the four women who served as muses for artist Egon Schiele. This fictional account of their unconventional lives deftly gives them life beyond just the artist’s canvases. One need not be…Read moreRead more of this annotation