Staff Picks: July 2025Like this list

28 items

• Project Hail Mary

  a Novel

  Weir, Andy

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  The perfect combo between cool (and somewhat terrifying) science fiction and silly humour, I was hooked on this book from start to finish! It also features Rocky, who may be my new favourite book sidekick of all time.

• Something Lost, Something Gained

  Reflections on Life, Love, and Liberty

  Clinton, Hillary Rodham

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  If you enjoy politics and biographies, give this one a try. Rodham Clinton recounts and comments on a number of events that we heard about in the press and some private memories as well. The audiobook is read by the author and is easy to listen to.

• 40 Days in Hicksville

  Kilbourne, Christina

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  The Forest of Reading Red Maple 2025 winner. A compelling mystery for young adult readers, this story follows Kate and her friend Zach in alternating perspectives as they try to solve a cold case concerning Kate’s family.

• The Listeners

  a Novel

  Stiefvater, Maggie, 1981-

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  Maggie Stiefvater’s first adult novel The Listeners is about a luxury hotel at the beginning of WWII. Main character and hotel general manager June must keep the hotel running smoothly as tensions rise and her personal feelings change but often have…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Spellshop

  Durst, Sarah Beth

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  A delightful fantasy novel with a runaway librarian, sentient spider plant, and lots of illegal magic. Starting off with tragedy, this book soon turns into a sweet cottagecore story with problems that the characters work together to overcome.

• First-time Caller

  Borison, B. K.

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  This was such a sweet little story. It makes for a perfect, cozy, comforting beach read. You’ll fall in love, I promise!

• Winging It With You

  a Novel

  Pons, Chip

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  I absolutely LOVED this, so much fun and so sweet! I loved the way it was set up like the amazing race, and the characters were so loveable and precious.

• For the Love of a Son

  a Memoir of Addiction, Loss, and Hope

  Oake, Scott

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  CBC sportscaster Scott Oake tells the story of the tragic loss of his son to drug overdose, and the family's ensuing journey in building the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre. Offers personal insight into the devastation caused by the opioid crisis, and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hello, Juliet

  Bailey, Samantha M., 1973-

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  This book alternates between two timelines - present and past (about 10 years prior). It's about a character named Ivy who gets her first big break in a TV show but everything isn't as it appears. The twists in this book are great. Just when I…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking

  Kingfisher, T.

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  This clever and funny YA fantasy will have you rooting for Mona, the 14-year-old baker’s assistant who’s only magical skill lies with bread. When magicians disappear from her city and she is the only one available to help with an incoming crisis,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Crimson Road

  Slatter, Angela

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  Dark fairy tales, more original Grimm than Disney, provide the backdrop for this tale. You have your deeply reluctant chosen one, your streetwise urchin, and your horse named Ned, and a quest to save the world from some truly unpleasant vampires.

• The Light Eaters

  How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth

  Schlanger, Zoë

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  We can’t live without them. Plants and the botanists who love them take centre stage in this wonderful exploration of cutting-edge botany research that is simultaneously a look at what it’s like to be working in a discipline where long-held core…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Full Speed to a Crash Landing

  Revis, Beth

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  This quick little sci-fi heist jaunt takes us into the sarcastic, cocky confidence of Ada Lamarr, a simple salvager of spaceship wrecks in the black of space. Or is she? While it might take you a minute or two to get into the narration – Ada is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sky Daddy

  a Novel

  Folk, Kate

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  This was one of the strangest novels I have ever read! It was funny, awkward, spicy, and weirdly heartwarming at times.

• Who We Are

  Four Questions for a Life and a Nation

  Sinclair, Murray, 1951-

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  This memoir of The Honourable Murray Sinclair reflects upon his life and his memorable experiences with humility, integrity, and respect from his beginnings as an executive assistant, as a lawyer, as a judge, as a Chair of the Truth and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Tonight, I Burn

  Adams, Katharine J.

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  Death-walking witches. Rule breakers. Rebellion. Tangled romance. I was absolutely devoured by this book—chokehold, hexed, gone. I’d walk into Death's trap just to read it again.

• Les Normaux. Volume 1

  Janssen, Janine,

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  A charming queer paranormal romance where self-discovery, new friends and the courage to open up despite self-doubt shine—I’m already obsessed with the diverse characters and counting down to Volume 2!

• The Road to Tender Hearts

  a Novel

  Hartnett, Annie

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  A charming and heartfelt read from start to finish. This novel follows a newly formed, delightfully dysfunctional family as they embark on an impulsive road trip in search of both adventure and closure. The cast of quirky, flawed, and deeply human…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Kids Book About Empathy

  Roberts, Daron K.,

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  Being empathetic is a skill where we try to understand what another person is thinking or feeling. It's a caring response. This book teaches children and adults how to feel with someone, without trying to fix others feelings or problems.

• Anxious People

  a Novel

  Backman, Fredrik, 1981-

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  The Swedish author captures anxiety and humour when a group of people get together in a bank robbery that isn't really a bank robbery. This charming story will delight and engage readers with the complexities of loss, life and love.