Staff Picks: June 2025Like this list

20 items

• The Girls

  a Novel

  Cline, Emma

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  This fictionalized reimagining of the Manson girls is unputdownable. First read this, then everything else Emma Cline has written.

• Outside the Gate

  the True Story of a British Home Child in Canada

  Newall, Carol Marie

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  Many of today’s great, and great great grandparents from Britain were “home children”. Sent to Canada to work as farmhands, domestics, and indentured servants between 1869-1948, few of these children spoke about their experiences to their own…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

  Smith, Betty, 1896-1972

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  A classic novel split into five parts, covering the life of Francie Nolan, the main character. The book is touching, eye opening, sprinkled with poignant moments and humour.

• One Golden Summer

  a Novel

  Fortune, Carley

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  Another standout by Canadian author Carley Fortune. I was hooked on this journey of self-discovery, grief, family, friendship, and romance. There was so much nostalgia for those endless summer days spent in cottage country. Fortune does a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• My Friends

  a Novel

  Backman, Fredrik, 1981-

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  This book felt like a cozy, warm hug. This author is so talented at making stories that you feel like you’re a part of them, and this one was so very beautiful. I absolutely loved it and can’t recommend it enough.

• Saint of the Narrows Street

  Boyle, William, 1978-

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  Spanning eighteen years, a riveting character study of a young mother who brains and kills her no-good husband, and the two people who help her cover it up. Brookyln comes alive in this engrossing tale of secrets and consequences. Highly…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Other Worlds

  Stories

  Alexis, André, 1957-

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  This absolutely brilliant collection of stories explores the magical and supernatural. Fans of Alexis’s Fifteen Dogs will find much to love in these truly inventive stories.

• Everything Is Tuberculosis

  the History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection

  Green, John, 1977-

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  Don’t be intimidated by the title, both a joy to read and filled with the incredible sense of hope, this is a great pick for anyone who loves history or would like to know more about tuberculosis. Through the book you will explore the fascinating,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Power

  a Novel

  Alderman, Naomi

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  Young women around the world realize that they have an unusual power to electrify through their fingertips. Mentored by Margaret Atwood, Naomi Alderman has written a thought provoking, world ranging book that can’t help but make you think of The…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Karitas Untitled

  Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir

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  An absolute sensation in Iceland and Europe, this author only has one book translated into English, but it is well worth reading. Karitas is an artist in early twentieth century Iceland, striving to break free from expectations as daughter, sister,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Knowing

  Talaga, Tanya

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  Tanya Talaga’s newly published 2024 book is a personal investigation into her family’s history, as well as the unpleasant truths about the residential school system and the ongoing difficulties finding the records about the number of children who…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Hope This Finds You Well

  Poems

  Baer, Kate

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  Kate Baer’s erasure poems, sometimes also called blackout poetry. Taken from correspondence she receives, Kate often uses this poetry format to change the sometimes-negative message to something empowering or beautiful.

• Enough Is Enuf

  Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell

  Henry, Gabe

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  A delightful book about the history of the English language, specifically the attempts of many groups and individuals to make spelling “eezier”. From pre-printing press to modern day social media, these spelling trends are sure to have you “lerning…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Full Speed to a Crash Landing

  Revis, Beth

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  This sci-fi novella is reminiscent of the Murderbot series by Marth Wells. Less robots in this one but just a much intrigue, suspense, and a similar writing style.

• Wild Dark Shore

  a Novel

  McConaghy, Charlotte

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  Off Antarctica’s icy coast lies Shearwater Island, where a father and his three children guard the world’s largest seed bank. As rising seas threaten their mission, they race to prepare the last seeds for evacuation. When a mysterious woman washes…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Paris Express

  a Novel

  Donoghue, Emma, 1969-

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  Donaghue bases her story on an actual historical event that occurred at Montparnasse train station in Paris, 1895. The narrative takes place in one day, as the characters, real and imagined, who have boarded the train travel unaware of the impending…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Your Mom's Gonna Love Me

  Rife, Matt

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  This audiobook was a great and easy listen. Matt Rife talks about how he got into comedy and some of his struggles in life. This is a great listen if you just want some easy, light and funny.

• The Restaurant of Lost Recipes

  Kashiwai, Hisashi, 1952-

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  This book is a continuation of The Kamogawa Food Detectives, and each chapter is a different mouth-watering mystery! Overall, it’s a very endearing book and series!

• All Systems Red

  Wells, Martha

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  This fun sci-fi novella is told from the perspective of “Murderbot,” the self-named security unit (SecUnit), who has hacked it's governor and is trying to keep it hidden from the research team it is currently guarding. Fast-paced and action packed,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Novel Life of Jane Austen

  a Graphic Biography

  Barchas, Janine,

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  An absolutely delightful biography featuring the scant information actually known about Jane Austen, filled out with what Barchas imagines based on her writing.